Robb Report - USA (2019-08)

GUTTER CREDITS

ROBBREPORT.COMROBBREPORT.COM 93 93

Y

ou know the day is

not going badly when

the five wineglasses

marshaled in front of

you are each backed by

a bottle labeled Corton-Charlemagne

Grand Cru. The hill of Corton in Côte

de Beaune famously grows some of

Burgundy’s great Chardonnay, and the

producer—Bonneau du Martray—has

the advantage of owning a swath of

vineyards running from the top of the

hill to the bottom. By blending bright

fruit from the top, full of energy and

verve, with richer, fatter fruit from the

bottom, Bonneau du Martray creates

exquisitely balanced Chardonnay,

arguably the most complete expression

of this legendary place.

The land, in fact, has had only four

owners in the last 1,200 years—the

first being the Holy Roman Emperor

Charlemagne himself, the namesake of

the Grand Cru appellation. The current

owner? Businessman Stan Kroenke,

who also owns California’s Screaming

Eagle. Master of wine Mary Margaret

McCamic, who markets Screaming

Eagle, has poured these wines for me.

And the vintages go back far enough

in time (1994) to betray an agenda.

The question on the table: Can great

Chardonnay—white Burgundy, to

be clear—age well? Does it turn into

something worth waiting for?

We start with the 2016 (the

current release, at $225), and I’m left

wondering how much better it can

get. This is a bright, energetic wine

with rich but focused fruit, perfumed

SARA L. SCHNEIDER

Are You Drinking

Your Whites Too

Soon?

WINE Top Old World and New World

Chardonnays make the case that some white wines

deserve more time in the cellar than you think.

with white blossoms and balanced

by a savory salinity. Frankly, it’s hard

to spit. McCamic puts its youth into

perspective: “Great wines are good

young, medium and old. You can’t

just make something to age; it has

to be enjoyable now.” (She makes no

reference to color—just “great wines.”)

As we sip back through the years—

2008, 2005—a theme emerges: a lemon-

curd profile with a chiseled backbone,

perfect balance between fruit and savory

notes and, above all, mouth-filling

texture that feels creamy and angular at

once. Along the way, maturity appears

in the form of a honeycomb character, a

nutty quality. But all the way back to the

1994, the wines are still fresh and alive.

The lemon and pear flavors in that last

are just slightly brûléed, the florals on

the nose a little sachet-like—the whole so

complex that I find myself admitting that

it would be a shame to have opened this

bottle a minute before its 25th birthday.

“You don’t have to wait for these wines to

become haunting,” says McCamic, “but if

you do, they become elegant, honeyed.”

With that taste memory, well,

haunting me, I sit down a few days later

with Chantal Forthun, head winemaker

at Flowers Vineyards & Winery. With

vineyards virtually invisible on the far

western edge of the Sonoma Coast,

elusive bottles, and—until now—

nowhere to taste the wines (it has just

opened a new tasting room on Westside

Road near Healdsburg), Flowers

produces prized Chardonnays and Pinot

Noirs that have the air of unicorn wines.

But today, Forthun has an agenda, too—

she pours the 2006 Chardonnay from

Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard, two

miles from the Pacific Ocean at about

1,500 feet elevation.

Fascinating! Although the Camp

Meeting Ridge delivers sunny New World

fruit, it shows a balance remarkably

similar to the Corton-Charlemagne’s.

It fills the mouth with texture, yet is

bright with acidity, complex with salinity.

There’s energy and tension again (think of

a taut string on an instrument, vibrating to

sound a clear note). And even though the

barest hints of honeycomb and hazelnut

are creeping in, the wine is absolutely not

tired. Forthun describes what the place

gives her to work with: texture derived

from the soil—broken shale on top with

clay underneath offering the oily quality

(that’s a good thing)—and acidity from

the sweater weather.

I’m reminded of McCamic’s take on

what it takes to go the distance. “A simple

wine wouldn’t do this,” she says. But with

acidity and a complex mix of fruit and

savory minerality, age can be a friend.

Beyond white Burgundy and strategic

California Chardonnays, others that

deserve a second look are Riesling, some

white Bordeaux and northern Rhône

whites (and, of course, Champagne).

But are these whites aging well

enough to be worth a second look as an

investment? Stephen Mould, Sotheby’s

head of wine, Europe, confirms the

current potential. “Mature white

Burgundy from top producers is selling

well at the moment,” he says, adding,

“Provenance is always an important

factor.” So the dilemma is clear—lay

down Chardonnays for later pleasure or

profit? My money is on pleasure.

Sara L. Schneider is Robb Report’s

consulting wine editor.

With acidity and a complex mix of fruit

and savory minerality, age can be a friend.

