2020 Domaine Duroche, Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru

The 2020 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is a one-off special centenary cuvée that comes from vines planted in 1920 by Pierre’s grandfather. There is just one barrel produced. It has a little more depth and complexity than the regular cuvée (which incidentally comes from 80-year old vines). It has a very intense and delineated bouquet that bursts from the glass: extremely focused and poised, perhaps with an oyster shell element that I did not notice on the regular Clos-de-Bèze. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins, finely poised acidity, very harmonious with a persistent finish that has wondrous sapidity. This is a gorgeous wine, but will be very hard to find unfortunately.

The "regular" bottling of Duroché's 2020 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru is a great wine in its own right, offering up notes of dark berries, plums, smoked meats, sweet soil tones, black truffle and licorice. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's broad and perfumed, with a concentrated core of fruit, velvety tannins and a long, resonant finish.