This wine is produced from a tiny parcel (0.2 ha) situated on the western slope of the hill of Aloxe Corton, bordering on the town of Pernand Vergelesses.
Only 3 to 4 barrels are produced each year, so getting your hands on a bottle is already a great opportunity, being able to taste a +30 year old one simply is an absolute privilege.
This particular bottle comes from a private collector who bought it in the mid 80ies and since then have been stored unmoved in his ancient, deep and very damp cellar. The label sadly reflects the humid storage conditions and the level was approximately 3.5 cm under the cork, which might not be ideal but still is more than ok considering its age.
First surprise in this tasting was the color : a deep yellow, the color of old,unpolished golden jewelry. With the bottle itself being green, it’s difficult to judge the color of the wine prior to pouring, in the glass it looked more evolved than I would have guessed and resembled more a mid 90ies
Sauterne.
The second surprise came with the first whiff of the glass : a stunning array of fruitiness was still at the forefront with white peach, canned pears in syrup and pineapple sweets (“Rang”, for those of you old enough to remember those small, rock hard, yellow cubes). This was accompanied by delicate floral notes,orange blossom and soft, sweet jasmine. After a while the wine opened up completely, revealing those smells more commonly associated with Chardonnay :odor of buttery quatre-quarts cake, a touch of oaky vanilla and a hint of slightly
roasted almonds.
In the mouth it also still performs great, sure it doesn’t have the vibrant, crisp acidity of a young wine, but it’s far from an oxidized ghost of a wine as well : so full and complex it’s in a league of its own, hitting the palate full on and then slowly revealing layer upon layer of flavors and expressions, ending in a slightly alcoholic finish and with a great roasted and nutty after taste.
I can’t find the right superlative to describe it, so let me just finish with letting you know I am sure I will be telling my grandchildren about that day when Itasted Roumier’s 82 Corton Charlemagne.
Dc
