The utterly profound 2008 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is one of Jean-François Coche's great achievements—and though today its quality is obvious, it's interesting that Jean-François and his son Raphaël recall 2008 in its infancy as "rude, closed, austere and cold." The wine wafts from the glass with notes of green orchard fruit, white flowers, oatmeal, vanilla pod, iodine and a subtle framing of new oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, its bright line of structuring acidity running through an ample but tense core of satiny texture and extract. The finish is bright, chalky and interminable. For a wine that retains all the tension and cut of a cool vintage, this Corton-Charlemagne's amplitude and power are striking. "Classic in the best sense" is Coche's understated judgment; less temperate commentators might call it perfection. - William Kelley