2021 Domaine Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

The 2021 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, which Raphael Coche told me was devastated by frost, so only one-third of the normal crop was picked, takes time to unfurl on the nose. It gains intensity with yellow fruit, quince, beeswax and a bit of lemongrass. The palate is very well-balanced, with a slightly honeyed texture on the entry. It is intense, mainly yellow plum mixed with orange pith and apricot touches, furnishing the persistent finish. Very graceful, very long, very Corton-Charlemagne. Given the ethereal heights of other vintages, I'll be prudent for now, but it may well deserve higher praise with a few miles on the odometer.

The 2021 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru won't be released for some time (the 2016 was released at the end of last year), but it is a wine of considerable promise, unwinding in the glass with aromas of pear, orange zest, peach, clear honey, iodine and white flowers. Full-bodied, satiny and layered, it's textural and concentrated, with racy acids and a muscular chassis of structuring extract, concluding with a long, saline finish.