94 point

Rich concentrated purple, notable depth of fruit, solid and weighty and suggestive of much more to follow. This does have everything it should have, a youthful succulence, the best acid balance of the flight, tannins in balance, and properly persistent. A touch of volatility now starts to show.

93/95

The 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, of which there are two-and-a-half barrels this year, has an intense bouquet of blackberry, blueberry, pressed violets and hints of crushed stone, and feels very controlled and focused. The ripe, vibrant palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and shimmering black fruit laced with orange sorbet and Japanese yuzu. This is a quintessential, zinging Bonnes-Mares, very well crafted and with impressive persistence on the finish.

92/94

From a parcel on the Chambolle side at the top of the slope, the 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru offers up pretty aromas of wild berries, dark chocolate, warm spices and dried flowers. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit that largely conceals its fine-grained but chalky structuring tannins. I expect it to land at the upper end of my bracketed score.

90/93

Reduction hides the fruit today. There is slightly better concentration to the moderately bigger and richer medium weight flavors that possess an attractive texture, all wrapped in a youthfully austere, delicious and balanced finale. This isn't a big Bonnes Mares but it is harmonious and sufficiently well- structured to reward a decade plus of cellaring. 2029+