(94-98 points) Dense purple. Another nose that lacks freshness in the sample, but will be fine in the final wine. Plump deep raspberry, dense black fruit on the palate, inky and a little bit spicy, long and succulent, there is weight to this. Certainly has a very long classy finish, so one can see the potential.

Perfectly ripe strawberries with raspberry and citrus undertones. It’s medium-to full-bodied with really fine tannins that are nicely wrapped in ripe fruit. There’s a savory, lightly meaty highlight to the flavors. It’s long and complex in the finish. Really balanced and attractive now, but will deliver even more in the future. Better after 2023.

This is more obviously 2018 in style with its intensely spicy and notably ripe aromas of plum, cassis and red currant that are markedly floral in character. The lilting and refined middle weight flavors possess evident minerality on the much more complex, longer and firmer finish. This is a beautifully elegant wine and while I often slightly prefer the Griotte chez Drouhin, in 2018 it appears that the Bèze is the more interesting of the two, at least at this early stage.

(90-92 points) The 2018 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru contains 30% whole cluster this year and comes from both estate and purchased fruit. It has a very ripe nose with touches of fresh prune filtering through the red berry fruit. The palate is ripe and supple in the mouth, quite peppery in style with good acidity, although the finish is just missing the same degree of precision as, say, the 2016 or 2017. This is not the strongest card in Drouhin's hand this year. -- Neal Martin