Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berry fruit, spices, smoke and plums, the 2021 Monthélie 1er Cru Les Duresses is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and lively, with a rather muscular, serious profile. Like its communal-level counterpart, it's a strong effort, though it will require some patience.

The 2019 Monthélie 1er Cru Les Duresses opens in the glass with scents of peonies, wild berries, dark chocolate and coniferous forest floor. Medium-bodied, lively and concentrated, it's deep and velvety, with lively acids and an unusually suave, elegant texture for young Monthélie. From a late-ripening site, its racier profile distinguishes it from the more gourmand Monthélie Champs Fulliot.

The 2018 Monthélie 1er Cru Les Duresses is also showing very well this year, offering up a pretty bouquet of red berries, ripe Griotte cherries and potpourri. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, and supple but chalky, with lively acids and a mineral finish.

The 2013 Monthelie 1er Cru les Duresses seemed a little “forced” on the nose, with incongruous prune notes infusing the red fruits. The palate is ripe on the entry with a thick layer of creamy oak (30-35% new) that is pleasant but it detracts from the terroir expression on the cola-tinged finish. It just feels a little ersatz at the moment.

The 2002 Monthelie Les Duresses (domaine) explodes from the glass with loads of intensely sweet black cherries. Medium-bodied and displaying copious quantities of jammy dark fruits, this is a well-structured wine for drinking between 2006 and 2011. Importer: Clicquot, Inc., New York, NY; tel. (212) 888-7575