2015 Domaine Chandon de Briailles, Corton Grand Cru, Les Bressandes

The 2015 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru is superb, soaring from the glass with a stunningly complex bouquet of cassis, plums, tar, black truffle, dark chocolate and rich spices. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, powerful and dramatic, with a lavish, layered attack; a massively deep, concentrated and multidimensional mid-palate; and an ample chassis of fine-grained, velvety tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully chewy finish. This Corton-Bressandes' sheer scale will demand a decade of cellaring, but this wine exemplifies just what was possible on the hill of Corton in the 2015 vintage.

(vinified with 70% whole clusters; these vines are situated higher on the hill than the Maréchaudes and closer to the mother rock; the estate has four plots here, with an average age of 35 years): Deep, bright ruby-red. Aromas and flavors of black cherry, minerals and licorice convey a hint of chocolatey ripeness. Rich, sweet and stuffed with fruit but more dominated by its structure and more imploded today than the Maréchaudes. Finishes with serious tactile, chewy tannins and lingering notes of cherry liqueur and minerals. This will need patience.

The 2015 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru includes 100% whole bunches, but there was only half the crop in this year. It was the last vintage using a pneumatic press, which I feel shapes this wine. This has a well-defined nose that is just exiting the primary stage, secondary notes of undergrowth and leather beginning to suffuse the red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with quite grippy tannins, very smooth, almost lactic in texture with a dab of dark chocolate towards the finish. Not bad, although I prefer more recent vintages from the estate.

More life and zest than the Corton-Les Maréchaudes 2015. Satisfying and good balance between fruit, acidity and structure. (JR)