By contrast to the Clos St. Jacques and the Bèze, the Cham has already eaten its wood which allows free rein for the spicy, pure, elegant and restrained earthy red pinot fruit with animale hints and ample mineral notes to dissolve seamlessly into dusty, textured, precise and palate staining big-bodied flavors that are exceptionally tight on the linear but hugely long finish. At present, the Bèze appears to have slightly better underlying material but we'll see in time as both are sensational.

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($360) Good full red-ruby. More reserved on the nose than the Beze, with terrific sappy verve to its aromas of dark fruits, violet, crushed stone, iron and camphor. Juicy, tightly wound and very intense on first pour, but opened spectacularly in the glass to show outstanding creamy depth without any loss of energy. Today the wine's saline earth tones and minerality have the upper hand over its fruit. There's less easy sweetness here than the Clos de Beze is displaying, but the slow ripening of the vintage is apparent, and the finishing flavors go on and on. It would be a rare (and expensive) treat to try these two wines side by side in 2020 or so.

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Mid-crimson. Strict, concentrated chestnutty meatiness, dense. Something very, very slightly jammy too. Very clean and clear and transparent rather than full on out there sort of thing. Racy acidity. Quite lean and well-toned for a Chambertin. Clean but not majestic. Tannins very fine and well hidden. Relatively light for aChambertin in colour and weight…Lightly chewy.

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This muscular red shows macerated cherry and plum flavors, with leather, tobacco and a wild, feral character. Smooth and concentrated, with a long finish of sweet fruit and mineral. A chewy version.

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