Bouchard Pere & Fils, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2016

vinous96

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

(a normal year for Bonnes-Mares, with the same crop level as in 2015; aging in one-third new oak): Dark red with ruby tones. Wonderfully sweet, sappy scents of black raspberry and spicecake. Fat, creamy and full but with lovely inner-mouth tension and lift to the complex, explosive flavors of black raspberry and flowers. I find this much more vibrant and delineated than the 2015 version. The slow-building whiplash of a finish displays noble tannins and building sweetness. Like some other examples of 2016 Bonnes-Mares, this wine transcends its vintage.

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2016 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru is domaine bottled this year (whereas say, the Echézeaux, among others, is supplemented by purchased fruit). It has a gutsy bouquet with expressive raspberry, blueberry and crushed violet scents, though I found just a mote of VA that I suspect will disappear with bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with a fleshy rounded opening, corpulent but well balanced with a confit-like finish. Give this three or four years in bottle before broaching.