1996 Corton Charlemagne
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Tasting notes
Jean-François Coche's 1996 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is one of the monumental white Burgundies of the 20th century, and this particular bottle was the most spectacular that I've drunk to date. Soaring from the glass with aromas of confit tangerine, iodine, butter toast, sesame oil and wet stones, it's full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with huge depth at the core, racy acids and a long, resonant finish. Such is its intensity of flavor, persistence and harmony that if it could score more than one hundred points, I wouldn't have hesitated. The 1996 is at the peak of its powers today.
Critic scores
Average Score
Pierre Rovani
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Coche’s 1996 Corton-Charlemagne is one of the very finest wines I have ever tasted. Sadly, this bottle is off and not representative.
Coche-Dury’s 1996 Corton-Charlemagne is deep, unctuous and bit deeper in color than I would like to see for this wine. I very much admire the wine’s power, but this is not a great, or even, very good, bottle. When the 1996 Charlemagne is on, it is tremendous. Sadly, that is not the case on this night.
About the producer
Domaine Jean-François Coche-Dury is one of the most sought-after names in Burgundy, famed for producing some of the most expensive white wines in the world. The demand for these fiercely collected wines far outstrips supply.