2007 Corton Charlemagne

The 2007 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is a taut, racy vintage of this great wine, unfurling with extended aeration to reveal aromas of green apples, citrus oil, white flowers, struck match and a subtle top note of petrol. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, chiseled and intense, with a bright line of acidity, a tight-knit core and a searingly stony finish. With less flesh on its bones than the 2008, this vintage shares some of the 2004's qualities, but I suspect the 2007 will always be finer-boned. I'd cellar this for another couple of years, but anyone planning to drink it now should consider decanting.

Readers will have to be patient with the 2007 Corton-Charlemagne, as it is still remarkably young and tightly wound. Slate, crushed rocks, pear and herb notes begin to emerge as the wine sits in the glass, but only with great reluctance. The 2007 is both vivid and powerful and yet, today, it only shows a portion of its ultimate potential.

The most austere nose of these 2007s: apple, pear, crushed stone and oyster shell minerality. Saturates the palate with a flavor of liquid stone, without leaving any impression of weight. Very dry and penetrating wine with powerful underlying structure and great energy on the extremely long finish. Even more closed today than the Caillerets, but then this wine from marne blanche soil typically ages like a red. It will be interesting to compare this wine with the 2006 bottling a decade hence. The earlier wine is more glyceral, but this 2007 may possess even more energy.