Mingling deep fruit tones evocative of red cherries and plums with notions of loamy soil, licorice, orange rind, rose petals and sweet spices, the 2020 Corton Grand Cru Clos des Cortons Faiveley is full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with terrific concentration, tangy acids and a long, saline finish. This is extremely promising.

The 2020 Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru has a more fruit-driven bouquet than Mallard's Corton Renard: plummy, mulberry and light iris flower scents unfold in the glass, impressive in terms of presence. The palate is medium-bodied with thick, juicy tannins. This is quite a bold and fleshy Corton, though it feels a little over-extracted and consequently is missing freshness and delineation on the finish. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Cask sample. Mid crimson. Smells of very small tangy dark-red wild berries. Fragrant and laced with vanilla sweetness. Oak is quite marked on the palate, with the tannins thickened by it. But it is full of fruit, the tannins polished. Generous, extremely moreish and balanced for the long term. (JH)