A restrained, indeed almost mute nose only grudgingly offers up notes of various red berries along with hints of plum, lilac and spice. There is a beguiling mouth feel to the generous yet sleek middle weight flavors that are again shaped by refined tannins before culminating in a youthfully austere finish that is firm, balanced and solidly persistent. This is a first-rate Vosne villages and is also worth considering.

(bottled in early December of 2015): Saturated dark red. Sweet, expressive aromas of black raspberry and chocolate come across as higher-toned than those of the 2015. More red fruits than black on the palate, with complicating notes of fruitcake, spices and chocolate. Finishes with ripe tannins.

Clay soil and old vines very close to the Ch de Vosne. Heady, smudgy, less precise than the village wine. Sweet and a little simple fruited. Jolly and easy. Just a hint of jamminess. (JR)