($190, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection): White Corton is a rarity, since most producers label it Corton-Charlemagne.  Indeed, Anne Parent, who runs the eponymous domaine with her sister, Catherine, says she legally could label hers as Corton-Charlemagne, but since it comes from the east-facing portion of the hill in the Ladoix-Serrigny commune, she prefers to label it simply…Corton.  Domaine Parent, best known for their stellar wines from Pommard where they are based, also makes a stunning white Corton, in part because Anne Parent does not cut corners.  For example, when she replants a vineyard she lets the ground lie fallow for four to five years so that, as she says, “the soil can rejuvenate itself.”  And then she notes, “You need 10 years for vines to become ‘settled,’” before they produce high-quality fruit.  No wonder her 2014 white Corton sings.  It conveys a beguiling combination of floral notes, pineapple-like spice and a seemingly endless vibrancy, which amplifies all of the components.  Befitting a Grand Cru Burgundy, I’d put it in the cellar for a decade — if you can keep your hands off it.
96 Michael Apstein Dec 6, 2016