2016 Auxey Duresses 1er Cru

The 2016 Auxey Duresses 1er Cru was reduced to eight barrels this year with one of those new, and the fruit this year including 10% whole bunch. It has a clean and fresh black plum and red cherry-scented bouquet that is nicely defined. I appreciate the purity here, simmering undergrowth scents tucked just underneath the carapace of fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit—cranberry and raspberry preserve—with a light tang of soy toward the vivacious finish and a pinch of black pepper on the aftertaste. There is not much of it, but what there is, is delightful.