Mark was in the host’s seat for Monday Table this month. The theme was Corton and we gathered at Kisumé in Melbourne for a wonderful meal.
1990 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut: A rich nose of grilled nuts, tarte Tatin and truffle. It is powerful in the mouth, with excellent volume and plenty of grip. There’s excellent acid line.
1999 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut: Pure and fresh, with plenty of green apple and white peach. It is full, harmonious and long, with some dosage sweetness and excellent balance. It doesn’t have the cut and thrust of the ’96, but is a very good Salon, drinking beautifully today.
2004 Faiveley Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru: Has the green, nettley marker of the vintage. It is rich and layered, with a heady feel. Length is good.
2005 Faiveley Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru: Sadly some mild cork taint detracts from what is a very good wine. It is loaded with powerful, sappy orchard fruits. There’s serious volume and length.
2014 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru: So pure, fresh and intense. It is all citrus and white peach, of the most crystalline quality. It is sappy, long, linear and simply brilliant.
2010 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru: Oxidised.
2004 Domaine Leroy Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru: Struck match greet the nose. It has intense white peach fruit and some dried flower and Arum Lily notes. It is powerful and direct, with superb complexity and a finish that drives on and on. It is drinking somewhere near its apogee right now.
2010 Domaine Ponsot Corton Cuvée du Bourdon, Grand Cru: The nose is ferrous and slightly feral (in a good way). Plenty of meat and musk. Good drive in the mouth with a long, lingering finish, showing a distinctive licorice character.
2005 Remoissenet Père et Fils Corton-Clos du Roi, Grand Cru: Plenty of meat and iron on the nose and in the mouth. It is direct and youthful, with good drive and excellent balance and proportion for a large-scaled wine.
2010 Bonneau du Martray Corton, Grand Cru: Complex aromatics of iron, smoked meats, musk and black cherry. It has good flesh, is dense, deep and luscious. There’s ample structure just below the flesh and the wine really builds through the palate, finishing savoury and dry. It is one of the best young BdM Corton Rouge that I can remember.
1996 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley, Grand Cru: Some nutty aldehyde punches up into the nostrils. It is very meaty but also possesses fresh fruit, back-lit by the vintage’s acidity. The finish oozes minerality, with a rusty nail note.
1961 Petiot Freres Corton, Grand Cru: Fairly developed, with leather and chocolate tertiary notes. There’s some nuttiness and a pleasant grating of fresh ginger. It is sweet and vinous, with relaxed structural elements.
1962 Domaine Jaboulet-Vercherre Corton-Languettes, Grand Cru: corked.
1962 Mallard-Gaulin Corton-Clos du Roi, Grand Cru: Smells of spent fireworks, root vegetables and sandalwood. It is sweet and layered in the mouth, with good freshness and highly perfumed flavours. There’s a lacy feel against the gums and it shows very good persistence. A lovely drink.
1978 P. Dubreuil-Fontaine Père & Fils Corton-Bressandes, Grand Cru: A gorgeous nose of rose petals, gingerbread, sweet earth and spiced plum. It is elegant, full, textured and perfectly balanced. There’s an ethereal quality to the wine, with each sip revealing a different, subtle nuance.
1929 Seberon & Fils Corton Clos du Roi, Grand Cru: Old wine smells of teak, truffle and decaying rose. It is very much alive, with lovely mature flavours and a juicy quality. It is very long, with all sorts of interesting savoury notes.
1947 Faiveley Corton, Grand Cru: A Chevaliers du Tastevin bottling and absolutely splendid. So complex and engaging, with spicy ginger, dried flowers, smoked meats and dark fruits. It is rich and explosive in the mouth, unctuous, filling every crevice with flavour, then fanning out on the finish, leaving a highly perfumed calling card. It is so fresh and so good.
1953 Roger Viard Corton, Grand Cru: Big G noted that this was like being stuck in a station wagon with a wet dog. It was corked.
1951 Antonin Rodet Corton, Grand Cru: I cant recall ever having a ’51 and it is regarded as a disastrous vintage. Time certainly is a great healer, as this was actually quite tasty. It had some old furniture whiffs and plenty of florals. It had vinous sweetness and not bad length.
2001 Château d’Yquem, Sauternes: Fabulous nose of honey, apricot, cinnamon and vanilla. It is complex, rich, layered and oh so fresh. Everything is perfect and it has length to burn. A great, great Yquem that is still just a pup.
1975 Château d’Yquem, Sauternes: Rich and expressive and ready to go. It has notes of toffee apple, sweet peach, honey and apricot. There’s decent sweetness and a clean, energetic finish.
