2009 Corton Charlemagne
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Tasting notes
This was a very impressive showing of Lucien Le Moine's 2009 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, principally because it had been afforded plenty of decanting. It has a scintillating bouquet that explodes from the glass: lemon curd, marzipan, a squeeze of lime juice and crushed stone. The aromatics could not come from anywhere but Corton-Charlemagne. The palate is fresh and detailed on the entry and immediately displays superb salinity that keeps everything taut – impressive for a 2009. It fans out toward the finish, completing an absolutely delicious and potentially very long-lived wine. Superb.
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Average Score
Neal Martin
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(from vines on the Pernand side; finished its malo very early, in February of 2010): Light medium yellow. Pungently mineral aromas of pineapple, wild herbs and crushed stone. On the palate, powerful rocky minerality is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the vintage. Much deeper and more layered than the Corton Blanc, not to mention more nuanced. A wonderfully silky, backward wine that finishes with palate-staining salty minerality.
The 2009 Corton-Charlemagne is a striking wine graced with tons of finesse in its understated fruit and sweet, floral notes. It shows gorgeous persistence and plenty of aromatic lift in a layered, subtle style that is highly appealing. The Corton-Charlemagne is made from vineyards in Pernand.
The 2009 Corton-Charlemagne is a striking wine graced with tons of finesse in its understated fruit and sweet, floral notes. It shows gorgeous persistence and plenty of aromatic lift in a layered, subtle style that is highly appealing. The Corton-Charlemagne is made from vineyards in Pernand. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. This is another stunning set of wines from proprietors Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakim. Saouma and Brakim practice some of the most risk-taking winemaking in Burgundy, especially with regards to elevage. The wines see extended aging on the lees with minimal sulfur. I tasted the 2009s in late June 2011. At the time the wines had never been racked. Readers should note that I accidentally omitted a number of wines from my reviews of the estate’s 2009 reds, in particular the wines from Vosne-Romanee. Those notes are now posted on the site. My tasting concluded with two wines served blind. These turned out to be two 2004 Meursaults. The first wine was made with a pneumatic press and aged with 4 liters of lees per barrel, the second wine was made with a mechanical press and went into barrel with 8 liters of lees. Both wines were aged 18 months and bottled by hand. As it turns out, wine #2 was considerably fresher and much more nuanced than wine #1. Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (919) 769-3000