Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge 2019 (750ML)

95 JS / 95 WE / 92-94 VM / 91-94 JM / 91-93 BH / 93 WA

A really concentrated but very graceful Beaune 1er Cru. Very subtle nose of red fruit with nice floral notes and discreet spicy oak. Glides over the palate, the fine tannins already beautifully integrated. Very long, silky finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.—James Suckling

This powerful, ripe Pinot Noir is a bold expression of the famed vineyard. Rich in extraction, the fleshy, velveteen sip is packed with black cherry and blueberry flavors accented by charred earth, crushed peppercorn and anise. Fine-grained but furry tannins are approachable young, but this solidly built wine should hit peak from 2024 through 2035 and hold much longer still. Dreyfus, Ashby & Co. Cellar Selection. —A.I., Wine Enthusiast

The 2019 Beaune Clos des Mouches 1er Cru (Rouge) contains 30% whole cluster. Dark berry fruit commingles with wet clay and light minty aromas. The palate is well balanced with a silky texture, a little "fatter" than the Beaune Grèves, with hints of licorice toward the persistent and very saline finish. This deserves four to five years in bottle, but it has a long, prosperous future ahead.—Neal Martin, Vinous Media

30% whole bunch vinification, with just the best fruit selected, the remainder being declassified into the Côte de Beaune bottling. Mid purple, not the deepest, yet the nose is heady and exciting, properly ripe grapes, but in balance. Quite striking, indeed interestingly powerful, with lovely length of aftertaste. Powerful and fine at the same time. Tasted: December 2020—Jasper Morris

The 2019 Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches (Domaine) is very pretty, wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, cherries, peonies and orange rind that are more red-fruity and ethereal than I remember from barrel. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it's sumptuous and elegant, with melting tannins, succulent acids and an expansive finish. Readers might think of the 2019 as a slightly richer, riper version of the lovely 2017.—William Kelley, The Wine Advocate