Good deep red. Darker and more restrained on the nose than the Clos Saint-Jacques, offering sour cherry, menthol, licorice and a peppery nuance. Rich, thick and powerful but youthfully brooding, with dark fruit, licorice and mineral flavors showing superb definition. Wonderfully deep, sappy, soil-inflected wine with a firm tannic spine and an expanding, energetic finish. Today I find this harder to taste than the Chambertin, which is frequently the wine that's cooler and more aristocratic in the early going.

The 2009 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru from Rousseau is a comparatively extroverted, baroque rendition of this wine, and its bouquet is already relatively forthcoming, wafting from the glass with fragrant notes of wild strawberry, black cherry, woodsmoke, loamy soil, grilled meat and soy. On the palate, the wine is richly textural, three-dimensional and complete, with an ample core of fruit, supple tannins and extravagant breadth. Rousseau's decision to harvest relatively early, however, seems to have been vindicated by vibrant acids and fruit that remains juicy and succulent, despite all its sumptuousness.

The 2009 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is a decidedly virile, imposing wine built on a core of seriously ripe fruit that is backed up by plenty of tannic heft. Despite its intense personality, the Bèze also shows plenty of sensuality, freshness and vibrancy, all qualities that make this a wonderfully complete and intriguing wine.

Wine Advocate May, 2011 The 2009 Chambertin-Clos de Beze is a decidedly virile, imposing wine built on a core of seriously ripe fruit that is backed up by plenty of tannic heft. Despite its intense personality, the Beze also shows plenty of sensuality, freshness and vibrancy, all qualities that make this a wonderfully complete and intriguing Burgundy. Anticipated maturity: 2024-2049.