The 2015 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Narbantons has a very appealing, pure bouquet with ripe redcurrant and cranberry fruit, demonstrating more cohesion and vigor than the Santenays by comparison. The palate is very rounded on the entry with smooth tannin, well-judged acidity, not exceptionally complex but with a caressing nature on the slightly piquant finish. A very capable Savigny.

The 2010 Savigny-les-Beaune Narbantons comes across as decidedly fleshy and big. The oak is also quite prominent in this sample. If the wine comes together, it may merit a higher score, but today the balance is just a little off-center. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. I tasted an amazing range of 2010 reds at Jadot with long-term winemaker Jacques Lardiere and his successor Frederic Barnier. In order to make this large section of the report easier to read, I have broken up the wines into the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits. Lardiere and Barnier told me they were quite worried about the prospects for the harvest upon their return from summer vacations in August, but the year was saved by a perfect September. Yields are down 25-50% because of the frost and cold weather earlier in the year, but overall quality is very high. Lardiere and Barnier also noted that early on it appeared that there would be a wide gap in quality between the Cote de Beaune and the Cote de Nuits, but over time that gap narrowed to some extent. Still, there is little question the vintage was more challenging in the Cote de Beaune because of a rainier summer and overall higher precipitation throughout the year.Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756