2016 Macon Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne comes from parcels on top of the slope and picked over several tries. It has a taut and well-defined bouquet with yellow plum, nectarine, mint and light aniseed scents, closed at first but opening nicely with aeration. The palate is ripe and rounded on the entry with pineapple and light nectarine nose, good weight and yet the finish just loses a little cohesion when you seek more focus. Nevertheless, this is a very capable Mâcon-Pierreclos. Tasted at Farr Vintners Verget/Guffens-Heynan tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The fireworks really begin with the 2016 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne, a fabulous wine that bursts from the glass with aromas of citrus zest, white flowers, wheat toast and oystershell. Broad but incisive, it's full-bodied, racy and multidimensional on the palate, with satiny texture and a long, electric finish. The combination of concentration with vivacity is masterful. This cuvée hails from parcels high on the slope that were harvested in multiple picks between the October 2 and 12—and having followed it from grape to bottle, I can attest that it's tasted fantastic at every step of the way.
(this cuvée includes fruit harvested between the end of September and the end of October; 35% new oak): Bright yellow-green color. Deep, musky, very rich scents of peach, ripe nectarine and noble herbs. Densely packed and very rich (nearly 14% alcohol here!) but youthfully tight, with bulletproof stone fruit flavors currently kept under wraps by strong acidity that Guffens partly attributes to the concentrating effect of a bit of botrytis. This very fine-grained wine finishes with slow-building length and terrific spicy lift, with no sign of the substantial alcohol.