Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru(2002)

the white flower and ripe apple-scented 2002 Corton-Charlemagne has awesome depth, gorgeous balance, and is impressively refined. Copious quantities of spiced minerals are intermingled with white fruits in its intense, fresh, concentrated core. This light to medium-bodied wine is not a blockbuster, yet I'd rather dine with Audrey Hepburn than Anna Nicole Smith. -Wine Advocate 92-94 Points    (hide)

to as high as 35° C (95° F) in mid June and the flowering was finished in 4 days. July and August was marked by a mix of warm but not excessively hot weather and rain storms with the véraison completed by the 27th of August. This was almost exactly when things began to turn ugly and there were two big storms, though fortunately no hail, on the 27th of August and the 3rd of September. Thankfully, as rot was beginning to appear, the famous vent du nord began to blow on the 10th of September, which dried up the rot, concentrated the grapes and kept the nights cool. The harvest began on September 16th and the Domaine brought in the Corton grapes on the 17th and 18th under perfect conditions. He reports that the berries were small with thick skins, which gave concentrated and very perfumed must. The bunches were 100% destemmed and yielded only 24 hl/ha were fermented without any problems and then racked into barrel, of which approximately 40% were new. The malos began in mid-January and finished in June. At present, the mise, without fining or filtration, is previewed for the spring and I tasted the wines in early March. As I have noted several times in the past, the Corton rouge has made incredible strides in quality since the 1997 vintage and it is no longer the somewhat insipid wine that it once was. The Domaine experimented with pneumatic presses for the 2002 vintage and the results were so promising that they immediately purchased two new ones. As a result, I expect to see even better reds in the future. In fact, the difference in the quality of the tannins was evident between the 2002 and 2001 vintages, with 2002 being decidedly finer. (Diageo Château and Estate Wines, New York, NY; Corney & Barrow, UK). Note: bottled in April, 2004 Brilliant and ultra fine aromas of green apples and limestone lead to almost Chablis-like intensity and razor-sharp, incredibly delineated, chiseled flavors that offer superb texture and an almost chewy finish. This is quite different from many examples of 2002 Corton-Charlemagne as this more of a world class gymnast than a weight lifter as it's sleek, silky and taut plus the delineation is like a hot knife through butter. In short, this is reference standard Corton-Charlemagne and highly recommended.    (hide)

to as high as 35° C (95° F) in mid June and the flowering was finished in 4 days. July and August was marked by a mix of warm but not excessively hot weather and rain storms with the véraison completed by the 27th of August. This was almost exactly when things began to turn ugly and there were two big storms, though fortunately no hail, on the 27th of August and the 3rd of September. Thankfully, as rot was beginning to appear, the famous vent du nord began to blow on the 10th of September, which dried up the rot, concentrated the grapes and kept the nights cool. The harvest began on September 16th and the Domaine brought in the Corton grapes on the 17th and 18th under perfect conditions. He reports that the berries were small with thick skins, which gave concentrated and very perfumed must. The bunches were 100% destemmed and yielded only 24 hl/ha were fermented without any problems and then racked into barrel, of which approximately 40% were new. The malos began in mid-January and finished in June. At present, the mise, without fining or filtration, is previewed for the spring and I tasted the wines in early March. As I have noted several times in the past, the Corton rouge has made incredible strides in quality since the 1997 vintage and it is no longer the somewhat insipid wine that it once was. The Domaine experimented with pneumatic presses for the 2002 vintage and the results were so promising that they immediately purchased two new ones. As a result, I expect to see even better reds in the future. In fact, the difference in the quality of the tannins was evident between the 2002 and 2001 vintages, with 2002 being decidedly finer. (Diageo Château and Estate Wines, New York, NY; Corney & Barrow, UK). Brilliant and ultra fine aromas of green apples and limestone lead to almost Chablis-like intensity and razor-sharp, incredibly delineated, chiseled flavors that offer superb texture and an almost chewy finish. This is quite different from many examples of 2002 Corton-Charlemagne as this more of a world class gymnast than a weight lifter as it's sleek, silky and taut. In short, this is reference standard Corton-Charlemagne and highly recommended.    (hide)