ROBBREPORT.COM 93

Y

ouknowthedayis

notgoingbadlywhen

thefivewineglasses

marshaledinfrontof

youareeachbackedby

a bottlelabeledCorton-Charlemagne

GrandCru.ThehillofCortoninCôte

deBeaunefamouslygrowssomeof

Burgundy’sgreatChardonnay,andthe

producer—BonneauduMartray—has

theadvantageofowninga swathof

vineyardsrunningfromthetopofthe

hilltothebottom.Byblendingbright

fruitfromthetop,fullofenergyand

verve,withricher,fatterfruitfromthe

bottom,BonneauduMartraycreates

exquisitelybalancedChardonnay,

arguablythemostcompleteexpression

ofthislegendaryplace.

Theland,infact,hashadonlyfour

ownersinthelast1,200years—the

firstbeingtheHolyRomanEmperor

Charlemagnehimself,thenamesakeof

theGrandCruappellation.Thecurrent

owner?BusinessmanStanKroenke,

whoalsoownsCalifornia’sScreaming

Eagle.MasterofwineMaryMargaret

McCamic,whomarketsScreaming

Eagle,haspouredthesewinesforme.

Andthevintagesgobackfarenough

intime(1994)tobetrayanagenda.

Thequestiononthetable:Cangreat

Chardonnay—whiteBurgundy,to

beclear—agewell?Doesit turninto

somethingworthwaitingfor?

Westartwiththe 2016 (the

currentrelease,at$225),andI’mleft

wonderinghowmuchbetterit can

get.Thisisa bright,energeticwine

withrichbutfocusedfruit,perfumed

SARA L. SCHNEIDER

Are You Drinking

Your Whites Too

Soon?

WINE Top Old World and New World

Chardonnays make the case that some white wines

deserve more time in the cellar than you think.

with white blossoms and balanced

by a savory salinity. Frankly, it’s hard

to spit. McCamic puts its youth into

perspective: “Great wines are good

young, medium and old. You can’t

just make something to age; it has

to be enjoyable now.” (She makes no

reference to color—just “great wines.”)

As we sip back through the years—

2008, 2005—a theme emerges: a lemon-

curd profile with a chiseled backbone,

perfect balance between fruit and savory

notes and, above all, mouth-filling

texture that feels creamy and angular at

once. Along the way, maturity appears

in the form of a honeycomb character, a

nutty quality. But all the way back to the

1994, the wines are still fresh and alive.

The lemon and pear flavors in that last

are just slightly brûléed, the florals on

thenosea littlesachet-like—thewholeso

complex that I find myself admitting that

it would be a shame to have opened this

bottle a minute before its 25th birthday.

“You don’t have to wait for these wines to

become haunting,” says McCamic, “but if

you do, they become elegant, honeyed.”

With that taste memory, well,

haunting me, I sit down a few days later

with Chantal Forthun, head winemaker

at Flowers Vineyards & Winery. With

vineyards virtually invisible on the far

western edge of the Sonoma Coast,

elusive bottles, and—until now—

nowhere to taste the wines (it has just

opened a new tasting room on Westside

Road near Healdsburg), Flowers

produces prized Chardonnays and Pinot

Noirs that have the air of unicorn wines.

But today, Forthun has an agenda, too—

she pours the 2006 Chardonnay from

Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard, two

miles from the Pacific Ocean at about

1,500 feet elevation.

Fascinating! Although the Camp

Meeting Ridge delivers sunny New World

fruit, it shows a balance remarkably

similar to the Corton-Charlemagne’s.

It fills the mouth with texture, yet is

bright with acidity, complex with salinity.

There’senergyandtensionagain(thinkof

a taut string on an instrument, vibrating to

sound a clear note). And even though the

barest hints of honeycomb and hazelnut

are creeping in, the wine is absolutely not

tired. Forthun describes what the place

gives her to work with: texture derived

from the soil—broken shale on top with

clay underneath offering the oily quality

(that’s a good thing)—and acidity from

the sweater weather.

I’m reminded of McCamic’s take on

what it takes to go the distance. “A simple

wine wouldn’t do this,” she says. But with

acidity and a complex mix of fruit and

savory minerality, age can be a friend.

Beyond white Burgundy and strategic

California Chardonnays, others that

deserve a second look are Riesling, some

white Bordeaux and northern Rhône

whites (and, of course, Champagne).

But are these whites aging well

enough to be worth a second look as an

investment? Stephen Mould, Sotheby’s

head of wine, Europe, confirms the

current potential. “Mature white

Burgundy from top producers is selling

well at the moment,” he says, adding,

“Provenance is always an important

factor.” So the dilemma is clear—lay

down Chardonnays for later pleasure or

profit? My money is on pleasure.

Sara L. Schneider is Robb Report’s

consulting wine editor.

With acidity and a complex mix of fruit

and savory minerality, age can be a friend.