92-94 Point Wines

wines

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

A dizzying array of aromas range from green apple and peach to soft white blossoms and spice. The texture is dense, but surprisingly good acidity for the vintage deftly balances the richness and carries the wine to a solid finish. Grapes from the best village-level sites throughout the appellation are fermented in stainless steel tanks and large casks (15%), then the wine aged for six months on its fine lees to give a bit more depth. Will drink well on release and represents fantastic value in Chablis.Decanter Magazine | 92 DECReserved aromas of yellow apple, forest floor and pear blossom open on the nose. Steely in texture the palate is well served by chalk-dusted acidity that brightens the finish with an added twist of lemon peel. Pair with langoustines, mussels and goat cheese.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

Lush and seductive on the nose, this wine teases with layers of lemon cream, ripe orange and brown butter, all wrapped in an exotic, musky mango allure that feels almost decadent. On the palate, it glides across the tongue with juicy citrus and white flowers. It has a buttery richness and a delicious mouth-watering mineral edge that begs for another sip that leads to a long lingering finish that has echoes of orange zest. Sokolin Tasting Panel | 94+ SP

The 2023 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru has an attractive bouquet that seems to "expand" in the glass: apricot and peach skin meet a touch of melted candle wax, all nicely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine mineralité, fresh and focused, gaining weight towards the finish, which actually reminds me of the Perrières from Ballot-Millot. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93 VM

This village-level terroir produced an arrestingly good wine in 2023, offering aromas of ripe pear, hazelnut and a crisp, linear tension on the palate, tempered by enough ripeness and the density given by the clay soils. The grapes are from the domaine-owned parcel in the valley leading to La Rochepot in a cold, windy spot at 430m elevation. Although this should drink well on release, it is eminently suited for mid-term ageing.Decanter Magazine | 93 DEC

Displays a bright lemon peel and green apple fruit, with a bottom note of flinty minerality and just a hint of smoky reduction. The texture, however, is richer than the aromas would lead one to think – it is supple and approachable, with a hint of hazelnut on the agreeable finish. The domaine farms slightly more than a quarter-hectare near the base of the slope.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECPale colour, a softer white orchard fruit on the nose, there being more clay in the soil here. The mouth retains a certain juiciness, with the apples expanding towards the back of the palate. Clean and correct. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 90 JM

Because it is blocked by the peak known as the Roche Dumay, this south-facing slope overlooking the hamlet of Gamay does not get the sun until after 10am, but it has light into the evening, lending the fruit a slightly exotic passion fruit character. The texture is not heavy, however, and winemaker Sébastien Caillat manages both elegance and finesse, although he notes that the ripeness can jump quickly at the end of the season.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECIn the hail corridor. .En Créot does not see the sun until 10am so harder to do the treatments when there is still dew. Pale in colour with a light white fruit. Some ripe apples, middleweight, a little more mineral tension than the village wine, with good length. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 90 JM

A wine to seek out. Racy and very fine, the grapes come from the very top of the slope, and offer forward aromas of lime peel and gooseberry with a flinty, mineral edge. Marvellous acidity and great depth of flavour on the palate, along with a pleasantly silky texture. Although this will be attractive when bottled, it can also be aged.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECGrapes from less vigorous plants, situated on the limestone upper hillside. Very pale, stones in whitewash on the nose. Classy and classical, with an extra kick of fresh white fruit and lemon acidity at the finish. Persistent, more my style of wine. More nuanced at the finish. Drink from 2027-2031. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

The 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques is beautiful, offering up aromas of sweet dark berries, licorice and petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and textural palate that’s rich and fleshy, with lively acids and powdery structuring tannins.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has more mineralité and terroir expression on the nose compared to the Gevrey 1er Cru, with blackcurrant, raspberry and crushed violet scents emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, firm structure and a healthy dash of black pepper on the powerful finish. Time will tame this Lavaux Saint-Jacques. There is good potential here, but be patient.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMHere too there is just enough wood in evidence to merit mentioning on the wonderfully fresh and more deeply pitched nose of wild dark currant, plum and plenty of sauvage character. There is more volume still even though the medium-bodied flavors are not especially dense, all wrapped in a powerful, punch and mineral-driven overtly austere finish that delivers excellent length. This is lovely and very Lavaut in style and feel.Burghound | 91-94 BH

