Wine
Regiions
Old World
France
Burgandy
Cote d'Or
Cote de Beaune

Corton/Savigny/Pernand

North of Beaune the road crosses a flat plain and the hills and vineyards retreat. Ahead looms the prow of Corton, the one isolated hill of the whole Cote d'Or, with a dark cap of woods. Corton breaks the spell which prevents the Cote de Beaune from having a red Grand Cru. Its massive smooth side of hill vineyard to the top, presents faces to east, south and west; all excellent. Indeed it has not one but two Grand Cru appellations; for white wine and red, covering a large part of the hill. The white, Corton-Charlemagne, is grown on the upper slopes, where debris from the limestone top is washed down, whitening the brown marry soil.

The red, Le Corton, is grown in a broad band all round. Map names may be misleading; they often record the original sites of Corton and Corton-Charlemagne rather than the present appellations. Fine appellations cover a much wider area; the narrow strip Corton is of little account, most red Corton comes from Renardes, Clos du Roi, Bressandes. Similarly the part marked Corton-Charlemagne grows both white wine (above) and red Corton (There is a slight Alice in Wonderland air about the legalities, but none whatsoever about the wine; both red and white, forceful, lingering, memorable wines, are among Burgundy's very best.

The most celebrated grower of Corton is Louis Latour, whose fine press-house, known as Chateau Grancey, stands in an old quarry in Les Perrieres. Aloxe-Corton is the appellation of the lesser wines (red or white) grown below the hill, still often excellent.

If Savigny and Pernand are slightly in the background here it is only because the foreground is so imposing. The best growers of both, make wines almost up to the Beaune standard. Part of Pernand has the appellations Corton and Corton-Charlemagne.