The 2021 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru is so much more expressive on the nose compared to the Chambertin (which is a cooler terroir due to the clay, its location next to the combe and adjacent to the frost). Shimmering red fruit, crushed stone, orange pith and pressed iris petals make up the bouquet. You could lose yourself in these aromas. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine-boned tannins. This is tensile, mineral-driven, nicely poised and exuberant, with a sensual and pixelated finish. This just drives home its class. Brilliant.

The most dramatic wine in the cellar is the 2021 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru, a full-bodied, fleshy, enveloping wine that bursts with aromas of sweet cherries, dark berry fruit and plums mingled with notions of licorice, spices and smoked duck. Deep and layered, it concludes with a broad, expansive finish.

Cask sample. Mid-dark ruby. Quite a discreet nose. The fruit is fuller, darker and thicker on the palate than the Chambertin. Less redcurrant, darker red-cherry and forest fruit. This said, it’s less voluble and exuberant than the 2020. Definite cool-year effect. (MH)