Silky, with some weight to its roundness, this red exhibits cherry, strawberry, rose, spice and mineral flavors. Boasts purity and grace, with alluring harmony and a long, fruit-filled aftertaste. This seems approachable now, yet there’s ample grip on the long finish. Best from 2028 through 2045. 200 cases made, 41 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2023 Pommard “les Pézerolles” from Domaine Voillot is an equally stunning young wine. The wine’s aromatic constellation is sappy, pure and very refined, offering up scents of sweet dark berries, black plums, raw cocoa, pigeon, currant leaf, dark soil tones, a hint of anise, woodsmoke and a gentle framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and sports a superb core of fruit, with lovely mineral drive and grip, tangy acids, ripe, buried tannins and a long, impeccably balanced, complex and very precise finish. Great juice. (Drink between 2037 - 2085)John Gilman | 94 JGAn exceptionally pretty, even perfumed, nose blends ripe aromas of red and dark cherry, violet, spice and an interesting suggestion of dried tangerine peel, which isn’t something that one encounters every day. The wonderfully textured, delicious and more mineral-driven middle weight flavors retain a lovely sense of delineation that carries over to the balanced, moderately austere and built-to-age finale. The Voillot Pézerolles doesn’t usually have the same density of tannins as the Epenots but in 2023, it appears that such is the case.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2023 Pommard Les Pezerolles 1er Cru is more backward than the Les Epenots at the moment, but there is a little more complexity than the 2022 and a touch of wild mint emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly reductive opening. It has mainly red fruit notes, slightly furry tannins and fine weight on the finish. This just needs a little time to knit together. Drink this over ten to fifteen years.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

The 2023 Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a wonderful mineral-driven yet understated bouquet unfolding in the glass with subtle oyster shell/crustacean scents. The palate is beautifully balanced with a keen thread of acidity that slices through the more malic fruit profile. Very harmonious with a judicious dab of spice on the finish, this is a marvelous follow-up to the 2022.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMPale with a green tint. Not so much nose on display yet. Then the volume of pure white fruit with some grapefruit bitters towards the back. Biding its time before displaying its wares. Tightly knit, good tension, this may take quite a while to unwind. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMElegant, pure and beautifully layered aromas of honeysuckle, acacia, carnation, white peach and a whiff of citrus confit precede caressing, rich and relatively seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that deliver fine length on the balanced and more complex finale. Like the Combettes, this is really quite classy and stylish.Burghound | 92-94 BH

The 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Champ Canet 1er Cru showed more reduction on the nose, yet there is clearly a lot of intensity here. It’s slightly more resinous than its peers, containing touches of melted candle wax and lanolin. The palate is well balanced and poised, with a keen silver thread of acidity and real energy building toward an assertive and complex finish. It is far superior to the 2022 when I tasted it last year. This is superb.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMA fine mid lemon colour. Discretion continues to be the Sauzet watchword. The Champ Canet has the ideal balance between the concentration of white fruit flesh, acidity, nuance and length. The fruit ripples over a bed of minerals. Very compelling. Drink from 2029-2035. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMVery firm reduction is such that the lightly wooded nose reveals nothing today. By contrast, there is good verve to the delicious and attractively textured flavors that aren’t quite as dense as those of the Truff but, also somewhat unusually, they do display more minerality on the bitter lemon zest-inflected finale.Burghound | 90-93 BH

The 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru has another riveting bouquet with notes of white peach, orange pith and crushed limestone. It is intense but very elegant and delineated. The palate has exquisite balance and a little more rondeur compared to others. A touch more spiciness emerges toward the finish, with perhaps the longest aftertaste. This is superb.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMHere too the nose is cool and airy with its aromas of smoked apple, acacia blossom, crushed fennel and citrus confit. The richer and more concentrated, though less mineral-driven, middle weight flavors coat the palate with sappy dry extract on the clean, dry, delineated and balanced finale. This is really quite classy and well-worth your interest.Burghound | 91-94 BHA large block adjacent to Meursault. A fairly pale lemon yellow, with a concentration of solid white fruit on the palate. Significant weight, powerful on the palate, all very much a monolithic block of flavour, some ripe grapefruit at the finish. Weightier perhaps but Benoît’s style here at Sauzet is not for the massive. Two thirds come from 70 year old vines, one third 30. Good acidity to finish. Drink from 2029-2034. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

