Griotte Chambertin Joseph Drouhin 2016 (750ML)

90-92 Points, Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2016 Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru was reduced to just four hectoliters this vintage. It includes 20% whole cluster fruit and will spend 16 months in oak. It felt a little muted at first but soon found its voice with pretty crushed violet-tinged blackberry and cassis fruit. I like the delineation here. The palate is well balanced if not as nuanced or refined as the Clos de Vougeot, more masculine than its peers with a saline finish that lingers. Good, but not the greatest this year." 12/17

94 Points, Burghound: "An elegant and beautifully complex nose also possesses plenty of floral elements that add breath to the strikingly pure aromas of extract of red pinot fruit that reflect spiced hints of mandarin orange and earth. There is a lilting mouth feel to the supple, round and utterly delicious and slightly finer middle weight plus flavors that display fine delineation on the mildly austere but balanced, harmonious and attractively persistent mineral-inflected finish. This is certainly impressive in its fashion but it doesn't have the same brilliant depth as the best in the range, or at least not yet." 4/18

94 Points, John Gilman, View From the Cellar: "The 2016 Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin is a very interesting follow-up to the Clos de Bèze, as the wine is every bit as high quality, but quite different in its presentation of the vintage. The Griotte is deeper at the core and sappier than the Bèze, but it is less defined by its underlying minerality and does not share the future ethereal beauty that the Bèze will deliver in spades. The complex bouquet of the Griotte is a beautiful blend of black cherries, plums, raw cocoa, grilled meats, herb tones, a nice dollop of soil, vanillin oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and plush on the attack, with a sappy core, ripe, suave tannins and lovely length and grip on the nascently complex finish. (Drink between 2024-2075)" 11/17