Burgundy

The vines for this cuvée are 70 years old on average, with some nudging 100 years. The parcels are neighbours to the Grands and Premiers Crus of Griottes, Petite Chapelle, Crais and Champeaux. There is a step up in concentration versus the regular bottling, with greater detail and complexity, and a lovely salivating freshness to finish. Drink 2024-2030.

{***}
{region}Gevrey-Chambertin{region}
{color}Red{color}

{maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text} 

{vintage}2018{vintage}

{***}

This is from the northern end of Chambolle, immediately under Bonnes Mares, with which it shares some personality: this is a stronger style of Chambolle. There’s plenty of intent about the wine, and it has the shoulders to carry it off. A forthright and assertive wine, the slightly ferric tannins play a key role, underpinned by spicy oak. Drink 2027-2038. 

{***}
{region}Chambolle-Musigny{region}
{color}Red{color}

{maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text} 

{vintage}2019{vintage}

{ratings} {ratings}

{***}

A graceful tint of pale purple. Floral, with appealing sweet red fruit, clearly some concentration to the cherry and raspberry fruit, while there is clearly much more to emerge later on.
Jasper Morris MW - Wine Buyer

{***}{region}Morey-St Denis{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                  

                              {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2013{vintage}{***}

{***}{region} Vougeot {region}
{color} Red {color}                                                              

 {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}
{ratings}
{ratings}{***}

The 1998 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er Cru has an impressive bouquet, one that is both fresh and focused with redcurrant, juniper, clove and light cigar box notes. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine and noble tannin. The texture is quite chalky. There is a surfeit of energy and tension towards the finessed finish. Bon vin! Tasted at the Gouges retrospective at La Cabotte. 

{***}{region} Nuits-St Georges {region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               

{maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}1999{vintage}

{ratings}[] Burghound:: 91-93/100

[] Wine Advocate:: 89-91/100

[] Jancis Robinson:: 17.5/20

{ratings}

{***}

The yield is down by 40 percent but Frédéric likes its character. The wine is structured, with a lovely fresh top note, a hint of spice; it’s neat and controlled with a bit of crunch. This is very silky for a Nuits-St Georges. Frédéric kindly also showed the 2015 at the same time. By comparison it is full-bodied and savoury, clearly a wine for the long term and needing time. The 2016 will be drinking beautifully until the 2015 is ready. Drink 2021-2030.

{***}{region} Nuits-St Georges {region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               

{maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}

{ratings}

[] Wine Advocate:: 93/100

{ratings}

{***}

The vine comes from a great gene pool. It is regular and has many millerandage berries. The wine has the typical structure of Nuits-Saint-Georges, but the tannins are elegant and reflect the near Vosne-Romanée. The Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Cras is tasty and dynamic, always with a good balance. The flesh, very present, with notes of juicy black fruit (blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants) is enriched with floral nuances (elder, heather) and spicy.

{***}{region} Nuits-St Georges {region}
{color}Red{color}        {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}{***}

Pierre-Yves Colin described the 2016 vintage as 'one where the growing season is still painful to think about as we had almost no vines that were spared from frost damage. It's depressing to know at the very beginning that your yields are going to be seriously reduced, which in this case means that they were off between -20 and -90%. Add to this a virulent attack of mildew that kept all of us constantly on edge as the wet weather made it difficult to treat exactly when we wanted. Thankfully the second half of July, August and September were basically ideal and in the end the vines managed to ripen what fruit remained to more than respectable levels. In fact, the way I choose to look at it is that the fine weather in the second half of the growing season didn't save the quantities but it did save the quality. We chose to begin picking on the 22nd of September and the fruit was so clean that there was essentially no sorting of any consequence. Sugars were very good as were the associated acid levels. Despite this some wines refused to cooperate in the cellar as some didn't want to finish their alcoholic fermentations and others balked at finishing their malos. As to the quality, I would describe my 2016s as ranging from very good to excellent though they're not monuments.

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com 

{***}{region} Nuits-St Georges {region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               

{maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}

{ratings}

{ratings}

{***}

Part of a contract by, which they run the vineyards and then buy the grapes. The vines are well situated at the top, according to Pierre. 90% whole bunch vinification. Rich dense purple, with a rather reductive nose at the moment. Very concentrated colour and the nose cleans up. This is a dense Suchots, which doesn’t close down in the middle, but the tannins are a little rougher than expected at the finish  Ethough this might be the reduction speaking. If that is the explanation then this wine may well merit a fourth star rating.

{***}{region} Nuits-St Georges{region}
{color}Red{color}        {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2020{vintage}{***}

The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Le Clos was the first parcel that Duroché picked. It delivers plenty of raspberry, wild strawberry and damp earthy aromas, though perhaps not showing quite the same delineation as the Gevrey Champs at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin, a lovely bead of acidity and more flesh than the Champs, as well as a little more depth on the finish. Very approachable in style, this should drink nicely over the next 12 to 15 years. - Vinous

A wine which merits its name, this is stony and flinty on the nose, with smoky reduction running the length of the wine. The palate is salty, precise and tangy, with fine, chiselled detail and a pulpy richness to the finish. Drink 2025-2032. 

{***}{region}Puligny-Montrachet{region}
{color}White{color}                                            

   {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}{***}

Oratorium Sancti Albini is an ancient name for St. Aubin; the blend is composed by four 1ers. A markedly restrained if pretty nose grudgingly offers up its array of citrus, floral and mineral reduction notes. The racy and very sleek medium-bodied flavors exude a bracing salinity on the firm, compact and linear finish. This is notably austere and a bit lean though my sense is that this will flesh out with bottle age. With that said, I would advise buying this only if you have the intent to cellar it.  - Burghound

This wine is from three parcels in Vosne-Romanée: a generic section of Combe d’Orveaux, La Croix Blanche and Les Pâquiers. In 2021, it also has a third of the production of the village Vosne included in it. The wine is bursting with fruit, with high tones of cherry and cranberry. These flavours are all carried through to the palate which is full and rounded with a nice sapid twist.

Drink 2023 - 2030

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Although it is from a sandy vineyard, this wine always surprises with its creamy texture. This is even more apparent since Jean-Oierre's adoption of his en pont and nuages techniques. The wine is very floral this year, alongside the signature creaminess. A mineral grip unfolds on the finish making it a very complete wine. Drink 2025-2035.

Laurent Fournier has achieved a lot since taking charge of the domaine established by his father, Jean, in the 1960s. In 2011, he was voted the Cotes de Nuits’ young vigneron of the year. He has since dedicated much of his considerable energy campaigning to establish Premiers Crus in Marsannay. Although he has begun leasing parcels in the Côte de Beaune, Gevrey-Chambertin and Clos de Vougeot, Laurent’s heart remains in Marsannay. All of the vineyards are farmed organically, with certification

Champ de Morjot' Rouge 2021 is made from 100% Pinot Noir from Chassagne-Montrachet. Juicy, crunchy, and full of ripe fruit flavour; it has vibrant notes of strawberry, juicy raspberry, vanilla and cherry. The palate is firm but smooth, balanced with a good level of acidity and more fruity flavours along with some oak and earth. Drinking well now, but will only get better over the next 5-10 years.

The 2017 Meursault Les Grands Charrons is excellent, unwinding in the glass with notes of citrus oil, pear, beeswax and wheat toast. Medium to full-bodied, racy and precise, it's concentrated and multidimensional, with a bright spine of acidity and an integrated, complete profile. This superior communal climat typically produces 15-20 barrels of wine, making it one of the domaine's more significant cuvées—and as readers will remember, it was formerly released under the Boisson-Vadot label.

Drink 2023 - 2040

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (February 2020)

This consist of 80% Meursault and 20% Volnay from the three lieu-dits: “Magny”, “Les Herbeuax”, “Monpoulain”. Spicy apple, Asian pear, lemon/lime, thyme, tarragon, orange zest, cream of tartar, and mineral rich acidity.

Pale colour, more density, a little more sunshine. Richer on the palate but still with enough structure, plenty of density here.

 
Jasper Morris MW, insideburgundy.com (November 2021)

The 2021 Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Blanc has a satisfying nose, admirable presence and freshness. Jasmine and potpourri scents emerge with time. The palate is well-balanced and lively, with good weight with a subtle menthol note towards the finish. What's not to like?

Drink 2023 - 2029

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (January 2023)

This is from a parcel of vines planted by three generations of Guillaume’s family, from himself back to his grandfather. Made in stainless steel tank with ten months on fine lees, it is a beautiful marriage of ripe and juicy citrus fruit, white flowers and tangy, saline minerals. It feels chiselled.

Drink 2024 - 2028 

Berry Bros. & Rudd 

This parcel of old vines is situated at the top of the vineyard, alongside Drouhin’s Clos des Mouches.  The aromas are of red and black fruit, with some  spice adding complexity. On the palate, it is all  cherry, with real richness, plenty of power and chalky but ripe tannins. The finish is creamy and floral. Drink 2022-2027.

After the famine of 2016, this year is something of a feast, at least in the case of the reds. Sadly, the whites, which Dominique praises as having excellent clarity, are in slightly smaller volumes than 2016. The good news is that the full range of red wines has been made, and in good volume too. Dominique is effusive in his praise for the 2017 reds, describing them as appealing, with beautiful balance, a lightness of touch, refined tannins and a floral character with stunning red fruit.

Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot’s Bourgogne Blanc is sourced from two parcels: one in Volnay and the other in Puligny-Montrachet. It is the latter that contributes the majority of the blend, making up two-thirds.

Drink 2023 - 2027

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Also called Les 7 terroirs in some markets. Medium depth of colour with more breadth of fruit than the Bourgogne. Definitely in the apple and fresh quince style with quite high acidity. Enough concentration at the back of the palate.

Drink 2024-2026

Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy (January 2023)

In contrast to the mildly odd nose of the Chapelle, this is perfumed, elegant and cool with its ultra-pure aromas of all but fully mature red berry fruit, underbrush and soft earth tones. There is really lovely detail and plenty of minerality on the strikingly intense medium weight flavors that terminate in a slightly austere finish that is less generous than that of the Chapelle. 

I like the balance and punch though some may find this to be a bit more austere than they prefer. Note that for my taste this could easily be drunk now but I would be inclined to hold this for another 2 to 3 years in the hopes that the finale will flesh out just a bit more.

Drink from 2016 onward

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (January 2015)

This is a legendary wine from the best plot in Chevalier. Theres an extraordinarily sexy nose and according to winemaker Jacques Lardire, the flavour you get when you crunch a hazelnut straight from the tree. The palate absolutely sings with a dancing minerality on the finish. A wonderful wine to be enjoyed over the next 30 years.

Initially this just delivers a huge amount of sensual ripeness. Hedonistic, yes, but there is also more grip and structure than the first impression suggest. As on his Clos de Vougeot, Étienne has been working hard here to deliver more finesse, with evident success.  Drink 2025-2032.

Jean Grivot, whose name continues to appear on the labels, took over from his father Gaston in 1955 and handed the estate on to his son Étienne in the early 1980s. Étienne, married to Marielle Bize from Savigny, has been through a number of incarnations as winemaker here. When he took over, his father’s style was for gentle, graceful wines which perhaps were a little weak in the lesser vintages. Since then Étienne has found his own voice and made a range of increasingly fine wines. The drive to reduce yields and fine-tune his work in the vineyards and cellar since the mid-2000s continues to enhance quality. The succession to the next generation is now well underway, with Mathilde and Hubert increasingly influential, under their father’s experienced and wise guidance.

Here the decision was to wait for a bit of rain, to get the skins and berries fully ripe. The rain did the trick and the resulting wines are among the best of the Côte this year. Adjectives tumbled from Étienne during the tasting: seductive and precise, glamorous, graphite and saline, luminous and suave. We both agreed we rather liked “resonant”. Volumes are up 50 percent but Étienne warned us that the run of short vintages has depleted their reserves, and  as such allocations this year will not  move up in line.

By contrast with the expressiveness of the Goutte d'Or, this is much more reserved and with a different aromatic profile more given to seductive and slightly exotic spices, citrus blossom and orange peel that leads to classy, rich, full and naturally sweet palate coating flavors as the dry extract is every bit as impressive.

Like all of the Lafon '07s, it is the impeccable balance that really sets these wines apart and the Genevrières is a wine of perfect harmony, particularly on the linear and explosive finish.
(Allen Meadows, burghound.com - Jun 2010)

The 2019 Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières is brilliant, unwinding with scents of citrus oil, crisp Anjou pear, green apple, white flowers, crushed chalk and toasted wood. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and incisive, it's electric and tightly wound, with terrific concentration, appreciable structuring dry extract and a long, mineral finish. As I've written before, Pierre Morey farmed this 0.55-hectare parcel before acquiring it at the end of the 1980s, and the composition of the soils suggests that this was the location where rejected stones from the quarry that lends the climat its name were discarded. - Wine Advocate 94-96/100

As usual, 2019 Meursault Villages comes from several parcels including Clos de la Baronne, Sous la Velle and Crotot. It has a well-defined bouquet, a little spicier than previous vintages. Timid at first, but finds its voice with aeration. Hints of lemongrass and chai complement the citrus fruit. The palate is well balanced with good concentration and slightly waxy in texture. Fine depth with that spicy leitmotif return on the finish. Give this 18-24 months in bottle. - Vinous 89/100

Part of the vineyard has a red, iron-rich soil, and so is planted with Pinot Noir. As last year, Jean-Yves used 100% whole-bunch. The aromatics have a roundness, with less red fruit and a touch of spice. Rully’s broad shoulders carry the 13.5% alcohol comfortably. As always here, there’s no trace of any chewy Rully tannins.

Drink 2023 - 2028

Berry Bros. & Rudd

This wine comes from a west-facing vineyard with chalky soil. Just three barrels - under 900 bottles - were made this year. The nose has some stone fruit and a hint of reduction. The exposure to the late-afternoon sun gives a generosity and warmth to the mid-palate, before the limestone soil makes its presence felt in a saline, chalk-inflected finish.

Drink 2024 - 2026

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

A blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Savagnin, this is in essence a mini Vin Jaune, aged for a year in oak foudres (casks) before going into barrel for the “sous voile” ageing for a further two years. The La Banode vineyard was planted in 1970 and gives wines that are powerful but delicate. The warm and dry 2018 vintage has yielded a generous yet saline wine with notes of salted almonds and citrus zest.

Drink 2024 - 2030

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

This classy cuvée has a floral and spice-accented bouquet. Blended from around the appellation, there’s 25% whole-bunch; élevage is in 500-litre barrels, one-quarter of which are new. The palate invites with juicy red fruit and supple tannins. Cooling acidity provides balance; it’s a very complete wine. It’ll drink well early but can be cellared with confidence.

Drink 2021 - 2027

Domaine Boisson-Vadot, run by the father, son, and daughter teams of Bernard, Pierre, and Anne Boisson, is one of the rising stars in Mersault. The philosophy of the Domaine revolves around careful, hands-on vineyard management to coax the tremendous potential of each vintage out of the various plots and low-impact winemaking in the cellars that allow the unique terroir of each vineyard to surface. New oak is minimal, no more than 30% for the top cuvées, and much more restraint in the village wines and Bourgogne Blanc. 

Berry Bros. & Rudd

This characterful Crémant de Bourgogne is made predominantly from Chardonnay, with a proportion of Pinot Noir, Gamay and Aligoté thrown in for good measure and additional complexity. It has an enticing quality, from the bouquet of white flowers through to the deliciously rounded palate: undeniably charming and definitely moreish.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

This 2019 vintage is the best yet of our Nuits-St Georges from Benjamin Leroux. The nose is a heady perfume of dark berry fruit, violets and white pepper. The palate is creamy and succulent with a hint of vanilla. The tannins are like crushed velvet. This would be a perfect pairing with spiced lamb or lentil dishes.

Drink now until 2028

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

The nose of our 2022 White Burgundy offers up a bouquet of juicy white stone fruit and subtle, toasty oak. Succulent peach and nectarine flavours fill the palate, tempered by zesty citrus and rounded out with notes of melted butter and a sizzling, iodine finish.

Drink now to 2026

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

This is a thirst-quenching and versatile white wine. Citrus, green apple and pear aromas combined with notes of fresh butter, subtle oak toast and chalky, wet-stone touches. Enjoy it with cheeses, salads, seafood and white meat dishes. 

Drink 2022 - 2024

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Our Gevrey-Chambertin has once again been made for us by Domaine Rossignol-Trapet. Their venerable old vines cover all areas of Gevrey-Chambertin, giving a rich picture of the appellation. The warm and sunny 2019 vintage has given a spicy, dark-fruited expression of the village with silky tannins and an irresistible floral perfume. This is an ideal partner to ripe cheeses or tagine.

Drink 2024 - 2028

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

A heavenly, heady bouquet enthrals the nose whilst supple, vigorous black fruit flavours dance across the palate. This may have a firm, tannic finish but there is so much fruit here that this will develop beautifully over a decade or more.

Burgundy 2009 Best Buys – Grand Cru Wines
Thibault Liger-Belair is one of our most popular Burgundy wine growers; he makes brilliant, chunky wines and is a lovely chap to boot. Thibault has a wonderful plot in Clos Vougeot and his almost spiritual approach to winemaking focuses the class further. This is big, and very tightly knit at the moment – a wine with a great future ahead of it. 
(Joss Fowler, Cellar Plan Account Manager)

This is a really rewarding Clos de Vougeot to put away for the future. It is lively, delicious and very full but not over-ripe, with tight tannins neatly woven alongside a real sense of power.
(Jasper Morris MW, BBR Buyer)

From five plots the vineyard, this is a wine for which Arnaud never includes any whole bunches. It has a wonderful, floral, red berry lift to the nose, while the palate is defined by the acidity and ethereal energy. Still discreet and hidden, this needs time to open. The new oak (70 percent) is so well-integrated as to be barely noticeable. Drink 2022-2032.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

The domaine was founded by Charles Mortet, but rose to fame with the exceptional 1993 vintage crafted by his son Denis who tragically died at the age of 51 in January 2006. Denis believed with a deep passion that the work in the vineyard was everything. He has been succeeded by his equally, indeed exceptionally, talented son Arnaud, now also with the assistance of his sister Clémence. At the domaine everything starts in the vineyard, where every measure is taken to produce the finest, ripest fruit possible, creating a style of wine which, as Denis used to say is “a pleasure to drink young or old”. Arnaud Mortet is very happy with the quality of the 2016 vintage, explaining that its balanced profile with a mixture of ripeness and elegance will please everyone. Yields are very variable across the range, with anything from 30 to 70 percent of the crop having been lost to frost. Fortunately, mildew was not an issue as he acted swiftly to treat the vineyard when conditions began to deteriorate. He has generally used fewer whole bunches this year than in 2015.

