2016 - Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes, Louis Boillot

(aging in 33% new oak; these vines just under Mazis-Chambertin are now 104 years old, according to Boillot): Bright ruby-red. Very ripe but youthfully brooding aromas of black cherry, licorice, menthol and stone. Then surprisingly fat, pliant and sweet in the mouth, with its dark cherry and black raspberry fruit displaying outstanding creamy depth and volume. Wonderfully rich, seamless and relaxed, finishing with utterly suave tannins and terrific length, if not yet quite the complexity of the Champonnets. But that will come with time. This wine struck me as more relaxed than Boillot's 2016s from frost-affected vines on the Côte de Beaune. A splendid Gevrey premier cru in the making.