Tasting Notes

The 2016 Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru les Cras was cropped at just 10.5 hectoliters per hectare due to the frost damage. Yet still, it has retained a very complex and mineral-driven bouquet with discrete scents of sea cave and oyster shell permeating the red and black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin that frames a surprisingly juicy Chambolle-Musigny considering the frost damage. Then toward the last third, it tapers a little and becomes more compact, linear and sappy that together suggest this will be a long-term prospect. Against the odds, it is one of the best premier cru Chambolle-Musignys from a tumultuous season. - Neal Martin