92-94 Point Wines

wines

Lovely fruit quality; weighty, ripe and powerful but balanced with citrus freshness. A little more approachable than Vaulorent for the moment. Blue and white clay adds extra depth.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2022 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has a clean, precise bouquet that is more austere than Droin’s other Premier Crus at the moment. More to give? (Droin mentioned this had just undergone some filtration). The palate is well-balanced with a crisp entry, fresh and saline with a more malic finish. Maybe the purists/classicists’ choice? This will need considerable aging.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPA more floral and slightly more elegant nose is composed of notes of cool green apple, oyster shell, iodine and hint of crushed anise with a similarly discreet application of wood. The middleweight flavors are not as rich though they are noticeably finer with a slightly more evident bead of minerality as well on the tension-filled, lingering and well-balanced finish. This stylish and classy effort could also use better depth but the Droin MdT has an excellent track record, and 2022 should prove no different.Burghound | 92 BHA clear mid lemon yellow. The bouquet is well balanced, confit de citron but not too peachy. Just a little spritz in the mouth, though this will be less evident after bottling. There is a full, rich, ripe yellow plum fruit, but not exaggerated and well within the style of Montée de Tonnerre. Drink from 2027-2033. Tasted Jun 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JM

Here there is just enough reduction to blur the nuances of the floral and citrus confit-scented nose. On the palate though there is excellent freshness and underlying tension to the caressing, round and utterly delicious larger-bodied flavors that display lovely fruit-acid balanced on the citrusy, youthfully austere and lingering finale. It’s not often that I describe any Morgeot as ’stylish’ but this lovely effort qualifies.Burghound | 92 BH

Bottled yesterday. Pale colour, elegant and stylish, then keeps going, this isa Folatières of elegance more than weight, with a classy and nuanced white fruit. Allow for this to develop more body as it grows up in bottle. Drink from 2028-2037. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 93 JMThere is a vague whiff of the exotic present on the elegant nose that offers up essence of pear, passion fruit and discreet floral wisps. The middleweight flavors are finer though not as concentrated while displaying very good length on the, stone and bitter lemon-inflected bone-dry finale.Burghound | 91 BH

Pale clear lemon. This is one of the more crystalline Maltroies, from vines below the house. Then fleshier on the palate with good white fruit concentration. The wine maintains a fine balance throughout between the flesh and the more linear thread. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JM

In Les Combards, the upper slope section of Caillerets. Pale lemon yellow. Quite a strict nose, a little suggestion of sulphur in with the stones. Always likely to be more austere from its location. At this stage at least it is not quite as complete as the very best Caillerets, but lovely wine. The finish is the best, with ripe lemons. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JMThe 2022 Chassagne Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru has another expressive bouquet, with hints of yellow flower combining with citrus peel and lemon verbena. This gains intensity in the glass. The palate is well balanced, with a crisp, orange rind- and tangerine-tinged entry. Perhaps the Morgeot Les Grand Clos conveys more terroir on the finish, but this will still offer eight to ten years’ drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2022 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Les Grands Clos has a clean and precise bouquet of Granny Smith and Conference pear, quite Puligny-like in style. The palate is fresh on the entry, with a fine bead of acidity, quince and orange zest in the background and a lifted, very expressive finish that is an absolute delight.Vinous Media | 92 VMMid lemon colour, racy. A little stricter and chunkier than the graciousness of Fairendes, with a lemon infused energy at the back. Much more massive in structure, a real sense of energy throughout, less elegance than Fairendes, more power. Drink from 2028-2036. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JM

Aromas of green apple, white flowers, orange oil and buttery pastry preface the 2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers, a medium to full-bodied, taut and racy wine with a satiny attack and all this site’s signature energy and cut.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPLight soil which gives high acid wines. Pale lemon colour. A stricter white fruit up at this end of the village, but no less intense. Excellent tension, you can almost taste the mother rock. A clean and crystalline finish. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 93 JMHere the wood treatment is less subtle though by no means invasive on the smoky and floral-suffused aromas of mostly white fleshed fruit and citrus rind. The rich and generously proportioned yet quite punchy middle weight flavors also possess a seductive texture thanks to the sappy dry extract that serves to buffer the moderately firm and bright acidity supporting the solidly lengthy finish. This is not as dense as the Fairendes but it’s finer with fine complexity as well. Worth checking out.Burghound | 92 BH

