2013 Olivier Bernstein Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

Bright red-ruby. Very backward and closed on the nose, with hints of black fruits, mocha and game in the deep background. Very rich and sweet but youthfully clenched, with purple fruit, wild herb and spice flavors currently overshadowed by oak. Best today on the extremely long, rising, firmly tannic finish, which leaves behind a seductive violet perfume. Delivers a near-perfect balance of sweetness and acidity to support a graceful evolution in bottle.

Crushed rocks, chalk, graphite, smoke and black plums are some of the many notes that emerge from the 2012 Clos de la Roche. Here the style is distinctly mineral and savory, with less in the way of fruit, but more than enough energy and vibrancy to support years of fine drinking. The long, pulsating finish points to a bright future. This is another terrific effort from Olivier Bernstein.

Bright, deep red-ruby. Alluring soil-driven aromas of boysenberry, flowers and earth are reticent and refined. At once savory and sweet in the mouth, with a captivating tangy quality and terrific floral lift to the flavors of dark berries, musky minerality, leather and pepper. This wine is made from vines in the high, calcaire -rich part of this grand cru, and that's obvious in its taut, youthfully imploded character. This very fine-grained, perfumed Clos de la Roche will need patience and should be long-lived.