The 2012 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Rouge benefitted from the clement late weather and was picked between the 5 and 10 October. It sports a healthy deep ruby color. The nose is fragrant and nicely poised with cranberry and blackcurrant aromas that seem quite intense at this stage. The palate is a little tough on the entry. This is underpinned by bold and quite firm tannins, the fruit pushed down into second place after the structure on the finish, but that will surface with time. It is a question of whether consumers will afford this 18-24 months bottle age - hopefully they will. 85-87 points

Interestingly this is much more deeply hued with an expressive and beautifully well-layered nose of plum, cassis and violets. There is more size and weight and this is unusually ripe for the appellation with excellent volume to the medium-bodied flavors where the supporting tannins have attained excellent phenolic maturity. This is good stuff and about the only nit is that it is perhaps a bit less mineral-inflected than usual but otherwise this is most impressive. Highly recommended for value. 87-89 points