Wine Advisor
Bonneau du Martray, Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 1994
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 1994 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru was the first vintage produced by Jean-Charles de la Morinière, and this was a challenging year, with thunderstorms at harvest time that "turned" the grapes. The resulting wine is really a very fine achievement for the vintage, unwinding in the glass with a lovely bouquet of honeycomb, yellow orchard fruit, buttered citrus and blanched almonds. On the palate, it's full-bodied, supple and elegantly textural, with racy acids and fine balance. This doesn't have the concentration or searing structure of the best vintages, but it's an immensely charming wine that is drinking well today, and it numbers among the high points of the year.
Reviewed by: Pierre Rovani
The outstanding 1994 Corton-Charlemagne has a pure (difficult to achieve in this rot-plagued vintage) mineral, nut, cream, and almond-laden nose. On the palate, this medium-bodied and velvety-textured wine offers mouth-coating, precise, and crisp stone-like flavors intermingled with ripe white fruits. Well-structured and focused, it is one of the rare '94s I have tasted that should age well. Projected maturity: 2000-2006. Bravo! to Jean-Charles de la Moriniere for the three outstanding Corton-Charlemagnes he has crafted since taking over this estate in 1994. Importer: Seagram Chateau & Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel (212) 572-7725.
About the Producer
Located in Pernand-Vergelesses in the Cote de Beaune region of France, Domaine Bonneau du Martray has a thousand-year-old vineyard and is the only Burgundy winery to produce only Grand Cru wines. The vineyards of Château Matelay currently cover over 11 hectares, of which 9.5 hectares are planted for the production of Chardonnay from Corten-Charlemagne, while the remaining area of the vineyard with more fertile soils is devoted to Pinot Noir, a Corten wine of steadily improving quality. The average age of the vines in the vineyard is 45 years. The owner, Joan Charles, has also introduced asexual propagation in the vineyard to replace the tired vines. Château Martlet produces only two wines, a white wine from the Corten-Charriman vineyard and a red wine from the Corten-Charriman vineyard. The white Chardonnay from the Corten-Charriman vineyard is a rich, thick wine with intense ripe fruit flavours, the best of all Chardonnay whites. The Colten Charlemagne white Chardonnay from Château Matelay is the best of the best. Fortunately, despite the excellent quality of the white wines produced here, they are affordable and offer excellent value for money. These wines are the result of the gift of nature meeting the perseverance of generations.
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