2015 Beaune Les Sizies

(bottled in April of this year; 15% new oak: Good dark red. Subtle black cherry and spice aromas are enlivened by an impression of sound acidity (this fruit was picked very early, on September 3). Silky for Beaune wine and not at all rustic, with its plum and blackcurrant flavors complicated by spicy and saline qualities. Finishes ripely tannic and long. This wine from mostly younger vines has turned out very well.

The 2015 Beaune 1er Cru les Sizies is one-third whole cluster fruit matured in 15% new oak. It has a perfumed, floral bouquet with dried rose petal scents littered over the red cherry and wild strawberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip in the mouth, tart red cherries mixed with strawberry and a hint of spice towards the vibrant finish. An excellent wine from de Montille.

(one-third vendange entier and 20% new oak; not yet racked): Bright dark red. Lovely floral lift to the black cherry aroma, with added energy from a positive peppery note. At once juicy and dense, offering a distinctly sappy, savory quality to its fresh, pure black cherry fruit. Finishes firmly tannic and a bit medicinal but also sweeter and longer than the Nuits-Saint-Georges. Much of this vineyard, planted on clay-based soil, is young. Sieve noted that this wine could also be labeled Les Avaux, as Domaine de Montille's holdings are in the section of Les Sizies that's surrounded on three sides by Les Avaux.