Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Like so many producers and négociants, Bouchard Père has a slice of the action in this famed Grand Cru. Its interpretation is generous, going for the inherent richness from the terroir. This is a magnificently ripe wine, definitely opulent, with the generous wood enhancing the very ripe fruit. In all this splendor, it is good to find a delicious edge of acidity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
That the team at Bouchard presents their 2006 Corton-Charlemagne for tasting last of all certainly reflects confidence in their holdings (high up in a southeast-facing original “Le Corton”) as well as in their affinity for the site. Grapefruit, lime, yellow plum, and chalk in the nose lead to a pungent, tart concentration of citrus and pit fruit essences and an implacable stoniness that leave the palate stained, yet all the while invigorated. In fact, this leaves one’s tongue positively aquiver. It needs some years to really show what is at present only incipient complexity, but exhibits a balanced youthful intensity that promise well over a decade of positive evolution. Certainly an investment in a bottle or two of this represents a bargain when compared with its grand cru siblings from further south. Range 94-95.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A classic source of exceptional Chardonnay as well as Pinot Noir, the Côte de Beaune makes up the southern half of the Côte d’Or. Its principal wine-producing villages are Pernand-Vergelesses, Aloxe-Corton, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
The area is named for its own important town of Beaune, which is essentially the center of the Burgundy wine business and where many negociants center their work. Hospices de Beaune, the annual wine auction, is based here as well.