Racked to tank. A glowing pale primrose. Not very much reduction. Good weight, a light lemon acidity behind a fine depth of concentrated fruit. With time I think more personality will emerge. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Dec 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

Raveneau mature all its Petit Chablis in 400 and 500-hectolitre barrels. Plenty of interest here, with density of ripe stone fruit and very linear acidity. Undoubtedly a very high class Petit Chablis which focuses on precision and elegance.Decanter | 93 DEC

Lovely nose of candied citrus with just a touch of butterscotch. Quite rich on the medium- to full-bodied palate, but very gentle and delicate. Lovely harmony of fine tannins, chalky minerality and ripe acidity that is already extremely satisfying in the long, silky finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe dense texture in this balanced and juicy white embraces ripe peach, spiced pear, butterscotch and smoke flavors. This is solidly structured, with light tannins lending a tactile feel on the lingering finish. Best from 2025 through 2032. 180 cases made, 60 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThere is a vague hint of exotic character to the aromas of white and yellow peach, passion fruit, spice and wet stone. Here too there is excellent volume to the beguilingly rich flavors that, somewhat curiously, display a touch of rusticity on the otherwise markedly zest-inflected finale. This could use better depth so a few years of cellaring should help.Burghound | 90 BH

Raveneau mature all its Petit Chablis in 400 and 500-hectolitre barrels. Plenty of interest here, with density of ripe stone fruit and very linear acidity. Undoubtedly a very high class Petit Chablis which focuses on precision and elegance.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECThe 2022 Petit Chablis has a pretty bouquet with lime and light Golden Delicious scents. The palate is well balanced with a citric entry, modest weight, a little chalky in texture towards the finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

Always one of the more quintessentially Chablisien wines in the range, the 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys offers up notes of citrus oil, white flowers, wet stones and oyster shell, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and pure palate that’s suave but incisive, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPWith its particular northerly exposition within Vaillons, you would expect Les Lys to be very successful in 2022. And it is. A fine blend of freshness allied to sun-drenched ripeness, with a pronounced mineral finish. A great example of the distinctive terroir of Les Lys. Long, mineral, salty tail.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECThe 2022 Chablis Les Lys 1er Cru comes from north/northwest-facing vines. This complex and detailed bouquet of yellow fruit, lemon verbena and lemon thyme is quite minerally and focused. The well-balanced palate has a fine acidic spine, more sapidity than the Vaillons and a persistent and detailed finish as it fans out. Superb.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMThere is a certain coolness to the otherwise ripe aromas of apple, pear, sea breeze and quinine. The succulent and unusually rich middleweight flavors are also nicely refined while flashing a bead of minerality on the youthfully austere, balanced and lilting finale that could use better depth. This citrusy effort is really quite good and one that should benefit markedly from a few years of keeping.Burghound | 91 BHJust assembled so cloudy, as all the lees remain in suspension. The bouquet is less fine but shows nonetheless a wealth of pure white fruit which is attractive. Lots of marl with a mix of portlandian and kimmeridgian soils, the former adding the body, the latter leaving the lick of salinity. Good length. Drink from 2026-2034. Tasted Jun 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JM

The 2022 Pouilly-Fuissé Ax - B comes from the non-Première Cru classified part of Aux Bouthières and pressed at very low pressure, and aged for 15 months in used barrel. This is initially very understated, demands more coaxing from the glass than the Vieilles Vignes. But with time, it offers more mineralité and terroir expression, fine delineation with subtle struck flinty aromas manifesting with aeration. The palate is very well balanced with a taut line of acidity, certainly spicier and more peppery than the Vieilles Vignes with a soft landing on the finish. Great complexity here as I found in barrel last year - recommended.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Usually a benchmark for the appellation, Droin’s Chablis has a lot more density and concentration than the Petit Chablis. More structure and minerality here. Will be very good and a classic example.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2022 Chablis Village has a crisp, focused bouquet with hints of pressed white flowers and wet stone. The elegant palate has flecks of white peach and apricot, balanced and lovely with a charming, precise finish. This is very capable and should age well in bottle.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

