2016 Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

Saturated dark red. Wonderfully vibrant aromas of medicinal black cherry, menthol, bitter chocolate and crushed rock. More imploded and less fleshy in the early going than the overwhelming majority of Perrot-Minots 2015s and a brilliant example of its vintage, offering explosive yet tight-grained flavors of black fruits and salty minerals that fill the mouth without leaving any impression of weight. Finishes with firm but noble tannins, outstanding building length and compelling tension and floral perfume; really saturates the mouth and vibrates. This is less plush and thick than the 2016 Clos de Bèze today but may be even longer.

The 2016 Chambertin Grand Cru was picked at the end of the first week in October, although there was nothing Christophe could do about losing half the crop to frost. It has a very perfumed, floral, pure bouquet with ebullient redcurrant, cranberry and pomegranate aromas suffused with mineral scents. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, fine tannin. The is an understated Chambertin built around poise and tension, long but need deep like the 2015, although you can feel the mouth tingling with the mineralité 30 seconds after the wine has departed. Excellent.