The 2019 Beaune 1er Cru Les Cras is turning out nicely, offering up aromas of sweet berry fruit, licorice and dried flowers. Medium-bodied, bright and mineral, it's an elegant, precise rendition of this superior hillside premier cru, a cuvée Drouhin only recently began bottling separately.

While this long-standing grape purchase was formerly blended into Drouhin's C?te de Beaune bottling, increasing interest in the Beaune appellation has encouraged the team to bottle the 2017 Beaune 1er Cru Les Cras apart. Offering up aromas of smoky plums and grilled meats, the wine is medium-bodied, juicy and open-knit, with fine structuring tannins. I'll be interested to see what can be achieved in a deeper and more inherently complex vintage.

The 2016 Beaune 1er Cru Les Cras had been racked and was due to be bottled in December. Apparently, the malolactic took a year to complete. It has a fresh and vibrant bouquet with red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, vivacious and playful. The palate is well balanced with fine, quite rigid tannin that encase the dense red berry fruit and the sappy, focused finish. Enjoy this over the next 6 to 8 years.