TN: Corton vs Corton

CORTON VS CORTON - (8/6/2018)

A reprise of a dinner theme we had back in 2015 - Corton-Charlemagne (whites) and the various Corton (Red) Grand Crus. This time with a more even line-up of vintages and another nice cross-section of sterling winemakers.

Corton-Charlies and their red Corton siblings often find themselves find their way into a dinner as singletons, and this was an unusual opportunity to have a focus was entirely on wines from the hill of Corton. While there was a preponderance of whites the last time round (especially from Bonneau du Martray), we found ourselves with more reds tonight, which made for a nice exploration.

About the whites then. From experience (and certainly in the tiny cross-section that we had tonight), they often have a certain chalky, flinty, minerally quality to them, so that the character of the wines have an almost familial likeness to the warmer Grand Crus of Chablis - say Les Clos for example. On the one other hand, they also share some of the scale and power of the great Puligny and Chassagne Grand Crus, (Montrachet, Batard et al), yet somehow tampered with a beautiful reserve and minerality. Interestingly, apart from that chalky minerality that pops regularly, I have also sometimes found a rather singular note of white chocolate on the whites, which has often been a pretty good giveaway in blind tastings. All in all, as tonight’s tasting underlined again, when a Corton-Charlamagne is on song, it can truly be one of the greatest white wines of the world.

The reds were harder to out a finger on. Given the size of the vineyard and the multiplicity of makers exploring the terroir, I have often found red Cortons to be variable both in style and quality (although this was not the case with the lovely selection we had on the night, which were uniformly very good wines). It would be fair to say though that most show a firm muscular structure and share some of the reserved, minerally tones that the whites had. That aside, any differences and similarities were probably more down to the makers’ style than the terroir.

All in all, a great dinner with a really interesting theme.

BUBBLES TO START

  • 1969 G. H. Mumm & Cie Champagne RenĂ© Lalou - France, Champagne
    Deep and characterful - this was a really nicely aged Champagne. The nose had a deep oxidative lilt to it, almost rancio, but with a rich waft of toasty yellow fruit, honey and caramel tones pulling underneath. Bubbles had all but gone on the palate, but the wine was still lively and impeccably balanced, with a warm glow of honeyed tones and ever-so-slightly oxidative yellow fruit. There was just a little kiss of warmth and spice right at the very end that drew out the finish. Idiosyncractic, as many wines at this age would be, but this was an old charmer. (92 pts.)

CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE

  • 2002 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
    Lots of quality on this, but it was strangely less pleasurable to drink than the objectively less impressively built 2006 in the same flight. The nose here had a glow of honey and yellow fruit, along with some mineral and spice, and a slowly emerging white floral note. Pretty nice, if not quite attractive as the 2006. The palate clearly had both substance and style, with 2002 vintage’s effortless balance and strength underlying clear, pure flavours of white fruit - lined again with just a little touch of spice and mineral at the finish. Impressive, with all the hallmarks of a great white Burg, but this somehow also felt a bit tight and unyielding. Given the superb bottle I had a couple of years’ back, I suspect that it may have just been in a sleepy state. Would be interesting to try this 2-3 years down the road. (93 pts.)
  • 2006 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
    Lovely, but really forward - this seems to be drinking at an early peak. The nose was just lovely in a classic Bonneau du Martray way, with drifts of smoky, flinty mineral swirling around deep draws of white fruit; then a touch of spice, and just that bit of typical white chocolate aromas. The palate slipped down so very easily too, with a wonderful balance between plump white melon fruit and melting lemon zest acidity, all lined with a lovely spine of tingly mineral that led the wine into a fine, long finish; this kissed with just that bit of spice at the very edges of the back-palate. A lovely wine, perhaps lacking some of the characteristic complexity of the greater vintages, but this was drinking beautifully now. I do worry about its longevity though. The 2006 has been consistently good since young, but the last couple of bottles have showed a rather alarmingly quick aging curve. Given how nicely, and how forward, this was drinking today, I would be tempted to say why wait any longer? (93 pts.)
  • 2001 Domaine Leroy Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
    The pick of the whites, in fact the pick of all the wines on the night - was an absolutely superb white Burgundy. It was certainly ripe and forward in typical Leroy fashion, but at the same time also wonderfully fine and absolutely delicious. This had such an incredible nose, with layers of lovely chalky minerality along with honeyed aromas of stone fruit along and little dashes of spice. A deep and glorious bouquet. If anything though, the palate was even better - sweet, melting, juicy, and just impeccably balanced, it coated the mouth with honeyed flavours of yellow fruit and brighter citrus notes leading into a full, spice-filled finish. A wine of power and purity, somehow managing to hold the both in perfect tension. It was drinking wonderfully well too. The stand-out wine of the night by some distance. Wow. (96 pts.)

