The 2017 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Barraults is one of the more reserved wines in the range, unfurling in the glass with a promising bouquet of cherries, cassis, candied peel and espresso roast. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with succulent acids, melting tannins and a pure, precise finish. As usual, it's one of the finest wines in the range and one that possesses some upside.

The 2016 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Barraults is excellent, bursting from the glass with a lovely bouquet of ripe cherries, licorice, grilled squab and rose petal. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and succulent, its fine, chalky tannins almost completely concealed by tangy fruit, concluding with a long finish. It's Laurent Juillot's favorite in the range, and mine too.

Laurent Juillot's 2015 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Barraults is absolutely superb, soaring from the glass with a lovely nose of ripe cherries, cassis, smoke, espresso roast, caramelized citrus and incipient forest floor—far more expressive than it was from barrel. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and layered, with an almost lavish core of fruit, succulent acids and melting tannins. A terrific C?te Chalonnaise red that offers great value.