2015 Mazis Chambertin

(there's just a single one-year-old barrel of this juice, which Confuron says masks the terroir ): Dark red-ruby. Slightly wild aromas and flavors of black cherry, redcurrant, licorice and smoky oak; the first of these wines in which the oak element was apparent. Aeration brought strong crushed-stone minerality and lift to the middle palate. Finishes savory and classically dry, with broad fruit and mineral flavors that are hard to scrape off the palate, much less spit. This wine will need substantial bottle aging to absorb its oakiness but boasts splendid long-term potential.

(from a tiny .08 ha parcel of 40+ year old vines located in Mazis-Haut that normally produce only one barrel). The level of new wood is borderline intrusive and it dominates the underlying fruit. Otherwise, there is exceptionally good density and richness though the wood reappears on the strikingly long finale that is quite firmly structured. The concentration and quality of the underlying material is most impressive but whether it will be able to completely integrate the wood over time remains an open question. Note that my predicted range gives the benefit of the doubt in this regard but it’s possible that this will always be somewhat woody. Dec 2016, www.burghound.com