Louis Latour : Beaune 1er cru "Vignes Franches" 2018

A ripe, juicy red with berries and light walnut and hazelnut undertones. Blue fruit, too. Medium to full body. Flavorful finish with chocolate and mushroom undertones to the fruit. Drinkable now, but better after 2022.

Cask sample. Deep cherry red. Ripe and spicy, smelling rich but not overripe. Doesn’t smell very Beaune, nor very Pinot. I’m not sure I would recognise this as Pinot if I had it blind. Ripe and dark-fruited on the palate. Smooth but dense tannins. Lots of matière here. Flavourful rather than typical. (JH)

Fresh and soft on the palate, with a slightly spicy character, supple tannins, a lovely, crowd-pleasing Beaune, albeit lacking great substance.

The nose of this wine opens with notes of red cherry, crushed blackberry and a fragrant hint of vanilla. Although the palate is ripe and rounded, the freshness of the fruit is undoubted. Aromas are enriched by the gentle hint of vanilla that almost has a floral edge. Fine tannins still brush gently but will become supple with time. Drink 2022–2032.

The 2018 Beaune 1er Cru Les Vignes Franches is showing nicely, bursting with aromas of berries, cassis, plums and dark chocolate, framed by toasty new oak. Medium-bodied, fleshy and gourmand, with an ample core of fruit and melting tannins, it's lively and seamless.