I decided to do a TN on this wine from our Wine Syndicate tasting at Green Gables in Beach Haven, NJ. Wine was tasted blind from Riedel Vinum Chardonnay stems. Wine was decanted one hour and then returned to the bottle and served 2 hours later.

Wine color was a somewhat cloudy yellow/gold. Lots of melon on the nose initially. Medium bodied in the mouth with sweet white fruits, minerals and hazelnuts. Long finish with good balance. jb Rating 91

I tried some of this wine about 2 hours later. This has made the most radical transformation of any wine I have ever smelled. The nose is now just overpoweringly full of petrol and toasted almonds. But way more petrol. Almost like sticking your head in your gastank. I was not quite sure what to make of this in terms of the wines evolution. WS rated this wine a 96, and although it was excellent, I don't feel that it warrants that score. And yes, I know that it is awfully young to drink Corton Charlemagne, but I have 6 and wanted to see what it was like now. I won't touch another bottle until 2005.

jb

JB-as you can imagine, I was all OVER this post when I saw it!

Thanks so much for the TNs. My 6 bottles of this should hopefully be arriving sometime in Feb. I also have 3 bottles of the 99 CC that have been chillin downstairs for a year now. I'm with you...I won't plan to crack either of these guys until at least 2005. Glad to hear that it is a very good wine, but I kinda figured the "96" from WS might be a bit too good to be true...

Hopefully it's a youngster and will improve over time. The best white burgs do. None of this was ever available in this market so I can't say I've tasted it.

Hmmmm . . . . I was planning on opening one of my six as part of my 40th birthday wine binge in June. But now, I guess I should leave mine alone for another day.

Thanks for trying one for the team, j b.

that petrol smell was amazing, I'd never encountered such a case study in a wine, contributed to an interesting finish as well.

Raw, I'm not sure if I liked that. One thing I think I can extrapolate from this is that this wine possesses power that belies it's medium bodied texture. It was ferocious!

jb

That's the j.b. we all know & love. He will throw/sacrafice himself in front of the fire for his friends anyday. Am I right, guys?

jb,

Thanks for the TN - I have 2 of these and was wondering whether to get more at $75 or go for the 2000 Fevre Les Clos at $70. Actually I'm still kind of wondering about that.....seeing as how I'll never get my arms around the Lafon Montrachet @ $400!

I just revisited this wine over the weekend. I asked a friend to bring a white to dinner and this is what he brought. Initially tight, but after warming and unwinding, it showed lots of white fruits, minerality, lychees and spice. Hint of petrol at the 1 hr. mark. Finishes very long. jb Rating up to 92+. Cellaring will help this wine. Hands off until 2005.

jb

Corton is such a manly man wine. Based on its flavor profile I think of it as "masculine".

JB - nice choice from your friend.

Based upon these TNs, I think the 2+ years of cellaring this had gave it an appeal that wasn't obvious at first...

Spectacular white Burgundy with citrus and asian pear on the nose along with some slate and hazelnut. Palate is awesome with a smokey Chinese wok-fried orange rind component matched with more citrus (lemon and lime) stones, minerals, more hazelnut and a little bit of pear. Surpisingly, while this is a bit more complex, and a little less laser-like in its focus -- and also deffinitely old world vs. new world -- this wine reminded me a great deal of the 2002 Aubert Ritchie Chardonnay, a wine that I love. But I love this wine even more. 94.

Tasted 08/24/2005.

Slate, toasted hazelnuts, pear and pineapple, with the palate adding lemon and plenty of minerals. Basically, my notes follow Whiner, except for the orange rind comments. Maybe I should have just typed "Dito."

Highly enjoyable, with plenty of life left in it. My #3 WOTN.

Mike

Pale to medium plus straw yellow with green hints, daybright. Medium plus intense nose, touch of sulphur, heated stones, lemon rind, yellow apple and toasted nuts. Medium bodied, medium plus concentration and medium plus acidity. Cinnamon, nutmeg, wet stones drying in the hot sun, lemons and apples. Young with nice layers and balance. 91pts.

To me a slightly over oaked Corton, yet what some of the best CA chards strive for, yet don't often obtain. (yeah, yeah go ahead and disagree)

Jason,
It's probably not a surprise that I'm firmly in your camp.

As far as Corton Charlemagne is concerned, I have found that every one that I've ever had, with one exception, has been over-oaked to my taste. I finally stopped buying/drinking the stuff. You've had more of these than I have. Was I just unlucky?

I don't think CC in general is over oaked, just this example. This wine wasn't grossly over oaked, just a touch more than I care for.