Clos des Lambrays 2012

Moderately saturated medium red. Wild, very ripe aromas of black raspberry, blueberry, mocha, cola, leather and game are surprisingly explosive for the vintage. Impressively rich and dense, offering flavors of pungent black fruits, loam and peppery spices, plus a whiff of cinders. A real essence of Morey-Saint-Denis with its combination of dark fruits and soil tones. Impressively plush and horizontal on the palate but with the pepper and spice notes providing superb mid-palate lift. Finishes very long, with substantial dusty tannins that avoid dryness. Robust more than elegant, this wine tastes like it just came out of the barrel. Indeed, it quickly went back into a shell in the glass, suggesting that it will need a minimum of another five to seven years of patience. I suspect it will eventually merit an even higher rating. (13.7% alcohol; 3.6 pH; 3.9 grams per liter total acidity)

Bright ruby. Raspberries, nettles touch, sous bois touch, slight strawberry jam note nose, transparent if deeper nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, again some herbs, fresh and long palate. 93