The family’s plot of pinot noir vines in Clos la Boutiers are older than in la Fussière, with the average here fully eighty-five years-old and all planted on selection massale. There is more clay in the soils here than in la Fussière, which has a lot of chalk, so this is a bit broader-shouldered red, though the old vines here have imparted the same sense of elegance. The 2016 Clos la Boutiers was made with thirty percent whole clusters and the same percentage of new oak and is excellent, offering up a deep and youthful bouquet of red and black cherries, woodsmoke, gamebird, dark soil tones and a nice touch of bitter chocolate in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full and beautifully balanced, with excellent focus, a sappy core, fien-grained tannins and a long, nascently complex and soil-driven finish. This is a classy bottle in the making and will be a terrific value. 90+

One plot. Fine bright lively purple. Very dark raspberries, this begins with juicy fruit then firms up, but the fruit is in very good balance with the structure, as shown by the mix of acidity and tannin at the back.