1985 CORTON

  • 1985 Louis Jadot Corton-Pougets Domaine des HĂ©ritiers Louis Jadot - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    A lovely matured Corton, this was a great start to the reds. The nose had a lovely mix of sweet 1985 red fruit, with just an edge of compote at its edges, and lovely old Burgundy smells of loamy earth and a gentle meatiness. Wow. It was still surprisingly reserved and structured on the palate, with a textured robe of fine tannins and bright acidity draped over firm flavours of dark cherries, dried earth and spice. Very yummy. The finish was a little thinner, with some bloody iron notes coming out as the wine drifted into a long end. Even then though, this was never stingy nor skinny. It is still drinking nicely in fact, and certainly has the structure to hold for a decade or more beyond. That being said though, I have the sneaky feeling that this particular bottle at least would have been better a couple of years back. Still though, a complete charmer at 33 years of age - I enjoyed this very much. (93 pts.)
  • 1985 Maison Leroy Corton - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    An effortlessly complete wine - this was Burgundy the way I love it. The nose was absolutely wonderful, with exotic drifts of potpourri, chamomile and spice weaving their way through a core of beautifully sweet, fragrant red fruit. The palate was what took my breath away though - pure, seamless and so very complete, this glowed with purity, showing lip-smackingly juicy notes of dried red cherries and darker berries infused with a gently fragrant spiciness that just grew and grew into a beautifully full, effortless finish. Wow. Pure, transparent, full of power without weight. This was pure Burgundy magic. Drinking wonderfully now. (95 pts.)

1999 CORTON

  • 1999 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton-Bressandes - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    Really enjoyable, and surprisingly ready for a 1999. This had a richly attractive nose of dark cherries, earth, mineral and spice, maybe even a hint of roses at the sides. The palate was lovely too, with an elegant but sinewy structure of fine tannins and decent acidity wrapped around a transparent core of chewy dark cherries and blueberries, packed in with a flush of earth and spice. Full, powerful, yet with a bit of elegance married to a certain rusticity. Not a truly great wine by any measure, but solidly good and beautifully delicious on the night. This certainly has the structure and balance to age effortlessly for a long time more though. (93 pts.)
  • 1999 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    Much tighter than the 1999 Chandon de Brailles Corton-Bressandes served alongside, but deeper and probably nobler - I liked this. It took time, but as it opened up, this showed a typical panoply of whole-cluster smells on the nose, with sweet red fruit laced with fragrant herbs and earth, and a twist of brambly herb at the end. Very attractive. The palate was a bit tighter and less giving, but really showed a nice sense of quality and presence, with clear, pure flavours of dark cherries and wild berries lined with a bit of bramble and a nice mineral spine. Powerful, yet effortless, this was very good indeed, even if not quite as immediately enjoyable as the Chandon de Brailles. Rather too tight tonight, but this should be lovely in 5-6 years. 93+ (93 pts.)

AN OLDIE

  • 1962 Antonin Guyon Corton-Bressandes - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    Old but alive, this was a charmer. The nose grew with time, opening with sweet drifts of dried red fruit, earth and spice, and then very mature notes of stemming herbs. Lovely - if you like the old stuff. The palate was clearly old, but still throbbing with life. It tasted almost like a fortified wine, with a spike of alcohol and sweet dried figs and maraschino cherries, and then a flush of spice and mahogany wood. Suspiciously port-like, but really delicious. (93 pts.)

THE YOUNG ONES

  • 2009 Domaine Leroy Corton-Renardes - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    A very solid wine. A bit obvious, but delicious nonetheless. This sure had an attention grabbing nose, with notes of milk chocolate, sweet dark cherries and red berries, earth and toasty spice. Very Leroy in its rich expressiveness, and really attractive. The palate had plenty of character on it too - full, powerful and nicely textured, with slightly powdery tannins and decent enough acidity pulled around rich flavours of black cherries and dark berries, all leading into a big, long finish of warm spice lined with a bit of minerality. A really polished, powerful Corton. Very good, without quite hitting the heights of say the 1985 Maison Leroy Corton a few flights earlier - this seemed a little less nuanced and effortless somehow. It is still a baby compared to the 1985 though. While drinking alright on the night, it will be interesting to try this again a decade down the road to see how it develops. (94 pts.)
  • 2010 Domaine Ponsot Corton CuvĂ©e du Bourdon - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    Way too young, but attractive and pleasing in its own way. The nose had nice notes of herb and spice floating about sweet red-fruited aromas, these lightly influenced by a touch of new oak at the sides. The palate had a really nice purity and precision to it, with red and blue fruits lined with a bit of spice and a solid mineral spine that led into a really long finish. There was a really nice depth and a good sense of power to this. Still tight and rather unyielding at points, but the purity, balance and length on this bodes very well for its future. 93+ (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

2 Likes

Fine notes on some superb wines. Thanks, Paul. I’ve enjoyed these experiences vicariously.

Cheers,
Doug

Once again some great notes !

Thanks

Thanks for the note on the 99 Faiveley - I have 5 more years, I think…

Thanks for the responses all!