Domaine Philippe Girard is a small estate based in the Côte de Beaune with holdings in several of the hill of Corton’s most distinguished Grand Cru lieux-dits, producing Corton Grand Cru Pinot Noir in a traditional, cellar-focused style that emphasises the individual character of the Corton hillside’s distinctive soils over fashionable winemaking intervention. The Corton Les Perrières Grand Cru is one of several distinct lieux-dits within the broader Corton Grand Cru appellation, occupying a specific section of the hill whose limestone-dominant soils with a high proportion of ‘pierre’ or stony debris from the Corton hillside give the wines a distinctive mineral and slightly austere character that distinguishes them from the fuller, richer expressions of Bressandes or Clos du Roi in the same Grand Cru appellation.

Corton is the only red Grand Cru in the Côte de Beaune, a 160-hectare hillside shared between the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny and Pernand-Vergelesses whose varied soils and exposures produce a range of Pinot Noir styles under the single Grand Cru designation. Les Perrières occupies the mid to upper slopes of the Corton hillside, where shallower soils over hard limestone bedrock produce wines of greater mineral tension and structural firmness than the deeper-soiled lieux-dits lower on the hill. The 2023 Burgundy vintage is the most recent available from the estate and is too young to assess with full confidence, but early tasting notes from the appellation suggest a vintage of good fruit concentration and pleasant aromatic freshness that follows the more demanding 2022 and 2021.

Corton Grand Cru Pinot Noir from a small independent domaine represents one of the most accessible price points for Grand Cru red Burgundy, given the appellation’s relatively lower profile compared to the great Gevrey, Chambolle and Vosne grands crus. Philippe Girard’s Les Perrières provides collectors with an entry into serious Grand Cru Corton from a committed family estate whose traditional winemaking approach produces wines that age genuinely well rather than wines that are polished primarily for early commercial appeal.

Ruby with a fresh and mineral nose of red cherry, raspberry, dried rose, chalk, spice and the distinctive limestone mineral character of the Corton Les Perrières terroir. Medium to full-bodied with structured tannins, excellent natural acidity and a long, mineral, savoury finish with a firm, age-worthy backbone. Best from 2028 through 2042.