Mid purple with rather a savoury touch to the nose. Plenty of emphasis behind, some firm tannins, this is a concentrated masculine version of Grèves. Discreet, youthful, laid back. The fruit will cope with the tannins. Bottled with a DIAM 30 organic closure.

Jasper Morris MW, insideburgundy.com (September 2021)

The first red to be picked. 35 year old average age for the vines on sandy chalky soil, one third whole bunch vinification. Pretty mid purple, pretty and floral, more open than Grèves. No great weight but it is attractive and finishes with its floral perfume.

Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy (November 2018)

The 2017 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru was picked on September 8 and includes 40% whole cluster fruit. What I love about this Amoureuses is that it could not come from anywhere except this prestigious vineyard. The refined floral bouquet is sensual and nicely defined. The harmonious, feminine palate is beautifully balanced, displaying filigreed tannin and a precise, transparent finish that is intellectual as well as seductive. This is a beautifully crafted wine and vies with the Clos-de-Bèze as one of Drouhin’s finest 2017s. - Vinous

Dominique has this parcel on a fermage contract. It's an elegant expression of Beaune, with a bright purple colour, floral aromatics and rich fruit on the palate.  The tannins are silky, seductive and perfectly integrated with the fruit. A wonderful, floral finish. Drink 2021-2026

After the famine of 2016, this year is something of a feast, at least in the case of the reds. Sadly, the whites, which Dominique praises as having excellent clarity, are in slightly smaller volumes than 2016. The good news is that the full range of red wines has been made, and in good volume too. Dominique is effusive in his praise for the 2017 reds, describing them as appealing, with beautiful balance, a lightness of touch, refined tannins and a floral character with stunning red fruit.

Arguably the most complex and age-worthy wine in the cellar, this is very tight in its youth, with a little floral character poking through a muted nose before some stony minerals emerge. The palate is tightly structured with densely packed, stony tannins a touch of oak spice and some rich red fruit. This needs time to open up, but will reward those with patience. Drink 2024-2032.

François is keen to highlight the importance of the solidarity shown by the Côte’s vignerons at the end of April, when everyone came together to burn dampened bales and create cloud cover to ward off the frost. Without such action this could well have been another catastrophic yield. Having avoided this threat, the rest of the season was fairly straightforward with careful vineyard management and harvest began on the 30th August. He feels the whites are a mix of 2015 and 2014, while the reds are pretty and will drink well from an early age.

Rugiens is arguably Pommard's greatest vineyard, of which the lower section is perhaps the finest, but Ben's plot is in the lower part of Rugiens-Hauts and thus very adjacent. This is a big, stern and meaty wine, with dense tannins, but perfume and rigour too. Very serious and age-worthy.

It is fair to say that Ben is very happy with 2017, describing it as the kind of vintage he would sign up for every year. The whites, he says, are beautiful, and not far from 2014 in style, with purity, finesse, great definition and balance. He describes the reds as pretty, appealing and with body to support ageing, while highlighting the importance of lower-yielding old vines for serious ageing. He eloquently explains that there is no ''black sheep'' in 2017, that no village has underperformed. For reason of space, the limited volumes of Grands Crus have not been included in this brochure. Since the 2014 vintage, all white wines are bottled under screwcap

Drink 2025 - 2030

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Low on the slope and bordering Pommard, this can be quite a durable wine. The vines were planted in 1985. The wine is full of strawberry fruit, but with a spicy edge; well-judged and nicely structured. Drink 2023-2030.

There are three-and-a-half barrels in 2019. This is a hauntingly perfumed wine, with notes of violet and rose petal. The palate continues the energetic theme with a crystalline focus and a vibrant, mineral finish. This is often a star performer in warmer vintages, and 2019 really suits the vineyard. Drink 2030-2045. 

Fruit for this Monthelie Rouge has an average vine age of 40 years sourced from three different parcels, Les Plantes, Les Longenes, and Les Sous Court. Vinification includes a 5 hours cold maceration before fermentaiton in stainless steel, before being pressed to barrel for 18 months in oak, 20% of which are new.

From a south-facing vineyard immediately above the hamlet of Gamay, this delivers immediate pleasure. There is a pure expression of the redcurrant end of Pinot Noir’s spectrum, both aromatically and with the energy on the palate. This is more than a simple, pretty wine; there is a surprisingly well-layered palate, with more strawberry notes among the sapid tannins.

Drink 2023 - 2028

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Enough wood to remark upon sets off ripe yet cool aromas of black cherry liqueur, newly turned earth and a whiff of smoked game. There is excellent verve and detail to the surprisingly fine and appealingly textured larger-scaled flavors that possess focused power on the firm, youthfully austere and impressively persistent finale. Drink through 2032+.- Burghound

Fine crimson purple. The fruit comes across as a touch richer than the Chambolle, but still nicely in balance. No more than medium bodied, much more about finesse and balance, good acidity, peppery finish after the perfumed fresh strawberry fruit. -Jasper Morris MW

The 2020 Saint-Aubin Rouge has an attractive bouquet with dark cherries and hints of blueberry, nicely defined. The palate is ripe and chewy on the entry with black plum and a touch of balsamic, quite firm on the finish but with decent length. 

Drink 2023 - 2028

Neil Martin, Vinous.com (December 2021)

The element of this Bourgogne Rouge that comes from Benjamin Leroux’s own fruit was down 40% in the 2021 vintage, while the market price for grapes at this level was up 120% - so he had to buy carefully. Benjamin opted to use whole-bunch fermentation on the regular components of the blend, and is pleased with how the new purchases have fitted in. The wine is very pleasing and easy, with lots of soft and sweet red fruit flavours.

Drink 2022 - 2026

Berry Bros. & Rudd

From six different lieux-dits.

Here, too, there is a whiff of herbal tea character sitting atop the earthier and more sauvage-influenced red berry fruit aromas. The sleek and delicious medium-bodied flavours are not quite as rich, though they are more precise and more mineral-driven on the impressively long and well-balanced finale. This is a fine Gevrey Villages that is worth thinking about.

Drink from 2028 onward

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (January 2023)

This is made from Les Quarts’ “young” vines (35-50 years old). It’s mostly raised in tank, for freshness, with one-third in used barrels, for breadth and texture. The nose is spicy and vibrant, with an explosion of fresh citrus fruit that follows through to the palate. With pleasing weight and concentration, this finishes on a crisp, saline note.

Drink 2022 - 2028

Berry Bros. & Rudd

From the walled clos surrounding Château de Puligny-Montrachet, this is fast becoming an iconic wine. The deep silt and clay soils help to resist dry conditions. The attack has juicy citrus and white stone-fruit. Pleasing acidity runs right through the wine. The white-flower notes and gentle, lacy texture make this feel like a Puligny in all but name. 

Drink 2023 - 2030

Berry Bros. & Rudd

This is Berthenet’s most full-bodied style, with ample fresh stone fruit, a hint of golden apple and a touch of hazelnut. The vineyard sits right at the top of the Côte Chalonnaise, giving the wine a vibrantly charged acidity and a round, plush texture. As with his other cuvées, the élevage is carefully curated. Here, the wine is aged entirely in (30% new) demi-muids before being moved to stainless steel tanks – ensuring the wine remains vivacious and reflects its terroir. The finish is resplendent with a rich spiciness and a piquancy of flint.

Drink now - 2032

Henrietta Gullifer, Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd (September 2024)

Attractively layered aromas comprise notes of hazelnut, pear essence and plenty of floral elements, especially carnation and acacia. The delicious and fleshy medium-weight flavours possess an incredible intensity and are cut before terminating in a lemony finale that is solidly persistent, if not quite as complex. However, this, of course, may well change with time in the bottle.

Drink from 2027 onward

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (June 2022)

Aromas of lime zest, toasted nuts, white flowers and crisp orchard fruit introduce the 2020 Meursault Sous la Velle, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and racy wine that's vibrant and expressive, concluding with a saline finish.

As ever, the inimitable Bernard Boisson presided over my annual tasting in his usual, refreshingly old-school manner, offering splashes from a variety of bottles, some open for several days and some opened for my benefit. As readers will remember, Bernard's holdings have been entirely divided between his son Pierre and daughter Anne.

On this visit, Boisson père reiterated that in fact Pierre and Anne operate separately though cooperatively (Pierre taking care of all the tractor work in the vineyards) and vinify in their own way—though the two labels' styles are undeniably more similar than different. As I understood it, Bernard himself acts as a sort of unlikely business manager for the duo, hosting tastings and managing the wines' distribution.

Drink 2023 - 2033

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2023)

A nose dominated by floral aromas of hawthorn and jasmine. Round and velvety, the mouth reveals buttery and custard notes. The palate is very surprising and impresses with its length.

