The domaine’s 2010 Corton is a much different beast than the 2009. It has none of the early appeal of that year, but instead boasts gorgeous structure, firm tannins and beautifully delineated fruit. It is an energetic, vibrant wine endowed with significant floral lift, intense minerality and great overall balance. There is a cool austerity about the 2010 that will appeal to classicists. According to proprietor Jean-Charles le Bault de la Moriniere, the small, loose clusters of the vintage give the wine its powerful personality. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2030. Sometimes I wish Bonneau de Martray made more wines, as my tastings with Jean-Charles le Bault de la Moriniere are always much too brief. Readers will find wines of impeccable polish and class at this small domaine tucked in the hillsides of Pernand-Vergelesses. De la Moriniere told me that he hoped to make the red Corton once again available to the estate’s customers in the US, which is great news, although it hasn’t happened yet. According to de la Moriniere, 2009 was a year unlike any other he has seen for its consistent, uninterrupted good weather. The harvest started on September 9th. Yields came in at 39.4 hectoliters per hectare for the Corton-Charlemagne and 27.05 hectoliters per hectare for the Corton. The Corton-Charlemagne finished its malo in June 2010, while the Corton started its malo in May, 2010 and finished in August. Both of the 2009s were bottled in Spring 2011. By contrast, the 2010s were brought in beginning on September 23, after a year characterized by an irregular flowering that lowered yields and an equally variable summer with periods of rain and heat. Conditions improved markedly during the month of September. Yields of 30.50 hectoliters per hectare for the Corton-Charlemagne and 22 hectoliters per hectare for the Corton were the lowest ever recorded at the domaine with the exception of 2003.A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Atlanta Wholesale Wines, Atlanta, GA; tel. (404) 696-9440; C’Est Vin, Arlington, VA; tel. (703) 243-3559, Scott Paul Wines, Oregon; tel. (503) 852-7300, Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, Louisiana; tel. (504) 897-0191

The 2010 Corton Grand Cru is a little more opaque in the glass when compared to the 2011. The nose is very intense with raspberry, wild strawberry, flecks of dark chocolate and Morels that emerge with time. Yet it remains tightly coiled, unfolding with each minute that passes. The palate is extremely well-balanced with a beguiling sense of symmetry. It is understated at first, but it has a powerful, almost sinewy finish that exerts a gentle but insistent grip in the mouth, segueing into a smudged savory aftertaste. This is very fine. Time to fill in a small gap of notes relating to the most significant grower in the Corton hill - Bonneau du Martray. Jean-Charles suggested we taste recent vintages together after the 2012s, which I was more than happy to do. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Atlanta Wholesale Wines, Atlanta, GA; tel. (404) 696-9440; C-est Vin, Arlington, VA; tel. (703) 243-3559; Scott Paul Wines, Oregon; tel. (503) 852-7300, Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA; tel. (504) 897-0191