The 2016 Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru was reduced to just four hectoliters this vintage. It includes 20% whole cluster fruit and will spend 16 months in oak. It felt a little muted at first but soon found its voice with pretty crushed violet-tinged blackberry and cassis fruit. I like the delineation here. The palate is well balanced if not as nuanced or refined as the Clos de Vougeot, more masculine than its peers with a saline finish that lingers. Good, but not the greatest this year.

The 2015 Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru has an elegant, floral bouquet with violets petals and wild hedgerow scents infusing the dark cherry and raspberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a confit-like entry, a fine thread of acidity, tensile and long with an edginess on the finish. There is a surprising touch of licorice on the aftertaste that I hope will be there after bottling. There is a bit of brio and flamboyance to this Griotte-Chambertin that I hope will govern the wine once in bottle.

The 2013 Griotte-Chambertin was cropped on October 8, partial whole-cluster with a 23-day maceration, and will spend slightly longer in oak. It was a small harvest of only three barrels (18 hectoliters per hectare). This sample had not been racked. It has an exuberant, almost Bonnes-Mares-like bouquet with small black cherries, blueberry, truffle and attractive chalky scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a very sensual entry, the oak a little conspicuous at the moment, but that will be subsumed with time. Plush and luxuriant, try to resist this for several years after bottling. This is "killer juice" (not a technical term) from Drouhin.

The 2011 Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru is from a half-hectare located in the top right hand corner as you look at the climat on the map. It offers a charming and gentle, almost Charmes-Chambertin-like bouquet that unfolds in the glass. The palate has a slight reduction on the palate that smudges the overall effect and yet it is rounded and supple in the mouth with cranberry, raspberry leaf and a pinch of black pepper toward the tender finish. Fine. Drink 2015-2025. It is always a pleasure to meet Veronique Drouhin, although this was actually the first time that I had visited their winery on the southern fringe of Beaune. “All the estate has been under biodynamic practices since the mid-1990s (including Chablis) and organic since 1988,” she said to me as we commenced the tasting. “We have been ECOCERT certified since 2009.” I asked her what tangible difference biodynamics have made. “The estate wines have a lot of depth and energy but what is really better is the pH,” she said. She also cited the arrival of head winemaker Jerome Faure-Brac in 2005 as another reason for the improvement in quality. Now their approach is for no compromise on the fruit and to exact precise viticulture for each vineyard. Veronique told me that their entry level Laforet aims to encapsulate the whole picture of Bourgogne. “We know the wine is consumed young so it is not heavily extracted,” she told me. “We look for a lovely fruity, round, elegant Bourgogne. You know, it is easier to make an Amoureuses than a Burgundy Rouge because of the quantity. It is aged in older barrels and it is bottled sooner than in the past.” Importer: Dreyfus Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

The 2010 Griotte-Chambertin emerges from the glass with layers of rich, concentrated fruit. Floral and spice notes appear later as the wine fleshes out beautifully on the mid-palate and finish. This is an especially generous, supple 2010 loaded with radiance and sheer class. I loved it. Even with all the richness, there is plenty of focus and minerality to give the wine its sense of proportion. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. This is an impressive showing from Drouhin. In my view the 2010s are more interesting and transparent than the 2009s. Veronique Drouhin describes 2010 as a vintage with long-term aging potential, which certainly seems to be the case. Some of the wines were vinified with a portion of whole clusters, including the Corton-Bressandes, Petits-Monts, Charmes and Musigny. Importer: Dreyfus Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770