2014 - Meursault Clos Des Ambres, Arnaud Ente

This is my second encounter with Ente's 2014 Meursault Clos des Ambres. To be honest, it does not blow me away like the first bottle, yet it remains a startling and delicious white Burgundy. The nose is just as intense with the striking mineralité and pitch-perfect reduction - not too much, not too little. I noticed just a little more creaminess to the texture compared to the first bottle two years back, maybe now attaining more depth with hints of brioche and grilled hazelnut adorning the finish. Great length. I am fascinated to see how this Clos des Ambre will mature.

The Arnaud Ente 2014 Meursault Clos des Ambres offers up a similar profile to the regular Meursault villages—apple, citrus, flowers—but complemented by suggestions of green pear and crushed chalk. On the palate, the wine is more concentrated, with serious chewy extract and mid-palate depth, its finish long, penetrating and grippy. This will really blossom with time in the cellar. The Clos des Ambres is produced from old vines, planted in 1952 to 1953, in an unusually stony part of the lieu-dit of En l'Ormeau where the water table is lower.

This is a selection from En l'Ormeau.A little more introvert than some of his simpler wines. Sleek and chiselled and not nearly ready. All tightly packed up in the background for the future. (JR)