The 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrières 1er Cru has a compelling strictness and mineralité on the nose, averting the more tropical inclinations of the preceding Champ Gain. It has just a small touch of reduction. The palate is well balanced with a keen line of acidity. There is a patina of oak to be absorbed, but there is real tension and attack in this Les Perrières. This is a concentrated wine that deserves more time in bottle.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMMid lemon yellow, a stony tension to the nose, softer fruit behind that, as we are lower on the slope, with an engaging generous finish, infiltrated by the sense of minerality. Very persistent. Drink from 2028-2034. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JMAn airy and cool nose combines notes of pear and citrus with those of acacia blossom and just sliced citrus. Once again the mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is super-sleek with a beguiling sense of underlying tension that carries over to the saliva-inducing, stony and beautifully delineated finale that isn’t quite as complex or persistent though it’s close.Burghound | 90-92 BH

The 2023 Puligny-Montrachet les Referts 1er Cru shows a little more ripeness and tropical traits than other cuvées from Sauzet. Its bouquet features notes of pineapple, nectarine and citrus peel, yet there remains delineation and mineralité that upholds a sense of Puligny-Montrachet. The palate is well balanced and weighty in the mouth, but I admire the tension and poise. It gradually builds toward the harmonious and subtle spice on the finish. Give this time.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMA slighter fuller lemon and lime colour. The bouquet suggests greater density of fruit. A light lick of oak which suits the more clay-based wines. Excellent energy, the oak backing up the fresh vigour of the fruit, and a well-balanced finish. Not the ripest, but quite powerful. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JMPungent aromas of moderate reduction and wood toast prevent an assessment of the nose. More interesting are the succulent, round and caressing middle weight flavors that possess solid volume and power that seems to build on the compact, sappy and well-balanced finale. Fine development potential here.Burghound | 91-93 BH

Offers a lovely lemon peel and mineral-inflected aroma, with hints of linden flowers and orange blossom. The texture is silky but not light; there is plenty of acidity to carry the weight of the extract. The grapes are from nearly 1ha of east-facing vines overlooking En Remilly; they are lightly crushed and gently pressed before fermentation in cask, 20% new. Give this two or three years in the cellar before opening and enjoy it over the next decade.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThe 2023 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Charmois has turned out beautifully this year, offering up notes of citrus zest, lime leaf, nutmeg and hazelnuts. Medium- to full-bodied, satiny and precise, with good cut, density and persistence, it’s worth seeking out.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPMid lemon yellow. A touch of sandalwood, but otherwise quite chiselled. A substantial volume of white fruit on the palate, more flesh than Champlots, fine acidity, a little grapefruit behind, and very persistent. Picked at the perfect moment. Iodine from the rock. Drink from 2027-2031. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMThe 2023 Saint-Aubin Le Charmois 1er Cru has a more neutral bouquet despite coaxing. It was a bit reticent at the time of my visit. The palate is crisp with a slightly shrill entry. This is quite sharp and "pointed" for a Saint-Aubin with a dab of ginger lingering on the finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

An enthusiastically floral-suffused nose reflects additional notes of pear, apple, matchstick and just sliced citrus. There is first-rate density to the surprisingly powerful and overtly stony flavors that possess excellent size, weight and length on the balanced and firm finale. This too possesses fine development potential, which is just as well as more depth is needed.Burghound | 91-93 BHAn attractive lemon yellow, with a slightly riper nose, and plenty of stuffing. Ripe citrus rather than yellow plum. Plenty of energy on the palate, more weight, perhaps less finesse than some, but a well constructed Puligny none the less with notable persistence. Drink from 2028-2034. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JMThe 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Les Truffières 1er Cru takes a slightly different tack to the other Premier Crus from Sauzet. It has touches of brioche and almond on the nose, a hint of lanolin and later, frangipani. The palate is powerful and well balanced. This mouth-filling Puligny doesn’t quite deliver the same tension and mineralité as the previous vintage or some of the other Premier Crus this year. Maybe it was just picked a day late?Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

