2015 Griotte Chambertin

The 2015 Griotte Chambertin Grand Cru has a tightly wound bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, crushed violet (a leitmotif for this domaine in 2015) and a touch of slate. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a more structured take on Griotte Chamertin, although I found myself seeking more substance to come through on the finish. As such, it left me feeling a little short-changed after a couple of superb Cuvée Ultras. Let's see how it performs once in bottle.

(just one and a half barrels made): Bright dark red. At once pungent and delicate on the nose, offering highly nuanced aromas of fresh crushed raspberry, white pepper, crushed stone, iron and mint. Penetrating and extremely intense, but with the mint and white pepper notes giving the middle palate an impression of thrust with a magically light touch. Bone-dry and uncompromising, showing little easy sweetness, this brilliantly delineated Griottes will need extended aging to fill out and to absorb its acids and tannins. As backward as this wine is, it's distinctly feminine in a Chambolle way.