A Multifaceted Distance Runner
2011 Bouchard Le Corton
Lowest Price - The Winning Streak Continues
"This will be a very long-lived and absolutely brilliant example of Corton." -John Gilman
There are very few reputable producers from whom you can get a Grand Cru for under $100. There are very few REAL Grand Crus at this price.
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Word is beginning to spread about Bouchard's Le Corton and prices are starting to creep. It's already crossing the $100 threshold in many places. Its days of being a gently priced, overachieving Grand Cru are numbered.
Le Corton stands in contrast to the suave, velvety textures of Vosne or the soil inflected brawn of Gevrey. What Le Corton delivers in spades is a combination of profound stony mineral and fortress-like structure with an ultra-fine layer of fruit.
The hill of Corton is one of the last frontiers in elite Burgundy. If you need evidence of the area's untapped potential, there's no need to look further than a recent investor, none other than DRC.
Bouchard has largely defined Le Corton for most of the 20th Century. Numerous examples still stand as monuments to the longevity that this vineyard can achieve. Burghound speaks of a 1926 tasted 80 years later that was still on point; the 55 and 61 are both legends.
Bouchard has been on a crazy streak since 2005. If you go by Burghound's estimations, Bouchard has never made better Le Cortons.
The 2011 is another jewel in the crown. This is a dead serious 2011 Burgundy. In their notes, both Burghound and Gilman focus on the wine's beautiful balance and its built-for-the-long-haul structure.
Gilman really captures it well when he writes: "laser-like focus, firm, but ripe tannins and outstanding length and grip." The stony minerality is just ruthless as it forms a core that's flanked by spiced red fruits, game and spice.
When I tasted the 2011 vintage throughout Burgundy, it became clear that the Côte de Beaune was especially successful. There's a really nice harmony, freshness and beautiful clarity of fruit while being backed up with good concentration and structure.
The more we taste Bouchard's Le Corton in the last few years, the more we're convinced that they have found the truth of this site... they are bringing forth some awesome depth in this wine.
This is serious, storied terroir and deserving of a place in even the most elite, the most coveted cellars... though it's priced so that we can all tuck a bit away.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
John Gilman: "Bouchard Père et Fils has always made exceptional Corton and I think the switch away from Taransaud barrels is going to benefit this cuvée tremendously in the years to come. The 2011 Corton is a great, great wine in the making, soaring from the glass in a stunning mélange of cherries, currants, orange peel, gamebirds, coffee, stony soil tones, coriander and a judicious base of cedary wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very primary in character, with a rock solid core, laser-like focus, firm, but ripe tannins and outstanding length and grip on the still very youthful and oh, so promising finish. This will be a very long-lived and absolutely brilliant example of Corton."