2016 Chambertin Clos de Beze
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru has improved since I tasted it at the domaine. Fragrant on the nose, dark berry fruit and tobacco hints emerge from the glass, almost reluctantly gaining mineralité alongside a nuanced marine scent. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin, very pure, the red fruit suffused with blood oranges, fanning out wonderfully on the finish. Give this four to five more years, and it will be firing on all cylinders. Tasted at the Clos de Bèze vertical at La Cobotte.
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More reviews and scores
The 2016 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru is a mercurial wine that I must admit, threw me a curveball in this blind tasting. At first there is a wild mint aroma that partially obscures the terroir expression, and it is only after 10 minutes that it magically clarifies and attains the precision and mineralité that I have come to expect. The palate is sweet and chewy on the entry, grippy to the point where it feels a tad forced, which is totally not Pierre Duroché’s style. As if playing tricks on you, it suddenly transmogrified into the Clos-de-Bèze I recognise, with that bewitching precision and transparency. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.
Aromas of rose petal, cherries and raspberries mingling with nuances of warm spices and dark chocolate preface the 2016 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru, a full-bodied, layered and richly textural wine that's broad shouldered and powerful, framed by supple tannins and bright acids. Of all Pierre Duroché's 2016s, this is the most youthfully reserved and will require the most cellaring to attain its plenitude.
About the producer
Domaine Duroché has, under Pierre Duroché, become one of the most sought-out and respected wine domaines in Gevrey-Chambertin. The wines are delicate and detailed, yet with old-vine intensity, a clear sense of place and style – and it’s easy to see why they’ve rapidly become so in-demand.