A rich and mellow pinot noir with great subtlety and very polished tannins. The hint of caramel is beautifully balanced by the lively acidity. Not a jot too oaky, nor over-extracted. Good aging potential! Drink or hold.

The 2019 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru has a more feisty bouquet of ample red fruit, singed leather, just a touch of wild mint and Provençal herbs. It is both complex and involving. The palate is medium-bodied and a little viscous on the entry, showing plenty of fruit concentration, but it's all channeled in one direction. Tensile and grippy, but at the same time refreshingly elegant, this finishes confit -like. Bon vin . Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Cask sample. Transparent garnet. Mmm! Heady, seductive, intense nose. Masses of sweet, juicy fruit with some violets. Pretty impressive! Fine tannins. Real intensity and brisk fruit. Long and well balanced with impressive detail. You could almost drink this tonight – oddly! But this is just one of many fine 2019 Clos de Vougeots I have tasted. (JR)