1988 and 1992 Tollot-Beaut Corton Charlemagne

5 March 2011: On two consecutive days, I tried the 1988 and 1992 vintages of Tollot-Beaut Corton Charlemagne.  I have been so impressed by the amazing freshness of a number of 1992 white burgundies that I tasted recently, all exhibiting stunning minerality, lively acidity, complexity and a persistent finish.  The 1992 Tollot-Beaut was no exception, showing complex smokey, nutty, lemon curd, honeysuckle and spicy character, with a very light undertone of honey.  Elegant, rather understated and well-packed out with acidity and flavours, this wine was drinking extremely well now, but could definitely provide another 5 - 6+ years of extremely enjoyable drinking, without showing any sign of fatigue. 17.5/20

The 1988 by comparison, was a more solemn wine, in both mouthfeel and character, and displayed much more richness and mature notes of smoke, hazelnuts and honey.  There was just enough acidity to give this wine sufficient structure and balance.  Drinking probably just past peak or thereabouts, and this wine would be best enjoyed within the next 2 years, in good storage conditions.  16/20

Neither wine showed any sign of fatigue or oxidation, quite a relief given the general fear of pre-mature oxidation amongst white burgundies.   I rather prefer the more refreshing 1992 with the complexity and acidity pairing rather well with intensely flavoured chicken dishes (I am particularly referring to the classic Cantonese dishes of chicken cooked in soya sauce).  I was interested by the notion of pairing the 1988 with egg-white custard tart - I could not have thought of it myself!  I thought it went quite well with the pasta with field mushrooms, with the smokey character of the wine pairing off with the earthy and garlic-infused mushrooms.

Other 1992 whites I had recently included the Meursault and Meursault Charmes, Comtes Lafon and the Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne..........fabulous vintage, so yummy now (and what's more, all these wines have the intense flavours and acidity to go with normally challenging Chinese dishes)!