2016 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Frédéric Esmonin 300 cl.

from a .52 ha parcel of 50+ year old vines). A cool, pure and highly restrained nose requires aggressive swirling to liberate the aromas of spice, red and dark cherry and a whiff of truffle. The appealingly textured medium weight flavors brim with both an attractive tension and plenty of minerality though the strikingly persistent finish is overtly austere and backward. This is a classic example of the appellation and really very impressive. 93/2028+ .

Bright dark red. Deep, slightly reduced aromas of black raspberry, animal fur and crushed rock. Large-scaled, dense and almost thick, but with its clarity a bit muddled by reduction. Suppler but less sweet and more medicinal than the Mazy and harder to view today; shows at least as much dimension and depth but not quite the lift of the Mazy. The tannins are fine-grained and rather suave. Am I underrating this?