*special offer price - $114.95 with code BRESSANDES
Claude de Nicolay of Chandon de Briailles once remarked that her ‘Corton-Bressandes’ always smells like mushrooms after rain, which seems perfect to me. A smoky, umami-d savor seems to routinely find this cru in a way that eludes even its closest neighbors. The high percentage of iron threaded into the ‘Bressandes’ soil seems the biggest contributor; there is very little of this iron in ‘Clos du Roi’ above or ‘Maréchaudes’ below.
The texture of ‘Bressandes’ numbers among the most persuasively elegant of Corton's many lieux-dits. Guyon’s fresh, fragrant style melds beautifully with the terroir, their tandem creating what is often the domaine’s completest wine.
The wide-open nose leads with generous dark cherry and plum fruit along with the savory depth so particular to this cru, here redolent of richly reduced mushroom stock. Spicier with air, the aromatics pick up stony details too with time. The width of the nose alone seems worth the price of admission.
If you’ve come to grudgingly accept that first-rate grand cru Burgundy has priced itself out, here is a refreshing reminder that ‘budget friendly’ and ‘best of Burgundy’ are not in fact mutually exclusive. Consider snoozing the wine for 15 minutes in a small decanter and expect real-deal pleasure on the other side.
Cheers,
Jason
