Wine Advisor
Bonneau du Martray, Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2013
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Corton-Charlemagne was decimated by hail that reduced the crop by 70%. What survived was raised in one-third new oak, as has been the policy over 40 years when Charles's father made the wine. Allowing the grand cru to open over ten minutes (while discussing the travails of Burgundy with Charles) it opens to reveal a clean and pure, somehow "nonchalant" bouquet with peach skin and lime flower that is nicely defined and entwined with the oak. There is a spicy, lemongrass note just on the tip of the tongue on the finish, although at this stage I feel that the 2012 had more complexity and persistence. Let's see if it puts on more weight by the time of bottling.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru has a very pretty bouquet, backward of course, but opening with hints of white peach and white flowers, the oak succinctly integrated. The palate is crisp and taut with a keen line of acidity, quite saline (like the 2014) with hints of ginger and spice furnishing the finish. This is a very fine Corton-Charlemagne, even if I suspect the 2012 will ultimately prove to have the upper hand.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a very pretty bouquet, backward of course, but opening with hints of white peach and white flowers, the oak succinctly integrated. The palate is crisp and taut with a keen line of acidity, the 2014 is quite saline-like, with hints of ginger and spice furnishing the finish. This is a very fine Corton-Charlemagne that sits comfortably at the upper end of my banded score from last year. It may improve even further with continued bottle age.
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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