An exuberant, no holds-barred Burgundy, the 2012 Bonnes-Mares is utterly captivating. The tannins are fierce so, readers are going to have to be very patient. Still, there is plenty to look forward to. The 2012 is a classic, vertical Bonnes-Mare built in verticality and intensity. Lavender, mint, violets and white pepper meld into the super-expressive finish.

(another 22 ares of vines in Bonnes-Mares reverted back to the estate in 2013): Good full red. Complex, musky aromas of red berries, spices, clove and botanical herbs. Concentrated, bright and sweet, with lovely lift to the flavors of minerals, spices, botanical herbs and licorice. Conveys a real white soil character but with the roundness of the vintage's better examples. Finishes savory and serious, with big but fine-grained tannins and excellent verve.

Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru from Bruno Clair has a mercurial nose that demands considerable and, at least in this case, rigorous aeration. The palate offers sappy black pastille-like fruit on the entry. The acidity is nicely judged and lends requisite tension. However, it does not quite "flow" like Domaine de la Vougeraie or Henri Boillot's respective Bonnes-Mares and, at least at the moment, the winemaking comes through too strongly on the finish.