2016 Chambertin

(13.5% alcohol without chaptalization; the estate did only one vinification, as the younger vines that normally go into a Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru were much more affected by the frost; just 12.5 hectoliters per hectare produced, yielding just five barrels of wine, three of them new): Dark red-ruby. Black cherry, complex soil tones and licorice on the nose, lifted by a penetrating violet quality. Not a powerhouse but juicy, brisk and light on its feet. In fact, this is a bit edgy on the back end in the early going, showing as much acidity as tannins for structure. This very backward, youthfully medicinal Chambertin boasts terrific purity but will need long aging to fill out. Nadine Gublin told me that the fruit had six grams per liter of tartaric acidity at harvest, with four remaining after the décuvage .