Grand Cru quality here, but also fabulously concentrated amarena-cherry fruit and stunning, fine tannins, plus lively acidity that sets this all alight. So much drive and energy that you feel feeble in comparison. Enormous aging potential.

The 2020 Beaune 1er Cru Les Vignes Franches is fleshy and gourmand, revealing aromas of cherries, blackberries, rose petals, sweet spices and raw cocoa. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, it's a seamless, polished wine from this excellent site on the southern side of the Beaune escarpment.

Ripe flavors of blackberry and black currant form the core of this supple, juicy red. Balanced, with plenty of refined tannins and lively acidity lending support. Firms up on the finish, where the dark fruit, earth and oak spice elements linger.