2016 Domaine Armand Rousseau, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

The 2016 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru has a sultry, earthy bouquet with touches of oyster shell coming through with aeration. It never quite kicks into fifth gear though. The palate is medium-bodied with supple red berry fruit laced with orange rind and brown spices. It gains more complexity and nuance towards the finish with an attractive saline aftertaste. Not the most memorable Charmes-Chambertin that I have encountered, but there is no denying that it is very well crafted. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.

The 2016 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is another of the more youthfully expressive wines in the range, offering up aromas of ripe cherries, red plums, woodsmoke, dark chocolate and sweet forest floor. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and expressive, with fine tannins, tangy acids and a charming core of fruit.

(one-third Charmes and two-thirds Mazoyères): Good medium red. Expressive aromas of raspberry, smoke, mocha and game. Fresh and firm in the mouth, offering a lovely combination of fresh strawberry and raspberry fruit and wilder elements of game and smoky minerality. A fairly rich, sweet style of Charmes but finishes with a firm tannic spine.