The Hill of Corton lies just north of Beaune, an important landmark (both visual and vinous) at the midway point of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. The enormous Grand Cru vineyard on its slopes covers 236 acres, only slightly smaller than the entire appellation of Morey-St-Denis.
The character and quality varies widely across the giant vineyard, and so it’s further divided into dozens of smaller “climats.” And the near-unanimous pick for the finest plots are three vineyards in the middle of the slope: Bressandes, Clos du Roi, and Renardes.
Today we’re offering five different vintages of the same wine from the famous Corton-Bressandes vineyard. Our source is the Domaine Ravaut, a small family domaine located at the base of the Hill of Corton.
Jancis Robinson describes their Corton-Bressandes cuvée in glowing terms: “all the hallmarks of a Grand Cru Red, but manages to look pretty good value too!;” “expressive violets,” “succulent silky tannic texture,” “justifies Grand Cru.”
Corton is famously long lived, and this wine is a great candidate for cellaring. But with a decanter and hearty stew these are enjoyable even today. We won’t exactly call a $90 wine a bargain, but it’s awfully hard to find Grand Cru in the double digits. Pick out your favorite vintage, or grab the vertical and experiment with bottle age.
Ravaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2013: $85
Ravaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2015: $95
Ravaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2016: $95
Ravaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2017: $98
Ravaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2018: $99