2016 Bonnes Mares
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Tasting notes
(the Arlauds own a strip of vines that stretches from the bottom to the top of Bonnes-Mares in the center of the appellation, parallel to the Louis Jadot holding): Bright medium red. Aromas of raspberry, pungent spices, orange zest and minerals convey a captivating element of wildness. Very intense and pure but quite tight, even youthfully imploded, with the flavors of raspberry, menthol and wild herbs lifted by a note of blood orange and complicated by a medicinal quality and a captivating element of spicy stems. Not a charmer in the early going but this savory, very firmly structured wine boasts a slowly building, fruit-suffused finish and the backbone for a long and graceful evolution in the cellar.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru was hit by the frost so that half the fruit was lost early in the season. Apparently it touched the highest, not lowest, part of the vineyard. It has a gentle bouquet that unfurls in the glass, plenty of crushed strawberry and raspberry fruit, notes of incense and iris developing with a light marine influence. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well-judged acidity, succulent in the mouth with great intensity on the finish. It will require several years in bottle but this would be my pick of the grand crus from the domaine. Just two barrels this year.