2017 Chandon de Briailles Corton-Marechaudes Grand Cru

Mid crimson. Sweetly scented with red fruit, just a touch of rubbery reduction on the nose. Very smooth and very open and soft for a grand cru at this early stage. Lacks the majesty of a grand cru but has early-days harmony and good depth of fruit. Much richer than the Pernand Île des Vergelesses. (JH)

The 2017 Corton Les Maréchaudes Grand Cru was bottled at the beginning of September. It has a charming, pure, red currant and cranberry bouquet with well-integrated new oak (a modest 20%). The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin. This feels linear, maybe a little light for a Grand Cru, so I understand why it has been bottled early. Still, I appreciate the dash of white pepper and bay leaf that springs up on the aftertaste.

A complex bouquet of ripe red fruits, warm spices, dried flowers, blood orange and raw cocoa introduce the 2017 Corton Les Maréchaudes Grand Cru, a medium to full-bodied, satiny wine with silky tannins, a juicy core of fruit and a long, chalky finish. This is an elegant and classy Maréchaudes that should enjoy a broad drinking window. It was already bottled when I tasted it.