The 2022 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru Hommage à Louis has quite a malic, green apple and Anjou pear-scented nose that unfurls beautifully in the glass. The palate is taut and linear, with moderate depth, clamming up slightly towards the finish compared with the Grenouilles or Valmur.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2022 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru has a very aromatic bouquet with apple blossom, white peach, wet stone and light praline scents - complex. The palate is delineated and sapid on the entry, quite strict with quince and peach hints towards the sustained finish. Classy, if just missing the killer blow.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2022 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru is very fragrant on the nose with white peach, white chocolate and hints of wet stone scents, like a Vaillons-plus. The palate is well-defined, taut and fresh, with crisp acidity and good depth, but it starts to clam up towards the finish. Patience will be required, but there is no doubting the caliber of this Grand Cru.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

The 2022 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has a complex bouquet with touches of white peach and a muscat-like scent, very focused and seductive. The palate conveys energy and vigor with citrus fruit and hints of orange zest towards the persistent finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

All domaine fruit now, from Les Chevalières, Luraule. Pelles, Casses Têtes, Petits Charrons. Pale to medium lemon yellow. A generous bouquet speaking clearly of Meursault. A broad bench of ripe white apple fruit with excellent energy, good acidity behind, and notable persistence. Very Meursault and quite delicious. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted: December 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMThe 2022 Meursault is a rich, opulent white. Lemon confit, marzipan, spice and crushed rocks are all amplified. Clean mineral notes extend the finish while also providing a counterpoint to all the textural richness. The Meursault is a blend of parcels (including En Luraule, Petits Charrons, Casse-Têtes, Les Pelles), all estate, high up on the slope. The 25% new oak is nicely judged. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 90-92 VM

The 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is also rather rich and textural this year, mingling notes of sweet orchard fruit and confit orange with notions of toasted nuts and buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with lively acids and a saline finish, I’d expect this to take on more cut and tension by the time it’s bottled.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2022 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru has an elegant bouquet with apricot purée, yellow flowers and light Mirabelle aromas, with hints of crushed stone emerging with time. The palate is well-balanced, with a slightly viscous opening matched by a silver bead of acidity. The salinity comes through right on the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93 VMA restrained nose grudgingly offers up a blend of green fruit, citrus, iodine, shellfish and a hint of quinine. There is again fine volume to the beautifully texture and more refined medium-bodied flavors that exude evident minerality on the equally long if not quite as complex finale. Lovely and I very much like the balance that should permit it to age gracefully.Burghound | 93 BH

This is also aromatically cool and almost as reticent with its airy aromas of white pepper, mineral reduction, essence of pear and a suggestion of wood influence. The gorgeously textured medium weight flavors possess an even more developed sense of refinement while exhibiting fine length on the quinine, stony and bitter lemon zest-suffused finale. This is lovely and a Vaillons of finesse in 2022.Burghound | 90-93 BHThe 2021 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru had been blended the previous week, during which a majority of the lees is kept. Often one of my favorite cuvées from William Fevre, the entrancing bouquet has impressive intensity on the nose. The palate is well-balanced with lemon verbena and touches of pear, a fine sense of energy and composure, and a persistent finish. This already looks very promising.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMTypical Vaillons perfume and freshness. Precise but with good weight and precision. A classy Vaillons which will drink well when young but will also age. Fèvre owns 3.5ha, with 50% in Vaillons, and the rest spread between Chatains, Roncière and Melinots. Early harvest here.Decanter | 92 DEC

