2017 Joseph Drouhin, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

Very attractive wet stones and a wealth of hazelnuts and ripe, fresh and expressive lemons and white peaches. The palate has beautifully complete, fleshy texture, really seamless and underpinned by stony, powerful terroir-driven structure. Exceptional Corton-Charlemagne here. Drink or hold.

The 2017 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is excellent, unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet citrus oil, beeswax, white flowers and oyster shell. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, layered and satiny on the attack, with considerable concentration and structuring dry extract, succulent underlying acids and a long, chalky finish. From the south-facing climat Les Languettes, this is one of the highlights of Drouhin's 2017 portfolio.

The 2017 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru comes from the climat of Les Languettes and was picked on September 2. It has a rather mild, perhaps conservative bouquet that does not quite deliver the complexity I might have expected from a Grand Cru. The palate is better, featuring a taut, quite stony opening, a little salinity in the mouth and touches of black currant leaf and walnut toward the finish. Maybe it will offer more once bottled. [I notice that Stephen Tanzer finished his own tasting note wondering whether he underrated it. Without previously seeing his note, it would seem that I, too, expected a little more.]

Pale bright yellow. Very discreet, pure scents of anise, nutmeg and crushed rock. Dense, intense and classically dry; a youthfully brooding, rather powerful wine with strong acidity and a flavor of liquid stone. Quite unevolved, thick and palate-staining, finishing with a lightly tannic impression. A bit unrefined today but it's a bit early to get an accurate read on this very dry wine, which comes from vines in Les Languettes. Am I underrating it?

Picked 2 September. Six barrels on average. Cask sample. Less dramatic initially than the Clos des Mouches but you can sense the power. Creamy on the nose in its rich leesy character but in a very positive way – richness not loss of precision. Stunning. Power and depth with really chiselled citrus fruit. Even with all this power it is still elegant. Endless. (JH)