2018 Taupenot-Merme Corton Rognet

Glowing purple with a lively deep fruit on the nose, this has weight and class and correctly ripe deep raspberry fruit. Suave, complete, rich and really well balanced. More like a CDN grand cru opines Romain. 91-95 points

The 2018 Corton-Rognet Grand Cru has one of the most opulent bouquets from Romain Taupenot this year, featuring open-knit red cherry, kirsch, orange pith and fig aromas. The spicy palate is medium-bodied with a sweet core of fruit, saturated tannins and touches of white pepper and clove toward the finish, which lacks complexity compared to the other crus. 91-93 points

The lieu à dit of Rognet is quite a warm microclimate, as it sits further down the slope on the hill of Corton, and despite Romain Taupenot getting out here with his team first at the start of picking, the wine has ended up quite ripe in personality. However, this is displayed today as an inverse to the premier crus, which are more obviously marked by their vintage on the palate than on the nose, but with the Rognet, the touch of sur maturité of 2018 is more evident today on the nose, which offers up scents of jammy black raspberries and black cherries, spit-roasted game, dark soil tones, bonfire, spicy oak and just a whisper of Corton coriander seed in the upper register. On the palate the wine is plush, full-bodied and seemingly less overtly ripe than on the nose, with impressive depth of fruit in the mid-palate, ripe, buried tannins and fine length and grip on the chewy and gently warm finish. This carries its 13.9 percent octane pretty well and is a big, flashy and complex wine that will delight some tasters, but may be a touch over the top stylistically for others. It is very much a creature of its vintage. Drink 2032-2075. 91 points

A softly mentholated nose speaks of black raspberry, spice, freshly turned earth and a hint of humus. The lavishly rich and opulent medium weight plus flavors possess a caressing yet powerful mo uthfeel, all wrapped in a very firm, youthfully austere and ever-so-slightly warm finale. This is definitely built-to-age and while it should drink well after only 7 or so years, it`s constructed to age slowly over the longer-term. 90-93 points

Tank sample. Ripe and seductive, rich in red fruits. Firm, chalky, deep in texture. Not quite as fresh as the Morey La Riotte but the fruit is bright enough to fill out the serious structure. 17.5 points