Chateau De La Tour Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes 2016 (750ML)

96 VM / 96 WS / 92-95 BH

(13.2% alcohol; 18 hectoliters per hectare produced; from vines harvested on September 23): Bright, moderately saturated medium red. Explosive, fruit-dominated aromas of dark berries, cherry, spices, mint, menthol, flowers and minerals. Conveys compelling sappy energy in a silky, medium-bodied package, with its black fruit and herb flavors complicated by a touch of saline minerality. Boasts glorious density of fruit--and near-perfect balance in spite of the very low yield. The very long, rising, perfumed finish offers a serious tannic spine for aging but no rough edges. This penetrating, urgent, classic Clos Vougeot, a standout for the vintage, boasts real pinosity. François Labet told me that, beginning with his 2015s, he did not use enzymes and did not add any sulfur until the middle of the élevage, well after the malolactic fermentations finished. He bottled this 2016 with just 20 parts per million free sulfur and 35 total. - Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media

This is fragrant and complex, exhibiting sandalwood, vanilla, violet, black cherry and black currant aromas and flavors. Supple and fluid, balanced by fine supporting tannins and a long, fruit-, spice- and mineral-tinged aftertaste. Best from 2023 through 2043. 144 cases imported. - BS, Wine Spectator

Here too there is a pretty maraschino cherry note sitting atop the slightly riper array of super-fresh plum, black cherry, cassis and violet-scented aromas. The naturally sweet and beautifully concentrated broad-shouldered flavors brim with sappy dry extract before culminating in an overtly powerful and driving finish where the intensity really builds from the mid-palate on to the explosive backend. The old vines are very much apparent and this should also age effortlessly for years. - Allen Meadows, Burghound