The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a very perfumed bouquet, beautifully defined with fragrant raspberry preserve, wild strawberry, rose petal and crushed granite aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannin. It is not a powerful Clos Saint-Jacques nor the most complex, yet it is utterly harmonious and so silky smooth on the finish that you will find this nigh irresistible. Sensual and gunning for top position amongst the five Clos Saint-Jacques growers in this vintage.

The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques is being matured in 80% new oak, and it was the one wine in the cellar that was quite strongly marked by its time in barrel when I tasted it. Behind the prominent framing of cedary oak lurks a pretty bouquet of red and black berry fruit, orange rind, rich soil tones and peony. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, tangy and open-knit with a vanillin-inflected finish. I suspect that the final assemblage will be more integrated than the single barrel, but in its structure and overall profile, this looks to be reminiscent of Rousseau's 2007 Clos Saint-Jacques.