One wife of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, supposedly ordered white grapes to be planted so her husband could drink white wine and not stain his royal beard with any red. 1,200 years later, the same vineyard – with one of the most gifted exposures for harvesting grapes – reputedly still stands on the hill of Corton, home to Domaine Bonneau du Martray. Not surprising their Corton Charlemagne has a reserved, elegant nose of white flower, green apple, pear and spice. Its wonderfully intense fresh flavors are exceptionally clean and end in a bone-dry finish complete with superb minerality. A pure white wine, structured to reach its peak in the better part of a decade.
