92-94 Point Wines

wines

The 2022 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru comes from the southerly exposed lieu-dit of Les Chaumes and matured in used barrels (just one and a half, to be exact.) This has real presence on the nose: plenty of light honey scents, yellow plum, dried white flowers, and chamomile aromas. The palate is very well-balanced, with Satsuma and lime on the entry. It is not the most complex Corton-Charlemagne, but there is engaging balance and real depth, growing almost playful towards the finish with candied orange peel lingering in the mouth. Give this two or three years in bottleVinous Media | 92-94 VMHere too moderate wood influence is present on the ripe aromas of petrol, citrus rind and soil tones. The wood is also evident on the palate of the larger-bodied and more concentrated flavors that exhibit solid power on the lightly mineral-driven, balanced and lingering finish. This isn’t exactly rustic though it’s not refined either and has the stuffing to repay up to a decade of keeping.Burghound | 91 BH

25% whole bunch vinification. Still in barrel. A rich saturated purple. The fruit swarms across the palate, yet with a fine sense of balance. Fine grained tannins, not too wild a style of Bonnes Mares, and indeed the holding is on the white soil which explains the elegance. Drink from 2032-2040. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JMThe 2022 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a well-defined bouquet with black cherries, wild strawberries and iris flower, more intense than the 2023. Taut and focused, the palate is medium-bodied with a fresh entry, quite linear for a Bonnes-Mares, with a bright, vivacious finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 93 VMHere the grudging nose is even spicier with a slightly more deeply pitched array of plum liqueur, dark currant and floral suggestions that are trimmed in hints of menthol. There is a bit more volume and mid-palate density, if less obvious minerality, to the medium weight plus flavors that are at once punchy and overtly powerful, all wrapped in a clearly built to age finale. This is excellent but patience will definitely be required.Burghound | 92-94 BHAromas of sweet red cherries, figs, rose petals and spices introduce the 2022 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, a medium to full-bodied, deep and layered wine that’s one of the riper, more muscular wines in the range, exhibiting just a touch of sur maturité.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

The 2022 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru is showing brilliantly, wafting from the glass with notes of red berries and cherries mingled with incense, rose petals, spices and peonies. Full-bodied, fleshy and layered, it’s seep and multidimensional, with a concentrated core of fruit and a long, resonant finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2022 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a well-defined bouquet with black cherries, wild strawberries and iris flower, more intense than the 2023. Taut and focused, the palate is medium-bodied with a fresh entry, quite linear for a Bonnes-Mares, with a bright, vivacious finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 93 VM25% whole bunch vinification. More of a pinky purple. Still in barrel, so the bouquet reflects this. There is a fine and concentrated mineral thread through the middle of this wine and significant class to the fruit. Does it have the silky sensual quality of the very finest? Drink from 2032-2040. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMLike the Clos de Vougeot, this too is quite firmly reduced and revealing nothing aromatically. More interesting are the beautifully textured and tension-filled bigger-bodied flavors that exhibit fine length on the dusty and balanced finale. This would benefit from having better depth but the potential to develop it appears to present.Burghound | 92-95 BH

The delicate nose of floral honey and acacia blossoms leads you into this elegant Meursault Charmes. Very focused and vibrant on the medium- to full-bodied palate, the fine tannins keeping this straight. If the firm finish was a bit more elegant, this would certainly rate higher. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.James Suckling | 93 JSMore subtle oak influence can be found on the cool, airy and exceptionally pretty aromas of citrus, white flower and Granny Smith apple. Once again there is a beguiling texture to the impressively rich and mineral driven medium-bodied flavors that coat the palate on the youthfully austere, firm and beautifully persistent finale. While this could reasonably be approached after only three to four years, it has an excellent track record for aging and is a wine that should repay up to a decade of keeping.Burghound | 92 BHNotes of freshly sliced citrus and mineral reduction combine with those of white flower and discreet spice nuances that are trimmed in discreet oak. There is a restrained energy to the caressing, intense and lilting middle weight flavors that possess good richness but also a lovely sense of refinement on the bitter lemon-infused finale. This is certainly pretty but it will need a few years of cellaring to better develop the overall depth.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMMid lemon yellow. This is rather more open on the nose, with an easy white fruit, no great detail as yet but showing more on the palate. Quite intense apples with some ripe citrus rind alongside, medium plus bodied, fair length. Drink from 2028-2034. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JM

