The gentler of the two cuvées here, as one would expect, this is more open with refined tannins and exuberant yet gentler, redder fruit flavors. Strawberries and wild cherries mingle with crushed flint and underbrush. Juicy from the start to the supple finish, this still deserves time in the cellar.

Moderately generous wood stops just short of fighting with the overtly floral-suffused earthy mix of red and blue pinot fruit. The sleek, delicious and vibrant middleweight flavors possess average density before terminating in a bitter pit fruit, moderately austere and sneaky long finish where the firm tannins are relatively fine-grained.

A strong effort, the 2021 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru unwinds in the glass with notes of plums, rose petals, sweet spices and a deft touch of new oak. Full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with supple, powdery tannins and a seamless, enveloping profile, it concludes with a mouthwatering finish. The 2021 growing season hit the holdings of the Château de la Tour hard, and I myself witnessed the "mange bourgeon" caterpillars devouring buds that had survived the frost in the Clos Vougeot. The resulting wines, however, showed plenty of promise and are well worth consideration. As I've written before, organic and now biodynamic farming in the vineyards, vinification with—in red—appreciable percentages of whole clusters in the winery and long élevage in the cellars are the order of the day. (WK)