A highly spiced and exceptionally fresh, ripe and airy nose mixes a wide variety of mostly red berry fruit aromas though there are background notes of plum, cassis, lavender and oak. The broad-shouldered flavors possess a seductive texture thanks to the copious amounts of dry extract that push the very firm tannic spine to the background. I very much like the concentration here as well as the vibrancy and this is very, very dry in the best sense of the term, indeed it is presently almost crisp yet the very dense supporting tannins are clearly quite ripe. This should be a fantastic Bèze in time and eventually the 2012 could rank among the great vintages for this storied wine.

Score: 97 Allen Meadow (AM), Bourghound (BH), January 2015

Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru has a scintillating, effervescent nose, the new oak beautifully interwoven into the complex red cherry, raspberry and pomegranate scents. There is wonderful definition here. The palate is very well balanced with well judged acidity that cuts a swathe through the structured red berry fruit. This is a serious Clos-de-Bèze reserved for long-term ageing. Quite brilliant.

Score: 97 Neal Martin (NM), The Wine Advocate (WA), October 2015

Healthy deep red. Black raspberry, cherry pit, crushed stone and smoky minerals on the almost liqueur-like nose. Large-scaled, very ripe and palate-staining, with creamy flavors of bigarot cherry, coffee and sweet oak dominating. More classically 2012 in style than the tauter Clos Saint-Jacques, finishing with substantial ripe tannins and superb length.

Score: 95+ Stephen Tanzer (ST), Vinous Media (VM), March 2015