Latour's 2023 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru wafts from the glass with notes of pear, mandarin oil and peach mingled with notes of struck match and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, it's rich and textural, with a sweet, layered core of fruit and an expansive finish. Now bottled under Diam, it should age with grace. The 2023 vintage is a strong performance from winemaker Christophe Deola and his team, and my impression is that both reds and whites are gaining in precision. The news that Latour is now bottling its white wines under Diam closures will also be a relief to any readers with concerns about premature oxidation. As I reported a few years ago, Latour's contemporary winemaking protocols include a cold room to refresh any fruit picked in the afternoon; indigenous yeast fermentations; and 12- to 16-day macerations, with one or two daily punch-downs. Maturation in barrels, which are made in house, only lasts nine months due to space limitations, and perhaps here more space and more patience might pay dividends? The house remains attached to flash pasteurization, with the wines seeing four seconds at 60 degrees Celsius, permitting Latour to avoid a sterile filtration and to produce wines that, it's certainly true, are remarkably devoid of any kind of microbial spoilage.(WK)

This shows classic, barrel-fermented Chardonnay features with sweet yellow apples, melted butter and Brazil nut. There is also a zippy hint of minerality on the finish that makes this decidedly Côte d'Or-ian.

Opulent, creamy and expansive, this white fills the mouth, offering peach, apple, quinine and salty mineral flavors embraced by vanilla and toasty oak notes. There’s a tactile sensation, and this still lacks integration, yet all of the components are there, along with power and length. Best from 2027 through 2042.