2015 Corton Le Clos du Roi Grand Cru La Vougeraie

La Vougeraie has just a single, 0.5- hectare parcel of Corton whose old vines often produce some of the best examples of the Grand Cru. It's pale in colour, but has lovely focus and chalky freshness, showing that 2015 was a great year for Corton. Elegant and long. 2018-28

There is enough reduction present to flatten the underlying fruit today. Otherwise there is excellent size, weight and power to the big-bodied and muscular flavors that brim with both minerality and dry extract that helps to buffer the very firm and clearly built-to-age finish where a hint of mocha appears. This is a classically proportioned Corton that will need ample patience.

The 2015 Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru, from 75-year-old vines, exhibited broody dark berry, tertiary, even tobacco notes on the nose, though it seemed to gradually open up and reveal more red fruit character in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, a fine line of acidity and very good depth. Maybe more mineralité could have been shown towards the finish, nevertheless this remains a suave Corton Clos du Roi that has the density to repay several years in bottle. I expect it will reside at the top of my banded score.

Healthy medium red. Subtle aromas of redcurrant, spices and earth, plus a hint of smoke. A supple, sweet, attractive midweight without any edges. Intense red fruits and dusty brown spices carry very well through the fine-grained finish. Suavely tannic for Corton, this wine should have very good staying power in the bottle.