Dense, almost opaque colour that could be a Syrah or a Cabernet in appearance. Big, oaky, concentrated, yet a little ponderous with too much extraction for the level of fruit. This is a decent dry red, but it doesn’t really stack up as a Grand Cru Burgundy, even from Clos de Vougeot. May soften with age, but I have my doubts. 

Pale garnet/ruby with a splash of pink. Youthful, elegant and complex perfume: savoury, some oak and supple red fruits. The acidity is very crisp, lending the wine balance and harmony and freshness. There’s quite a bit of  stuffing on the palate, suggesting that the wine will develop in bottle. Good and likley to get better. 

Vibrant, purple-hued Pinot from one of the top producers in Gevrey, specialising in deliberately modern style. Yes, it’s a big, bold, powerful wine, but it’s harmonious too. Youthful, vigorous and sweet with a subtle interplay between red and blacks fruits, succulent tannins and a finish that promises more to come in the bottle. 

A pale, almost translucent Pinot. Scented, leafy and complex with gentle understatement and a touch of smoky oak. The palate is very sweet, but the oak is a little intrusive here. A shae because the fruit is of high quality and the acidity gives the wine a refreshing lift. Maybe the oak will integrate with time. 

Pale ruby red, slightly coudy. Elegant, perfumed, nuanced Clos de Vougeot with light red fruits and subtle oak on the nose. The palate has a little more oomph, but it’s still made in a gentle, quite forward style. Raspberry and redcurrant with some grip, a touch of leafiness and a long, harmonious finish. Likely to be reasonably priced, too. 

Mid garnet with a pinkish rim. Ginger spice and some reduction on the nose: smoky, well balanced and structured. The wine is both jammy and a teeny bit reduced on the palate, but it’s sustained by fresh acidity and medium weight tannins. It should age, but the alcohol may start to dominate in bottle. 

Youthful, mid garnet. The nose is a little closed and showing some meaty, reductive notes that hang around in the glass. A hint ot redcurrant, sweet oak and also some evidence of over-ripeness, with a figgy, currant-like note. A good wine, but the tannins are a little dry. Not a Pinot to cellar for a long time. 

Youthful, pale ruby-garnet colour, scented red fruits, elegant with a touch oak. Still very young, with marked tannins (for Pinot and this vintage) on the palate and succulent, sweet fruit. Good acidity, very fine, good ageing potential. 

Mid garnet, pale rim. Still quite closed. Red cherry and some Asian spices on the nose. Quite a powerrfu, dense wines with plenty of tannin and oak. Ripe and silky, very well rounded with good ageing potential. Textured and plush, this underlines recent improvements at this Nuits St Georges-based négociant house. 

If you can get past the outrageously heavy bottle (and I had trouble lifting it off the table), this is a superb wine. Bright, youthful, ruby red in colour. Lovely bramble and wild strawberry fruit on the nose. Plush and sweet with good acidity for balance. So Pinot? Silky, scented, beguiling, gentle with impressive delicacy for the vintage. 

Pale ruby/pink with a hint of garnet. This is a rather light wine (delicacy is no bad thing in 2009), but it’s showing far too much oak for the weight of fruit. Chewy and firm, the wine lacks finesse. The barrels have swallowed the fruit. 

There’s no denying the quaility or ambition of the wines from this revitalised domaine. This is a very powerful Pinot, closer to a top Gevrey than a Clos de Vougeot. There’s a lot of oak on the wine at the moment, but this is a wine that is built for bottle age. The underlying fruit is excellent, just waiting to strut its stuff in five years or more.