From Les Chaumes. Mid lemon yellow. The nose is more about vanilla and coconut than fruit at the moment, but there is time. The density is certainly there, though this is a broad based Corton without the seeming minerality of Corton-Charlemagne. But it does seem a little overdone on the oak front. One barrel, one year old wood.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

Laurent Lignier has crafted a delicious wine from his holdings in Clos de la Roche, with dark plummy fruit and notes of ground coffee, earth and spice. The texture is serious, dense with tannin and extract, with enough acidity to draw the flavours out on the palate. Yields were tiny – just five barrels instead of the customary 15-20. This wine will begin to open in three to five years and will drink well for decades after that.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECLaurent has not made the special cuvée in 2024. Here there are 5 barrels from 0.90ha, two thirds Monts Luisants, one third Fremières. A fine mid crimson with a slightly weaker rim. The nose is very high class though, with just a little savoury edge to the mineral red fruit, good tension at the finish, maybe a little blueberry, classic Clos de la Roche with quite some staying power. Drink from 2032-2040. Tasted Nov 2025.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JMThe 2024 Clos-de-la-Roche Grand Cru has an exquisite bouquet that is easily the best that Laurent Lignier conjured this vintage: wonderful redcurrant and raspberry scents, freshly picked roses and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with finely honed tannins, a silver thread of acidity and silky texture that instantly seduces. There is just a tingle of white pepper on the finish that completes a lovely Clos de la Roche. Divine.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMModerate wood influence sets off overtly floral-suffused aromas of wild red berries, spice and a suggestion of wet stone. The succulent, round and utterly delicious medium-bodied flavors possess a lovely sense of underlying tension that adds to the appeal of the powerful, impressively long and well-balanced finale. This is though compact and very firmly structured so at least mid-term patience is recommended.Burghound | 91-94 BH

The 2024 Puligny-Montrachet Champ Canet 1er Cru comes from a single hectare block. The aromatics leap from the glass with vivacious citrus peel, crushed stone and white flower scents that are beautifully defined. The palate has exquisite balance, a shimmering line of acidity and wonderful poise with a persistent, subtly spiced creamy texture on the finish. I thought the 2023 was outstanding…the 2024 could be even better.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMThe 2024 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ Canet has turned out very nicely, offering up a reductive bouquet of pear, baking spices, sweet citrus oil, toasted nuts and struck match. Medium- to full-bodied, satiny and suave, with a layered core and a mineral finish, it will offer a broad drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPA faint green tint. Very slightly reductive. A little more perfumed afterwards, so there is certainly adequate ripeness here. Fairly generous on the palate, complex, and needing more time. Drink from 2030-2035. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JM

The Puligny Garenne has not fallen clear after a recent stirring. This blocks the nose a little, while nourishing the palate which has impressive depth and length. A little lemony note to the acidity. Probably not a typical note but clearly a promising wine. Drink from 2029-2034. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMThe 2024 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru La Garenne offers up aromas of apple, pear and fresh mint, followed by a medium-bodied, delicate and fine-boned palate.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPThe 2024 Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne 1er Cru from the top of the slope has a pretty nose with light orange blossom and apricot scents unfolding with aeration. The palate is leesy on the entry, fine weight, not quite the same tension as some of the other Premier Crus but there is satisfying length. Probably one of the earlier drinking cuvées from Sauzet.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

The 2024 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru comes from a single block towards the north part of the vineyard. There is a lovely smokiness on the nose, crushed stone and light sea spray scents deftly translating the pedigree of Combettes. The palate is fresh and sapid on the entry. This is nicely detailed, citrus-fresh towards the finish that lingers in the mouth. It is a Puligny that you really appreciate in retrospect and tempts you back for another sip. The 2023 was great…likewise the follow-up.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMThe 2024 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes is lovely, offering up aromas of honeyed orchard fruits, toasted nuts, white flowers and deftly judged reduction, followed by a full-bodied, ample and satiny palate with exceptional volume and density for the vintage, concluding with a long and expansive finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPMid lemon yellow. A little touch of biscuit on the nose, then a broad swathe of white orchard fruit. Combettes likes a year with a bit more water and this shows in the quality of the 2024. Just the right trace of acidity at the back to keep this in balance, while we benefit from the broad brush of the fruit. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JM