Bertheau/François Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2023

92-94 points Allen Meadows (Burghound): "(from a .344 ha parcel located in 100% terres rouges). A less floral if no less perfumed nose somewhat grudgingly offers up its array of dark berry, poached plum and violet-suffused aromas. Once again there is very good volume to the bigger-bodied and tautly muscular flavors that possess a sappy texture while displaying equally outstanding length if not quite the same depth as the Amoureuses, at least not yet. Nonetheless, this too is very promising. Drink: 2033+. (Jan 2023)"

Bertheau's two plots of Bonnes Mares are about the same size as their holdings in Amoureuses, or about a third of a hectare, and run the length of the slope smack in the middle, what Gilman calls a "classic blend" of both Terres Rouges and Terres Blanches soil types; and he declares that the Bonnes Mares is "to my palate, clearly the finest wine that François Bertheau produces." Steen Öhman, a Swedish authority on Burgundy, recently deconstructed Bertheau's Bonnes Mares: "I would say that the Bertheau Bonnes Mares has a fine Chambolle character...effortless and never or at least very rarely dense...[It] is a quite big wine adding both depth and intensity to the excellent floral Les Amoureuses – clearly going to Grand Cru territory. It does take some years more to unfold fully – and it is a more serious wine than the other Bertheau wines. Given time it will, however, show its charming and sensual side, and in essence it is a hedonistic treat – rather than a big and powerful Bonnes Mares."