Description
Domaine Etienne Delarche, Corton “Les Renardes” Grand Cru
Domaine Marius Delarche’s winery is in the foothills above Pernand-Vergelesses, where the family has been crafting wines from Corton since the 1940s. Philippe Delarche and his son, Etienne, jointly tended the vineyards and crafted the wine as a team until Philippe lost a long battle with cancer in 2007. Since then, Etienne has carried on, implementing the wisdom of his father and his own experiences around the world to produce beautiful wine one vintage after the next.
Delarche’s holdings in “Les Renardes,” a prized lieu-dit of Grand Cru Corton, approaches 1,000 feet in elevation and enjoy prime southeastern sun exposure. In 2022 the perfectly ripe and balanced berries were hand-harvested and fully de-stemmed. A native-yeast fermentation occurred in stainless steel before the resulting wine was gently transferred into French barrels, 30% new, for one year of maturation. It was bottled without fining or filtration to capture every nuance this storied terroir has to offer.
Served at 60 degrees, this superb Grand Cru doles out lush swells of red cherry, roasted plum, black raspberry, blood orange, underbrush, iron, baking spice, damp violet, wet stone, and muddled strawberry. t’s a delight to drink right now (over the course of two evenings) with supple berry fruit and profound minerality wrapped in a firm tannic frame. Decant it 30 minutes before serving at 60 degrees in Burgundy stems, and save a few others for revisiting in 5-7 years’ time. Enjoy!
