2020 - Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru Hommage a Philippe, Duroche

A one-off, magnum-only bottling derived from vines planted in 1920, Duroché produced a single barrel of the 2020 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Hommage à Philippe. Last year, I singled it out as one of the wines of the vintage, and this year it confirmed all its promise. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of wild berries, Indian spices, peonies, incense, sweet spices, licorice and soy sauce, it's full-bodied, ample and multidimensional, with a deep, layered mid-palate, beautifully refined tannins and a seamless, complete profile, with lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. Despite its undeniable authority, it remains extremely elegant and harmonious.

The 2020 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Hommage à Philippe is a unique cuvée that I tasted at the domaine last year with Pierre Duroché, a special bottling from vines planted exactly a century earlier by his grandfather. (At that time, it did not have a name, and its working title was simple "Vieilles Vignes".) The barrel was bottled en magnum except for three bottles, and this was one of them, arguably making it the rarest wine I will ever taste! It has a beguiling bouquet with dark cherries, blueberry, crushed violet and a hint of camphor. Stunning delineation, unfurling with every swirl of the glass. Utterly alluring. The palate is blessed with haunting balance, touches of shucked oyster shell infusing the red fruit, shimmering with nascent energy and a pixelated finish that has a Vosne-like allure. While I am not moved to ascribe the word "perfection", that is within sight. Heavenly. Tasted at the Clos de Bèze vertical at La Cobotte.