92-94 Point Wines

wines

The 2023 Les Boucauds is a rounded, full style from a clay-chalk parcel. This is open and approachable from the off, with a touch of alcohol-tinged heat. The richness of the clay provided a sense of volume on the palate but it’s not loud. There’s lovely richness of texture after spending 14-16 months on lees. The 2023 has fine talc and floral perfume lingering on the long finish.Vinous Media | 92 VMA richly styled version, with hints of warm hay and beeswax atop a core of apple and preserved lemon. Waxy in feel, with real weight to the lush palate. Savory, succulent acidity slices through, maintaining balance and tension. Delicious through the long, mineral-rich, salty finish, where there’s a hint of blanched almond. Drink now through 2030. 3,500 cases made, 700 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Delicate and floral in the glass, the 2023 Rosé Château de Selle Cru Classé wafts up with a captivating blend of freshly sliced nectarines, minty herbs, peach sorbet and wet stone. This is seamlessly silky and serene, focused on purity, with ripe orchard fruits and candied lime motivated by a core of tantalizing acidity. It’s potent and long, with a spicy flourish of ginger and citrus while leaving a sweet herbal tinge that lingers on and on. The 2023 Château de Selle is simply stunning. - Eric GuidoVinous Media | 93 VMBright and vivid nose with strawberries, dried raspberries, cherry blossoms and a light, spicy undertone. Medium-bodied, round-textured and lengthy with lots of energy and a crisp, mineral backbone. Round and textural finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSThe nose of this wine is high intensity, with candied peach bursting out of the glass. The palate is in perfect balance, tart flavors of apple and grapefruit play off of the bitter grapefruit leading into the superlong finish.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEDense and complex, this ultra-pale version starts off a bit closed before opening up to reveal apple blossom, crunchy nectarine and pear flavors cut with notes of crushed flint, while a thread of salty, smoky dried green herbs cruises through. Creamy and refined, this is drinkable and delicious. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2028. 11,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Delicately aromatic, with floral, herbal, and apple skin notes wafting from the glass. Textured and mouthwatering, it boasts a mineral focus and a subtle salty edge. Sage and mountain herbs add to its verdant profile, supported by great acidity that keeps the palate refreshed and engaged.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA clean and fresh white that has notes of chopped apples, almonds and lemon rind. It’s medium-bodied, creamy and balanced. Sustainable. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JSAromas of elderflower, wild herb, hay and stone fruit form the nose on the 2023 Gavi del Comune di Gavi from Fontanafredda. Tangy and bright, the palate offers apricot, green apple and lemon before a saline close. Drink through 2027. Abv: 14% Kerin O’Keefe | 90 KO

The 2023 Rully “Montmorin” from Domaine Chartron has also been bottled prior to my mid-January visit to the estate. The wine is really refined this year, offering up a lovely aromatic constellation of apple, wet stone minerality, dried flowers, a nicely discreet framing of new oak and a topnote of limepeel. On the palate the wine is pure, precise, full-bodied and shows off lovely depth of fruit at the core, with good mineral undertow, excellent acids and grip, fine balance and a long, complex and seamlessly balanced finish. Fine juice. (Drink between 2025 - 2040)John Gilman | 92 JG

As always, this estate crafted one of the most perfumed and complex rosé wines in France. The 2023 Bandol Rose exhales aromas of spring flowers, guava, lemon, spices and iodine mingled with delicate licorice hints. Medium-bodied, textural and layered, it’s perfectly balanced with a fleshy core of fruit and bright acids, concluding with a long, mineral and iodine-inflected finish. Kudos!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPWonderfully perfumed, the 2023 Rosé entices with orange oil, nectarines, crushed wild berries and savory herbs. Rich and broad yet with a stimulating core of acidity, this plays a game of contrasts on the palate, mixing citrus-laced green melon with zesty spice and crisp mineral tones. A cascade of rosy inner florals fills the senses, as a resonance of white peach and a zest of lime keep the mouth salivating. Glorious today yet also gently tannic, the 2023 is a showstopper.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Huia has never been one to make stereotypical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc is no different. Under new ownership but with the winemaking remaining in the hands of former co-owner Clare Allen, the 2023 is a quiet, elegant, aromatically delicate expression. A little more than light in body, it has a rich, succulent and rounded texture, no doubt a combination of the organic vineyards, wild fermentation and use of barrel. Flavors of honeysuckle, ripe apple and lightly toasted hazelnuts linger on the mouthwatering finish.Vinous Media | 92 VM

