93/94

David Schildknecht

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

Jean-Charles Le Bault de Martray has established a singular track record for wine from a single large parcel in the heart of the original Charlemagne vineyards of Corton. His distinctive methods typically include separate fermentation of each vineyard block a year in barrel with late summer malolactic and a full six months on the fine lees in tank, in which state I tasted his 2006 Corton-Charlemagne. An architect by training, Le Bault de Martray values -brightness, precision and proportionality- and it is easy to see those virtues exemplified in this wine, characterized by clarity, subtlety, firmness of structure, and sheer refreshment unusual for the vintage. Scents of fresh lime, heliotrope and white peach usher in a subtly-creamy yet persistently bright and juicy display of continued citrus, peach, and inner-mouth floral notes. Airy and elegant, this finishes almost delicately but tenaciously. Le Bault de Martray cautions that his Corton-Charlemagne virtually uniformly -shuts down- for several years soon after bottling. I would recommend planning on revisiting this 2006 in 3-5 years and it should repay at least an additional decade's bottle maturation. The palpable extract and depth of sweet-saline, savor in the 2005 put it in a similar league and in line for a similarly long life.