2011 Corton Charlemagne

The 2011 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is also showing quite well, offering up aromas of citrus zest, pear and white flowers mingled with hints of green pineapple and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, it's elegantly textural and open knit, with succulent acids and a saline finish. It's a creditable effort from Bonneau du Martray's ancien régime, even if it's surpassed by what's being made today.

The 2011 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru was served blind at a dinner in Bordeaux. This has always been a fine vintage from the estate, although it has lost a little vigor since my last encounter. The nose is quite strict, offering scents of lemon verbena, red apples and a touch of orange pith, and not as flinty as I found in its youth. The palate is well balanced and delivers the weight one expects from a Corton-Charlemagne, though you could argue it does not quite deliver the complexity of the greatest vintages on the finish. Pretty, but maybe it just lacks a little personality. I think decanting for 2–3 hours would have benefited this wine. Tasted blind in Bordeaux.

The 2011 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is just starting to drink well. Fresh and mineral, the 2011 also looks to have plenty of life ahead of it. Chalk, lemon confit and white flowers all grace this open-knit, curvy Charlemagne. The 2011 has really softened in recent years. Time in the glass brings out the layers in this very pretty and expressive Charlemagne from Bonneau du Martray.