Subtle if not invisible wood serves as a backdrop for the highly spiced, cool and pure melange of red currant, dark berry, earth and once again exotic tea nuances. There is knock-out intensity to the gorgeously textured and mineral-inflected flavors that are imposingly scaled yet there is not even a hint of heaviness on the restrained, delineated and explosively long and mouth coating finale. This breathtakingly fine effort is a simply beautiful combination of power and grace.

The 2013 Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru has a more complex, nuanced bouquet than the Clos Saint Jacques and this year, it insists upon putting distance between the two. It has an effortless quality, unfurling with each swirl dark berried fruit, subtle moss/undergrowth tones that are almost autumnal. The palate is tensile, intense, focused and underpinned by filigree tannins that lend it magnificent sophistication. This is utterly harmonious and an outstanding wine for the vintage.

Another striking wine, the 2013 Chambertin-Clos de Beze is beautifully layered and expressive today. Violets, lavender, dark spices, mint and new leather meld together as this striking, translucent wine shows off its unmistakable personality. This is an especially refined Beze with perhaps a bit less power than is customary, but that is not at all a bad thing. As always, the new oak (80%) is quite evident today, but that should not be an issue, as I can't imagine opening a bottle of the 2013 before its tenth birthday, and even that will be too soon for the wine to deliver the full breadth of its pedigree.

This was the first vineyard picked in 2013): Bright, deep ruby-red. Very ripe, almost exotic aromas of black fruits, coffee and violet. Sappy and palate-staining, displaying terrific chewy density and a sweetness that goes beyond the other 2013s at this address. Notes of oak and licorice add interest to the dark berry and black cherry flavors. The fruit here is bulletproof

Very glamorous nose – rich and glossy and chock full of fruit. Very sweet and rich with massive power and corsetry and drive. Not at all marked by oak! Reminds me a little of the Leroy style. (19/20 Score)