2009 Quintessence de Corton Charlemagne
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Bright pale yellow. Sexy smoky oak and strong minerally silex on the nose, lifted by a violet high note. A densely packed wine with terrific force, offering outstanding cut to its citrus, apple, floral and mineral flavors. At once laid-back and powerful, and extremely unevolved. This really titillates the taste buds on the long, rising, lemon-and-stone finish. Wow! Girardin purchased a bit more Corton-Charlemagne in Aloxe-Corton this year but it's unlikely to find its way into this special cuvee : he wants the Quintessence bottling, which is always from the same 80-year-old vines in the heart of the hillside on the Pernand side, to remain rare.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Quintessence de Corton-Charlemagne is a beautifully focused, vibrant wine endowed with terrific length and energy. White peaches, flowers and crushed rocks are some of the notes that emerge from a gorgeous fabric. This finely spun Corton-Charlemage is impressive for its balance and sense of harmony.
The 2009 Quintessence de Corton-Charlemagne is a beautifully focused, vibrant wine endowed with terrific length and energy. White peaches, flowers and crushed rocks are some of the notes that emerge from a gorgeous fabric. This finely spun Corton-Charlemage is impressive for its balance and sense of harmony. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. Vincent Girardin is among the producers who have made the most dramatic changes in response to the issue of premature oxidation. Girardin has increased the amount of time his wines spend on their lees, has lowered new oak, has eliminated batonnage and has basically re-built his entire approach from the bottom up, which I have to say, is quite impressive. The 2009s were harvested beginning on September 15, with natural alcohols in the 12.5-13% range. The wines were bottled between mid-March and mid-May 2011. Today the 2009s are quite fresh and still showing some of the effects of their recent bottling. It is safe to say the wines Girardin is making today are quite different from those of the past. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802
Pale hazy yellow. Candied citrus peel, aromatic brown spices, menthol and crushed stone on the nose. Richer and more velvety than the "regular" Corton-Charlemagne, with an impressive deep sweetness and palate-staining concentration. Thanks to the wine's silky richness, its acidity and minerality seem even more thoroughly buffered than in the basic bottling. This really spreads out to coat the palate on the long, tactile back end. The 2007 Quintessence, which I recall being less harmonious than the regular C-C at a similar stage, was entirely from the Pernand side of the appellation, while this one is from 80-year-old vines in Aloxe.