Once again the wood treatment is worthy of mentioning though it stops short of overshadowing the high-toned, ripe and ultra-fresh aromas of various red berries, underbrush and truffle hints. The refined and highly energetic middle weight plus flavors possess a polished mouthfeel thanks primarily to the fine-grained tannins shaping the compact, tightly wound and built-to-age finish that flashes more than a touch of youthful austerity. This sneaky long effort will require at least a few years of bottle age first as it's very tight today and will live for years.

The Ruchottes-Chambertin is glorious this year, offering up a classy bouquet of wild berry fruit, coniferous forest floor, truffle and violet, deftly framed by a touch of new oak, 70% new. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, cool and elegant, with superb depth and dimension, fine-grained tannins, and a vibrant core of fruit that lingers on the chalky, precise finish. Complete and effortless, after the power of this year’s Echezeaux the Ruchottes is more aloof, but it should be just as good in the fullness of time. (Drink between 2028-2050)

There was no frost damage at all in the vineyard of Ruchottes-Chambertin in 2016. The wine is beautiful and will be a classic in the fullness of time, as it offers up a perfumed bouquet of red and black cherries, a nice touch of blood orange, gamebird, complex soil tones, a whisper of mustard seed, cedar and a topnote of gentle spiciness. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and beautifully transparent, with a sappy core of fruit, lovely fo

The 2016 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru was also showing very well indeed from bottle, revealing a lovely bouquet of wild berries, spicy forest floor, dark chocolate and wild rose. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and satiny, with an elegantly textural attack, a bright core of fruit and a bright line of animating acidity, concluding with a mineral finish. Having escaped the year's frosts, this was cropped at more normal yields than the Clos Vougeot and Echezeaux, so it's no surprise it is more charming but less concentrated than those two special wines. - WK

The 2016 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru has a generous and vivacious bouquet with copious blueberry and red cherry fruit, orange zest and kirsch aromas developing with aeration. More flamboyant than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fleshy and ripe with a touch of viscosity towards the finish. Certainly one of the most lavish Grand Crus in 2016 and utterly delicious. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting. -- Neal Martin