2012 Domaine Champy Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 750 ml

From 1720 to 2012: Burgundy’s Historic Domaine Champy

Dating back to 1720, Champy is one of the oldest documented wineries still producing wines in Burgundy. The company started as a merchant or negociant, buying grapes from growers and then bottling them under its own label. Today, Champy owns over 61 acres of prime Burgundy vineyards, mostly of Grand Cru and Premier Cru caliber.

Of the many acres expertly tended by the well-respected and talented Dimitri Bazas for Domaine Champy, he’ll secretly tell you that his hands-down favorite site is the Grand Cru Corton-Bressandes.

As you trek up the hillside, the soils closest to town are rich in clay. But as you climb up to 1,000 feet above sea level, sizable chunks of dimpled limestone appear. As in the most sought-after Grand Crus of the Côte de Nuits — Rousseau’s Charmes-Chambertin, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s La Tâche, Christophe Roumier’s rich and ethereal Bonnes-Mares — that unique soil mix accounts for both the wild-berry concentration and the electrifying, age-worthy backbone of Champy’s Corton-Bressandes.

In good vintages, Champy’s Corton-Bressandes is sweetly perfumed, floral, and finely delineated. In great vintages, it’s even better. ... and for Dimitri, 2012 chez Champy stands shoulder to shoulder with 2010 as the finest of the new millennium. The 2012 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru is deep, dark, and richly textured, a Red Burgundy that will drink beautifully over its lifetime.

Deep, dark, bright ruby to the edge. Distinctly soulful character with aromas of wild cherry, blackberry, cassis, and a forest earthiness. The palate is pure velvet with mouth-coating opulence, a detailed minerality, and an explosively long finish. Drink 2017 to 2045.

93 points from Wine Spectator. $150 on release. $85 this morning — every one of the 180 bottles in our allocation snatched right from the dank, humid cellar of Domaine Champy.