A wonderful example of a classic Burgundy Pinot Noir. Combine with other Beaune premiers crus from Domaine Besancenot for an instant introduction to the subtleties of French terroirs and vintages.

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  Lively and spicy, with great aromatics, including white pepper, tree bark, and cherry. A touch of oak adds character. Attractive for its rich finish with lots of grip.

  Food pairing: Cream of mushroom soup

A wonderful example of a classic Burgundy Pinot Noir. Combine with other Beaune premiers crus from Domaine Besancenot for an instant introduction to the subtleties of French terroirs and vintages.

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  Rustic yet silky Pinot Noir. Key players on the nose are wild berries, eucalyptus, and dried leaves. Ripe raspberry and currants dominate the palate, leading into a robust finish. Likely to be long-lived, improving through around 2020.

  Food pairing: Roasted lamb

A wonderful example of a classic Burgundy Pinot Noir. Combine with other Beaune premiers crus from Domaine Besancenot for an instant introduction to the subtleties of French terroirs and vintages.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  Burgundian barnyard funkiness, truffles, dark fruit, and wet earth define the nose. A subtle floral suggestion is enveloped by woodsy, earthy flavors, pepper and other spicy notes, and concentrated cherry and raspberry on the palate. Somewhat angular tannins. Medium body. Moderate length. A hearty, old-style red capable of standing up to tomato sauce.

  Food pairing: Pasta bolognese

A wonderful example of a classic Burgundy Pinot Noir. Combine with other Beaune premiers crus from Domaine Besancenot for an instant introduction to the subtleties of French terroirs and vintages.

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  Rustic and closed at first, but after about 20 minutes aromas of dry leaves, mushrooms, and cranberry come up out of the glass. Cranberry and mushroom flavors linger through the mid-palate and onto the finish as well. If big, fruit-forward New World Pinot Noir is not your thing, give this wine a try. Likely to benefit from cellaring through 2019–2020.

  Food pairing: Mushroom risotto

A wonderful example of a classic Burgundy Pinot Noir. Combine with other Beaune premiers crus from Domaine Besancenot for an instant introduction to the subtleties of French terroirs and vintages.

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  Colin Talcroft

  A deep garnet hue makes this wine look older than it is. In fact, it’s youthful, and even a little brash. Metallic scents, cherries, and something gamey dominate the nose, but there are suggestions of citrus, passion fruit, and roses, too. Light in body at first, but quickly develops a little more weight, supported by a nice core of cherry-dominated fruit and prominent tannins that linger on the finish. Approachable now, but will need time to show at its best. Likely to improve in bottle through around 2018–2019.

  Food pairing: Pigeon, game hen, duck, other game or fowl, lamb

A wonderful example of a classic Burgundy Pinot Noir. Combine with other Beaune premiers crus from Domaine Besancenot for an instant introduction to the subtleties of French terroirs and vintages.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  An evolving nose offers moderately intense aromas of sweet spice (nutmeg, cloves), and cedar with subtle/fleeting truffle notes. Concentrated cherry aromas become increasingly evident with a little time, along with red licorice, black pepper, and floral aromas enveloped by woodsy and oak notes. Tart, high-toned red fruit flavors on the palate. Intense fruit, good acidity and grippy, fine-grained tannins. The long, fruity finish has an interesting confected cherry note. Youthful. A wine to try again in 2016–2017.

  Food pairing: Heavy fish (salmon) in tomato sauce

A wonderful example of a classic Burgundy Pinot Noir. Combine with other Beaune premiers crus from Domaine Besancenot for an instant introduction to the subtleties of French terroirs and vintages.

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  Colin Talcroft

  Delightful for its very expressive, complex nose with smoke, mineral notes and toast, along with black cherries, cocoa, and meaty animal scents, and also for an excellent balance of rich, concentrated fruit, appetizing acidity, and moderate tannins. The long finish is marked by lingering grip and a resurgence of tartness. Distinctive and delicious already, but four to five more years in bottle (to around 2018–2019) will likely reveal greater depths. Worth cellaring.

  Food pairing: Duck; venison; other game or fowl; roasted chicken; earthy, mushroom-scented dishes

A wonderful example of a classic Burgundy Pinot Noir. Combine with other Beaune premiers crus from Domaine Besancenot for an instant introduction to the subtleties of French terroirs and vintages.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  A youthful, somewhat shy nose suggests red fruit and sweet spice along with something woodsy. A floral perfume suggests roses. Fleshy red berry flavors contribute to a chewy, juicy texture. Medium body with a soft, rounded quality on the palate. Good fruit intensity nicely balanced by moderate acidity, fine-grained tannins, and well integrated oak. Attractive, long finish. Likely to be more approachable around 2016 and should drink well through around 2021.

Aged for 21 years in the Besancenots’ cellar, this venerable Pinot Noir exudes complex aromas and a rich, round and vibrant palate. A rare opportunity to savor a great Burgundy at its peak of maturity.

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  The color of this wine shows its age, but this wine still has lots of life left. Powerful and brooding, the scent takes me to a candlelit cave. Still lots of cherry notes, with a bit of prune and leather — yes, this is an old one. A must try for Burgundy enthusiasts!

  Food pairing: Quail

Grown on a vineyard right in the middle of Beaune, and aged for 15 years in the winemaker’s cellar, this Pinot Noir is lighter-bodied than the ’98 Greves, and a little sharper than the ’98 Clos du Roi. A touch of acidity means if you’re serving up a fattier or greasier meat, this is the Beaune you want!

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  This wine smells a bit like bourbon-soaked cherries. It is big on the nose, but subdued on the mid-palate and finish. May need a bit more time for those flavors that came out on the nose to develop in the bottle.

  Food pairing: Stinky cheese

Made from Pinot Noir grown on the northern side of Beaune and aged for 15 years in the Besancenot cellar. A softer, more subtle and bready taste than the 1997 Bressandes or the 1998 Greves, with less acidity than the 1998 Theurons. We’ve nicknamed it our “Oh-Wow-That’s-Good” wine!

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  More fruit than funk, which was unexpected for a wine of its age. Great baking spices, cherry and red fruit. There’s also a nice hint of licorice. Given the fruit, this would be a good wine to try side by side with a more current vintage of Burgundy, or put away for a few years.

  Food pairing: Chocolate souffle