It must be difficult being Cloudy Bay, because fame brings extra scrutiny and the question, ‘Does this brand offer value for money in the context of the wider region?’ In 2023, the Sauvignon Blanc silences its critics. Its vineyard may be much larger than it once was, but it delivers – dry, clean and elegant, with classic characteristics and the bonus of welcome structure on the finish. It may not be the most flamboyant on the nose, focusing more on the herbal rather than tropical spectrum (whether that’s elderflower, gooseberry or classic passion fruit), but that seems to be a function of the vintage. The 2023 is long, fragrant and exactly what you want from Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but with an extra layer of class. Vinous Media | 93 VMShows typical guava, grass and flint aromas with some green melon. Medium-bodied with a solid density of fruit as well as brightness and acid energy. Really well done for this vintage. Drink or hold. Screw cap.James Suckling | 93 JS

This is even cooler and more restrained as the nose only grudgingly reveals its aromas of mineral reduction, green apple, spice, acacia blossom and a deft touch of wood. The gorgeously textured medium weight flavors brim with both minerality and sappy dry extract that buffers the youthfully austere and even more persistent finish. This too is very classy and a classic Clos de la Mouchère of grace and poise. If you can find it, buy it.Burghound | 95 BHA fuller yellow here, and an extra degree of completeness, more weight and almost all the class. The oak is still at 50% new and is very well integrated. Gorgeously rich, with little fruits dancing through a meadow. Once again, I do see the magic of this. Henri was strongly advised by his father to look after “Madame de la Mouchère”. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMThe 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchère 1er Cru is another very classy wine. Vertical in feel, the 2023 is super-bright from the outset. White pepper, flowers, mint, sage and pear reinforce that impression. Readers will find an airy, deceptively mid-weight Puligny that possesses remarkable depth.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM

This is a blend of Le Charlemagne, and Hautes Mourottes, which from 2024 Pierre-François will make separately, calling the former Charlemagne and the latter Corton-Charlemagne. In 2023 there are eight barrels worth, made in two new barrels, two older barrels and a concrete egg. These have been racked to tank since just after the harvest. Pale in colour, stony with a little toast also. Crisp white orchard fruit with a little flesh behind, and good tension. Nicely balanced at 13.5% alcohol. Drink from 2029-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JM

With the 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos Hommage à Louis, the Droins have regained the right to designate Les Clos on the label from the INAO, but they’re also continuing with the Hommage à Louis moniker. Whatever its name, the wine is lovely, opening in the glass with notes of green apple, peach and lemon mingled with iodine and toasted nuts, followed by a full-bodied, layered and concentrated palate that’s deep, dense and muscular.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2023 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru Hommage à Louis has the best bouquet amongst the Grand Crus from Droin. Very vibrant and intense, with crushed limestone and flint. The palate is well balanced with melon, grapefruit, orange rind and quince on the entry, building nicely towards a slightly oily-textured finish. I can see this aging well in bottle - more complexity on the finish compared to say, the Valmur or Grenouilles.Vinous Media | 94 VMI believe that the authorities have now confirmed that all of Benoît Droin’s plots are properly within the boundaries of Les Clos, though Benoît will continue to use the Hommage epithet alongside the vineyard name. the 2023 Hommage à Louis has a clear and classic nose after the pale lemon colour. Brilliant balanced juice, the Clos transcends the vintage. All white fruit of course but some crunch to the white apple fruit. Juicy and generous but still with a fine firm classic core. Fabulous finish. Drink from 2028-2040. Tasted Jun 2024.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMSmoke and light wood nuances set off cool floral and spicy aromas of freshly grated citrus, white peach, honeysuckle and tidal pool wisps. There is again fine intensity to the dense and stony broad-shouldered flavors that flash fine length on the ever-so-mildly warm finale where a touch of youthful austerity slowly emerges. This refreshing effort is so rich that it should drink reasonably well young but the better choice would be to allow it to age for at least a few years as it could also use more overall depth.Burghound | 93 BH

