2016 Vintage – Brilliant But Scarce in Quantity
By Howard Lee | March 20, 2019
Domaine Perrot-Minot was one of the producers that really caught my eye at a recent 2016 burgundy tasting. Since undergoing a switch towards biodynamic viticulture, there has been a push to focus on quality of fruit coming from the vineyards and the results have been immense! With intense grape sorting in the vineyard and cellar, the grapes are then destemmed and cold macerated before fermentation. Their recent releases are unfiltered and have a notable lesser amount of oak, using only 20% new oak. The wines in result are a pure modern style, with great elegance that are delightful to enjoy from a young age.
2016 was certainly challenging for Burgundy. Hit hard by the frost in April, many domaines had reduced crop and Perrot-Minot was no exception - they produced only one-third of their usual volume. Fortunately, the dry and warm weather during harvest allowed picking of high quality fruit. The 2016 releases are very classic Burgundy in style, while having intense fresh fruit aromas; they are not as powerful or as solidly built as the 2015 vintage but equally brilliant in its own way. They are very reflective of the terroir and open knot honesty that makes them a joy to drink in their youth.
We now have a full range of Perrot-Minot’s 2016 release on offer; including great valued village wine, terroir reflective premier crus and exquisitely made Grand Cru. My personal favourite would be the “La Richemone” Cuvee (which vines were planted back in 1902). The bouquet has impressive density of dark fruits and berry aromas, with hints of exotic spices on the palate. This stunner is very expressive,opened up and drinking beautifully now and will continue to impress for another decade!
