An extravagant bouquet of blackberries, plums, incense, rose petals and wood smoke introduces the 2017 Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru, a full-bodied, ample and multidimensional wine that's nicely concentrated and complete, its structuring tannins generously cloaked in juicy fruit, its finish long and precise. This year, Cheurlin vinified the two parts of his Grands Echezeaux separately but concluded—predictably, we agreed—that the whole was more interesting than the sum of the parts.

Cropped at a mere ten hectoliters per hectare thanks to devastating spring frosts, the 2016 Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru is one of the finest wines Maxim Cheurlin has produced to date. Unfurling in the glass with complex aromas of cherries, cassis, dark chocolate, grilled venison, loamy soil and black truffle, it's full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with searing levels of concentration, rich structuring tannins and bright acids, concluding with a long and expansive finish.

The 2015 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru is showing nicely, unwinding in the glass with aromas of plums, red berries and sweet spices, framed by a deft application of new oak. Full-bodied, velvety and supple, its ample core of fruit largely conceals its powdery structuring tannins. Nicely balanced, this is a serious, concentrated wine that's still a little reserved, needing more time in the cellar.