2016 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Domaine Frédéric Esmonin

Sylvie Esmonin omitted to show me this wine when I visited her in Burgundy, so I was delighted to catch up with it in London. Ruchottes, along with Latricières, is always one the freshest and most vibrant of the Gevrey Grands Crus, and that's the case here, with black cherry and damson fruit underpinned by acidity. The grip on the finish adds a more serious note. 2026-36

(from a .52 ha parcel of 50+ year old vines). A cool, pure and highly restrained nose requires aggressive swirling to liberate the aromas of spice, red and dark cherry and a whiff of truffle. The appealingly textured medium weight flavors brim with both an attractive tension and plenty of minerality though the strikingly persistent finish is overtly austere and backward. This is a classic example of the appellation and really very impressive. Drink 2028+

Bright dark red. Deep, slightly reduced aromas of black raspberry, animal fur and crushed rock. Large-scaled, dense and almost thick, but with its clarity a bit muddled by reduction. Suppler but less sweet and more medicinal than the Mazy and harder to view today; shows at least as much dimension and depth but not quite the lift of the Mazy. The tannins are fine-grained and rather suave. Am I underrating this?

Very alluring, offering saturated cherry and wild berry fruit, with sandalwood, tobacco and mineral flavors. Beautifully balanced and almost approachable now, with an embedded solid structure. Best from 2023 through 2045. 100 cases imported.-B.S.