Impressive structure and great length - serious Burgundy.
Production
One of a handful of producers in the Côte d'Or who continue to use ultra-traditional winemaking techniques. Grapes are selected from vines of a minimum 15 years of age; after pressing the juice is decanted then fermented in open wooden casks using only natural yeasts and no temperature control. The white wines are left on their lees for an extended period and put into French oak barrels, where they mature for a minimum of two years with racking off two or three times a year (to gently remove natural deposits). They don't have a fancy bottling line here - usually a pipe is inserted into each barrel which is joined to four taps, and the wine flows by gravity straight from barrel into the bottles without any filtration and just a candle to check that it's clear!
Vallet Frères Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2021 (6 bottles case)
Vivino ratings
Tasting notes
With a complex bouquet of chamomile and butterscotch, the finish is impressively oaked with good, clean length. This Grand Cru shows impressive structure and is, without a doubt, a wine that will benefit from being put to one side for a few years to develop.
Food match
Given the labour-intensive traditional methods used to produce this Corton Charlemagne, a ying and yang approach to accompanying dishes should be adopted i.e. simply grilled lobster, snails in herb butter, or pike dumplings in a sorrel sauce.
Info
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ABV
13%
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CASE/BOTTLE SIZE
6 x 75cl
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REGION/COUNTRY
BURGUNDY, FRANCE
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GRAPE
CHARDONNAY 100%
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FEATURES
VEGETARIAN, VEGAN
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CLOSURE
CORK
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WINEMAKER
BERNARD VALLET
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APPELLATION
CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE
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ALLERGEN INFO
CONTAINS SULPHITES AND NO OTHER ALLERGENS
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Meet the producer
Founded in 1864 by Pierre Bourée, Vallet Frères is now in the hands of the fourth generation of the family, Bernard and Jean-Christophe Vallet. The family owns vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin, in the Beaune Premier Cru of Les Epenottes, and in the Grand Cru of Charmes-Chambertin, as well as the entire monopole vineyard of Clos de la Justice, also in Gevrey-Chambertin. Vallet Frères is also a négociant, and sources the best grapes from growers in other areas, with whom it has worked closely for decades.
The wines it produces are complex, fine and authentic examples of Burgundian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Vallet family’s wines have been imported to the UK by Boutinot for over 30 years and today they’re distributed to top independent wine merchants and Michelin-starred restaurants across the country.