The 2019 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru has a completely different bouquet compared to the 2020. Intense brambly red fruit, black plum, a little earthiness, maybe less mineralite compared to the ‘19. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, quite fresh, more linear than expected. I wonder if this will close down for a few years? Quite compact towards the finish. Still, this is a great succss.

The 2019 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru was tasted both as separate parcels per vine age and as a final blend, which is 13.6° alcohol. This year the whole bunch contribution is 80%, matured in 60% new oak, which is a little more than it used to be and from various cooperages (hitherto it was exclusively François Frères with very light toasting.) This has an intense bouquet, initially very tightly wound and requiring aeration, gradually revealing predominantly black fruit, crushed limestone, graphite and pressed iris flower aromas. Very fine delineation but certainly aromatics that will require bottle age. The palate confirms this. It is very fresh on the entry with a much subtler influence of the stems compared to those under former winemaker Thierry Brouin. There is a light tang of white pepper and tobacco, very fine tannins with a poised, almost understated finish that is silky smooth in texture. Swallowing a mouthful (it was the finally tasting of the day) there is persistence that I think was lacking in recent vintages. This balletic, "Margot Fonteyne of Morey-Saint-Denis", will pirouette across your senses.