The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a very enticing nose. There's a deft use of whole bunches here, fresh and expressive. Real terroir shines through, poised and elegant. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, beautifully balanced, insistent grip but not a heavyweight and less brutish than some of its peers in this flight. There is a veneer of new oak to be assimilated on the finish, but it lingers seductively. Excellent - this fulfills the promise it showed from barrel. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Cask sample. Another relatively pale crimson wine. Reticent nose with some grainy, savoury character but also that sweet, biscuity note that’s on the Champeaux. I wonder if it’s a cooper thing? Just a bit of a hole on the mid palate. (JR)