Medium-plus colour. A deep and creamy nose with higher red berry tones and quite a bit of creamy oak – quite a modern impression. The palate is absolutely jam-packed with excellent acidity and just so much action. The finish is very, very long but the flavours are more barrel than fruit driven – even hints of coconut. The style of oaky presentation makes me think to Rousseau.

The nose is creamy with a little cedar (à la 2004), not bad. The palate is fresh and complex and medium weight but very long. Blind, this would be hard to place as a 97. This is very good.

Medium, medium-plus ruby-red. Quite an intense minerally nose that becomes higher toned and I thought just a little lactic but this a short phase before a nice creamier presentation. On the palate there’s a dark aspect to the fruit, good acidity and a nicely expanding and intense presentation in the mid-palate. This is very long with a good creamy fruit flavour. Very nice and accomplished wine – second-best so-far.

Medium colour. Feral, yet understated nose at the start. Wide and interesting – it’s not about fruit, though eventually a soft red note comes through, licorice aspects too. On the palate there is a significant additional dimension vs all the previous wines. Interestingly the wildly complex palate is quite narrow until you reach the finish – then it expands exponentially. The texture and complexity on the palate reminds me of a number of 2005’s from Chambertin & Bèze – I suppose there are now 20 years to wait! A tour-de-force of a wine.

Medium-plus cherry-red. Creme brulee and red fruit presented in a very linear way. Takes a few minutes in the glass to open out, but really starts to shout ‘look at me!’ – mainly barrel influenced notes, coffee in the background too. The palate has an extra ‘fatness’ to the palate vs the Bèze, fireworks here too, they build a little more slowly but to equal effect. It’s hard to make a preference here – it can only be based on stylistic leanings – but today, with fewer barrel artifacts and its more ‘athletic’ pose, I’d take the Bèze.

Medium-plus cherry colour. This has a fine, high-toned nose. Tannic palate but intense fruit to match. Very good acidity too. Last year at this stage I prefered the ‘Bèze’. This year I prefer this.

Deep colour. Again a higher-toned nose, but somehow different to last. High acid with slightly higher tannin than the previous wine. This wine is fuller and sweeter, with an even longer finish than the Clos de la Bèze. A hint of creamy oak still on the finish.