2022 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 750 ml

For us, passing through Burgundy without stopping at Louis Latour would be like visiting the Île de la Cité and ignoring Notre Dame. 

Their Château Corton-Grancey is the heart of the Maison. It’s where we’ve tasted, laughed, and celebrated with the Latour family—including the dearly missed Louis-Fabrice Latour—for more than two decades. And when we visited late on a late January afternoon earlier this year, the day was turning dark and cold, but the reception was as warm as ever.

It was just as generous as ever, too. After tasting through the family’s wonderful and wonderfully affordable range, the main event began: the parade of Grand Crus. Latour makes about two dozen, and none is more sacred—and more special to taste at Château Corton-Grancey—as their Corton-Charlemagne.

The Château sits at the base of the hill of Corton, looking up at one of the most sacred Chardonnay sites on the globe. The Latour family owns over 10 hectares in the Corton-Charlemagne appellation, located on the south-eastern side of the hill, which gives optimal sun exposure.

More impressively, the domaine is still a family business, going back eleven generations. That long-standing family ownership means Louis Latour can offer stunning wines like this for a fraction of what some of their Grand Cru neighbors are charging.

A visit to Corton hill is a must for any white-wine lover. Trekking through the rows of this hallowed vineyard, tripping over rocks the size of tennis balls while breathing in the crisp hilltop air, it’s impossible not to grasp the significance of where you stand. This wine, aged for 10 months in 100% new French oak, is a gorgeous and timeless taste of this immortal site. Congratulations to anyone who cellars some.