2016 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Echézeaux Grand Cru

The 2016 Echézeaux Grand Cru received a hammering from yours truly when a vexing sample turned up blind at the Burgfest tasting several years ago. Returning to this wine in bottle, I still find the nose excessively sweet and yes, Grenache-like rather than Pinot-like. The palate is likewise very ripe and oaky, forward and gregarious in style, though missing the class and finesse of other vintages. Against my expectations, this actually reconfirms my negative thoughts regarding this particular vintage.

The 2016 Echézeaux Grand Cru has an excessively sweet nose, almost Grenache-like with touches of brown sugar and brown spice. The palate is very sweet on the entry with tart red fruit laced with orange zest, quite citric in style but I find this muddled on the finish. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.

(two-thirds Les Cruots and one-third Les Champs Traversins, with both climats losing about 35% of their fruit to frost): Healthy dark red, but not ruby like the Clos Vougeot and Reignots. Lovely subtle carnal perfume to the aromas of raspberry, smoke and mocha. Ripe, sweet and wonderfully refined on the palate; a bit less black fruit in character than most of this estate's other 2016, and nicely leavened by spicy oak and a floral element. Spreads out horizontally and vibrates on the back end, finishing with a late note of dark cherry and subtle floral lift. Classically dry, classy Echézeaux with outstanding potential. (Liger-Belair did not bother to present his Vosne-Romanée Les Brûlées, as he made just a single barrel in 2016.)