The 2023 Saint-Véran from Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon is a lovely example of this fine vintage. The bouquet offers up a nicely ripe and vibrant blend of peach, apple, chalky soil tones, a hint of hazelnut, apple blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with a good core, fine soil undertow and grip, bouncy acids and a long, balanced and classy finish. Good juice. (Drink between 2025 - 2037)John Gilman | 92 JGThe 2023 Saint-Véran has a winsome bouquet, very pure with lemon curd and apricot notes that blossom in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with a peppery opening, fine weight and depth and a touch of Szechuan pepper on the finish. Recommended.Vinous Media | 90 VMFrom the communes of Prissé and Davayé. Pale lemon with a green streak, not quite clear. Quite pronounced ripe fruit with some generosity but there is a good backbone too, you can see the ripeness of the fruit though just 12% in alcohol. Drink from 2025-2028. Tasted Mar 2024.Jasper Morris | 88-90 JM

The 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Les Chalumeaux 1er Cru is more understated but more complex than the Hameau, with fine delineation and crushed stone infusing malic scents. The palate is well balanced with a twist of sour lemon on the entry, tensile and focused with a precise and quite persistent finish. This is a well-crafted Puligny that will give a decade’s drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 92 VM

A tiny vineyard of one hectare delivers this firm, medium-bodied red with racy tannins, dark chocolate, iodine and dried strawberries. Creamy and chewy at the same time. Juicy as well. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JS

The 2023 Meursault 1er Cru Charmes is the richest, broadest wine in the range, bursting with aromas of honeyed pears, white flowers, freshly baked bread and beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it’s layered and textural, with a sweet core of fruit that’s balanced by good energy and grip.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The 2023 Meursault 1er Cru Les Cras is pretty, wafting from the glass with notes of pear, confit lemon, orange zest and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, mineral and chalky, with a sweet core of fruit girdled by bright acids, it’s pure and precise.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPHere too there is a suggestion of the exotic to the aromas of white peach, tangerine, mineral reduction and once again, a hint of phenolic character. This medium weight flavors aren’t quite as dense though they are just a bit finer while offering fine length and an almost palpable sense of minerality on the balanced and youthfully austere finish that, interestingly enough given that this is a premier cru, isn’t quite as structured.Burghound | 91 BH

The 2023 Soave Classico Foscarino is youthfully coy, with a delicate blend of lime zest, sweet sage, crushed green apples and a subtle whiff of spice. It possesses a core of zesty acidity and depths of salty minerals, as well as a silken wave of nectarine and citrus that soothes the senses. The 2023 reverberates with tension, crisp and long, leaving a crunchy sensation and the palate completely reset for another salty sip.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2023 Grüner Veltliner is a vivid blend of crushed yellow apples, fresh apricots, chamomile and raw almond that wafts up from the glass. It presents a pretty inner sweetness offset by salty mineral tones as an air of custard swirls across the palate and tart orchard fruits slowly saturate. The 2023 tapers off with a sensation of liquid rocks offset by a minty freshness, finishing long and loaded with youthful tension. This is gorgeous today, yet with years of positive development in store for patient collectors.Vinous Media | 94 VM

