Ladoix white wines, elegant and tasty

Ladoix white wines, elegant and tasty

Just ten minutes north of Beaune lies the charming village of Ladoix Serrigny. Each year at the beginning of July, the village welcomes more than 3,000 visitors for its Balade Gourmande (gourmet walk) to discover the Ladoix AOC and its wines, which have earned the village an international reputation.

Ladoix vies with its neighbor Pernand-Vergelesses for the title of Côte de Beaune’s most northerly AOC. With Aloxe-Corton, the trio can boast of producing AOC Village wines on a terroir usually reserved for Grands Crus: the hill of Corton and its famous namesakes, Corton and Corton-Charlemagne. The AOC is best known for its red wines, which account for the majority of production. But its rarer white wines are far from uninteresting. Let’s take a closer look.

A terroir where Chardonnay is king

The Côte de Beaune, which we’ve just entered, is inexorably the land of Chardonnay. It’s in this small strip of land, no more than forty kilometers long, that some of the greatest white wines in France are produced, and indeed in the world, as Burgundy lovers will tell you! It’s here, moreover, that we find the only Grand Cru AOC producing exclusively white wines: Corton-Charlemagne, a bottle of which from a recent vintage costs at the very least 150€.

The soils are ideal for Chardonnay, the only grape variety used for white wines in the AOC (as in most of Burgundy). A mix of clay, marl and schist, with occasional traces of flint lending freshness and minerality to the wines. The south/southeast exposure provides sufficient sunshine to counterbalance this freshness and give the wine a rounder character on the palate.

Climats, crus and wine styles

“In Burgundy, when we talk about Climat, we don’t raise our eyes to heaven, we lower them to earth.” (B. Pivot). Since July 4, 2015, the 1247 climats de Bourgogne have been classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A climat is a piece of terroir with very specific geological, hydrometric and climatic (exposure) characteristics.

In the Ladoix AOC area, 11 climats are authorized to produce Premiers Crus. Take Ladoix Premier Cru Hautes-Mourottes or Les Joyeuses, for example, to be sure of finding a white wine. Premiers Crus Le Clou d’Orge and La Corvée are also produced as red wines, so be careful not to make a mistake when buying online!

Rather elegant, AOC Ladoix wines are a delicate blend of freshness (i.e. with a hint of acidity) and roundness. Chardonnay’s “coating” effect on the palate is much more subtle than that of its southern Côte de Beaune neighbors. At Meursault, for example, this roundness and buttery character explode on the palate. As with most white Burgundy wines, the winemaker’s involvement in the cellar is quite extensive, in order to reveal the grape variety’s full potential. Ladoix wines are generally aged in 228L oak barrels, Burgundian style!

What do you serve it with?

Ladoix wines are supple and easy to drink. They go very well with many starters and main courses. Although discreet, its notes of quince, figs and acacia will sublimate fish and seafood. The flinty soil lends a mineral quality to the wines, making them ideal with scallops marinated in ginger and soy sauce. The spiciness of the latter two ingredients is softened by the butteriness of the Chardonnay, which is discreet but very present in wines from this appellation. Enjoy your meal!

© Photo: Armands Brants / Unsplash