Anyone who thinks Corton can only be muscular and rustic needs to taste this beauty that has iron in its soul but also a floral charm. Stunning concentration and an emphatically dry personality but also velvety and tantalizing all the way through the very structured finish, even at this early stage. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

The 2023 Le Corton Grand Cru has turned out beautifully, unfurling to reveal an incipiently complex bouquet of wild berries, orange zest, rose petals, violets and spices. Medium to full-bodied, layered and sensual, with a lively core of perfumed fruit, refined tannins and a saline finish, this cuvée stands out in the range once again. The 2023 vintage is another strong performance from Bouchard Père et Fils. Frédéric Weber performed extensive green harvesting when the size of the crop became apparent, dropping as much as half the vines' production to end up with yields in the region of 40-42 hectoliters per hectare. The season was hot, but with lots of showers, so hydric stress wasn't an issue; and like others, they advanced picking dates due to the early September heat wave. Interestingly, maturation didn't follow the usual pattern: Volnay Caillerets, for example, which usually begins the red harvest chez Bouchard, was late to ripen, whereas some habitually late parcels were early.(WK)

A pale crimson with vermilion edge. Unforced. Supple graceful red fruit on the nose, with extra depth behind. Nothing too dramatic but the shape of the wine is excellent, very posed, with a fine long balance. This Corton has ‘trained on’, as they say, since I saw it in barrel. Drink from 2033-2043. Tasted Nov 2025.