(bottled in late August): Bright, dark red. Delicate, nuanced aromas of wild blueberry, macerated red fruits, crushed rock and exotic flowers. Wonderfully smooth and sweet yet still tight in the mouth, conveying an urgent character to its vibrant crushed raspberry and mineral flavors. Boasts amazing retention of primary berry fruit, but today this wine is even more spectacular on the nose and on the terrific gripping finish, where the noble tannins are thoroughly coated. Offers outstanding subtle length and lift.

Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Richebourg Grand Cru felt a little overdone on the nose with bold cassis and dark plum fruit, a lot of new oak to contend with at the moment. The palate is sweet on the entry with chewy tannins, grippy and firm in the mouth, dense and broody but missing some precision and aristocracy on the finish. It does not quite take off as I was hoping, but it will surely improve with bottle age. Tasted September 2016.

Quite dense purplish crimson. Fairly light nose at the moment but lots underneath – even if the sample is not the freshest. It has grand cru weight and ambition. I am scoring it ignoring the sample condition. (JR)