Bouchard Père & Fils : Le Corton Grand cru Domaine 2022

The 2022 Bouchard Corton boasts concentrated mulberry and black plum aromas, hints of violets and liquorice, and sweet oak spice. The texture is velvety and dense, with supple tannins and a pleasantly persistent finish underscored by a saline mineral note. Despite the location of the vines near the top of the slope, the grapes were picked early; 40% of the crop was fermented as whole clusters. This wine should open up in five to seven years and drink for another 25 beyond that.

This has the tannic power we expect from this appellation, but in a plush and restrained form. That core is wrapped in a velvet blanket, but the dominant aromas are dark and earthy, with touches of licorice or pine bark. Very long, compact and earthy finish that promises a very long life. From a 3.55-hectare parcel on shallow red-clay soil that's almost next to the forest at the top of the hill and faces east. Drink or hold.