Prince Florent de Merode Corton-Bressandes

Corton Dinner : typical 99, round and fruity

Deep earthy (fall leaves) and herbal aromas, dense palate for the site and broader mouthfeel than older older vintages I've tasted. Not exactly tight but also not giving too much right now, not showing much in the way of fruit.

Tasted alongside the '99 Faiveley Corton and '99 Ponsot Griotte-Chambertin. This bottle edged out those other two. It had the perfect blend of finesse, personality, & complexity for my palate. Drinking really great now.

O man...this bottle. So nice to have my (oft tested) faith in Burgundy validated so brilliantly! Took this to Bar Avignon to celebrate with friends with whom we'd cycled through Burgundy last autumn. The highlight was smelling the aromas with eyes closed and having a momentary memory flash of the face of the great collector/bon vivant Bill Graves who so generously shared wonderful wines from his stash in Beaune years ago. Amazing how the mind can work!

This is a deep, brooding rich Corton drinking perfectly now.

Opened up after a couple of hours. Good year. This still has some time.

Corked.

Very favorably received by the group. Balanced, complex fruit with long finish. Will be good for a few more years.

Nose of earth and dark cherry. Flavors of earth, dark cherry fruit and minerals with good weight, intensity and length. some secondary flavors of smoke, leather, and dried herbs/flowers. This could age longer and I expect it will even improve. Guessed as a younger grand cru burgundy (2001-02) blind.

Disappointing. Strong acid bite, sour all around. Char of the meat brought out a bit of sweetness, but still mainly sour, no complexity. High hopes dashed. Oh well. [edit: I'm told I may have drunk this far too young. Low rating deleted, judgment reserved for another try.]