Clos des Lambrays Domaine des Lambrays 2016 (750ML)

93-95 Points, Neal Martin, Wine Advocate: "The 2016 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru includes 85% whole-bunch fruit and is matured in 50% new oak. It was picked around 24 to 29 September. It has a fresh and discrete bouquet at first, the whole bunch influencing the red fruit, infusing scents of autumn leaves and Earl Grey into the mix. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, good grip in the mouth, building with time to a very composed, classically styled, quite persistent and lightly spiced finish whereby the whole bunch is completely subsumed by the fruit. Wonderful." 12/17

93-95 Points, Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2016 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru includes 85% whole-bunch fruit and is matured in 50% new oak. It was picked around 24 to 29 September. It has a fresh and discrete bouquet at first, the whole bunch influencing the red fruit, infusing scents of autumn leaves and Earl Grey into the mix. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, good grip in the mouth, building with time to a very composed, classically styled, quite persistent and lightly spiced finish whereby the whole bunch is completely subsumed by the fruit. Wonderful." 12/17

92-95 Points, Stephen Tanzer, Vinous: "Medium red. Austere but ethereal aromas of raspberry, strawberry, crushed rock, soil and white pepper convey outstanding purity and floral lift. Not at all a powerhouse but wonderfully refined, this distinctly airy wine offers subtle flavors of red berries, rose petal, tobacco and saline minerality. Wonderfully reined in, complex wine with superb understated persistence. Romain Taupenot's tiny piece of Clos des Lambrays, covers 430 square meters; he told me that Bernard Arnault, whose LVMH luxury group just purchased the Domaine des Lambrays (which owns the other 21.4 acres of the 21.5-acre Clos des Lambrays), has a house in the U.K. that's 4,000+ square meters." 1/18

96 Points, Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator: "A racy style, defined by bracing acidity propelling the black currant, blackberry, iron, earth and spice flavors to a lingering conclusion. Balanced and full of energy, this needs time to really settle in and reveal all its facets in a harmonious way. Best from 2022 through 2043. 115 cases imported." 5/19

96 Points, John Gilman: "The grand cru here was raised in fifty percent new oak this year and is one of the stars of the 2016 vintage. The stunning bouquet delivers a complex combination of red and black cherries, black plums, pigeon, dark soil tones, raw cocoa, woodsmoke and a touch of nutty oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and shows off beautiful depth at the core, with plenty of sappiness in reserve, a great soil signature, ripe, suave tannins and a very, very long, nascently complex and vibrant finish. I love this wine's potential! 2030-2085." 1/18

94 Points, William Kelley, Decanter Magazine: "Vinified with 85% whole cluster fruit, the 2016 Clos des Lambrays wafts from the glass with a brooding bouquet of blueberry, wild berries, smoked duck, spice and rosehip. The wine is sappy, with lovely depth and concentration, a fine but firm structural chassis, succulent acids, and a long, penetrating finish. An elegant rendition of this wine in its largest harvest since 1999. Drinking Window 2026-2045." 10/17