Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru has an attractive bouquet with brambly red and black fruit, fresh with fine pixelation. The palate is medium-bodied with a vivid, peppery entry. The acidity is well judged and there is proper "Morey" backbone here, saline in the mouth with just a hint of brine/black olive towards the sophisticated finish. Even if there is a faint suggestion of TCA, this remains an excellent wine. Tasted September 2016.

(totally destemmed; one-third new oak): Good dark red. Highly aromatic nose dominated by clove oil and white pepper. A juicy, intense spice bomb on the palate, but youthfully imploded today and showing limited flesh. Wonderfully penetrating, electric wine with a slowly building, very long finish. Clos Saint-Denis is often deceptively narrow in the early going and then puts on weight with a decade in the bottle: I'd bet on this one to reward cellaring.

Already rich and decadent, with a real Clos-St-Denis character of animal fur and citrusy cloves. Aromatic in the mouth, with surprising textural finesse, this is very accomplished. (AH)