In my experience, the top wines of Domaine Edmond Cornu—today’s being the top of the top—are like hibernating bears. They are to be left alone until they’re ready to wake up. Once they do, however, they do so with a lusty roar, as I found when I pulled the cork on this 2012 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru.
We’ve all drunk great wines too young, so when we come across a wine that has begun to truly blossom, it is doubly rewarding. Not only did this wine deliver the kind of thrills you expect from hand-crafted Grand Cru red Burgundy, it continued to grow more aromatic and expressive with each passing hour after the cork was pulled. And there’s still plenty of blossoming yet to happen here: This 2012 is just getting started, and in the world of Grand Cru, its price is ‘under-market,’ to put it mildly. Cornu only bottles a small amount of this exceptional wine each vintage—his piece of the Corton-Bressandes vineyard is about a half hectare—and what little comes to the US disappears quickly. We’ve secured a small parcel for our top Burgundy customers and can offer up to six bottles per person until our stock runs out. If you’d like a stash of bottles of which the last one consumed will be the best, I’d urge you to take your limit!
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 45 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees, and pair it with something that won’t mask its detail and finesse. I’ll be watching this gorgeous, haunting red for many years to come. Enjoy!