The 2020 Le Corton Grand Cru is a worthy successor to the striking 2019 (which I probably underrated last year). Soaring from the glass with aromas of rose petals, orange rind, raspberries, rich soil tones and cinnamon, it's full-bodied, velvety and seamless, with a deep and layered core of fruit, vibrant acids and fine, melting tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. This emblematic cuvée has always been a solid bottling chez Bouchard, but in the last few years it seems to have attained a whole new level of quality. When I asked Frédéric Weber what might account for this shift, he explained that he picks later and includes more whole bunches in the vinification. Whatever the reason, readers are advised to take note, as I don't think the market has yet factored in quite how good this wine is.

The 2019 Le Corton Grand Cru confirms its superb showing from barrel, blossoming in the glass with scents of wild berries, peonies, violets, blood orange and warm spices. Medium to full-bodied, sumptuous and enveloping, with melting tannins, beautiful purity of fruit and lively balancing acids, it's long and perfumed, concluding with a saline, rose-inflected finish. I have never tasted a Corton from Bouchard that was so good, so young.

The 2018 Le Corton Grand Cru has turned out very nicely in bottle, offering up a deep and complex bouquet of cassis, wild berries, grilled meats, black truffle, blood orange and sweet forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, deep and muscular, it's layered and concentrated, with powdery tannins, lively acids and a long, sapid finish. While this is a powerful, structured wine, it's also very refined, and this is one 2018 that will offer a broad drinking window.

The 2017 Le Corton Grand Cru is showing very well, and I evidently underestimated it when I tasted it earlier this year. Opening in the glass with aromas of sweet berries, cloves, smoked meats and coniferous forest floor, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a textural and enveloping attack, a sapid core of fruit and a savory finish. Today, the wine's tannins are already supple and melting.