There is a hint of mandarin orange to the otherwise more classic aromas of white peach, green apple, citrus and wet stone. The well-detailed and intensely stony medium weight plus flavors possess an excellent sense of underlying tension on the saline-infused, dry and well-balanced finish. I like the mid-palate concentration and while this is already delicious, this is sufficiently serious as to require 6 to 8 years of cellar time.

The 2011 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru was served blind at a dinner in Bordeaux. This has always been a fine vintage from the estate, although it has lost a little vigor since my last encounter. The nose is quite strict, offering scents of lemon verbena, red apples and a touch of orange pith, and not as flinty as I found in its youth. The palate is well balanced and delivers the weight one expects from a Corton-Charlemagne, though you could argue it does not quite deliver the complexity of the greatest vintages on the finish. Pretty, but maybe it just lacks a little personality. I think decanting for 2–3 hours would have benefited this wine. Tasted blind in Bordeaux.

The 2011 Corton-Charlemagne is subtle, understated and quite pretty. Hints of graphite, pears, white peaches and flowers emerge from a medium-bodied frame. Today, the 2011 appears to be built for near term drinking. There is plenty of energy and tension, but less in the way of mid-palate depth relative to recent vintages. This is the seventh vintage of biodynamic farming, which according to these principles, is supposed to be an inflection point. Needless to say, it will be interesting to follow the 2011 over the coming years.

The 2011 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is also showing quite well, offering up aromas of citrus zest, pear and white flowers mingled with hints of green pineapple and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, it's elegantly textural and open knit, with succulent acids and a saline finish. It's a creditable effort from Bonneau du Martray's ancien régime, even if it's surpassed by what's being made today.

From magnum. Flinty, smoky, tart green apple. Voluminous and bold, but doesn't seem as wide-reaching as you might expect. Is this the slow development of a magnum? Lots of length and core concentration, so certainly worth keeping to find out. (RH)