The 2013 Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi, which comes from a single parcel of 40-year-old vines, has a ripe raspberry and blackberry nose, the oak still needing time to be fully assimilated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple red berry fruit, quite conspicuous creamy new oak, although that will be subsumed by the time of bottling. Fine.

Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi from Henri Boillot has a lively, ebullient, slightly bubblegum-scented nose with plenty of red cherry fruit laced with a drop of balsamic. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and good acidity. This is a playful Pinot Noir, not complex but well balanced and with plenty of pinoté on the finish, finishing with a spicy tang.

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi 2011 is endowed with a nose that welcomes you with open arms: fresh strawberry, Morello and a touch of fruit salad. There is plenty of oak, though it is nicely assimilated, well defined and precise. The palate is crisp and pointed with a silver thread of acidity, fine tension and a nice bitter edge that shaves off a little persistence, but beckons you to take another sip.