2016 Aloxe Corton Les Varoziers

(the estate owns 0.3 of vines on compact clay soil just below Bressandes; 22 hectoliters produced in 2016; entirely destemmed, as the estate looks for a fruity style without rustic tannins; this fruit was picked on September 20, the first day of the harvest here, with 13.1% potential alcohol): Healthy dark red. Inviting subtle perfume of raspberry, rose petal, musky spices and earth. Densely packed and quite suave, conveying attractive sweetness to its flavors of raspberry, licorice and wild herbs. Finishes with firm-edged tannins and lingering notes of licorice and earth. Claude de Nicolay told me that there's no grass here and that the vineyard is typically either too dry or too wet. The estate works the hard soil with a horse, and routinely puts down a layer of straw. She added that the top part of the vineyard is almost grand cru quality, while the bottom yields more earthy and rustic wine. Chandon de Briailles replanted their Valozières parcel in 1989. (Incidentally, this and the following wines were still in barrels in January but were slated to be bottled in February.)