A benchmark vintage from one of Burgundy’s most storied monopoles, the 2016 Clos de Tart is a masterclass in grace and power. Complex, floral, and deeply layered, it offers ethereal red fruit, silky tannins, and a hauntingly long finish. Critically acclaimed and built to age, this is Clos de Tart at its most elegant and expressive.

Inside Burgundy | IB 95-98
Published: Oct 2017

Fine medium deep red, more crimson than purple, consistent with the past. There is a really complex nose to be teased out. A little touch of old rose, a little bit of strawberry, more fresh than crushed, more ethereal and less overtly managed than before, with good underlying red fruit. No black fruit here at all. Graceful pure silk texture, some liquorice on the palate though the fruit remains red, light but fine acidity, tannins completely silky, pure and persistent. Lovely lacy detail throughout. Bravo. Tasted Oct 2017.

The Wine Advocate | RP 97
Published: Jan 4, 2019
Drink: 2024-2060

The superb 2016 Clos de Tart Grand Cru confirms the promise it showed from barrel, unfurling in the glass with a striking bouquet of raspberries, rose petals, blood orange, black tea, spices and smoked meats. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, pure and ample, with a deep core of vibrant, searingly intense fruit that entirely cloaks its structuring chassis of satiny tannin, concluding with a long and captivatingly floral finish. More elegant and transparent than the richer and fleshier 2015, this is an exceptional vintage for Clos de Tart. That there are fully 27,000 bottles makes this one of Burgundy's rare confluence of quality and quantity.

I much enjoyed this tasting with the Domaine du Clos de Tart's Jacques Desvauges. He has produced a very fine 2017, and his 2016 lives up to the immense promise it showed from barrel. While the wines of the Pitiot era were always correct, Desvauges has been harvesting a little earlier, using a touch less new oak and working with appreciable percentages of whole clusters—and the result is wines of considerably more aromatic range, textural elegance and—in the final analysis—quite simply more emotion than anything hitherto produced in what one might call this estate's modern era. And that's great news for Burgundy.

Decanter | D 96
Published: Apr 1, 2022
Drink: 2022-2050

This youthful, concentrated wine shows a charming exuberance halfway between the brooding power of the hotter vintages and the perfumed elegance of the '17: kirsch, currant and rose petals with a hint of peppery spice. The grapes were picked between 28th September and 3rd October to deliver a wine with the density to suggest that it is a vintage for keeping, yet the velvety texture that says it will drink well young. Almost ready now, this should last for 20-30 more years.
Closure: Cork
Body: Medium
Oak: Oaked
Grapes; 100% Pinot Noir / Pinot Nero

Clos-de-tart.com

Clos de Tart is located in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis at the heart of Burgundy's prestigious terroirs of the Côte-d'Or. Thanks to its history and terroir, the estate occupies a unique position in the Côte de Nuits.

- 2016 -

Tasting Notes
Deep ruby red robe. Very complex nose with a wide range of fragrances: fruit (wild strawberry) mixed with flowery hints (rose, lilac), spice (pepper), tobacco and herbal tea nuances. A dense, ample, full-bodied yet ethereal mouthfeel. Fleshy and silky tannins lightly coat your palate culminating in a long and caressing finish. A powerful wine, elegant, delicious and seductive.

Whilst the winter of 2015-2016 was very mild, cool conditions prevailed in early spring.

After budburst on the 10th April, a night of devastating spring frost occurred on the 27th April. Fortunately, at Clos de Tart, very little damage could be seen on the vines, though yields throughout Burgundy were badly hit.

Rainfall was 40% above average in May and June which encouraged the development of cryptogamic diseases.

Full flowering took place on 21st June.

The summer months were warm and dry, stopping the progression of mildew and allowing the grapes to ripen fully in excellent, nearly perfect, conditions.

Harvesting took place from 28th September until 3rd October, like in 2010. The grapes were healthy and required very little sorting.

Characteristics

- Full bloom: 22nd June
- Harvest: 28th September - 3rd October
- Yield: 35 hL/ha
- ABV: 13.5%
- pH: 3.7
- End of malolactic fermentation: June 2017
- Ageing: 17 months
- Bottling: April 2018