2016 Nuits St Georges Les Cras

(almost finished with its malolactic fermentation; these 80-year-old vines dodged the frost in 2016, producing 38 hectoliters per hectare): Full bright ruby. Blackberry and licorice pastille dominate the nose. Densely packed and energetic, showing serious chalky lift to the flavors of dark berries, spices and licorice. Offers a lovely balance of sweet and salty elements and really piques the salivary glands on the long finish. Here's an example of a cuvée that Cheurlin prefers to its 2015 sibling for its energy and Pinot typicity. (I also tried a couple additional premier crus that were in the middle of their malos and impossible to assess with confidence, although obviously very promising. Cheurlin's first vintage of Gevrey-Chambertin Fontenys, made from old millerandé vines he gets through a métayage arrangement, was dense and salty, with lovely precision and energy. His Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Boudots, from vines averaging at least 90 years of age, was distinctly dark, floral and concentrated, conveying a powerful impression and strong minerality. It should be in the same quality league as the Cras.)

The 2016 Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Aux Cras was more backward on the nose compared to the domaine’s other 2016s, partly because it underwent a late malolactic, according to Maxime Chuerlin. The palate is medium-bodied with candied red berry fruit on the entry mixed with cassis and ink. I appreciate the grainy structure here, but it is more backward and sultry than Maxime’s other barrel samples at the moment. That said, it is clearly well defined and harmonious on the finish, and it should develop with style once in bottle.