(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.

The 2016 Clos de Vougeot Vieilles Vignes, Francois Labet's old-vine cuvée, is dark, dense and powerful. Black cherry, plum, gravel, spice and licorice give the 2016 a real feeling of gravitas. The Vieilles Vignes is an imposing, brooding Burgundy. It comes across as heavy and overextracted. I prefer the straight bottling for its greater aromatic depth and finesse.

Organic. Cask sample. Mid crimson. Scented with red fruit like the Cuvée Classique but more obviously herbal, peppery and complex, some sweet oak aroma too. This is firm and dry and elegant rather than generous. Needs a good bit more time. (JH)