Mommessin Clos de Tart Grand Cru 2016 (RP99) (1500ml)

Country:             France
Region:               Burgundy Rating:               BH95, RP99
Grape Variety:  100% Pinot Noir
Type of Wine:    Red Wine
Bottle Size:        1500ml

Allen Meadows - Burghound 95
A wonderfully fresh, bright and layered nose reflects notes of cool red and black cherry, plum, violet, lavender, earth and a subtle, but not invisible, touch of wood. There is notably more volume and mid-palate concentration to the relatively supple medium weight plus flavors that tighten up noticeably on the dusty, balanced and exquisitely persistent finish where a hint of bitter cherry pit surfaces. Like the La Forge this is certainly well structured yet it's not so youthfully backward to prevent this from being enjoyed on the younger side.

By Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 99
The 2016 Clos de Tart Grand Cru was assessed from a blend of all the component parts (except the young vines) that I previously tasted separately, as I have done over the last decade. The final blend will be 80% new oak, whereas my sample contained 100%, although this was discrete and enmeshed with the fruit. It has a fascinating bouquet, much more nuanced than those from a decade ago, dark fruit, a little earthier, with the stem addition lending it more freshness and even, dare I say, slightly green—and I mean that in a very positive sense. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, a core of slightly candied black cherry and blackcurrant fruit framed by quite “strict” tannin and a fresh, marine-influenced, brine-tinged finish that lingers long in the mouth. There is a sense of harmony and completeness here that, even over 20 years tasting at this address, I have rarely encountered. You can just feel the frisson in this wine. One of the finest wines from the Côte d'Or in 2016. It's that simple.