Emperor Charlemagne would have been far from inaccurate in his description of the colour of this wine: as black as a parliament of crows (not Croze), with dark, smoky aromatics to boot. Stéphane Robert selects his best fruit from the steepest, most granitic sites and, after prolonged maceration, treats it to generous ageing, mostly in 225-litre barriques. Note that this one is a step up from the already magnificently powerful Vin Noir. Pur Noir takes it to a new level, without forsaking a fundamental purity of intent.