2013 Claude Dugat, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Lavaut Saint-Jacques

Healthy bright red. Aromas of ripe cherry, red licorice, menthol, mint and fresh herbs. Sweeter than the 1er Cru and less austere today, offering excellent intensity and a distinctly savory quality to its tangy red fruit and saline flavors. Still a bit linear but this boasts excellent inner-mouth tension and éclat. Finishes vibrant and long, with firm tannins that avoid coming off as dry. Dugat told me he normally prefers the estate's 1er Cru, but not this year.

Red stone fruits, crushed rocks, mint, flowers and white pepper burst from the 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaut St. Jacques. Explosive and intensely mineral, the 2013 is another wine that shows the more austere side of the vintage. It will be interesting to see if the 2013 fleshes out in bottle. Today it is a bit more compact than is typically the case.