From an east-facing parcel just underneath the Roche de Vergisson, this has a delicate nose of white flowers and nice aromas of lemon curd and citrus fruits. Good salinity and tension make this very enjoyable now, but it has good potential to develop further.

Drink 2024 - 2028

Berry Bros. & Rudd

The 2022 Maçon-Pierreclos En Crazy, tasted direct from barrel, has a crisp nose with Granny Smith apples intermixed with pear and light brioche. Not complex, yet pure and delineated. A fine silver bead of acidity marks the palate, taut and fresh, with attractive notes of bitter lemon and more pear surfacing toward the finish. This is a very capable Mâcon-Pierreclose.

Drink 2023 - 2038

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (August 2023)

Fullish vibrant purple, with a svelte, smooth, appealing bouquet. There is plenty of oak apparent but it is totally married to the fruit. Very luscious, exactly as this wine should be, but with a lovely mineral thread through the middle. Lovely finish. This has class and elegance throughout, dressed in a rich velvet overcoat.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Buying Director

{***}{region} Gevrey-Chambertin {region}
{color}Red{color}                                                              

{maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}

{ratings} []Burghound:: 91-94/100

{ratings}

{***}

An even spicier nose flashes a dark aromatic profile that gives way to supple, round and easy-going flavors that possess very good mid-palate density, all wrapped in a dusty, firm and youthfully austere finish that exhibits just a bit more energy. *Outstanding, Top Value* - Burghound

The 2015 Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru, which included 50% whole bunch fruit, has a refined and elegant nose, quite backward and quite Mazi-Chambertin in style. This is not as outgoing as many other Charmes-Chambertin 2015s, yet I find it more cerebral. The palate is medium-bodied with a succulent, fleshy and charming texture that seduces the senses. It does not quite deliver the depth of other grand crus on the finish, but it is endowed with presence and persistence, the whole bunch component lending another earthier, perhaps even rustic dimension compared to previous vintages. This is a very well-crafted Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. - Wine Advocate

It comes from 9 plots in seven lieux-dits so Joseph may choose Les 7 Terroirs. Pale lemon colour, a light reduction to the nose. Lime notes on the palate, very much a classically crisp St-Aubin, with modest flesh but fine persistence. - Jasper Morris

A fine, bright mid-purple, this has a restrained bouquet but then a palate laden with rich, ripe, supple fruit and a gorgeous mineral finish. This is as good as I have tasted here. There is an exceptional intensity of dark fruit, dry and dense, with similar tannins to ‘05 but a bit of the juiciness of 2010. Drink 2023-2030.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Nicolas and David Rossignol report a healthy crop in quality and quantity, though a little reduced in the Grands Crus. They began on 7th September, using around 50 percent whole bunches, and avoided any punching down during vinification as there was no need to search for extraction, preferring a daily pumping-over and aeration. As ever there is only a modest use of new oak and sulphur levels are kept low. They have made unquestionably brilliant wines this year.

Relatively subtle wood treatment allows the notably floral red berry fruit, humus and earth-inflected aromas to shine. There is excellent volume to the delicious and tension-filled medium-weight plus flavours that exhibit fine depth and length on the moderately austere and saline-inflected finish. This is quite firm and somewhat rustic and the supporting tannins aren't especially refined, so once again patience will be required.

Drink from 2026 onward

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (April 2016)

The 2011 Meursault Village is the first to be blended with the parcel of Clos des Baronnes acquired from Domaine Manuel. It was assembled in tank around January and bottled around early June. It offers an attractive bouquet with hints of wild honey, orange blossom and quince. The palate is refined on the entry but then motors up a few gears toward the finish with hints of brioche and popcorn infusing the citrus fruit. There is good richness here for a Village Cru. Drink now-2020.

Neal Martin - 29/08/2013

Planted at 36,000 vines per hectare Les Evocelles must be among the highest-density plantings in France. As a result, the vines compete for water and nutrients producing small, highly flavoured berries. The wine shows ripe berries with rich cherry notes, the finesse of a fine tannic structure and a finish that continues for a very long time. The 100% whole clusters are easily blended with the ripeness of the fruit.

This superb domaine grows in reputation and in size: this year sees the first vintage of Nuits-St Georges, Clos de Thorey. Look out for even further additions in the next two years. Winemaker Pierre Vincent’s style is for lighter colours and very sensual wines, and he has done a cracking job again in 2012; a vintage which supported the plentiful use of whole bunch fermentation. The domaine is certified organic and fully biodynamic.

Drink now

Berry Bros. & Rudd

This is made principally from Chaux in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, along with some village Volnay fruit since 2020 and, new this year, a little Chassagne L’Ormeau. Some attractive toasty notes and the Chaux element keep it tight, fresh, lemony and bright.

Drink 2023 - 2027

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Of Benjamin Leroux’s vines, only those around Meursault survived the frost. As it was impossible to save everything, Benjamin had to choose what to protect, opting to sacrifice his vines in the Hautes-Côtes and instead making just 80hl. His Bourgogne Blanc is an elegant and fresh style of wine, which displays some mid-palate solidity from the frost. Drink 2022 – 2026.  

Philippe Pacalet buys grapes from a high site planted with old vines in Corton Bressandes, making the wine for only the second vintage in 2018. The grip and muscularity of the site combine nicely with the sappy, stemmy 100% whole bunches to produce a savoury, complex, chalky wine wit floral, red cherry and bramble fruit and the faintest echo of oak. (Tim Atkin)

Bouchard has 1.2 hectares in the prime Dessous sector, towards the northern end of the vineyard. A wine of minerals rather than fruit, the nose is spicy, stony and saline. Tight and energetic, the wine is built around its acid structure. It is spine-tingling with a firm, dry grip at the finish. There is wonderful tension here. Drink 2026-2040. 

This was the first of Ghislaine’s vineyards to be harvested this year, sitting a bit lower on the slope. It’s a more opulent style, generous, but still with a good backbone of tannin, taking this element from its proximity to Morey. Drink 2022-2028.

Ghislaine Barthod’s domaine originated in the 1920s with Marcel Noëllat whose daughter married Gaston Barthod, a soldier stationed in Dijon who came to buy some wine and got the girl as well. He gave up military life for the vineyards in 1960. His daughter, Ghislaine, and her partner Louis Boillot bought their current premises overlooking Premier Cru Les Feusselottes in 1986. Though they share the team who work the vineyards, the vinification and commercial aspects of their businesses are kept completely separate. The domaine has an incomparable range of ChambolleMusigny terroirs, with eight separate Premier Cru bottlings.

Given the carnage here last year, one could have been concerned that yields might have been high, but these worries were needless. Although there was a certain amount of green harvesting on the younger vines, the old vines (of which there are lots here), if properly pruned and with excess buds eliminated, regulated themselves to reasonable yields well below 50hl/ha. The harvest started on 3rd September and was completed in eight days, with everything beautifully healthy. For Ghislaine, 2016 was about energy; 2017 is about purity.

Dark shades of blue/blackish fruit grace the palate in Lafarge's 2012 Volnay Clos des Chenes. This is an unusually supple, resonant young Clos des Chenes. Whereas the Caillerets possesses energy from its tannin and minerality, the Clos des Chenes is round and virtually seamless in texture, with all of the structural elements seemingly folded into the fruit. The 2012 is perhaps a bit atypical in its richness, but it is a real stunner just the same. - Vinous

This is aromatically even more complex if perhaps a bit less elegant with its pure if mildly exotic array of citrus, iodine, tidal pool, white peach and apple aromas. There is excellent punch to the full-bodied and muscular middle weight flavors that possess plenty of mouth coating sap that helps to buffer the moderately firm acid spine. This powerful effort should reward from 6 to 10 years of bottle age and is another in a long line of fine examples of La Forest from Vincent Dauvissat. *Outstanding* Burghound

A captivating Burgundy with a beautifully aged character. This premier cru Chardonnay showcases a deep golden colour that hints at the wine's maturity. On the nose, rich aromas of baked apples, toasted hazelnuts, and a touch of butterscotch mingle harmoniously, inviting you to explore further.

The palate delivers a complex and velvety texture, with flavours of ripe pear, lemon marmalade, and hints of vanilla from well-integrated oak. The wine's acidity remains vibrant, adding freshness to the overall experience. The finish is long and graceful, leaving traces of subtle mineral notes and a whisper of toasted oak.

Purchased grapes from all three communes of the appellation. Mid lemon yellow colour, a tight nose, harder to assess because served after the Montrachet. Very intense, backwards, quite ripe, and the necessary stones, along with the weighty yellow fruit, appear in due course.

Jasper Morris MW, InsideBurgundy.com (October 2021)

The 1997 Meursault, Charmes, 1er Cru by Robert Ampeau & Fils immediately captivates the eye with its golden hue and brilliant clarity. On the nose, it unveils a complex bouquet of ripe orchard fruits such as baked apple, pear, and quince, accompanied by notes of toasted almonds, honey, and a subtle hint of butterscotch. The aromas are intertwined with delicate floral nuances, offering a sense of elegance. 

