2015 Corton Bressandes

The 2015 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru has a very high-toned, floral bouquet with bunches of pressed violets dominating the fruit. It feels a little overdone and lacks subtlety. The palate is medium-bodied and very showy and ostentatious; this is a Corton desperate to be loved. It is quite seductive, a femme fatale , yet I want more nuance and terroir expression here. Enjoyable but not cerebral. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.

Inviting dark red color. Aromas of black cherry, currant, raspberry, woodsmoke and soil convey a juicy quality, as with the other 2015s I tasted at this address. Densely packed, suave and quite concentrated, conveying a minty medicinal reserve to its dark berry and black cherry flavors. Serious Corton grand cru with terrific inner-mouth energy. This refined, penetrating wine is most impressive today on the back end, where it spreads out to perfume the mouth without leaving any impression of weight. The firm tannins are perfectly supported by the wine's intense fruit. This should evolve slowly and gracefully.

Racy and polished but I don’t think it's a sufficiently huge step up from the cheaper wines from this stable. Rather raw. (JR)