2012 Bonnes Mares

(only one of six barrels is new): Saturated bright red. Captivating floral scents of rose petal and peony along with a mineral pungency on the nose. Silky on entry, then firm but pliant in the middle, with subtly complex flavors of urgent wild purple berries, sweet herbs, licorice and flowers. Superb eclat and sophistication here--sappy, dense, vibrant and intense but without any impression of weightiness. This really spreads out to dust the palate on the saline, very long finish. The crop level for these vines alongside Clos de Tart was just 18 hectoliters per hectare in 2012, according to Magnien. A beauty in the making.

This is also overtly spicy with a pungently earthy nose of mostly black fruit liqueur aromas. The round, supple and very ripe medium weight flavors display ample minerality and good power on the mouth coating and dusty finish that delivers spectacular length but seems to lack a bit of verve. While this could easily be a phase, the ripeness is sufficiently high that the mouth feel is a bit flat and as such I prefer to remain cautious. Tasted: Jan 15, 2014. Drink: 2023+

The 2012 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru has a tightly wound, minerally bouquet that is reserved for this normally opulent and generous vineyard. This bides its time and only gradually unfurls. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp and supple tannins. It feels foursquare for a Bonnes-Mares although there is sufficient persistence and depth to suggest it will repay 4 or 5 years in the cellar. Jun 2015, www.robertparker.com