Medium-plus ruby-red. The nose starts a complete jumble of dark wood, similarly dark fruit and some spice – fortunately it knits together rather well in only about 20 minutes; creamy spiced deep red plums and macerating cherry – not quite how I expect a bourgogne to smell, but it’s very, very nice, and frankly it gets better and better. Fresh and still quite astringent in its ‘attack’, yet the dark fruit mirrors the nose with some creamy packaging. Quite intense and, all-in-all, quite impressive in a burly Nuits sort of way. I was ready to dismiss it early-on, but clearly that would have been at my own loss! Definitely needs another 3 or-so years to mellow the astringent tannin – though it’s far from in the ascendant when taken with food – but it’s velvet tannin so ought to be worth waiting for.

Medium colour. Forward, slightly savoury fruit aromas and a tough estery. Medium concentration with some obvious barrel notes. Reasonable length. Okay, but the oak treatment leaves this slightly ’soupy’.