The 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots is very promising, bursting with aromas of orange zest, citrus blossom, buttery pastry and fresh hazelnuts. Full-bodied, satiny and layered, it’s elegantly textural, with attractive mid-palate depth and purity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2022 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru is blessed with one of Piuze’s most enticing aromatics—gorgeous minty yellow plum mixed with jasmine and dried honey. The palate is well balanced with yellow plum (again), stem ginger, white peach and a hint of lemongrass. Very harmonious and persistent - this is an excellent Blanchot.Vinous Media | 93 VMSubtle if easily perceptible wood can be found on the airy and floral aromas of sea water, citrus and a hint of wet stone. The rich and solidly concentrated medium-bodied flavors exude an almost palpable minerality on the impressively long finale. This is notably more refined than the Bougros though it too could use better depth but with at least a decade of upside development potential, more will almost certainly develop.Burghound | 93 BHPale colour, a full and ripe nose, the white flowers are entwined with a little honeysuckle. Fresh enough on the palate with a fine white fruit thread, sinuous yet precise, and with great length. A fine and typical rendition of Blanchots. Drink from 2027-2037. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 93 JM

Although this is slightly closed on the initial attack, there is a crisply refreshing high-toned fruit character (cranberry, raspberry, pomegranate), with notes of peony and spice. The texture is fresh, tannic and grippy, and the compact, expressive fruit has an admirably chiselled character. The wine is from 75-year-old vines planted at the top of the slope above Richebourg and Cros Parantoux — the ’baby Richebourg’ according to Anne Gros. This wine will drink well from three to five years after the vintage.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2022 Vosne-Romanée Les Barreaux, which Paul Gros said the family considers a Premier Cru close to Cros Parantoux and Richebourg, is based on poor shallow limestone soils. The nose takes time to open and evolves lovely raspberry and wild strawberry scents laced with oyster shells. The palate is medium-bodied with good substance on the entry. This is more structured than you might presuppose. It has a silver bead of acidity, and the finish feels pixelated for a Village Cru. Bon vin.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMA solid core of ruby purple. What a beautiful nose! Global warming says a friendly hello to cooler sites such as Les Barreaux. More oak this year because of the shortage of one year old barrels, and that shows a touch at the back at the moment but will all integrate. Very lively and extremely fine, with a greater depth of fruit than the Chambolle. The pinot fin plant selection is showing its class here. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted: November 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JMIn contrast to the expressiveness of the prior wines, here the nose is firmly reduced and reveals nothing. More interesting are the fresh, vibrant and beautifully textured medium-bodied flavors that already possess solid depth and very fine length on the balanced if firmly structured finale. Lovely.Burghound | 89-91 BH

The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin La Marie, named after the lieu-dit close to the Château de Gevrey, has a fragrant bouquet with red cherries, wild strawberries and touches of quince, vivacious and beautifully focused. Saline in the mouth with plenty of energy, gradually building towards a well-proportioned, slightly peppery finish that might deceive you into thinking there were stems in the mix. A level up from the previous vintages.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMThe 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin La Marie is ampler and fuller than the regular Gevrey, unfurling in the glass with notes of dark berries, cherries, warm spices and sweet soil tones. Medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with a succulent core of fruit and powdery tannins, it’s built to age with grace.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RPThis is the one wine in the range that was reduced and it’s enough to push the underlying fruit to the background. More interesting are the bigger-bodied and more concentrated flavors that brim with dry extract on the sneaky long and well-balanced finale. This is presently very backward, indeed it’s a bit grumpy, yet the potential for extended cellaring is clearly present. If you have the patience, and can find it, don’t hesitate.Burghound | 90-92 BH

The 2022 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru has a discrete nose that gradually reveals one of Droin’s more floral bouquets this year. The well-balanced palate has a slightly richer, nuttier opening and good depth, tensile with a subtle reduction on the persistent finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMA very elegant example of Fourchaume. A fine, all round package with depth and weight of fruit. Enough acidity to balance. Would drink this earlier than some, as it has a very generous fruit character. Droin’s vines are planted in the Vaupulent climat.Decanter | 92 DECModerate wood surrounds the ripe and more floral-inflected nose of essence of pear, mineral reduction and a similar very vague hint of the exotic. The wood can also be found on the palate of the rich and opulent yet solidly punchy medium-bodied flavors that exhibit fine depth and persistence though. With that said, and as good as this certainly is, it isn’t a match for the Mont de Milieu.Burghound | 90-92 BH