93+ The 2015 Champeaux from Philippe Harmand was also a touch reductive at the time of my visit, but again, with a bit of coaxing, this wine began to absolutely sing. The bouquet is ultimately deep, pure and nascently complex, delivering a constellation of black cherries, dark berries, grilled venison, raw cocoa, dark soil tones, woodsmoke and nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very sappy at the core, with excellent focus and balance, fine-grained tannins, tangy acids and a very long, soil-driven and classy finish. I love good Champeaux and this is an outstanding example in the making.

The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Champeaux is one of the high points of the range at Harmand-Geoffroy this year, opening in the glass with a brooding bouquet of wild berries, espresso roast, plums, grilled meat and spice. On the palate, the wine is supple, full-bodied and multidimensional, with cool acids and a taut, chalky finish, its tannins cloaked in a deep core of fruit. An excellent Champeaux. - WK

Toasty reduction presently dominates the underlying fruit. By contrast there is both solid freshness and energy to the rich and delicious mineral-driven flavors that are quite tightly wound at present, indeed this strikingly persistent mocha-infused effort is almost old school in style so plenty of patience is going to be necessary. I would further underscore that my rating assumes that the reduction is not permanent and thus will dissipate in time.