2016 Hudelot-Baillet - Chambolle Musigny Les Cras 1er Cru
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Tasting notes
(from 30-year-old vines in a sunny, mostly south-facing plot on thin soil with a high calcaire content): Saturated ruby-red. More minerally and subdued on the nose than the Charmes, offering an aroma of black cherry. Finer-grained and brighter on entry, conveying a youthfully linear quality to its flavors of black raspberry and crushed rock. One is aware of the wine's alcohol but there's plenty of buffering minerality to ensure freshness. Finishes with a sizable supporting tannic structure and good focus. Le Guen would wait six years to drink this, and a bit less for the Charmes. He noted that this parcel always gets ripe and that he usually harvests it at the beginning. In 2016, the fruit came in at close to 13.5% potential alcohol and was not chaptalized.
Critic scores
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru les Cras comprises just three barrels this year, half the normal harvest, with some vines behind the maison with foliage offering nary a bunch. It has a more floral nose than the Charmes, a little Vosne-like in style. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannin, fine energy, a little more structured and spicier than the Charmes with a grippy, effervescent finish. It deserves 5 or more years in bottle so that the tannins may soften, but there is great potential here.