Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is super, there’s the cuvée’s signature dark and slightly herby core, but above is a wonderful bloom of of high-toned violets an fresh black cherry. Seems rounder and more concentrated that the 09, just a litlle fat to the texture. A nice little extra dimension of fruit in the mid-palate. Lovely wine!
2008
2008 Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée La Colombière
Medium colour. The nose for over two hours wears a background cloak of reduction yet the dark red fruit is easy to discern. Across the tongue it’s light and lithe with a fine layer of velvet tannin and an intensity that grows in the mid-palate. There is a little flavour of reduction too – even the last glass saved for day 2. I’m a little concerned by this reduction but frankly it did little to stop the wine being finished with great enjoyment.
2008 Pataille Sylvain Marsannay Les Longerois
Medium-plus, purple-rimmed colour. The nose is a mix of very dark red, almost black cherry and beautiful aromas of violet flowers. In the mouth there are polished, intense dark fruit flavours supported by a lovely acidity. Tannin has a slight grain if you search for it but you need a concious effort to find it. Slowly lingering finish. A beautiful Villages wine.
2008 Marchand Pascal 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