2016 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru

Benoît Stehly was reasonably well-placed to withstand the climate challenges of 2016. He had next to no production of Côte de Beaune, Marsannay or Passetoutgrains but considered himself lucky in Morey-Saint-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin. He lost about 40% of his crop in Chambolle-Musigny villages and in Bonnes-Mares but the north was spared and he eventually made more wine in 2016 than in 2015, in which crop levels were “down 35% to 40% everywhere.”

Stehly told me he “loves” the style of 2016, and he prefers his ‘16s to his ‘15s for their balance and elegance. “It’s unusual to have very fruity and very fresh wines at the same time,” he went on, “and the tannins are wonderfully ripe.” He added that his ‘14s were “more friendly, gentle and simple than the ‘16s,” but it must be noted that quality here has been on a sharp upswing in just the last four or five years (even if Stehly was able to “put his ideas in place” in 2009). Among other recent improvements here, in 2013 Stehly started working with grass between the vines, which has helped him reduce vine vigor and bring yields down, and with vintage 2016 he has been able to move the fermented wines from tank into barrels without pumping them.

He started harvesting his frosted parcels on September 27 but did not pick until October 4 on the northern side of Morey-Saint-Denis and finishing on October 12. The pre-fermentation cold soak lasted six or seven days, then the fermentations went quickly. Stehly kept about 30% whole clusters “due to the ripe grapes.” He cooled his cellar to delay the malolactic fermentations, which eventually finished in June and July. All of the ‘16s were still in barrel when I tasted them in November.

In 2015, Lignier’s “choice was to focus on the freshness of the vintage.” He started harvesting very early, on September 4, and says he finished before rainfall on the 11th, and bottled the wines in February of 2017. “Burgundy wines need to be fresh and energetic—more than just friendly, like Pinot Noir is elsewhere in the world.” He believes that his 2015s have started to close down in bottle since September, but added that the 14s are now opening up.