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Why Does an Emperor’s Name Still Mark This Vineyard, More Than 1,200 Years Later? — Corton-Charlemagne

Burgundy, Through One Map

Why Does an Emperor's Name Still Mark This Vineyard, More Than 1,200 Years Later? — Corton-Charlemagne

Watercolour panorama of the forest-crowned hill of Corton in Burgundy

At the northern end of the Côte de Beaune, a gently sloping hill rises above the surrounding plain. Its name is Corton. On one part of this hill, a white wine is grown that carries the name “Corton-Charlemagne.” Charlemagne, the historical figure whose name marks this wine, died more than 1,200 years ago. The names of most medieval kings and emperors remain confined to history books today, far from daily life. But the name on this hillside vineyard is different. Why does the name of a single emperor still remain, to this day, as the official name of a vineyard, more than 1,200 years later? The answer lies in an event said to have taken place on this hill in the 8th century, and in a story that has been passed down ever since.

ItemDetails
Name of the vineyardCorton-Charlemagne
Commune / districtThe hill of Corton, spanning the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses, and Ladoix-Serrigny (Côte de Beaune)
ClassificationGrand Cru / AOC recognized July 31, 1937
Grape varietyChardonnay (reserved for white wine only; the regulations also permit a small proportion of Pinot Blanc, though this is rarely used in practice)
Milestone years775 (the emperor is said to have donated his holdings on this hill to an abbey) / 1375 (the earliest confirmed surviving record) / July 31, 1937 (recognized as Grand Cru under the AOC system)
For referenceA separate part of the same hill carries the name “Corton” (mostly for red wine). “Corton” is not the name of a village — it is the name of the hill itself

The Emperor Is Said to Have Donated the Vineyard on This Hill to an Abbey

In 775, Charlemagne, then King of the Franks and only later an emperor, is said to have donated most of his holdings on the hill of Corton to an abbey — that of Saint-Andoche in Saulieu. Saulieu is another town in Burgundy, some distance to the west of this hill.

However, no original document recording this donation survives today. According to tradition, the document proving the donation was lost in a fire in 1360. The earliest record that can be confirmed today dates from later still — 1375, when the church of Saulieu leased out a plot known as “Clos le Charlemagne.” The year 775 is a tradition repeated across multiple works of wine history, but it carries no direct backing from a surviving original document today.

One Hill, Two Names

The name Corton does not belong to a village. It belongs to the hill itself. The slopes of the hill span three communes: Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses, and Ladoix-Serrigny. On the upper part of the hill, where the thin soil is mixed with limestone, Chardonnay is planted, and the white wine grown there carries the name “Corton-Charlemagne.” Lower down the slope, in soils containing more clay, Pinot Noir is planted for the most part, and the red wine grown there carries the name “Corton.” From this single hill come two wines of different color, each carrying a different name — and the emperor’s name is inscribed on only one of them.

Why Does the Emperor’s Name Belong Only to the White Grapes?

Why was the upper part of the hill planted with white grapes? Confirmed historical records leave no clear answer to this question. But one story has been passed down. According to it, the emperor, unwilling to see his white beard stained by red wine, ordered that this part of the hill be planted with white grapes instead — or so it is said. Accounts differ on who is said to have given the order: in some tellings it is the emperor himself, in others his wife or his mother. It survives today not as a confirmed historical record, but as one of the stories told about this hill.

Today, as a Grand Cru

More than a thousand years after the donation is said to have taken place, on July 31, 1937, Corton-Charlemagne — together with Corton and Charlemagne — was recognized as a Grand Cru under France’s Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Since then, the name has continued in use to this day as an official administrative classification. The memory of the donation the emperor is said to have left on this hill lives on in the form of a legend — and with that legend, the name alone remains on the vineyard today.

Three Facts Worth Knowing

  • “Corton” is not the name of a village — it is the name of the hill itself. The white wine grown on the upper part of the hill carries the name “Corton-Charlemagne”; the red wine grown lower down carries the name “Corton.”
  • In 775, Charlemagne is said to have donated the vineyard on this hill to an abbey in Saulieu. No original document recording the donation survives, however, and the earliest confirmed record dates only to 1375.
  • As for why the upper part of the hill was planted with white grapes, a story is told that the emperor did not want his white beard stained by red wine. This is not a confirmed historical record. On July 31, 1937, Corton-Charlemagne was recognized as a Grand Cru under the AOC system.

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