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Corton Charlemagne 2011 75cl

AOC Grand Cru | Côtes de Beaune | Burgundy | France
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Critics scores
93 Robert Parker
The 2011 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a magnificent bouquet with powerful honeyed fruit: hints of apricot blossom, warm brioche and wax resin. The palate is very smooth on the entry with a creamy texture. The acidity is very well-judged with a viscous, almost decadent finish. Not a shy and retiring Corton-Charlemagne. Wonderful. Since I started visiting chateaux and growers in 1997, I have been fortunate to have ticked off most of my personal Holy Grails, yet a handful remain. One was to visit Domaine Leroy and taste with Lalou Bize-Leroy, who I have only met briefly on two occasions in London. Given the responsibility of covering Burgundy, I avowed to tick that one off as soon as possible. So, on a sultry Thursday morning, I finally pulled into the pebbled courtyard of her winery in the village of Vosne with maybe just a single butterfly fluttering around inside. Lalou was stepping out of her 4x4, beloved dogs yapping around their mother and perhaps warning her of an intruder in their midst. They are not exactly cut out to be guard dogs – no offence intended. Lalou was exactly how I remembered – with her wiry frame, like a titanium alloyed twig. Her piercing hawk-like blue eyes and angular cheekbones would give Kate Moss a run for her money. She was attired like a fashionable thirty-something and exuded the vivacity of a twenty-something with a penchant for the occasional rock climb. After pleasantries we discussed her belief in biodynamism and the ways in which the cosmos affects Mother Nature down to the Earth’s core. We toured the rudimentary winery occupied by the black-painted wooden vats and then down below to a vaulted tasting room, bottles lying hither and thither of what must constitute every wine she has made since acquiring Charles Noellat’s holdings in 1988 to establish Domaine Leroy. She was courteous to the point of occasionally scolding herself for vocally enthusing about the wines, mindful of not disturbing my perspicuity. Did the wines stand up to their reputations and let us face it, stratospheric price? The answer is “Yes.” Here was a master-class in terroir: the wines made in almost identical fashion in the winery, so that what is perceived in bottle is the interplay between Mother Nature and vine (under the guiding hand of Rudolph Steiner philosophy). Of course, one must always remain objective, and I have been around the block enough times to simply relate precisely what I find within the radius of a wineglass. And in 2011, it was clear that the wines of Lalou Bize-Leroy seemed to deliver a sensational level of quality that would make most winemakers curl up and weep, asking: “How does she do it?” I had to inquire at the end of the tasting whether they were all matured entirely in new oak, so seamlessly was the wood embroidered into each cuvee. Tasting through the entire range of 23 wines, before zooming down to Domaine d’Auvenay, the high points were scintillating Nuits-St-Georges Village Crus that transcended all my expectations and the sheer consistency of the Grand Crus, perhaps with the exception of the 2011 Latricieres-Chambertin, which I have always found wanting in the past. The Romanee-St-Vivant could be the apotheosis of the vintage, certainly one of the finest that I have tasted from the domaine and even dared “out-finesse” the Richebourg. What amazed me was the otherworldly precision, as if you could pick out each aroma or flavor from the air. Only the Chambolle-Musigny Charmes appeared unruly when compared to its peers, a little too feisty on the nose for my liking. Otherwise, this is just magic in a glass.
Producer
Domaine Leroy
As it became increasingly difficult to find wines that met the high standards of the Maison Leroy label, Madame Lalou Bize-Leroy decided to purchase her own vineyards. Piecing together several estates, she established Domaine Leroy in 1988. Today, the vineyards stretch over 21-hectares across mostly Grand Cru and Premier Cru classified zones. Following Lalou Bize-Leroy’s deep-rooted belief that everything is alive – from the soil to the grapes to humanity – she immediately introduced biodynamic farming out of respect for the terroir. This formerly controversial cultivation practice, is now a widely-known holistic approach that focuses on the interconnectedness of our environment – taking into account astrological and cosmic influences as well. Without the use of any chemical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, or pesticides the vineyards are tended to year round – everything is hand done. The results of this quality-conscious producer are astounding. The wines are extremely concentrated yet refined, with a rare purity that stems from the property’s intuitive vineyards.