Jacquesson Corne Bautray 2004

The 2004 Dizy-Corne Bautray has developed nicely in bottle. Broad and generous on the palate, with considerable creaminess, the 2004 is laced with a super-appealing mélange of wild flowers, mint, herbs and orchard fruit. An intriguing white pepper notes adds lift and brightness to the finish. (Drink between 2015-2022)

Jacquesson’s roughly 5,000 bottles of 2004 Extra Brut Dizy Corne Bautray issue from (what were then) 44 year-old vines in the cool, breezy upper reaches of the eponymous site. This translates into a metaphorically cool, laid-back wine that for some tasters – and especially when first opened – might seem slightly aloof. But there is dazzling complexity here, as well as the impeccably balance – at near bone dryness – that characterizes all of the Jacquesson bottlings I most recently tasted. Scents of iris, apple pip, peach kernel, quinine, and toasted almond set the tone for piquancy that follows on a palate strongly alkaline in undertone and loaded with bittersweet, illusive inner-mouth floral perfume. Imagine chomping from behind on honeysuckle, stem and all, and you have some inkling of the effect. The sense of transparency here is striking, and there is even more to be glimpsed after the wine has been open for a day, with toasted pumpkin seed, lime rind, and an enhanced vividness of iris perfume emerging. A hint of salinity stimulates the salivary glands in the long, interactively complex, and downright thought-provoking finish. This will seduce you only if you meet it more than half way, and it is not about to shed its silken, mineral-sequined shroud. I suspect it will merit following for more than a decade, though I must confess ignorance with older exemplars of this bottling.

There is a discreet touch of brioche to the green apple, floral and softly floral suffused nose. There is really lovely intensity to the restrained and understated mouth feel that displays excellent flavor authority before culminating in a refined and beautifully harmonious finish. This could also be enjoyed now or held for further development. A Champagne of finesse. (Drink starting 2016)