This estate has important holdings in Chambolle-Musigny (as well as Gevrey-Chambertin), and yet amazingly, there was a good size crop here in 2016. Nicolas Groffier attributes this fact to the estate’s old vines and use of the Cordon Royat pruning system which, he says, means that the vines are late budding, and so they were not in such a vulnerable state when the frost hit. It’s an interesting explanation, but other vignerons I visited can point to old vines and use of the Cordon Royat system in some of their vineyards that were completely destroyed. In short, there is no consistent rhyme or reason to which vines escaped the frost and which ones didn’t.
Nicolas thinks that 2016 is a great vintage (hard to disagree with that, at least for the better estates such as here). In style, he compares it to 2006, where the weather was roughly the same and the wines in a classic style. One can also add that each came after a vintage of different style that had received much attention.
Harvesting began on 28 or 29 September (in the cellar, without the records, Nicolas did not remember exactly) and lasted for five days. Nicolas prefers to harvest at about 12º natural alcohol and then chaptalize up to about 12.8-13.2º. Whole cluster fermentations were used in many of the wines, as I indicate below.
The wines had been racked and transferred to tank two weeks prior to my visit.
In recent years, the estate has been holding back 1/3 of the crop for later release when the wines are mature or closer to maturity. A few other estates have done this in the past (I’m not sure in such large quantities) and some others are starting to do so now or are intending to do so once they achieve more normal-size crops again.
2016 Bourgogne-Passetoutgrains
As always here, this is a most attractive wine. The dark fruits are pure, the wine is smooth, and there is a juicy texture. About 1/3 Gamay, 2/3 Pinot Noir. (85-88)
2016 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
This wine shows moderate acidity and a smooth texture to go with red fruits, especially red currants. It’s easy to appreciate and will make good drinking while allowing some of the more serious wines to age. (86-90)
2016 Gevrey-Chambertin
The Gevrey shows red fruit and minerality. It is medium-weight but light on the palate, an elegant Gevrey-Chambertin. 10% new oak here, 1/3 whole clusters. (88-91)
2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Hauts-Doix
The nose here is floral. The mouth is medium-weight and shows good density to its dark plum fruit. The texture is velvety and the wine shows good length. It is a delicious wine, already. 40% new oak, 50% whole clusters. (91-94)
2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers
The nose of the Sentiers is floral and earthy (positive). The mouth has an attractive profile with red cherries and other red fruits in a firm but smooth texture. There are tannins here for aging, though. The vines are 80 years-old. One-third new oak, 90% whole clusters. (92-95)
2016 Bonnes-Mares
Groffier’s Bonnes-Mares parcel is located directly across the road and above its Sentiers parcel. The technical analyses of the two wines are the same, yet they are different in personality. The nose here is trufflly. The wine is light, even ethereal, on the palate with roundness and great finesse to the long, mineral, red fruits. 90% whole clusters. (94-97)
2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
This is beautiful Amoureuses. The nose shows white flowers. The wine is very light on the palate but intense in its red cherry fruit and powdered aspect. There is good acidity here and the balance to age well, but the wine is also quite impressive now. The wine was made with 50% whole clusters and only 15% new oak. The 2015 was made with 50% new oak, but Nicolas has since changed his mind about the proper amount of new oak for Amoureuses. (94-98)
2016 Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze
On the day I tasted it, I found the Clos-de-Bèze to be performing well, although a slight bit below my expectations based on the other wines. The nose is quite toasty (100% new oak), although that presumably will fade with time. Similarly for the new oak evident on the palate. The wine shows good density and is smooth and elegant with length, energy, and minerality to its red currant fruit. The vines here are 100 years-old. 100% whole clusters on this wine. (92-96)