2016 Richebourg Grand Cru

This estate harvested beginning on September 24 with sugar levels between 12.1% and 12.6%. “The frosted parcels were riper due to the small crop loads,” said winemaker Charles van Canneyt, who told me he lost a lot of crop in Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot and Bourgogne but only 10% in Vosne-Romanée. But owing to the range of phenolic maturity in 2016, including in the frosted parcels, Van Canneyt destemmed entirely in order to preserve fruit and carried out softer vinifications than usual. Since the grapes came in clean and cool, he began with a longer pre-fermentation cold soak (ten days), which he says softened the skins and led to a good extraction requiring very little pigeage.

As the malos finished very late due to the very cold weather in December of ’16, van Canneyt was able to reduce his doses of SO2. The secondary fermentations eventually finished in late spring and summer and the wines had been sulfited two weeks before my November visit and were still in barrels. Van Canneyt finds the ‘16s “more classic and more energetic than the ‘15s, with more tension and tender tannins.” He feels that the ‘16s may drink well early but believes that they will also age well.