Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose starts with plenty of mushroom rather than the customary reduction, actually with swirling the reduction does make an appearance – a wine that needs a little air. Air dissolves the mushrooms and delivers a lovely pure red berry note, though this is also a transition to deeper, slightly darker red fruit aromas – rather primary though, as is the Griotte fashon. The well-padded palate starts quite silky though there is some bitterness to the finish, that said it’s in a bitter-chocolate style which is far from problematic. Like a number of 04s the acidity is a little elevated but that’s its position on the aging curve, nothing more. There is an interesting and very slowly emerging stony flavour in the finish. None of the disappointingly monolithic Clos St.Jacques proportions here. A very good wine that drinks quite well considering its age. Not a trace of the vintage malaise either.

Medium, medium-plus cherry red colour. Initially the nose is very tight with faint estery notes, slowly going deeper and a little spicy – eventually this becomes plusher, more red and with quite creamy sweet oak. The fruit is quite high-toned in the mouth, with well-covered tannin. There’s a fantastic length on display – even longer than wine de Vogèé’s 01 Musigny – there’s also quite a lot of oak on display but it’s not in the slightest ‘untasty’ and quite creamy.