Wine Advisor
Bonneau du Martray, Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2002
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at The Arches. The Corton-Charlemagne from Bonneau du Matray has a beautifully defined nose, touches of melted candle wax, almond, cooking apple, a touch of white flowers and a hint of ground coconut. Wonderful lift and exuberance. The palate is very youthful considering the vintage although there is still some unresolved oak towards the finish. It merits further cellaring, there is more to come here, but it is certainly a class act. Drink 2011-2020. Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Pierre Rovani
Boasting terrific aromatic richness, the white flower and ripe apple-scented 2002 Corton-Charlemagne has awesome depth, gorgeous balance, and is impressively refined. Copious quantities of spiced minerals are intermingled with white fruits in its intense, fresh, concentrated core. This light to medium-bodied wine is not a blockbuster, yet I’d rather dine with Audrey Hepburn than Anna Nicole Smith. Projected maturity: 2006-2015. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 572-7725
Reviewed by: Pierre Rovani
The 2002 Corton-Charlemagne, revisited from bottle, sports a spicy, apple-scented nose and a long, light to medium-bodied personality. Well-focused and revealing a deep minerality, spice-laced pears, and white pepper, this elegant wine is complex, seamless, and possesses a beautifully extended finish. Projected maturity: 2007-2015. Bravo! Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400
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.
