2016 Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc

Tasted from bottle, the 2016 Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc bursts with a dramatic bouquet of honeyed peaches, yellow orchard fruit and ripe pear, framed by a delicate touch of toasty new oak. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a rich, textural attack, moderate acids and an open-knit core, concluding with a pure and saline finish. The Clos des Mouches escaped the 2016 frosts and produced the largest crop Drouhin has harvested here since 2012, and the resulting wine is a surprisingly gourmand, front-loaded rendition of this venerable cuvée that will deliver a great deal of near- and mid-term pleasure, but it doesn't seem built for the long haul.

Pale medium yellow. Peach and acacia flower dominate the nose, with notes of minerals and spices emerging with air. Quite round and sweet on entry, then rich and rather powerful in the middle palate, boasting terrific intensity and an element of salty minerality. Today the wine's fruit is slightly overshadowed by youthful oak but there's already a lot going on. Finishes sappy and long, with a firm edge that augurs well for the wine's future. I like the combination of ampleness and punch on display here and would hold this wine for at least a few years before pulling the cork. (25 hectoliters per hectare produced; 3.23 pH; 3.75 g/l acidity; there were no hail losses in 2016 but the severe spring frost reduced the yield)