This Meursault exhibits a harmonious balance between richness and freshness on the palate. The flavours of ripe apple and pear persist, accompanied by layers of creamy vanilla, toasted oak, and mineral undertones. The wine's texture is luxurious, showcasing a velvety mouthfeel and a well-integrated acidity that adds liveliness to the palate.

The finish is long and memorable, leaving a lingering impression of fruit, subtle spices, and a touch of flint.

Interestingly, this seems to possess elements of all three of the preceding wines as the cool and ultra-elegant nose exhibits a broad range of spice and floral elements on the black cherry and plum-suffused aromas. There is almost painful intensity to the chiseled, focused and stony medium weight flavors that coat the palate with dry extract on the youthfully austere, powerful and very serious finish. This is very clearly built to age and a wine that should really not be touched for at least a decade. In a word, terrific.  - Burghound

A more elegant nose offers up lovely aromatic layering that includes notes of cool red currant, dark raspberry, plum and freshly turned earth. There is more size, weight and richness to the larger-scaled flavours that possess a seductive texture before culminating in a naturally sweet, complex and sneaky long finish. 

This, too, is very promising for the longer term, yet it is a wine that should be approachable after only 6 to 8 years. Drink from 2029 onward

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (April 2020)

{***}
{region}Volnay{region}
{color}Red{color}                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}

{***}

The 2017 Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots is showing beautifully from bottle offering up a deep bouquet of ripe berry fruit plums and cherries mingled with soil tones and hints of blood orange. Medium to full-bodied with fine mid-palate volume and powdery structuring tannins this is a lively elegant Grands Epenots that has realized the potential it showed in barrel. As I wrote last year it's always a pleasure to visit Domaine Pierre Morey one of my favorite addresses in the Côte de Beaune. This year I revisited the 2017s from bottle and found them showing superbly confirming all the promise they showed in 2018. And from barrel the young 2018s were beautifully balanced displaying considerable charm. For once the cellars are full and Anne Morey made no secret of the fact that the vintage is characterized by abundance; but all the 2018s are nicely concentrated and classically proportioned and I suspect they will be open for inspection sooner than the serious youthfully introverted 2017s. As usual long élevage is the order of the day here and most of these wines won't be bottled before the spring. - Wine Advocate

{***}
{region}Volnay{region}
{color}Red{color}                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}

{***}

This brilliant vineyard is a continuation of the Montrachet Grand Cru as the slope starts to fall away. This has Grand Cru structure, its florality hidden deep within during its youth. Drink 2024-2030.

{***}{region}Chassagne-Montrachet{region}
{color}White{color}                                                              

 {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}{***}

You have to work on this in the glass, but it’s well worth the effort. It’s initially reticent on the nose, but what emerges are the purest red fruit aromas – très Pinot. Its fresh acidity and resistant tannins speak of the vineyard’s 300-metre altitude and limestone mother-rock. Drink 2026-2032. 

{***}{region}Corton{region}
{color}Red{color}                      {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2019{vintage}

{ratings} [] Burghound:: 92-95/100

{ratings}

{***}

{***}{region} Burgundy{region}
{color} White{color}                                                              

{maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2020{vintage}
{ratings} 

{ratings}{***}

High-toned aromatics lift from the glass in the 2013 Chablis Sechet. Mirabelle plums, kirsch and Poire William meld into honey and sweet fruit in a layered, highly expressive Seches. There is plenty of early appeal, yet the 2013 also has enough depth to develop nicely in the cellar for a number of years. This is a lovely showing.  - Vinous

{***}{region}Chablis{region}
{color}White{color}              {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2014{vintage}

{ratings}
 [] Vinous:: 89-91/100        
  [] Allen Meadows:: 90/100 Outstanding      
 {ratings}   

{***}

Guffens produced the 2021 Mâcon-Pierreclos Deuxième Vendange de Chavigne from a second picking some three weeks later of second-generation fruit that had attained full maturity, along with the very early stages of botrytis (when the berries turn rose-coloured but before they begin to degrade and shrivel), known in Mâconnais parlance as "levrouté."

This has turned out beautifully, picking up additional texture and depth with élevage and revealing complex aromas of freshly baked bread, confit citrus, toasted nuts, white flowers and clear honey. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and complete, with lively acids and a saline finish, it's built to age with grace.

Drink 2025 - 2045

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (October 2023)

{***}{region} Mâcon{region}
{color}White{color}                                                               

{maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2019{vintage}{***}

{***}{region}Pommard{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               

{maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}1998{vintage}
{ratings}
{ratings}        {***}

This Pommard Grands Epenots is a deep rich red, it has a subtle hint of earth on the nose, followed by the rich aromas of black cherries and with a touch of pepper. Very long finish, with great soft tanins.

{***}{region}Pommard{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               

{maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}1996{vintage}
{ratings}
{ratings}        {***}

A firm favourite of ours for many years, this wine is made from vines planted in the grounds of the Château de Puligny-Montrachet, within the village of Puligny. It is a late developing site and this, with the help of the windmill in front of the Château, ensured a decent crop was made. It is made in large format oak barrels for the first year and then in a large tank over the second winter. The nose is fruity and open with a hint of hazelnut and toast. On the palate, this is energetic and vivacious. There is a pleasing citrus freshness, delicate floral hints and a chalky finish. Drink 2023-2028. 

{***}{region} Burgundy{region}
{color} White {color}                                                              
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2021{vintage}{***}

{***}{region}Pommard{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               

{maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}1995{vintage}
{ratings}
{ratings}        {***}

Bernard Dugat lost around 30% of his 2014 Pommard la Levrière Vieilles Vignes due to hail damage, and it necessitated a lot of sorting. Still, it was worthwhile because it has quite an intense, pure bouquet of blackberries and wild strawberry despite just a little reduction. The palate is bolstered by firm, grainy tannin on the entry. There is good weight in the mouth, a little oaky on the finish but there is a keen line of acidity. - Wine Advocate

{***}{region}Pommard{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               

{maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For Laying Down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}
{ratings}
 [] The Wine Advocate:: 90/100{ratings}        {***}

Here a faint smoke and bitters on the nose  Eaeration brings a more overt floral aspect. A little extra sweetness, more overtly mineral  Eclarity, growing intensity  Eyou could be in Chablis here but with an extra concentration.

{***}
{region} Mâcon{region}
{color} White {color}                                                             

  {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}{***}

Not tasted: The domaine makes two Bourgogne cuvées; this is our favourite, from 0.75 hectares of limestone-dominated soils. It is a fine and mineral expression that creeps into village-level quality thanks to its surprising elegance and sophistication. Think citrus fruit and chalk. Drink 2023-2029

{***}{region}Burgundy{region}
{color}White{color}                                                              

 {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2021{vintage}{***}

En Remillys usual forceful personality and solid structure shows on the weighty, ripe nose of this wine. It needs more time to show at its bright best, but the length shows an early mark of quality.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Olivier Lamy decided on an unusually early start of 14th September in 2010, having closely monitored the ripeness of his grapes. He has also significantly reduced the amount of new oak this year, preferring to use one year old barrels from the plentiful 2009 vintage. He now has a substantial barrel park of 600 litre demi-muids to draw from. Olivier is not a fan of lees stirring: his style is for pure, precise concentrated wines.

{***}{region}St Aubin{region}
{color}White{color}                                                 

             {maturity}drink-now{maturity} 

{maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2010{vintage}
{ratings}
   {ratings}        {***}

In a vintage in which so many wines are all about intensity, 2009 Marquis d’Angerville’s Volnay Champans (magnum) impresses for its perfume, delineated fruit and fabulous overall balance. Refined and impeccable in its sense of restraint, the 2009 is so very pretty and expressive. Silky tannins round out the racy, polished finish. What a gorgeous wine this is. - Vinous

{***}{region}Volnay{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                              

 {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2009{vintage}
{ratings}

[] Vinous:: 94/100 

[] Burghound:: 93/100 

[] Wine Spectator:: 93/100 

{ratings} {***}

The 2018 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne is showing brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with notes of citrus oil, crisp Anjou pear, blanched almonds, white flowers and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's searingly intense, with an elegantly textural attack and a racy spine of acidity. Still tightly wound after its recent bottling, this has a long and glorious future ahead of it. This cuvée was produced from three picks—spread over the course of 12 days—in Guffens's higher-altitude holdings in Le Chavigne, and it was raised in barrels, some 30% of which were new. Drink 2025-2045. - Wine Advocate

{***}
{region} Mâcon{region}
{color} White {color}                                                             

  {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}{***}

The 1994 Meursault, Perrières, 1er Cru by Robert Ampeau & Fils presents a bright golden hue with a slight amber tinge. On the nose, ripe orchard fruits blend with hazelnuts and buttery pastry notes, complemented by citrus zest and delicate floral undertones.

The palate offers a beautiful balance of richness and freshness, with luscious pear, apple, and peach flavours, enhanced by creamy vanilla and butterscotch from oak ageing. The mineral character mid-palate reflects the Perrières terroir, while a well-structured acidity leads to a long, satisfying finish.

Enjoy now for vibrant fruit and complexity, or cellar for more tertiary aromas and flavours.

From two plots so now called Les Hauts de la Combe to bring in the names of the two lieux -dits. This has been bottled without fining or filtering. Pale colour, light yellow fruit, but again these are not high levels of ripeness. Very slight confection at the back but a good volume of fruit and excellent clean acidity.

Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy (Oct 2021)

{***}{region} Burgundy{region}
{color} White{color}                                                              

{maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2021{vintage}
{ratings} 

{ratings}{***}

As befits the well-exposed Grand Cru site, the fruit profile here is towards the stone fruit end of the spectrum. Spicy, rich, and with a hint of oak, there is outstanding concentration, a chalky minerality and a satisfying, long finish of pain d’épices. Drink 2021-2030.

{***}{region}Chablis{region}
{color}White{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2021{vintage}{***}

Here too there is a whiff of herbal tea sitting atop the cool essence of various wild red berries and newly turned earth scents. There is first-rate richness and volume to the big-bodied and tautly muscular flavors that also conclude in an overtly austere finish that offers dramatically good persistence. This too is quite firmly structured and like any Corton worthy of the name, it's built for extended cellaring. - Burghound

{***}{region}Corton{region}
{color}Red{color}                      {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2019{vintage}

{ratings} [] Burghound:: 92-95/100

{ratings}

{***}

A ripe yet cool nose features notes of cherry liqueur, raspberry, stone and soil-tones, all of which can be found on the rich, generous and beautifully well-detailed middle weight flavors that exude an equally fine minerality on the driving, punch and strikingly long finish where the hallmark touch of austerity in a young Taillepieds is in evidence. A lovely effort of class and grace that is less forbidding than usual. *Sweet Spot, Outstanding* - Burghound

{***}{region}Volnay{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                              

 {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2009{vintage}
{ratings}

[] The Wine Advocate:: 90-91/100 

[] Burghound:: 93/100 

[] Wine Spectator:: 90/100 

{ratings} {***}

The Domaine de Courcel produces Pommard with very traditional methods. Wines undergo a relatively warm fermentation, with at least three weeks of maceration and two to three punchings of the "cap" per day, resulting in a fine extraction of fruit, colour and tannins. The wines have been made by Vosne-Romanée vigneron Yves Confuron since 1996. The grapes are vinified with their stems after a severe sorting process. They are then matured in barrel for 18 months or more, without racking. There is not much reliance on new oak. The resulting wines have subtlety and richness that accompany a remarkable ability to age.

{***}{region}Pommard{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               

{maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}
{ratings}

[] Allen Meadows, Burghound:: 92/100

{ratings} {***}

This is deliciously moreish, with sweet strawberry fruit and cranberry bite for lift. The final blend will also include some wine aged in large foudre, which adds a heartier, richer texture and rounds out the wine. Simple but not one-dimensional. Drink 2019-2023.

It is fair to say that Ben is very happy with 2017, describing it as the kind of vintage he would sign up for every year. The whites, he says, are beautiful, and not far from 2014 in style, with purity, finesse, great definition and balance. He describes the reds as pretty, appealing and with body to support ageing, while highlighting the importance of lower-yielding old vines for serious ageing. He eloquently explains that there is no “black sheep Ein 2017, that no village has underperformed. For reason of space, the limited volumes of Grands Crus have not been included in this brochure. 

{***}
{region}Burgundy{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{***}

{***}
{region}Gevrey-Chambertin{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-improve{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}

{ratings} [] Wine Advocate:: 90-92/100

{ratings}

{***}

Domaine Boisson-Vadot, run by father and son team of Bernard and Pierre Boisson, is one of the rising stars in Mersault. The philosophy of the Domaine revolves around careful, hands-on vineyard management to coax the greatest potential of each vintage out of the various plots, and low-impact winemaking in the cellars that allows the unique terroir of each vineyard to surface. New oak is very minimal, no more than 30% for the top cuvées, and much more restraint in  the village wines and in Bourgogne Blanc.

The Domaine crafts from three of the best lieux à dits in Meursault: Sous la Velle , Grands Charrons (planted in 1988) and Chevalières (planted in 1982). The Grands Charrons is the most expressive, intensely flavoured of the three. The Sous la Velle is a more elegant version of the Grand Charrons. 

{***}
{region}Meursault{region}
{color}White{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will ikeep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2013{vintage}

{***}

A cool site giving low pH wines (higher acidity). Mid purple in colour with no great depth, an elegant light red fruit nose, strict, fresh raspberry and alpine strawberry. - Jasper Morris MW

{***}{region}Gevrey-Chambertin{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               

 {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}
{ratings}      [] Jasper Morris :: 89-93/100   
 
{ratings}{***}

Vinification with the stems gives these wines a notable character on the nose, with floral, spice and rose petals all coming to the fore, and an impressive density on the palate. This is a very graceful wine, and the finish shows a touch of tannin to maintain structure.
Jasper Morris MW

Domaine de Montille picked between the 18th and 26th September in 2010. The red wines, made by American Brian Sieve (one of two winemakers in this catalogue born in Indianapolis!) under the surveillance of Etienne de Montille, now show a consistency of style and quality that perhaps was not entirely there a few years ago. The whites are the responsibility of Etienne’s sister Alix and maintain the class of recent times. Together they have produced a fine result in 2010.

{***}{region}Pommard{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                             

  {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2010{vintage}
{ratings}   [] The Wine Advocate:: 91-93/100     {***}

This old vines cuvée comes from a tiny parcel of vines nearly 79 years in age that were planted by Massale Selection. The sub-soil here is chalk but there's limestone and clay up above. This is a structured red Burgundy that's powerful and will benefit from age. The majority of the domaine's vines are old vines (Massale) planted in the 1930s and 40s. Naturally the yields are miniscule for this reason making this wine all the more rare.

{***}
{region}Vosne-Romanée{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-improve{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}

{ratings}   

{ratings}

{***}

Firm reduction knocks down the underlying fruit at present. There is more size and power to the equally mineral-driven flavors that aren't especially dense, though neither are they dilute, while offering outstanding depth and persistence on the notably firm finale. Patience suggested. Drink 2034+, Burghound (Apr 2019)

{***}{region}Pommard{region}
{color}Red{color}              {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}

{ratings}

[] Burghound:: 91-94/100

{ratings}

{***}

Discreet but not invisible wood and menthol influences set off the much riper aromas of cassis, plum, black raspberry and game. There is excellent intensity to the mineral-driven and overtly powerful middle weight plus flavors that offer excellent depth and persistence on the firmly structured finale. This is really quite good and worth checking out provided you cellar it for at least 5 to 7 years first.  93 Points - Burghound

{***}
{region}Morey-St Denis{region}
{color}Red{color}                              

{maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}

{ratings} [] Burghound:: 93/100

{ratings}

{***}

A very pretty and airy nose features notes of red cherry, raspberry and spice with a shading of soft wood and earth. On the palate though this is not nearly as concentrated though there is still perfectly good concentration and a sleek muscularity on the vibrant, detailed and lingering finish. While this is by no means light, it is a Charmes built more along the lines of finesse than power. Drink 2028+

Burghound (Apr 2018)

{***}{region} Gevrey-Chambertin {region}
{color}Red{color}                                                             

{maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}

{ratings} 

[] Burghound:: 91-94/100

{ratings}

{***}

As Pommards go, Les Pézerolles is rather Volnaysien in style, thanks to its limestone soils, which give a more elegant and delicate expression. The fruit here is most definitely red and this is pretty, perfumed and charming, but with a serious, chalky limestone structure. Drink 2024-2032.

{***}{region}Pommard{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}
{ratings}        {***}

Brian was limited to 50% whole-bunch here; it would have been more, but there was no space in the tank. Champans can tend towards the rustic and tannic, and Brian softens the edges to give a softer, gentler and more delicate expression with silky tannins and lovely, perfumed lift. Drink 2023-2029.

{***}{region} Volnay {region}
{color} Red {color}                                                              

 {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}
{ratings}
{ratings}{***}

One of the most beautiful vineyards of Terroir, with its more than 85 years of life, lives vibrant in the contrast between the freshness of the winds of the Combe and the heat held by the sunny pebbles of the ground. 

{***}
{region}Vosne-Romanée{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}laying-down{maturity}
{maturity-text}For Laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}

{ratings}   

{ratings}

{***}

This cuvée is from old vines planted on a steep, south-facing site with high limestone content. It’s a wine which always punches above its weight, requiring a few years before approaching. Olivier shows this after the St Vérans, such is the regard in which it’s held. The 2019 is very concentrated, if a little more accessible than usual. Drink 2022-2027. 

{***}{region} Mâcon{region}
{color}White{color}                                                               

{maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2019{vintage}{***}

{***}
{region}Volnay{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}

{ratings} [] Wine Advocate: 89-91/100{

ratings

}

{***}

Domaine Boisson-Vadot, run by father and son team of Bernard and Pierre Boisson, is one of the rising stars in Meursault. The philosophy of the Domaine revolves around careful, hands-on vineyard management to coax the greatest potential of each vintage out of the various plots, and low-impact winemaking in the cellars that allows the unique terroir of each vineyard to surface. New oak is very minimal, no more than 30% for the top cuvées, and much more restraint in  the village wines and in Bourgogne Blanc.

Pierre Boisson produces a village Meursault from his grandmother’s vineyards (50 year old vines in the lieu-dits of Criots and Perchots) that is hailed an model wine for the appellation. 