A powerful and ripe Meursault with plenty of Mirabelle plums filling out the generous medium- to full-bodied palate. Attractive interplay of creaminess, fine tannins and freshness. Matured in small oak barrels, of which one third were new. Very limited production. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2022 Meursault Santenots 1er Cru has a complex nose: yellow fruit, spice box, touches of fennel and crushed stone, all coming through with aeration. The palate is very well-balanced with good weight - a lovely creamy texture whilst retaining tension. More open than other cuvées and persistent in the mouth, this is a well-crafted and delicious Meursault.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMAll from Les Santenots Blanc. A lime and lemon colour, some charm to the nose along with the energy. Rather a pretty expression of fruit, then a little more flesh behind, well integrated with the oak. A supple rounded Meursault with still a sense of refinement. Drink from 2027-2033. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMThere is enough wood present to merit pointing out surrounding the ripe aromas of primarily pear compote and citrus confit. The sleek, intense and solidly voluminous flavors possess an interesting hint of sweetness on the lingering finish that could use a bit better depth. With that said, this is sufficiently tightly wound to repay 6 to as much as 10 years of cellaring which should prove beneficial.Burghound | 90 BH

TOP VALUE Jessiaume is using the 2ha of domaine vines it recently recovered from a sharecropping contract to produce this lovely wine with aromatic raspberry fruit and a floral edge. Supple and approachable, with a pleasant sweetness to the fruit, structure and freshness. A noticeable step up from the other village-level bottlings. Organic.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThis red Santenay has a crisp acidity, but there’s excellent concentration and finely nuanced red-fruit aromas that easily balance this. Cool and elegant on the medium-bodied palate, where the fine-grained tannins, fruit and freshness neatly interlock. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2022 Santenay La Cassière has a pleasant bouquet with wild strawberry and raspberry fruit and some judicious and prudent use of new oak (20%). The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit, more harmonious, and unlike the Vieilles Vignes, the finish has more substance. Drink over 4-6 years.Vinous Media | 89-91 VMFrom a plot below La Maladière, recovered by the domaine in 2021. An attractive lighter purple colour. This is an elegant style of Santenay. Quite nuanced, pleasing light red fruits, enough acidity and good length. Very far from rustic! Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 87-90 JM

A total of one hectare is planted in Fournaux. The vines from the top of the slope in stony soils are blended with those from the deeper clay at the base. All the grapes are fermented as whole clusters and are ageing in mainly used casks to create this wine with a bright mulberry and pomegranate fruit aroma underpinned by saline minerality and a hint of savoury game. The texture is firm with grippy tannins and good length.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThe 2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Fournaux 1er Cru is more closed on the nose compared to the Grands Liards, yet it is still well-defined with black plum and bilberry fruit, intermingling with sous-bois and a touch of crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. It’s an elegant Savigny, not powerful, but armed with reassuring persistence on the white pepper-tinged finish. Lovely.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMAn even fresh purple. At first there is not much nose but a little fresh raspberry fruit begins to emerge. The Fournaux 2022 delivers a rounded raspberry and strawberry fruit across the palate with sterner tannins at the finish, and still a good acid balance. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 90-92 JMMore somber, even brooding, aromas of various dark berries, warm earth and a touch of the sauvage enjoy a floral top note. There is notably better punch, though not better density, to the powerful and serious medium-bodied flavors that coat the palate with firm tannins on the built-to-age finale.Burghound | 89-91 BH

