Île des Vergelesses, the Queen of the Hill of Corton 1er Crus

I brought this 2019 Chandon de Briailles Île des Vergelesses 1er Cru to a blind tasting while I was studying for the Wine Scholar Guild Master-Level Bourgogne course because the Hill of Corton was, to me, the most confusing part of the Côte d'Or.
The communes of Pernand-Vergelesses, Aloxe-Corton and Ladoix-Serrigny (going from west to east) surround 3 sides of the "lonzenge"-shaped Hill of Corton. The "Hill" is a significant geographical feature that acts as the northern welcome mat of the Côte de Beaune.
Each of the communes has its own personality and, in the most basic terms, I would say that:
(1) Pernand-Vergelesses AOC is split almost 50/50 between red wine and white wine. It's the largest of the 3 communes but has the fewest grand cru climats (only one, En Charlemagne) and the fewest premier crus (8 total, with 3 reserved for white wines only).
(2) Aloxe-Corton AOC produces almost only red wine. It's the smallest of the 3 communes but has the most grand cru climats and the most premier crus. Confusingly, portions of Ladoix-Serrigny land are included in Aloxe-Corton AOC.
(3) Ladoix AOC is, in my mind, somewhere in between Pernand-Vergelesses and Aloxe-Corton, producing majority red wine but not as much as Aloxe, having grand cru climat and premier cru numbers somewhere in between Pernand and Aloxe and being stylistically in between the two other communes.
Numbers are just numbers here, though, as Île des Vergelesses in Pernand is considered the best out of the premier crus on the Hill.
The esteemed Domaine Chandon de Briailles is the largest landowner of this premier cru and makes both red and white wines, produced biodynamically and organically.
Chandon de Briailles is also notable for bottling some of their wines without sulfur and also for making a skin contact white wine! Never say that Burgundy isn't pushing boundaries!

Have you tried the wines of Pernand-Vergelesses? Any other favorites of this commune? 🍷

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