Description
Chapuis & Chapuis, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
The Chapuis brothers, Romain and Jean-Guillaume, were raised in the vineyards of Aloxe-Corton, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Romain fell in love with wine and began touring the world to improve his craft. He had the luxury of learning under natural wine superstar Philippe Pacalet, who himself was educated by one of Beaujolais’ most revered producers, Marcel Lapierre, and Jules Chauvet, the founding father of the French natural wine movement. Upon Romain’s return to Burgundy, he reunited with his brother and they decided to launch their own label focusing on naturally made wines from impeccable grape sources. A small cellar in Pommard was secured in 2009 (which once housed the kitchen of the original 13th-century Château de Pommard), along with 0.8 hectares of vines. The remainder of their sites are leased, but the brothers do all the farming themselves, following a strict organic regimen and keeping yields low.
For the Corton-Charlemagne, the two have turned to an exceptional plot in “Les Chaillots” near the village of Corgoloin, rising nearly 250 meters above the rich and stony soil. Grapes are hand harvested and rigorously sorted at the cellar door. Once there, winemaking is straightforward, what the brothers call an alliance of tradition and modernity—indigenous yeast fermentation, no additives and no sulfur. The Corton-Charlemagne ages longer than other cuvées, 18 months in barrels made from Burgundian oak, before bottling without filtration or fining. The simplicity and purity of Romain’s deft touch is amply evident and the wine presents very classically, with a complex nose of ripe fruits, honey, fresh Matsutake mushrooms and pain grillé. On the palate, the fresh acidity focuses the broad fruit and toasty notes, giving length and bringing the wine to an astoundingly mineral finish. All of the Chapuis wines are produced in painfully minuscule quantities. We always take whatever we can of their 1,000-case production and we encourage you to do the same!
