Corton Charlemagne, Bouchard Père et Fils 2007

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. Drink 2019+

Bouchard's 2007 Corton-Charlemagne - the last wine they picked - offers another of those occasions for reflecting on a bit of Burgundian craziness: a grand cru wine presented last in a stellar line-up, yet that costs on-half to one-third that of the other grand cru bottlings that preceded it. A striking and intensely pungent aroma of holly berry, fresh ginger, and lime zest leads to a vivacious, silken-textured, chalky, saline, crustacean palate. For all of this wine's sheer intensity and palpable sense of underlying extract, it shares lift, buoyancy, and overall elegance with its Chevalier-Montrachet counterparts and preserves the energy and primary, juicy refreshment that goes with its vintage. The diversity and persistence of mineral elements here are memorable. It's the hundredth anniversary of this Bouchard parcel (characterized by all-day luminosity), and a happy birthday indeed! Those lucky enough to acquire some of this should anticipate more than a decade of pleasure, but I would estimate that re-visiting the wine in 2-3 years would be rewarding both sensually and in terms of estimating its further evolution.