There are two barrels of the 2017 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru, a decidedly promising wine that wafts from the glass with aromas of cherries, cassis, dried peony, licorice and sweet soil tones. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and layered, with superb concentration and depth for the vintage, framed by a broad-shouldered chassis of fine-grained but chalky tannin and underpinned by a lovely line of acidity.

The 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru was picked on September 13 with around 35% whole cluster fruit. This has a generous, pure bouquet of black and blue fruit, delineated and focused if not quite as complex as the best Bonnes-Mares. The palate is sappy on the entry with grippy dark berry fruit, lightly spiced and quite sinewy. This year I prefer the femininity and terroir expression displayed by the Les Amoureuses. Not bad, but not my favorite among Drouhin’s Grand Crus. Two barrels produced.