2009 Corton Charlemagne

The 2009 Corton-Charlemagne is a big, explosive wine bursting with fruit. It possesses fabulous inner perfume, a layered, deep personality and an impeccable finish. This is a relative understated tyle of Corton that emphasizes elegance over sheer power. I loved it. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. I tasted the 2009s with Jerome Faure-Brac, Drouhin’s head winemaker. Interestingly, Faure-Brac chose to serve these wines a touch on the warm side, so I could observe their strengths and weaknesses more clearly. It was a high stakes move, especially in a warm vintage. I am not sure I would have had the guts to make that decision, but it speaks of great conviction….and the wines came through beautifully. The 2009 harvest began on September 21st, quite late for the year. New oak levels were down sharply, malos were blocked on a number of wines and the estate did no batonnage. The wines were racked once prior to being bottled. Importer: Dreyfus Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

Pale green-tinged yellow. Cool, brisk nose offers lime blossom, botanical herbs, violet, clove and powdered stone. Densely packed and penetrating, with dry stony and menthol elements that are almost painful today in their austerity. An extremely dry and uncompromising wine that calls out for a bit more sweetness of fruit-and bottle aging.