2006 Louis Latour Château Corton Grancey Grand Cru 750 ml

This library edition of Louis Latour’s 2006 Château Corton Grancey is special. With 15 years of age under its belt, this exceptionally rare wine represents the holy grail of the famous Hill of Corton. It’s drinking gloriously right now, displaying the mesmerizing complexity, coiled power, and nuance that have made wines from this vineyard coveted since the age of Charlemagne.

This Grancey walks an exhilarating tightrope between its taut muscularity and silky-soft tannins, framing a vibrant core of black and red fruit that tapers seamlessly into baking spice, earth, and umami. Still energetically youthful but mature in expression, it’s impossible to resist now, although the patient will be rewarded with another two decades of evolution.

On our visit to Latour’s Château Corton Grancey, we went trekking through the vines, over a mix of clay and rocks the size of tennis balls. It was impossible not to get lost in the moment, trying to grasp the significance of where we stood: heading north through the vines of Corton Clos du Roi, then along a limestone hillside until we came to Corton-Charlemagne. It was Everest to us.

Looking back at Grancey, we could see all five Grand Cru sites that delivered grapes to the old cellar, where the wine was fermented, aged, and bottled. We’d taken a young bottle of Corton Grancey Grand Cru with us, and as we swirled and sipped, we imagined what the wine would taste like once it reached maturity.

With the 2006, you don’t need to imagine. A rarefied Pinot Noir that’s ready to relish now, this library offering from Louis Latour represents a crown jewel of Burgundy. It’s a wine to savor.