Capitain-Gagnerot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2020
The soil in the heart of Corton-Charlemagne give a unique minerality to one of the great white wines of the world. Smoky and honeyed at the same time with notes of honysuckle and lemongrass, Charlemagne has the structure and balance for aging. We assisted at a tasting some years ago, put on by the Grands Jours de Bourgogne, that featured every single producer of Corton-Charlemagne. That's right. How they organized that, we can't say. But it was, as you might imagine, memorable. And there amidst all the big names was the Capitain Corton-Charlemagne. They don't go in for hype and publicity much at Capitain-Gagnerot. But there in a hall with all of their peers, you could feel their pride and the confidence in their wine.
Anybody who has followed us since our start in early 1996 knows the Maison Capitain-Gagnerot in Ladoix-Serrigny. We have seen three generation now. Roger Capitain was our first mentor in Burgundy, and we learned our craft leaning against a wine barrel, soaking up his wisdom and discussing his inimitable wines. His sons Patrice and Michel, and now Patrice's son Pierre Francois (the whole family, really), carry on a tradition that is most easily described as a style. There is no mistaking a Capitain wine. Once you know it, you can pick one out just in the bouquet. It's a purity. And it's our benchmark in Burgundy.
BURGUNDY 2020
With so many winemakers finishing their 2020 harvest before the end of August, everyone here in Burgundy expected that this hot, sunny vintage would produce atypical wines, overripe, fat and flabby. Why it did not is a mystery to this day.
In fact, 2020 Burgundy, both red and white, is being lauded by the Press and professionals alike as an exceptional vintage, brilliantly fresh, pure, elegant and focused. Yes, the wines are ripe and concentrated, but there is good acidity that more than brings things into balance. This, in fact, defines the Burgundy 2020 style: high acidity and high concentration.
So let’s look, as we do every year, at how the growing season developed, to try to get some idea of what shaped these unexpectedly energetic wines.
In a word, from start to finish, 2020 was precocious. After a mild and humid winter, the vegetative cycle started a month early under sunny skies, with bud burst in mid-April and the first Chardonnay flowers in early May. Then the weather deteriorated. Pinot Noir flowered in cool, damp conditions, and was less successful than Chardonnay, explaining the smaller Pinot crop.
From that point on, there is not much to report weatherwise. It was hot and dry from June through to the end, the driest year since 1945. The grapes started to change color in mid-July, and harvest in August seemed likely.
Now you may think that an August harvest lets everyone get their jobs done and go home early. But remember that there is a big difference between the heat and luminosity of an August afternoon and the cooler, shorter days of September. When maturity comes galloping at you in August, you have to react quickly; a day or two can mean considerable differences in acid and sugar levels.
Indeed, there may have been more stress on the winemakers than there was on the vines. 2020 was in fact an easy growing season, dry, with little risk of fungal problems. The tough part was deciding when to harvest. Do you put off harvesting to try to get to phenolic maturity, or do you pick sooner to keep acid levels up and to avoid higher alcohol levels?
Many opted to pick early. And for the most part, it proved to be the right decision…though we still do not understand why!
Many 2020 wines have alcohol levels of 13%-14%, but many are higher. Delaying picking increased the potential alcohol levels by as much as a degree a week.
At the same time, good levels of phenolic maturity gave ripe, but not overripe tannins. Some call the 2020s ‘crunchy’, which is a tannin level riper than ‘green’ but less than ‘fine’.
Total acidity was generally high, but most of that was tartaric acid. Malic acid, which would normally make up a big percentage of the total acidity, was low. In fact, the wines changed very little during malolactic fermentation, as there was little malic acid to transform into lactic acid.
So, again, we have a vintage that is characterized by high acidity and concentrated fruit. Some are saying that there has never before been a vintage where ripeness and acidity combined to give such brilliant wines with great aging potential. And this is true for both red and white. Freshness, balance, moderate alcohol.
The whites are rich and ripe, but with a crystalline, almost razor-sharp edge. That little touch of lactic acid makes them complex without adding weight.
The reds might bear a resemblance to past vintages. 2005, maybe. But they made wine differently in 2005. Back then, extraction was the goal: get as much out of the ripeness as you could. Today, Pinot is not so much ‘extracted’ as ‘infused’, like tea. This gives wines that are fresher and more energetic, with no less intensity and maybe more spice.
Drink them now, both red and white. There is astounding vitality in the youthful 2020s. But stick to the regional appellations for now because this is above all a vintage for aging, again both red and white. Keep the premier and grand crus for 10-15 years; longer for the best wines. They have the balance to age, and will reveal little by little the complexity that we just get hints of today. These are wines that may shut down for a few years in a few years, that’s to be expected. But be patient; you will be overjoyed to pull 2020 Burgundy from your cellar down the line.
But even just that little touch of lactic acid made the complexity of the whites.
CORTON CHARLEMAGNE
GRAND CRU
COTE DE BEAUNE
Situated almost on the border between the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune, and at altitudes between 280 and 330 meters, much of the Corton-Charlemagne appellation, quite unusually, faces south-west. The round-top Corton mountain, has vineyards on three sides corresponding to the three villages of Aloxe-Corton (Le Charlemagne), Pernand-Vergelesses (En Charlemagne) and Ladoix-Serrigny (Pougets, Corton, Languettes). These vineyards were a gift of the Emperor Charlemagne to the religious community of Saint-Andoche at Saulieu in the year 775. They remained in their possession for a thousand years, and today still celebrate the name of their illustrious benefactor.
The production area of the appellation Corton-Charlemagne includes the appellation Charlemagne, which is not currently in use. Appellation Corton-Charlemagne is produced in the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny and Pernand-Vergelesses. Appellation Charlemagne would be produced in the communes of Aloxe-Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses. Certain parcels, depending on whether they are planted with Pinot Noir or Chardonnay grapes, may, at the grower's discretion, claim the appellation Corton for red wines or Corton-Charlemagne for whites.
Wine
Young Corton-Charlemagne is pale gold with green highlights. As it ages, the color shifts towards yellow or amber. The bouquet can be extremely delicate, apply and citric with a unique minerality in youth, with spiciness coming with a few years in the bottle. Honey notes are part of aging, with older vintages showing leather and truffle. Corton-Charlemagne should be a demonstration of what the Chardonnay grape is capable of: richness, power, concentration, finesse and balance.
Terroirs
Appellation Corton-Charlemagne occupies the highest plantable portion of the Corton mountain, and here the slopes are steep (20-23%). The hill itself is a superb geological cross section through the younger Jurassic strata which lie between Ladoix-Serrigny and Meursault. The color of the clay-rich marly soils varies from yellow through ochre to brown. Limestone alternates with marls beneath a thin cover of rendzinas. At mid-slope the mainly red wines of the appellation Corton grow on soils very much different in character.
Color
White wines only - Chardonnay.
Production surface area
1 hectare (ha) = 2.4 acres
Whites: 52.44 ha
Food
A great Corton-Charlemagne is the perfect balance between acidity and opulence. Such a noble wine demands refined and delicate dishes that still possess aromatic prowess. The natural matches would be foie gras, which would be supported by the wine's minerality, as well as quality crustaceans (lobster, crawfish or crab) whose firm but elegant textures work well here. Poultry or veal in sauce would also do the wine justice, as would blue cheeses.
Appellations
On the label, the words ‘Grand Cru’ must appear immediately below the name of the appellation.