Ruthless Mineral
2007 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne
The Greatest Grand Cru Burg Buy Out There?
This is fairly shocking.
Go to the Burghound database and do a search *only* for the words "Corton-Charlemagne."
What you'll find is a string of legendary Coche-Dury - this is not the surprising part. The 1989 Coche Corton tops the list (estimated price $2,000+ per bottle). Then the 1996 and 1999 (expect to drop over $2,000 a bottle here too) followed by the 1990 - which, if you can find it, will set you back about $4,000.
In position #5, however, after this $10,000 parade of Coche-Dury, is the glorious 2007 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne.
The truth is Bouchard's Corton-Charlemagne may be one of the smartest Grand Cru white Burg buys out there. When you look at the Burghound statistics, once the Coche-train passes, a line of elite Bouchards hold court: The 2007 followed by the 2006 and the 2002 - eventually you get down to producers like Leroy!
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The numbers are interesting, they provide a context in which to place the Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne, but they are certainly not the whole truth. For us, the truth is in the bottle and as good as the 2006 was, the 2007 is flat out better. This is a stunner and for the purists, for those who need mineral and cut as well as graciousness and style, there are few wines like Bouchard's 2007 Corton-Charlemagne.
This is a wine both Bobby and I are cellaring (by the case) and while it is thrilling to experience now, the full potential will only reveal itself in the next decade.
Suffice it to say this wine is *highly* recommended.
Like the 2006, the 2007 is a ruthless hammer of Chardonnay - nowhere outside of Chablis is there a deeper, more chiseled expression of Chardonnay. That's the thrill of Corton-Charlemagne and the 2007 delivers this mineral profile with just immense concentration, electric green apples, stone fruit and washes of pastry and spice. This wine is serious and seriously long, with a glowing acidity that reverberates on the palate for well over 60 seconds.
As the Burghound says: If it doesn't have quite the overall depth of the Montrachet, "otherwise, this succeeds in going toe to toe, which is not a small feat given how good the [Montrachet] is."
Enough cannot be said about the re-emergence of Bouchard. This is one of those historical names in Burgundy and if they stumbled, or lost a bit of their edge in the last few decades through a soft neglect, Bouchard has come MARCHING back since they were bought by Henriot in the mid-1990s.
The massive investments in the vineyards and in the cellars have obviously paid off and if you've been talking with Burgundy fanatics, or reading the Burghound, you've heard and seen the glowing reviews. Philippe Prost, Bouchard's winemaker, deserves a toast for his efforts - Bouchard is back!
If the quality and value presented by the new Bouchard has been overlooked, this is changing. The moment we put the 07 Corton-Charlemagne online a top customer in California bought a large parcel, writing us that "at a number of Burgundy dinners in the Bay Area, the Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne was wine of the night." He continued: "I would suggest putting some of the 2007 Bouchard aside for yourself." I think that's the first time a customer has tried to sell us on a wine!
We have secured a healthy parcel at this special price, but we expect demand to be very strong. Please reply immediately to this offer or call the store at (212) 980-9463 to order.
Ian McFadden
Director of Fine & Rare Wine Department
Crush Wine & Spirits
Burghound: "A cool, airy, complex and gorgeously elegant nose is more restrained than these Puligny-based grands crus while offering up notes of green apple, pain grillé, stone and very subtle spice notes that merge into rich, full and impressively powerful flavors that possess perhaps the best dry extract levels of any wine in the range as they really stain the palate on the intense, long and bone dry finish that seems to have no end. There isn't quite as much overall depth here as in the Montrachet but otherwise, this succeeds in going to toe to toe, which is not small feat given how good the prior wine is."
2007 Bouchard arrives late March
NET | No futher discount