Philippe Pacalet Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2014 1.5Ltr

A notably more complex and distinctly cooler nose grudgingly offers up its ultra-fresh array of green apple, white flower, wet stone and grapefruit scents that are trimmed in subtle wood. There is excellent power and concentration to the very round but tension-filled broad-shouldered flavors that possess excellent size, weight and punch before culminating in a clean, dry and youthfully austere finale. This should be excellent in time though note well that it’s going to need at least 5 years and reward up to 10.

• Country: France
• Region: Burgundy
• Appellation: Cote De Beaune
• Sub Appellation: Corton Charlemagne
• Size: 1.5Ltr
• Color: White
• Alcohol by Vol: 15.0%

Varietal

Chardonnay

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one that has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is Chardonnay. This green-skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity, which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.