Domaine d'Eugenie, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2016

Last tasted in 2022, the 2016 Clos de Vougeot from Domaine d’Eugenie was a bit forbidding, with the fresh acidity and firm grip still very apparent. With a few more years in bottle, the edges have smoothed, rounded, and filled out. There are still profuse aromas of mulberry and pomegranate fruit, but there are more notes of earth, mineral, and spice; the texture is more dense than angular, but the finish has lost none of its length – this is maturing well, and should last another another 20 to 30 years.

The 2016 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a well-defined bouquet with mulberry, blackcurrant leaf, wild strawberry and sous-bois aromas, fine mineralité bubbling up with aeration. The focus is commendable here and the oak well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, velvety smooth in texture with some quality new oak lending an irresistible sheen. Yet the oak is in sync with the fruit and it fans out on the very polished finish. Pretty gorgeous overall, though be warned, it will be a temptress in its youth. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.