A pleasing balance of rich flavor, mouthwatering acidity, and verve deliver. This Chardonnay captures combine the aromatic lift of citrus blossoms, with flavors of crisp nectarine, spice and a hint of guava. Delicious. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2023 Chardonnay Karia is a delicate, nuanced wine. Citrus peel, white flowers, chalk, mint and floral overtones are beautifully delineated. This classy, polished Chardonnay is a delight.Vinous Media | 92 VMA creamy and flavorful chardonnay, offering white peaches, raw walnuts, lemon rind and melon. Rich but clean and textured, with medium to full body and delicious stone fruit in the middle. Tense, juicy finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

The 2023 Chablis Vosgros 1er Cru shows a small reduction when taken directly from vat. It eventually offers shucked oyster shell on the nose, quite strict and focused. The palate is very smooth, a little creamier in texture compared to the Vaucoupin. Touches of lemongrass and Vervane flowers lend intrigue on the finish. Real panache here and it may have its nose in front come bottling.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMAn expressive and airy nose reflects an abundance of Chablis typicity that include just sliced lemon, iodine, shellfish and quinine. The rich and generously proportioned medium-bodied flavors possess fine mid-palate density and a lovely texture while delivering excellent persistence on the balanced and refreshingly dry finish. This too is very good and a wine that should also amply repay mid-term keeping.Burghound | 92 BHBottled in March 2025. Pale lemon and lime, fresh for 2023. A vinous nose, touch of coconut quite generous. Not too fleshy but in a style heading in that direction. Some minerality but less precision than 2024. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

This deeply coloured wine from the Pommard side of the village boasts a pronounced plummy fruit with nuance from hints of wood smoke and saddle leather. The texture is firm and draws the wine to a lingering finish. The grapes are from d’Angerville’s 1.06ha parcel. The 2023 vintage has more stuffing than many, although there is no lack of charm. This wine will probably require five to seven years to show its best. A lovely success.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECA medium crimson tint to the colour. An extrovert riper fruit on the nose, sheer beauty on the palate, a slightly darker tint to the raspberry behind. And then it all comes flooding back incrementally across the palate. “A wine which levitates”, suggests Guillaume. Very persistent indeed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPA bright and wonderfully fresh nose also offers up ripe cherry scents are laced with hints of spice and red currant. The mouthfeel of medium-bodied flavors is fine to the point of being borderline delicate while delivering good punch on the firm, serious and saline-inflected finale. Lovely.Burghound | 91 BHA medium crimson tint to the colour. An extrovert riper fruit on the nose, sheer beauty on the palate, a slightly darker tint to the raspberry behind. And then it all comes flooding back incrementally across the palate. “A wine which levitates”, suggests Guillaume. Very persistent indeed.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMA lighter crimson colour. Crushed strawberries on the nose, but no whole bunches here. More about the sensuality than precision in this wine, a riper style of fruit though not necessarily any higher in degree. A long and agreeable finish. Drink from 2030-2037. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 90-92 JM

Old vines directly on the mother rock. Mid lemon yellow, a bouquet which is more about ripe citrus and maybe some herbal notes, verbena. Striking linear energy on the palate, the ripe citrus continuing through to the finish. All the Chassagne-Montrachet 1ers crus are quite different, which is a very positive point in favour of the vintage (and Adrien’s skills!) Drink from 2028-2034. Jasper Morris | 93 JMAromas of pear, pastry cream and white flowers introduce the 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers, a medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless wine that’s pure and racy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RPA slightly cooler and airier nose is comprised by notes of just sliced citrus and apple along with pretty floral nuances. The middle weight flavors aren’t not as rich or powerful though they are finer with a subtle minerality adding a sense of lift to the vibrant, balanced and long finale that isn’t quite as complex. While this isn’t quite as interesting as the Fairendes, it still merits interest.Burghound | 91 BH

