Domaine Chandon de Brialles Corton Bressandes Grand Cru AOC Burgundy France

This isn’t a Grand Cru that tries to seduce you immediately. It’s not plush, not polished with oak, not built to impress on release. Instead, it’s unapologetically Corton: powerful, mineral, herbal, sinewy, and slow to unfold.

Colour: deep ruby with a faintly blue-tinged core — a sign of thick skins and phenolic concentration in 2020.

Nose: black cherry, spiced plum, wild herbs (rosemary, thyme), iron-oxide minerality, crushed stone, bitter cocoa, and a whiff of smoked earth. Oak plays no starring role — Briailles refuses to use wood as makeup. The aromatics feel reserved now, tightly coiled.

Palate: structured and architectural rather than generous. Dark fruits are compact, layered with graphite, salty minerality, and firm tannic grip. Acidity is incisive, slicing through the fruit and adding tension. Long, stern finish with savoury black tea, crushed rock and subtle spice.

This is serious, unfashionable Burgundy: built on structure, not fruit. It will outlive impatient drinkers.

Why the Year Matters (2020 Vintage Impact)

2020 was hot and early, with concentration everywhere in Burgundy — plenty of wines became too easy and ripe. Corton avoided that fate because:

• Bressandes sits on high, exposed slopes of the Corton hill with cooler airflow, delaying ripeness.

• Soil is limestone-dominant with thin clay, limiting vigour and preserving acidity.

• Old vines + biodynamic farming gave thick skins = fine, dense tannins rather than excess sugar.

• Instead of a fruity, juicy style, 2020 here produced a structured, iron-spined wine with long ageing potential.

The vintage gave richness; the site turned it into power and longevity.

Drinking Window

This wine is a long game. If someone opens it now expecting charm, they will think it’s “tight” or “austere.” It’s not the wine’s fault — it’s the drinker’s impatience.

• Do not touch before: 2028

• Best window: 2032–2045+

• Likely peak: 2038 onward

• Maximum life: 2050+ if cellared correctly

Drink this now only if you decant 2–3 hours and like power over prettiness.