Hmm – when was the last time that I drank such a lovely young wine? Clearly there’s a bit of slightly intrusive coconut oak in the background but mixed with a musky stemmy aroma – yum, yum, yum, yum – and a from baby Corton too! What a shame that there are (were!) only 300 bottles 🙁

2008 Pascal Marchand, Corton
Medium colour. The nose delivers spades of interest; high-toned dark, minerally fruit over a slightly diffuse but engaging core – I can’t help sniffing – a slightly musky and stemmy impression also adds value to set against some barrel vanilla and coconut (100% oak as only 1 barrel!). In the mouth there’s enough fat to easily balance the lovely acidity, and the flavour slowly builds to a crescendo in the mid-palate – there is perhaps a hint of CO₂ that turns up the volume of the fireworks, but fireworks there are, and it seems very well judged. The flavours are dark red, almost blue-skinned fruit and they last incredibly well – even for a Grand Cru – admittedly there’s some of that coconut thing going on again in the finish, but this delivers oodles of precocious loveliness. Super – drink it over the next 12 months to enjoy this performance or wait at least fifteen years for harmony and something of the real Corton
Rebuy – Yes – like a shot