Tollot-Beaut Corton Bressandes 2011

I

Ian Fitzsimmons

Ian Fitzsimmons
From memory, this wine has impressive acid intensity with good supporting fruit, detail & delineation, depth, and embryo complexity. Lots going on. Rather an exuberent puppy at its current stage; can't say whether it has shut down and re-opened or heading for shut-down now. Among the most expressive of young Cortons I've tasted. There is a slight dead spot as the mouthful passes over the far back reaches of the palate, where the wine is not perfectly in-tune, but overall it is extremely good, energetic red Burgundy. Not a crime to drink now, but I'll give my remaining years in the cellar, hoping for improving integration of flavors and textures and more overt expression of nuanced fruit flavors.

In its intensiity and detail, his wine reminded me somewhat of both the 1999 Castagnier Charmes-Chambertin bottles I drank through a few years ago, as well as some 2003 Frederic Magnien Chambolle Mugnier Bourniques; with perhaps more throw-weight than the latter and less refinement and delicacy than the former. Sound cellar buy at $60.
 
Haven't tasted from this winery recently, but have avoided it ever since tasting the Cortons from 2001 and 2002 a few years ago. They were all way too oaky for me.
 
Well, Cortons are typically a unforthcoming wines, until they are. Not an expert, but I think of these bottles as 20-30 year keepers, though maybe less in vintages like 07 and 11. This batch is intended for my dotage.

I opened this bottle strictly for learning purposes, expecting it to be shut down hard, and was surprised at how much of interest was going on. However, as noted, I hold out hope for the acquisition of some of the virtues of maturity at a later date.

I think we've already documented the fact here that I am not a severe Quercusophobe. This bottle was certainly not grossly oaky, in the style of some American wines I've tasted; and probably less oaky than the Jadot Pougets 07 I had a couple of years ago. But Oswaldo has been known to detect oak in wines where I haven't noticed it at all. In a wine like this (or Amiral's Malgagnes), in any event, a judicious bit of oak does no harm, IMHO.
 
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