A solid rich crimson purple. Some power to the nose, offering a combination of fruit, sunshine and oak. Good tension and distinctly backward. The class builds steadily on the palate, with a real density of fruit towards the back of the palate, intense red berries with a blacker edge. There is very good harmony between fruit and acidity, and fine persistence.

The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru has a more opulent bouquet with touches of cassis and brambly red fruit, violet petals and vanilla. There is just a patina of new oak to be subsumed. Just a bit too much? The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins and a crucial line of acidity that maintains freshness. It is pretty plush on the finish, yet there is adequate backbone, and it delivers a spicy finish that lingers in the mouth. Very fine. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

(93+ points) Tasted in bottle, the 2020 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots is another success, offering up aromas of cassis and other dark berries mingled with notions of rose petals, spices and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, supple and layered, it's seamless and enveloping, with a bright spine of acidity and a long, saline finish. While it's deceptively open out of the gates, given its concentration and freshness, I suspect it may shut down in the near future.- WK