2019 Pierre Guillemot 'Le Rognet et Corton' Grand Cru

"The 2019 Corton Le Rognet et Corton Grand Cru has also turned out very nicely, mingling aromas of cherries, berries and plums with hints of woodsmoke and coniferous forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, deep and sapid, with lively acids, superb depth of fruit and refined tannins, it's long and penetrating. It was with sadness that I learned of Pierre Guillemot's passing, at the age of 93, while this report was going to press. Having enjoyed Pierre's inaugural vintage of Serpentières, the striking 1947, on a number of occasions, it is evident that he hit the ground running as a formidable winemaker, and he was always spoken of with the greatest warmth along the Côte d'Or. Guillemot grandpère must, however, have been satisfied that the domaine he founded is in good hands, ably directed by his grandsons. As I've written before, winemaking at this seven-hectare estate is rather classical, the reds fermenting in wooden tanks with temperature control, followed by élevage with modest percentages of new wood. The wines are remarkably consistent, surpassing expectations in challenging years and fully delivering in more propitious vintages. The 2018s, revisited here in bottle, have fulfilled the promise they showed from barrel, and the 2019s are even more vibrant and charming. So, it bears repeating that readers bemoaning the lack of fine, affordable Burgundy from the Côte d'Or should beat a path to the Guillemot family's door, (WA, 92-94 points)".