Corton, Ch. Grancey		1989	L. Latour

3/95. Acquired from Beaune Dec-94 for $26 (imported for $34 net).
Tonight with Friday night dinner for two, the famous Louis Latour's Corton Grand Cru 'brand' wine.
Dinner consisted of ravioli-ragu in tomato sauce, fillet of beef in truffles with baked potatoes and sauteed zucchini, fresh strawberries in Grand Marnier.
The wine was left to breath for 30 min.
COLOR: Very clear pale brown-red, almost transparent.
NOSE: Delicate perfumed fruity aroma with touches of spice, very pleasant but not overwhelming. Hardly noticeable Bourgogne smell (dommage!).
TASTE: Young! Vibrant fruit and acidity, together with a peculiar sweetness usually reserved for old mature (B). Very tasty, though still not totally open. Actually tannins are quite dominant and distracting IMO (though Dorit says they don't distract). Very elegant on the palate though I believe 2-3 more years are needed for it to reach its potential.
LENGTH: Good long aftertaste. Actually the complexity of this wine showed well only through its finish, when the tannic bitterness subsided and a myriad of tastes stayed in the mouth.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: A medium body (B). Very good balance between alcohol and acidity. The tannins are not particularly soft, and should dissolve in time to give better expression to the other ingredients.
OVERALL: This is the first 1989 Grand Cru I taste (though I don't consider Cortons real GC). I am sure that in two years this will become a real superb wine. As for the present it is 'only' excellent.
MARK: 17/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Maybe.

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.