2013 Le Corton

(90% destemmed): Good deep red. Ethereal aromas of red berries, minerals and spicy oak. Juicy, spicy and penetrating, conveying a light touch and excellent energy to the flavors of red fruits, pepper, herbs and licorice. Finishes with firm, ripe tannins and a spicy perfume that leaves the mouth refreshed.

The 2013 Corton Grand Cru was picked on October 3 at an average yield of 19.5 hectoliters per hectare. It has a light blueberry and crushed strawberry-scented bouquet that does not quite possess the intensity of the 2013 Echézeaux. There is a hint of fresh fig that emerges with time in the glass. The palate is clean and fresh. There is something almost "airy" about this Le Corton, with pitch perfect acidity and perhaps more transparency than I have observed in earlier vintages. It does not boast great density and fruit concentration on the finish, and perhaps it is just deprived the substance that a more benevolent season would have bestowed. Nevertheless, it is a delicious, almost easy-drinking little ingénue of a Corton that will give much drinking pleasure over the next 12-15 years. Production is 461 cases. Tasted February 2016.

Very sweet and almost candified. Relatively light nose compared with the Vosne wines from this hallowed stable. Racy and accomplished but less obviously a standout than the more established DRC wines. Very elegant and racy. Lots of lift and more class than most Cortons. (JR)