(Originally published 1 November 2017.)
Alain Meunier said that harvesting began on 24 or 25 September.
Alain Meunier said that harvesting began on 24 or 25 September.
Production here was only about 25% of a normal vintage. Worst hit by the freezes were Clos de Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, Bourgogne, Côte de Nuits-Villages, and village Nuits-Saint-Georges. There was no production of one of the two Côte de Nuits-Villages, and the amount of the Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru harvested was so small that it was blended with the village Chambolle-Musigny.
The estate follows organic practices in the vineyards.
The estate follows organic practices in the vineyards.
The wines from vineyards that did not have whole clusters had slower malolactic fermentations (generally finishing in April) and had not been racked, yet, when I tasted in late October. We began with those wines:
2016 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
The Bourgogne has iodide aromas and flavors. It is medium-weight and balanced with good density and length. It’s a wine of charm. A full vintage here would be 15 barrels, but in 2016, production was only 2-1/2 barrels. (86-89)
2016 Côte de Nuits-Villages Les Vignottes
There’s plenty of finesse to go with dark fruits here. The wine also shows good length and a silky texture, all making for a wine of charm. (88-91)
2016 Chambolle-Musigny
As mentioned above, whatever was harvested for the Chambolle 1er Cru has been declassified and included in this wine. The wine has dark fruits with good density, but also elegance and a lovely silk texture. (89-92)
2016 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Fleurières
This wine is juicy and ripe (but not overripe) in its dark fruits with very good structure. (89-92)
The wines below had all been racked when I tasted them. They generally finished their malolactic fermentations in February. These wines include about 25% whole clusters.
2016 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts
Here there was a good yield, 38 hl/ha. The wine shows good density, but still the elegance of Beaux Monts with typical violets, minerality, finesse and energy. 1/3 new wood on this wine. (92-95)
2016 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots
Finesse and good minerality here. This wine is dense with good energy. Yields were about 33-34 hl/ha; the grapes were picked at 13.2º natural, and there is 1/3 new wood used here. (91-95)
2016 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaboeufs
As to be expected, as this vineyard is south of the town of Nuits, while Boudots borders the Vosne-Romanée appellation, this wine is more foursquare than the Boudots. The wine shows dark fruits, especially blueberries, a little minerality, and good length. (91-95)
2016 Clos-Vougeot
Production was about half of normal here, there being only four barrels (two new) instead of the usual seven or eight. The wine displays dense black raspberry fruit typical of Clos-Vougeot. The tannins here are ripe and the wine is deep, pure, and fresh. (93-97)
2016 Romanée-Saint-Vivant
This wine is still quite closed in the nose. The mouth shows purity, depth, and a silky texture to go with the sensuousness of Romanée-Saint-Vivant. There’s also outstanding length here. I expect this wine to require substantial cellaring before it is ready. (94-97)