2013 Domaine Capitain-Gagnerot Corton-Charlemagne

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Burg, 11/12/2017

  (Capitain-Gagnerot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru) Hello friends. The main thrust of today’s offer is going to be another killer from the 2015 vintage in France; this time a Bourgogne Rouge that would be about pitch-perfect for the Thanksgiving table. But our friend William Woodruff, who owns Seattle-based Chloe Imports, has offered us extra treats for the holidays: a series of small parcels of Capitain-Gagnerot’s higher-end Burgs (including two Grand Crus). These come into the US in microscopic quantities, and we’re fortunate to have access to them, thanks, I believe, to our list’s long support of a number of William’s winery partners (Copinet, Prieure, Teulon). See the bottom of the offer for quick-hitter blurbs on a pair of whites and a pair of reds, and note that three of those four additional wines also come from the exceptional 2015 vintage. As usual, with William direct-importing these wines right into Seattle, his pricing is outstanding for the quality on offer.Bonus white #2. Capitain-Gagnerot owns two parcels of Chardonnay on the famous Corton hill; one on the shadier Pernand side (see pic of vineyard moonscape), which makes lean/racy Chard; the other on the sunnier Aloxe side (see pic), which provides fatter, lusher fruit. These are 60-year-old vines, and they offer a lovely expression of a special place in the world of wine. The nose begins with lemon oil, chalky mineral, and smoky hazelnut. The palate impact is wonderful, conveying suppleness and nervousness at once; no easy feat. There is density galore here (13.5% listed alc), but nary a shred of excess weight. Drinking almost Chablis-like with its racy acidity today, I think it’s safe to say this wine’s most compelling days are well ahead of it. It got better and better as the hours went on; I’d suggest waiting until at least 2020 to begin cracking any bottles of this beauty.