2017 Maison Joseph Drouhin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

The 2017 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru includes 40% whole cluster fruit and contains both estate and purchased fruit. It has a lovely bouquet of dark berry fruit laced with bergamot and undergrowth aromas, beautifully defined, with real Pinoté shining through. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit. There is wonderful balance here, and a subtle spiciness comes through on the finish. This is one of Drouhin’s best 2017 reds.

Crazy aromas of smoked meat, white pepper, dried fruit, orange peel and flowers. Full body, round and chewy tannins and a flavorful and intense finish. Shows so much richness and depth. A great wine for the vintage.

There are six barrels of the 2017 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru, a wine that was vinified with large amounts of whole cluster once again this year, and its bouquet of orange rind, peony, cinnamon and red berry fruit is strongly marked by stem inclusion. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, ample and delicate, with melting tannins, juicy acids and a sapid finish. Charming and open-knit, to my taste the technique is dominating the terroir here, though readers who live for the distinctive signature of whole-cluster fermentation will want to add a few points to my score.