Bouchard Pere & Fils - Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2020
Price: $289.99
| Producer | Bouchard Pere & Fils |
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| Country | France |
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| Region | Burgundy |
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| Subregion | Cote de Beaune |
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| Varietal | CHARDONNAY |
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| Vintage | 2020 |
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| Sku | 32023 |
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Producer tasting notes: "Intense fruit and toasted aromas blended with the mineral notes typical of this appellation on the nose. A rich, powerful wine with a strong personality. Very good ageing potential."
James Suckling: 97 Points
Very complex nose of lemon curd, tangerine and violets. So cool and precise, with excellent concentration, but not a gram of fat on its muscular body, this is a marathon-runner white Burgundy. Intense, chalky minerality is married to restrained creaminess at the dangerously fresh, long finish. From a 3.65-hectare plot at 320 meters altitude on the east-facing side of this site. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
Tim Atkin, MW: 96 Points
Decanter Magazine: 95 Points
At the very top of the hill planted on white marl, this four-hectare parcel is typically the last one to be picked - there is the elevation but also a wind that is always blowing here. The nose has a pronounced lemon peel and green apple fruit with a delightful, saline minerality. There is not a lot of oak spice or malo notes - only 20% new wood is used for the fermentation. On the palate, there is a laser focus and impressive finesse. With time it opens to show a lovely depth and complexity. Really top.
Wine Advocate: 92-94 Points
Aromas of orange oil, peach, confit citrus, freshly baked bread, beeswax and white flowers preface the 2020 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, a full-bodied, layered and concentrated wine that's deep and muscular, with a rich but tensile profile and a long, chalky finish. Technical director Frédéric Weber and his team have realized another fine vintage chez Bouchard Père & Fils, beginning harvest on 19 August and sorting to remove dehydrated berries. The vineyards fared well despite a significant hydric deficit, testimony to viticulture that's among the best of the big houses; indeed, organic conversion is underway, and canopies are now hedged to 1.30 meters, around 30 centimeters higher than the classic low rognage that still predominates along the Côte—forward-thinking innovations that will no doubt find imitators in short order among other big players. In any case, the resulting wines have turned out beautifully, with alcohols in the region of 13% to 13.5% and lower pHs than in 2019. Vibrant, intensely colored and beautifully balanced, there are plenty of cuvées here that I'd be delighted to own. White wines chez Bouchard, readers should note, are bottled under DIAM closures. (WK) 92-94+
Vinous: 91-93 Points
The 2020 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a well-defined, tightly-packed bouquet that demanded some coaxing from the glass. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, maybe just a bit too straightforward on the mid-palate but with a pleasant waxy-textured finish.
