Revisited from bottle, the 2018 Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru wafts from the glass with notes of peonies and orange rind mingled with rich berry fruit and carnal hints of smoked meats and fresh leather that weren't apparent during élevage. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, with powdery tannins, succulent acids and a generous core of fruit, it's a pretty, structurally elegant wine that's just a touch more aromatically rustic than I remember it.

The 2016 Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru, 100% whole bunch fruit, has a broody and introspective bouquet, well defined but curmudgeonly at the moment. The palate is likewise missing some of the tension and energy that I discerned elsewhere, good body but it needs more animation and tension. This is not a patch on the outstanding 2015 Clos du Roi from last year.

The 2015 Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru, from 75-year-old vines, exhibited broody dark berry, tertiary, even tobacco notes on the nose, though it seemed to gradually open up and reveal more red fruit character in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, a fine line of acidity and very good depth. Maybe more mineralité could have been shown towards the finish, nevertheless this remains a suave Corton Clos du Roi that has the density to repay several years in bottle. I expect it will reside at the top of my banded score.

Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2014 tasting, the 2014 Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru from Vougeraie clearly has some stem addition on the nose but it works well: the fruit seems ripe and it does not obscure the terroir. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, sour cherry and strawberry with a fine line of acidity threaded through from start to finish, lending focus and harmony. Still a baby, give this 2-3 more years before broaching. Tasted September 2017.

The 2013 Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru had just been racked and comes from one of the oldest vineyards planted 75 years ago. It has a very backward, wet limestone and seacave-scented bouquet at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with gently gripping tannin and good initial weight, but a little foursquare on the finish that lacks some persistence.