2012 Bonnes Mares

A towering, utterly majestic wine, the 2012 Bonnes Mares is the stuff dreams are made of. Within the Dujac range, the Bonnes Mares doesn't seem to get as much attention as some of the other wines, but its track record over time places it at or near the top in my view, excluding of course the Romanee St. Vivant and Chambertin, both of which have much shorter track records. Beams of tannin, acidity and minerality propel the Bonnes Mares into the stratosphere. The flavors are dark, intense and tightly wound. In other words, this is classic Bonnes Mares that will require a good decade to become approachable, although personally, I would not open a bottle before age twenty. With sufficient bottle age, Dujac's Bonnes Mares has often developed into a transcendental Burgundy of the very highest level.

(90% vendange entier ): Bright, deep red. Slightly reduced, soil-driven aromas of wild red berries, smoked meat, garrigue , brown spices and underbrush. Enters the mouth with almost shocking rocky lift, then displays outstanding verve and precision to its flavors of berries, dried flowers and spices. This wonderfully tactile, powerful, penetrating wine leaves the salivary glands humming on the bracing back end. Really extraordinary fruit intensity here.

A notably floral mélange of violet and rose petal combines with notes of red currant, earth, spice and game hints. There is exceptionally good concentration and power to the big-bodied flavors that possess flat out terrific depth as well as huge length. Like the Clos de la Roche, this is an imposing wine yet it retains a fine sense of balance with absolutely no excess weight, indeed this is relatively light on its feet. As good as the Clos de la Roche is, this offers another level of depth. In a word, brilliant.