Domaine Clos de la Chapelle – Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru 2016 – Burgundy France

The reds of Corton are the only grand crus in the whole Côte de Beaune, and Bressandes is the climat that rivals Clos du Roi for the best of them. The domaine's holding is twenty hundredths of a hectare — a fifth of an acre — of forty-five-year-old vines.

🍷 At a Glance

• Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
• Appellation: Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru
• Region: Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
• Vintage: 2016
• Producer: Domaine Clos de la Chapelle
• Vineyard: 0.20 hectares of forty-five-year-old vines, with excellent exposure and good drainage
• Soil: Clay and limestone
• Estate: Around 4 to 5 hectares across a dozen or more terroirs, nearly all premier or grand cru; roughly 1,500 cases a year in total
• Farming: Certified organic, transitioning to biodynamics
• Serving temperature: 15–16°C
• Style: Dry red wine

👃 Tasting Notes & Experience

• Color: Deep ruby
• Nose: Red and dark berry fruit with spice and a mineral edge
• Palate: Grace and power together — a big wine that keeps its delicacy
• Structure: Firm Corton tannins, given definition by the vintage's small yields
• Finish: Long, savoury and mineral

The hill of Corton is the exception in the Côte de Beaune, the one place that makes grand cru red, and Bressandes is widely held to be at or near the top of it. What the domaine has here is tiny even by their standards — a fifth of a hectare, worked organically, on well-drained clay and limestone with excellent exposure. Mark O'Connell bought the old Boillot estate in Volnay in 2010 and spent the following decade adding parcels across the Côte de Beaune, reaching the Corton hill along the way; his wife, the story goes, eventually told him to stop buying grand cru. 2016 was the frost year, which cut yields severely across the region and left what remained unusually concentrated.

❤️ Why We Love It

• A climat that rivals Clos du Roi for the finest red on the Corton hill
• A fifth of a hectare of forty-five-year-old vines, organically farmed
• Grand cru from a domaine producing roughly 1,500 cases across its whole range

🍽️ Food Pairing Ideas

• Strongly flavoured meats, but equally roast chicken or poached salmon
• Grilled vegetables, and sauces with chanterelles or ceps
• Morbier, Bucheron, Cantal and Saint-Marcellin

👤 Who This Wine Is For

✓ Collectors who want Côte de Beaune grand cru with genuine cellaring life
✓ Drinkers who like Corton's firmness carried by grace rather than bulk
✕ Not ideal if you want something soft and immediately open