2019 Domaine Ponsot Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru

Fleshy and enveloping, the 2019 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru mingles aromas of plums and wild berries with warm spices, forest floor and peonies. Medium to full-bodied, it's layered and textural, with lively acids, velvety tannins and a rich core of fruit. This is very true to the style of the site. Domaine Ponsot started picking on September 20, and winemaker Alexandre Abel reported yields some 35% to 40% below average, with alcohols in the 14s and healthy pHs at around 3.3. Yet while alcohols in 2019 were if anything higher than in 2018, the 2019 wines are more elegant, with livelier fruit tones and less overtly muscular structure. That's not a criticism of the 2018s, however, which we revisited from bottle, confirming that they are wines that will require patience: interestingly, the most put-together of the range was the Clos de la Roche, a cuvée that was bottled last, in July 2020, and which certainly seemed to have profited from the longer élevage. (WK)