2016 Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru has an intense bouquet with layers of red fruit, blood orange, brown spices and even a touch of lemongrass (something more normally found on whites, although it does work here). The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins that impart a fleshy mouthfeel. This feels very harmonious and, although there is more new oak to be assimilated, ultimately I feel this will turn into a very serious, more modern style Chambolle-Musigny. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Cask sample. Mid purplish crimson. Seductively sweet fruit. So wonderfully expressive with cherries and a fine stony character adding complexity. Drier on the palate than I expected and notably firmer than the Vieilles Vignes. Chalk-fine but compact tannins and a long, fresh finish. (JH)
(from two parcels of vines, one 60 and the other 70 years of age; about 20 hectoliters per hectare produced): Full ruby-red. Ripe, expressive aromas and flavors of black cherry, blackberry, smoky minerals and dark chocolate. A step up in concentration, texture and depth from the village wine, offering inviting sweetness without coming off as sloppy. Here the dusty tannins are finer-grained and mellower than those of the village wine. Spreads out nicely to saturate the mouth on the back end, finishing with an exotic note of tropical dark chocolate. My only quibble is that this rather stylish wine seems a bit undifferentiated; it will earn a score at the upper end of my projected range if it gains in definition by the time it's bottled.