Beautifully attractive, fresh red roses and violets with lighter red berries that meld into some sous-bois notes. The palate has a very assertive core with a plush, lithe and juicy edge that delivers a super fine, powerful and seamless impression. Corton in all its glory here! Try from 2022.

Derived mostly from Renardes this year, the 2017 Corton Grand Cru is a definite success, offering up aromas of cassis, spicy soil, grilled meat and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and incisive, with good depth at the core, fine but firm structuring tannins and a long finish.

The 2017 Corton Grand Cru was picked on 5 and 8 September and comes from Les Renardes but it also contains some fruit from the little known “Hautes Mourottes” and is made using vinification intégrale . It is deep in colour, and the bouquet is comparatively closed vis-à-vis Drouhin’s other Grand Cru, seeming quite broody, with blackberry and subtle iodine aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, one of the most muscular from Drouhin this year, and the saline finish is lightly spiced. Give it three or four years in bottle... at least.

Mostly Les Renardes but also Hautes Mourottes. Harvest 5 and 8 September. 20% whole bunch. 100% fermented in barrel, bringing complexity, suggests Véronique Drouhin. Cask sample. Mid to deep crimson. Seductive aroma: dark fruited, dusty/mineral but still so fragrant with fruit. Fine tension between the super-fine tannins and the fruit depth. More chewy on the finish, not quite what I expected from the nose. Chewy and completely embryonic, a lot of oak spice and a slightly thicker texture at the end. (JH)