This opulent style starts out supple before chalky tannins take hold of its cherry, blackberry, earth and mineral flavors. Muscular, solid and dry, this lingers, offering a fruit- and oak spice–filled finish. Best from 2027 through 2045. 411 cases made, 15 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis had just been bottled shortly before my visit and, unsurprisingly, was displaying some reduction. More interesting are the rich, caressing and delicious medium-bodied flavors that are noticeably finer while exhibiting excellent power, focus, balance and length on the bitter pit fruit-inflected finish. This is textbook Bressandes.Burghound | 93 BH

Grown on red soil on hard limestone, planted partly in 1985 and mostly in 1995 at 14,000 vines per hectare. There’s a smoky touch to this, reminding me of my childhood overheated Scalextric set. This apart, the Clos du Meix offers linear intensity, fresh apple, a slight bitterness behind, then kicks on to a concentrated finish. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 92 JMModerately firm reduction renders the nose impossible to assess. More interesting are the caressing, delicious and more subtly mineral-driven flavors that deliver fine persistence on the compact, youthfully austere and built-to-age finale. Once again, this is very good though a wine that’s also going to need at least a few years of keeping.Burghound | 91 BH

This is the benchmark for (tank fermented, pure) Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc. The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc has sweet green pea, green apple skins, juniper, rosemary, a hint of nashi pear and layers of jasmine tea and spice. This is, as usual, very fine and spicy, with purity and textural complexity side by side. Pear skin. Pretty.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPVery fresh nose with a wide spectrum of aromas, ranging from forthrightly grassy and fresh-basil notes to gooseberry, grapefruit and passion fruit, this is a juicy and elegant Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc. Long, racy finish. Drink now. Screw cap.James Suckling | 93 JS

The 2022 Vino Bianco Leukò bursts from the glass with a wild aromatic display of ground ginger, incense, dried peaches and sour melon. It’s soft and enveloping with a pleasant inner sweetness up front and zesty acidity as floral-laced white pit fruits and candied citrus tones cascade throughout. The palate is left reeling, watering for more, as a perfumed floral air dissipates over tropical kiwi hints. This is Leukò on steroids. It’s a blend of 70% Greco Bianco and 30% Gaglioppo, vinified white.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Piuze’s 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is a powerful, muscular wine, mingling notions of orange and mandarin with toasted nuts, dried white flowers and iodine in an incipiently complex bouquet. Full-bodied, broad and layered, with notable structuring dry extract and a long, resonant finish, it’s quintessential Les Clos.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

The deeper clays of this site tend to do well in warmer years, and the 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux is no exception, offering up aromas of dried white flowers, peach, citrus oil and freshly baked bread, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and fleshy palate that retains good cut and tension in this warm vintage, concluding with a mouthwateringly saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Offering up aromas of citrus oil, crisp stone fruit, white flowers and buttery pastry, Piuze’s 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros is medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, with a bright spine of acidity and a mouthwateringly saline finish. It’s an especially strong performance for this site this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

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

Very elegant and restrained nose of sweet violets, watermelon, fruit salad, red cherries, strawberries and pomegranates. Dense on the palate with a medium body, chewy tannins, crisp acidity and a polished finish. Surprisingly delicious. Drink now.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2022 Spanna Coste della Sesia La Crotta is a fine entry-level offering from Cantina Delsignore. Crushed flowers, sweet red cherry fruit, cedar and pipe tobacco give this mid-weight Spanna notable finesse and overall appeal. This is everything Spanna (Nebbiolo in these parts) should be.Vinous Media | 90 VM

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 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru bursts with aromas of sweet berries, cassis, petals, warm spices and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and gourmand palate with an enveloping core of creamy, succulent fruit that largely conceals its powdery structuring tannins, concluding with a broad saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPThe 2022 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is aged entirely in new oak. The very delineated bouquet needs a couple of swirls before it releases scents of white-tipped strawberry, raspberry, wet limestone, and hints of pressed flower. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet, slightly candied entry, touches of orange zest and white pepper infusing the vivid red fruit before it fans out gently on the finish. This has a very persistent aftertaste - superb.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMA discreet application of wood is present on the ripe yet nicely fresh aromas of a mix of red fruit, warm earth and spice nuances. The round, delicious, caressing and decidedly punch medium weight flavors flash focused power on the youthfully austere and more tension-filled finale. This is really quite lovely and also a wine that should amply repay extended keeping.Burghound | 93-95 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

