Beside Delarche’s microscopic production of “Le Corton,” I challenge anyone to find a sub-$100 Grand Cru red Burgundy that competes with the exorbitantly priced competition. Given the current landscape of upper-echelon Pinot Noir, a quick search yields distressing results: elite Grand Crus priced in the double digits are few and far between, and those that do exist are something of a white whale—excitedly buzzed about but seldomly, if ever, seen. Today is our once-per-year treat into that rarefied, mythical air.
Domaine Marius Delarche’s annual release of old-vine “Le Corton” is a staggering rarity that (1) avoids financial sacrifice and (2) allows one to drink like royalty. Made from a tiny, old-vine parcel in Grand Cru Corton and crafted by some of the most ruggedly traditional hands in the entire region, this is always a timeless, top-of-the-line benchmark. What’s more, we’re offering a maximum of six per customer today so one or two can be enjoyed in the near term while your remainders slumber their way into a spectacular evolution long down the road. It doesn’t take a mathematician to realize our dilemma: Out of the two barrels’ worth of wine that made its way into America, we were allotted a third of one. Year over year, this has consistently been one of our greatest Grand Cru offerings, and if you’re still wondering why, today’s extraordinary 2018 release will quickly bring you up to speed.
“Le Corton” shares the famous hill with “Corton-Charlemagne” and the latter was once planted entirely to Pinot Noir. As legend goes, it was re-planted to Chardonnay after the wife of bacchanalian Emperor Charlemagne was fed up with his Pinot-stained beard. In an attempt to clean up his beard, if not his act, Mademoiselle Charlemagne had the entire vineyard re-planted to Chardonnay. The noble Pinot Noir grape, thankfully, made a resurgence and remains the predominant grape planted (~95%) throughout this majestic hillside. In the Grand Cru lieu-dit of “Le Corton,” however, red has always reigned King: This lauded, southeast-facing, and predominantly limestone vineyard delivers structured red Burgundy that rivals Côte de Nuits’ Grand Crus in power and intensity.
Domaine Marius Delarche’s winery is in the foothills above Pernand-Vergelesses, where the family has been crafting wines from Corton since the 1940s. Philippe Delarche and his son, Etienne, jointly tended the vineyards and crafted the wine as a team until Philippe lost a long battle with cancer in 2007. Since then, Etienne has carried on, implementing the wisdom of his father and his own experiences around the world to produce beautiful wine one vintage after the next. Delarche’s tiny “Le Corton” parcel lies at the summit of the hill—around 1100 feet in elevation—at the fringe of the forest line. The hand-harvested fruit is entirely de-stemmed prior to a lengthy maceration and the ‘cap’ is punched down manually during a natural-yeast fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wine is gently pressed into a combination of used and new (30%) French oak barrels where it ages for 12 months. Afterwards, it is bottled without fining or filtration to capture every nuance this storied terroir has to offer.
Delarche’s newest Grand Cru release is one of the greatest examples of Corton in its youth: brawny and powerfully mineral but bursting with copious layers of lush fruit thanks to the exceedingly warm embrace of 2018. Even without proper preparation—we opened our sample bottle in my backyard, swirled it around in an AP stem, and took a sip within five minutes—it was belting out a gorgeous tune. But the real magic came that evening, after the wine had been opened for several hours and unveiled more nuances. It erupted with high-toned aromas of candied violet, crushed red flowers, blood orange, red plum, ripe black cherry, Chambord, soft spice, smoke, crushed stone, underbrush, and an underlying irony (geological not literary) backbone. The palate is muscular, intense, and incredibly generous. It’s ripe and polished with fine-grained tannins and vibrating energy that contributes to a lengthy mouthwatering finish. If consumed now, decant for at least 60 minutes around 60 degrees in your largest Burgundy stems, but do try and save a few for year five, ten, and beyond—your patience will be handsomely rewarded. Cheers!