This exotic wine boasts aromas of passion fruit, pomelo and ripe yellow plums, touched with oyster shell and a hint of smoky reduction. There is rewarding richness here, but there is also plenty of fresh acidity and energy on the palate. The grapes are from the white marl soils of the well-protected, south-facing slopes in the village of Fleys, not far from the Mont de Milieu; it is one of the warmest premier cru sites on the right bank of the Serein. Open this wine in five years and drink it over the next 20.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECExotic floral notes, passion fruit, nashi pear and gooseberry introduce the bottled 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Les Fourneaux, a medium- to full-bodied wine that is elegantly fleshy yet taut and vibrant, concluding with a persistent, grapefruit-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2023 Chablis Les Fourneaux 1er Cru has an airy, crushed stone- and flint-tinged bouquet that seems to have veered toward a more classical and sapid style since bottling. The palate is bright, well balanced and taut, with lime on the entry and a dash of white pepper toward the finish. Give this 18 to 24 months in bottle to show what it is capable of.Vinous Media | 92 VMA little lemon touch to the nose. Retains a cool clarity, then riper lemon scented fruit on the palate and a nicely balanced finish. Attractive stony rather than saline notes to finish. Drink from 2027-2032. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

The recently bottled 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is another success for Samuel Billaud, unfurling aromas of nashi pear, iodine, gooseberry and grapefruit. Full-bodied, ample and satiny, it offers a layered mid-palate framed by tangy acids and concludes with a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPThe 2023 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has a vivacious bouquet that’s more complex than the Montmains. It’s delineated and focused with wonderful mineralité, scents of lime flower, citrus peel and orange blossom. The palate is very well balanced with a quicksilver line of acidity, fine depth and a harmonious, saline finish. The 2023 is beautiful.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis lively, fresh expression of Montée de Tonnerre features aromas of gooseberry and cream with a suggestion of oyster shell; a salty, mineral tang arrives at the end on the palate. The texture is silky and very fine. The grapes are from several parcels totaling 2.15ha in the lieux-dits of Pied d’Aloup and Côte de Bréchain. In 2023, they were gently pressed and fermented exclusively in tank to preserve the freshness of the fruit.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECJust bottled. A clear lightly lemony nose. A sense of considerable weight behind. This has a grander structure than the Mont de Milieu while retaining an even more mineral central backbone. Strikingly long finish. But keep this for years! Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 93 JMAn elegant, pure and airy and more floral-suffused nose possesses more obvious Chablis character with its wet stone, shellfish, brine and iodine-suffused aromas. There is more refinement, if less volume and power, to the beautifully textured middle weight flavors that conclude in a sneaky long, balanced and altogether classy finale. Lovely stuff.Burghound | 92 BH

The 2023 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru has a detailed and mineral-driven bouquet that evokes images of the dark and stormy sea. This has wonderful salinity—it really benefits from no wood contact. The palate is old-school Chablis, with green apple and pear scents. It’s a little strict, yet there is real depth and grip here. The 2023 is very complex and long on the finish, but it’s 100% Chablis in style. Outstanding.Vinous Media | 94 VMJust bottled, after 18 months in tank. Not too dry and stony, though savoury in the best sense. Samuel’s Séchet is one of the great expressions of Left Bank Chablis, with its tightly wound finish and controlled salinity. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Jun 2025. | 94 JMRestrained aromas of citrus confit, iodine, spice and apple give way to strikingly textured and slightly denser medium-bodied flavors that flash evident power that builds on the bitter lemon-inflected finish that is markedly dry, sleek and balanced. The Billaud Séchet is virtually always excellent and the 2023 vintage should be no exception. (Drink starting 2031)Burghound | 93 BH

The village-level Chablis from Billaud-Simon is a classic expression of the terroir, with aromas of lemon peel and white flowers and a fine, silky texture. The acidity is balanced if not pronounced, giving the wine finesse without a lot of tension. Régisseur Olivier Bailly notes that this final year of organic conversion was a struggle with the weather, but he is pleased with the final blend, which included 25% cask-fermented wine.Decanter Magazine | 92 DEC