{***}{region}Pommard{region}
{color}Red{color}              {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}

{ratings}

[] Vinous:: 94/100

{ratings}

{***}

This comes from the five hectares immediately in front of the château, a park until it was planted in 1986. Brian did not use any SO2 until after the malolactic fermentation, and the wine is only aged in minimum 500-litre barrels. It’s classically Puligny in style, with flinty reduction and a pure, floral, citrus profile. Drink 2021-2026.

{***}{region} Burgundy{region}
{color} White {color}                                                              
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}{***}

This one-hectare plot, purchased by the Brets’ grandfather, lies on relatively deep soils in the heart of the village of Vinzelles – overlooked by the primary school and mairie. Conceived for early drinking, it’s expressive and harmonious from the word “go”. Its texture is gorgeous. Drink 2020-2023. 

Medium depth of colour with a delicate, fragrant nose, very glossy, a delicious volume of fruit, fair depth, brisk red fruit with plenty of acidity. Fully ready but holding up nicely; no hurry.

Jasper Morris MW, insideburgundy.com (January 2018)

{***}{region} Nuits-St Georges {region}
{color}Red{color}        {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2002{vintage}

{ratings} [] Jasper Morris MW:: 91/100

{ratings}

{***}

The estate has nearly a quarter of a hectare here, but suffered a 50 percent loss in 2016. Marvellously intense, this has an ethereal, cool, stone component  Ea classic character of this vineyard, with a lick of exotic nectarine on the finish. It was matured equally in a mixture of standard and demis, and with more and longer lees contact than usual, to feed the wine’s textural volume. It will need patience. Drink 2022-2032.

{***}{region}Puligny-Montrachet{region}
{color}White{color}                                                               

{maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}{***}

Benjamin Leroux is perhaps best known as a négociant, but he now owns a significant proportion of his own vineyards. He bought fruit from this 0.5-hectare parcel until eventually buying the land in 2021. The soil is light and sandy with brown gravel, giving a perfumed and pretty wine that has a light and delicate structure. Five barrels were made in 2017. The nose is spicy with open red-berry fruit, with floral aromas that follow through onto the palate. This is a pretty, pure and transparent expression of Beaune.

Drink now to 2027

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Our Chablis has been made for us by Sébastien Dampt. The warm and dry 2022 vintage has given a ripe and fleshy citrus fruit character which combines harmoniously with the classic Chablis notes of iodine and oyster shell. Entirely unoaked, this is perfect as an apéritif or with fresh seafood.

Drink 2024 - 2027

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

This is very backward compared to lesser cuves, showing power and concentration rather than the detail of the fruit.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Jean-Philippes crop is down from 30 to 40% after the cold and wet flowering, but he is very happy with the quality. He started picking on Sunday 19th September and had finished before the rains came the following Friday. This is a domaine which has been consistently reliable in recent years, delivers excellent value for money and enjoys much deserved success.

The outstanding wine in 2007 is equally brilliant in 2008. Deep purple in colour with exceptional power on the nose. Some fresh mulberry fruit at the start leads to more complex flavours and even a touch of bacon on the palate. Stems used in the vinification. Brilliantly put together. Very long finish, suffused with energy.
(Jasper Moris MW, BBR Buyer)

This Latricires-Chambertin Grand Cru from Domaine Rossignol-Trapet has beautiful, elegant, deep red fruit and is very graceful and subtle. The fine fruit stretches all the way to a lovely finish with an amazingly perfumed aftertaste.

Bright rich purple. Very classy nose with lots of energy. Rich fruit but poised and chiselled, generous in the middle yet structured and fresh behind. Fabulous blackberry and red fruit finish which stretches out magically. Haute Couture.
Jasper Morris MW, Fine Wine Buyer

This Close de Vougeot glows an imperial purple with exceptional quality and real nobility. Fine and taut on the palate, with black fruit notes, it has a superb tannic structure and therefore the potential for long term ageing.

This has been one of the most exciting cellars in the whole of Burgundy for the last few vintages, a fact which is beginning to be reflected in the pricing. The significant reduction in crop this year, which Etienne Grivot ascribes more to the extreme winter cold than poor flowering, is also a factor. Etienne has been working hard to refine the tannins in his wines, and has surely succeeded in 2010, by producing wines of great energy but with suave, sophisticated finishes. These are brilliant wines that unfortunately, are in short supply.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

This wine has an amazing wealth of fruit, notable grip and will benefit from longer barrel élévage. It is certainly one to put away in the cellar and look forward to.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

The former Domaine René Manuel has been purchased by investors, the vineyards being split between Domaine des Comtes Lafon and Domaine Roulot while Dominique Lafon himself has moved production of his own label wines to the Manuel cellars in Meursault, as well as gaining some Bourgogne Blanc vines. Though Dominique operates officially under the status of negociant, all the wines are domaine grown and bottled except the Bourgogne Blanc, which will be next year.

Here the nose is distinctly different as it combines overt sauvage scents with those of pomegranate and dark cherry liqueur aromas, all of which is trimmed in plenty of warm earth nuances. There is fine volume and plenty of power to the muscular, powerful and robust big-bodied flavors that possess excellent mid-palate concentration as well as impressive persistence. What this doesn't have, at least not yet is the outstanding depth and thus my predicted range is somewhat wider than it usually is. The requisite underlying material does appear to be in place so that this additional complexity can develop and I am optimistic that it will in time.
Allen Meadows - burghound.com - Jan 2015

Noticeable but not invasive wood and menthol frame a slightly riper array of aromas that are quite similar to those of the regular cuvée. Here too there is outstanding density and power to the even more concentrated broad-shouldered and robust flavors that possess even better depth and persistence on the impeccably well-balanced, saline and palate coating finish. This is presently extremely primary and while it's clear that this offers huge upside development potential it's also clear that plenty of patience will be required.
Drink 2031+
95 points, Allen Meadows, Burghound.com, Jan 2016, Issue #61

This is a selection of the vineyards clustered around the village of Volnay itself. Grands Champs, Pluchots, Gigottes and Échards combine to give a richer nose and more density than the standard bottling. The palate displays greater structure while still retaining elegance and finesse. Drink 2021-2028.

Michel Lafarge (b. 1928) and his son Frédéric make use of their combined experience to produce some of the greatest wines in Volnay. There is nothing modern in their winemaking, though the meticulous care of their biodynamically farmed vineyards puts the domaine at the forefront of viticultural practices. When they are working on a patch of vines they are usually accompanied by their hens who eat up any lurking pests. The grapes are de-stemmed, vinified traditionally and very little new oak is used in the cellar. In 2014, they purchased vineyards in the Beaujolais which are farmed using the same biodynamic practices as employed in the Côte de Beaune.

Frédéric was keen to highlight the solidarity shown between vignerons at the end of April, as they mobilised to put in place measures to prevent a repeat of the frosts of 2016. Burning dampened straw bales at strategic locations, they succeeded in creating cloud cover which saved the vast majority of the vineyards. He also stressed the importance of “fractional harvesting” – waiting until each parcel is fully ripe before picking – and feels that the domaine’s biodynamic practices allow the grapes to achieve even ripening and balance, a real boon in early vintages such as 2017. For those with long memories, 90-year-old Michel compares 2017 to 1947 and 1964.

This is a charming and delightful example of everything I love about 2017 reds: pale ruby, a seductive perfume of red berries, rose petals and a dash of pepper. The palate is open and pretty, with juicy, crunchy redcurrant and strawberry fruit, mouth-watering acidity, and delicate, silken tannins. The finish has a chalky limestone freshness and a touch of creamy, spicy oak that will integrate further with time, though it may prove difficult to resist the temptation to enjoy this wine's wonderful balance and charm now.

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

This is from two very different vineyards: David has 0.8 hectares of 35-year-old vines in Les Cornières on glacial alluvial spoil from the combe, and 0.15 hectares in Charmes-Dessus on complex limestone, all planted in the 1980s. Here the spiciness is complemented by black fruits, and there is a final lift of sweet red fruit on the finish from 15% whole-bunch. Drink 2021-2026.

The fruit here comes from the parcel upslope from that used for the Lafon village Volnay. It’s extraordinary that a few metres uphill can make such a difference, but this is much more powerful and richly perfumed, and still quintessentially Volnay.

Drink 2024 - 2032

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Shallow sandy soils, a dry year, risk of dehydrating – so pick early. Still above 13% though. Two-thirds whole cluster. Plump ripe fruit aromatics but still with some freshness. Just a slightly drier finish.

Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy (October 2019)

Thibault Liger-Belair has followed organic and biodynamic practices for more than two decades. He believes that winemaking starts not with the fruit but with the soil. “We all talk about terroir, but my focus is on the soil and putting what it needs first,” Thibaut explains. His wines are pure, focused and desirable.

Immediately north of the town, La Charmotte lies just below Premier Cru Aux Bousselots. Firmer tannins from the lighter limestone follow a soft and generous entry from the clay-rich soil. This is pretty and front-loaded with plenty of fresh red-fruit notes.

Drink 2021 - 2026

An elegant wine, this comes from a cool site in a slight dip, with shallow topsoil before the limestone. It offers a coulis of red fruit in 2018, juicy and accessible, but with a lovely cool, refreshing push underneath. Drink 2023-2029.