Although these a rich, deep soils, Droin says they retain a lot of seashell character. Lively and fresh on the palate, you can feel the cool terroir combined with warm, ripe fruit. Very classy and will age beautifully. Benoit Droin explains that it is the argile-bleu (blue clay) found here which adds extra volume.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2022 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru offers scents of grapefruit and orange rind on the nose, less flamboyant than the Vaillons, yet showing impressive delineation already. The palate is well-balanced, with a tangy opening and hints of marmalade infusing the citrus fruit with an almost steely finish. This will need time in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMProminent notes of mineral reduction and just picked white flowers suffuse the aromas of tidal pool, algae and zest. The rich but vibrant medium weight flavors possess even more obvious minerality that seems to become more obvious on the cool, firm and delineated finish that is clean, dry, citrusy and sneaky long. Lovely.Burghound | 90-93 BH

The 2022 Chablis Vosgros 1er Cru, which is already in bottle, has a harmonious bouquet with fleeting lime, wet stone and a touch of citrus peel. Nicely detailed. The palate is sapid on the entry, with plenty of oyster shell/marine notes and a classically styled, almost "mean" finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92 VMDroin explains that although Vosgros is technically a left bank premier cru, it faces the same way as the top right bank climats. Although with a direct southwesterly exposition, the vines are located in a very cold valley. More restraint here, good density, but a little less of a mineral thread.Decanter | 91 DEC

Aromas of wild raspberries cascade out of the glass with fresh rose, wild herbs and subtle earth notes. The lively palate pops with sour red cherries that are balanced by hints of anise and underbrush. Elegant tannins frame the wine perfectly. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WELanghe Nebbiolo is a terrific category of wine that is taking on enormous steam. You get the lovely character of the elegant grape but delivered here with more immediacy and ease of drinking. The Elvio Cogno 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo Montegrilli is the type of bottle you hope to find at your neighborhood trattoria or pizzeria. The wine shows a brilliant ruby hue with fragrant rose, violet and sweet cherry. Production is 15,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPSourced from Nebbiolo grown just outside the Barolo zone on sandy soils, this Langhe Nebbiolo is primed and ready to be enjoyed now. Vinified in stainless steel with a portion of whole-bunch fruit and 30% undergoing carbonic maceration, it flaunts a beautiful perfume of wild strawberry and floral notes. In the mouth it has good intensity of juicy red fruits with a touch of herbs. Textural, sapid and vertical.Decanter | 92 DECNo written review provided. | 92 W&SThe 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo Montegrilli is an homage to Valter’s grandfather and was fermented and aged only in stainless steel. The 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo Montegrilli is a pale ruby, with notes of ripe wild strawberry, cinnamon, and white pepper. It is lifted, fresh, and medium-bodied, with fresh acidity and a good clean finish. Another fresh example to serve with salumi and as an aperitif, with a light chill, it is easy to drink and approachable. Drink over the next 5-6 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDDried herbs, dark chocolate and bark with red and dark berries on offer here. Medium-bodied, juicy and crunchy with a flavorful, citrusy finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JSJust a touch earthy in aroma, giving way to succulent cherry, raspberry, floral and woodsy flavors. Balanced and firm, with a lingering, spicy finish. Decant. Drink now. 1,500 cases made, 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2022 Rosé BY.Ott is such a complete wine. It’s just so elegantly put together. Orange oil, strawberry fruit, strawberry top (yes, the leafy part), ruby red grapefruit and fresh mint form an intoxicating bouquet as the 2022 puts on weight in the glass, especially in the mid-palate. Fresh, lively, juicy, salivating—all of these apply. A satisfying mineral bitterness tugs at the tongue as the wine exits the mouth, lingering with the subtlest hint of fruit sweetness. The finish is long and measured. Very well done. - Billy NorrisVinous Media | 92 VM