The medium-to-dark ruby-colored 1997 Chambertin Clos de Beze displays ethereal black fruit aromas. It has jammy fig tar licorice grilled stones bacon earth and spicy oak flavors in its medium-to-full-bodied character. This hedonistic muscular well-delineated and intricate wine should be consumed over the next 10 years. -Pierre Rovani

It's rare to have the opportunity to taste the same wine in both 750 ml and magnum format (see the magnum review in the BH database) on the same day but I was privileged to do that in April, 2015. I hadn't tasted the '97 Bèze in several years so it was interesting to see that time hasn't really been good to it, which is pretty much the case with most '97s as they're beginning to dry out a bit on the finish. There is a slight herbal hint to the spicy, earthy and markedly ripe aromas that are now fully mature. The middle weight plus flavors possess good richness and an attractive mid-palate mouth feel though the finish is ever-so-mildly edgy and exhibits just a hint of dryness. To be sure, this is still quite pretty and the complexity and richness make for a quality drinking experience. That said, I would be drinking this up over the next 5-ish years or so as I sense that the dryness will only become more pronounced with extended time in bottle. now