The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Village comes from four hectares of old vines worked by Arnaud Mortet himself. It has a crisp, focused bouquet, quite mineral-driven, with so much freshness. The very well-defined palate features pure red and black fruit tinged with brown spice. Silky-smooth on the finish, this feels very complete and harmonious. Superb. - Vinous

The traditional one-quarter of a hectare around Vosne and Vougeot has been supplemented by a new plot in Les Croix Blanches in Vosne-Romanée, doubling the size of the cuvée. Unusually, there’s 20% new oak this year. The new parcel provides a little more spice and structure, but the wine remains exceptionally long for its humble appellation. Drink 2021-2027. 

The malolactic was half way through. 58% whole bunch, 50% new wood, including this sample from a new barrel. Jet black with purple rim, some apple notes from the malolactic and some barrel toast. Powerful stuff. Lively acidity though, coffee notes, more dark fruit but not at all heavy. Some tannins. Very good length here.

Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy (January 2022)

This is from the Echards and Aussy village vineyards. The higher level of tartaric acid in this vintage (at the expense of malic acid) gives the wine some rigour on the palate. François has worked hard to get the balance correct between structure, freshness and fruit. Some very attractive red fruit and violet Volnay perfumes arrive with aeration.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet with red cherries, blackcurrant, crushed violet and light stony aromas. This is nicely focused with good vigour. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fine acidity, touches of orange rind and marmalade enlivening the peppery finish. Not the most precise Lavaux Saint-Jacques, but good substance here.

Drink 2026 - 2048

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (December 2021)

This is from the lieux-dits Grands Clos and Clos Chareau. The former is higher up, on limestone, the latter lower down, with more clay. Great Morgeot is a vin de garde; this is no exception. It’s spicy and rich, with plump fruit and delicate floral touches. The texture is serious and a little firm, but this will age beautifully.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Dense black purple. Very little bouquet. Huge rich and powerful but this time the fruit goes right through to the finish and the little fresh crunch of acidity at the back helps considerably. Some deep raspberry along with some blacker fruit as well.

Jasper Morris MW, InsideBurgundy.com (January 2022)

The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Regnard (négoce) bursts with aromas of plums, peonies, warm spices and soil tones. It's charming and vibrant, medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated, with powdery tannins and a long, sapid finish.

Laurent Lignier began his harvest on August 27, reporting below-average yields and finished alcohols between 13% and 14%. Once again, the result is a fine vintage for both his domaine holdings and négociant sources—the latter, amounting to some 3.5 hectares of vines, now clearly distinguished in our reviews. 

As readers will know, winemaking is pretty classical at this address, with a short cold maceration, two to three weeks maceration with one pigéage and one rémontage per day and maturation in barrels, some one-third of which are new—if possible, without racking—for fully 22 months in the domaine's cold cellars. 

The 2020s are more primary and tightly wound than Lignier's 2019s, but they're similar in quality and worth seeking out.

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2022)

The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Les Noirots comes from vines of Riparia rootstock, around 35-year old. It has a lovely bouquet, pure and elegant with dark cherries, wild strawberry and rose petal scents. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, well balanced with a fine proportioned, harmonious finish. What a charming Noirots!

Drink 2024 - 2036

Neil Martin, Vinous.com (December 2021)

This particular cuvée comes from the Premier Cru ‘Combe au Moine’, one of the highest vineyards in Burgundy, reaching nearly 400 meters above sea level. The wines from this appellation are typically well structured, boasting bright red fruit and earthy nuances.

There are fully 8,000 bottles of the 2016 Mâcon-Pierreclos Le Chavigne, a superb wine that unfurls in the glass with a classy bouquet of Meyer lemons, confit citrus and smoky reduction. It's full-bodied, ample and silky, with a deep, layered mid-palate, tangy balancing acids and a mouthwatering finish. It's reminiscent of the lovely 2011 rendition. - Wine Advocate

Brian pondered whether climate change is helping some of Burgundy’s more marginal vineyards, such as En Remilly. St Aubin is now achieving very good levels of ripeness, as here, showing a sweet and honeyed exotic palate, with ripe, grapefruit-esque acidity. Drink 2022-2028.

Winemaker Brian Sieve draws comparisons between the white wines of 2017 and 2014, explaining that the texture, weight and freshness are very similar in both years, although 2017 has perhaps a little more fruit ripeness, along with excellent tension and persistence. He believes that this same freshness and brightness in the reds will provide ageing capacity, pointing out that they worked hard to restrict the yield of Pinot Noir to achieve riper grapes. Overall slightly less whole-bunch fermentation was used as Brian felt the stems and fruit were not as ripe as in richer vintages.

This was quite late to finish malolactic fermentation and accordingly the wine initially shows as quite creamy and soft, but the energy of the vintage illuminates the finish. It's from two parcels, Rue aux Vaches, above the village, and the other Noyers Bret, towards Chassagne.

Drink 2022 - 2028

Berry Bros. & Rudd

This is a fabulous vineyard, nestling up to Le Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet. The Bouzereau parcel sits directly beneath that which was upgraded to Chevalier in 1974. The wine has a fine, aristocratic, blossoming tautness across both bouquet and palate. Drink 2023-2031.

The harvest started on 30th August in Cailleret and Charmes, and was finished by 9th September. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay flowered in warm weather at the same time but, while the Pinot loved the heat, Chardonnay did not, with the resulting coulure and millerandage restricting yields to around 50hl/ha. Jean-Baptiste looked to get texture into his wines with skin contact and an extended fermentation rather than through bâtonnage, seeking to capture as much of the vital balancing freshness as possible.

The 2017 Auxey-Duresses Les Cloux is lovely, delivering an incipiently complex bouquet of pear, woodsmoke, dried white flowers and fresh pastry. It's medium to full-bodied, satiny and textural, built around racy acids and chalky dry extract.

Drink 2022 - 2037

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (February 2020)

This is a very charming wine, offering an expressive nose of ripe white fruit combined with sophisticated struck-match reduction and gentle oak toast. The palate is quite generous, offering richly textured white peach fruit, stylish and attractive oak spice and a keen thread of citrus acidity, finishing on a cleansing note of chalky minerals.  

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (Aug 2022)

The 2018 Saint-Véran was quite shy when I tasted it, revealing hints of citrus fruit, white peaches and spring blossom. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and nicely concentrated, with lively acids and a precise finish. This bottling contains Guffens's Saint-Véran press wine, which lends it a more giving, open-knit personality than the Clos des Poncetys. - Wine Advocate

Offering up aromas of green apple, citrus oil, white flowers and a subtle top note of petrol, Pierre Boisson's 2019 Bourgogne Blanc is medium to full-bodied, satiny and precise, with lively acids and a chalky, delicately oak-inflected finish.

Drink 2021 - 2026

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2022)

The fruit here is sourced from a trusted and well-regarded vigneron, from a top site in Montagny. The soil is clay over limestone. The wine is made exclusively in larger demi-muids. There’s a little stone-fruit here, adding creaminess to the mid-palate, but the underlying salinity ensures everything remains fresh and gives an energetic finish.

Drink 2024 - 2030

Berry Bros. & Rudd

From a .7 ha parcel in Prissé.

A subtle but easily perceptible dollop of wood is present on the almost painfully intense and overtly powerful larger-scale flavours, which also exude a bracing salinity on the youthfully austere, serious, and lingering finish that already offers fine depth. This possesses fine development potential, though at least some patience is again advised.

Drink from 2027 onward

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (October 2021)

This wine is new to the portfolio, although it formed part of the village Volnay blend last year. From the Les Pleures sub-section of Les Santenots, Ben has 0.5 hectares of 50-year-old vines which gave a generous 35hl/ha this year. There is a commendable positivity in this wine, almost muscularity, with a rewarding density and richness.

Drink 2026 - 2032

This wine comes from the climats of Casse-Tête, Les Petits Charrons and Narvaux du Dessous, three terroirs which are perfectly sited in the middle of the hill of Meursault, also known as the Montagne Saint-Christophe. There is good weight here, but this is a true hillside Meursault with a serious acid structure, graphite reduction and chewy, mineral finish. 

{***}{region} Meursault {region}
{color} White {color}                                                              

 {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2020{vintage}{***}

When the classification arrives in 2020, this will be the highest-altitude Premier Cru in Pouilly-Fuissé: it’s over 300 metres above sea level. There’s a little more ripeness to the nose here, but the palate retains the signature freshness of the vineyard. A star performer this year, this has wonderful salinity and minerality. Drink 2024-2030. 

{***}{region} Pouilly-Fuissé {region}
{color} White {color}                                                              

{maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For Laying Down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2019{vintage}

{ratings} [] Jasper Morris MW:: 90-92/100

[] Vinous:: 92/100

{ratings}

{***}

Outstanding. A slightly riper if otherwise similar nose precedes finer if not denser flavors that coat the palate in sappy dry extract that imparts a seductive mouthfeel to the bone-dry, youthfully austere and compact finale that is noticeably more tightly wound. In contrast to the straight Pouilly-Fuissé, this is going to require at least a few years of patience and should repay 5 to 8 years of cellaring. - Burghound 91-93/100