When it comes to Grand Cru red Burgundy, you don’t come across values of this magnitude very often. The Cornu wines are some of the most resolutely traditional, long-lived wines money can buy.
The “Les Bressandes” climat (vineyard parcel) sits about midway up the famed Corton hill, on the eastern side facing the town of Ladoix, where the Cornu family has lived and farmed since 1870. They have been producing wine for over a century and bottling under their own label since the 1950s. Cornu is as steadfastly “old school” a Burgundy estate as I’ve ever encountered, and their wines are often mercilessly closed when young, but if you stash them away (for five to 20 years, depending on the vintage and cuvée), they are magically transformed. Experienced sommeliers know that mature Cornu is a real treat: While often light in color, the wines show profound depth and mineral complexity, typically overflowing with the sort of truffle/dried mushroom/meaty aromas that Burgundy collectors dream about, but seldom find, in this price range.
Cornu’s parcel of Les Bressandes is planted to vines averaging 30 years of age, and their vinification process is straightforward, starting with hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed fruit fermented on native yeasts and continuing with 12-15 months’ aging in French oak barriques (30% new in this case). In the glass, it’s a medium garnet-red with pink and orange reflections, and once exposed to some air, its aromas jump from the glass: red and black cherry, red currant, dried orange peel, rose petals, hibiscus, dried mushrooms, warm spices, and a touch of leather carry through to the medium-bodied palate, which should continue adding flesh with time and spill over into ‘medium-plus’ territory. It’s got the kind of perfume that’ll keep you returning to swirl and sniff over and over, so take it slow and watch it unfold over the course of a great meal. If enjoying a bottle now, decant it 60 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees, and pair it with something that won’t mask its detail and finesse.
