92-94 Point Wines

wines

Juicy and engaging, with heavy mulled raspberry and blood orange flavors coursing through, carried by a bright mineral edge and a flurry of red tea and savory notes. The long, lingering finish has nice latent tension. Drink now through 2030. 2,600 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSWell balanced, tangy and lightly tannic, this lively wine will be versatile in food pairings. Its red cherry and dried cranberry notes are delicious and appetizing, while the influence of new French barrels stays nicely subtle.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA fresh and crunchy pinot with lovely cherry, hibiscus and light orange peel character with hints of earth and cedar. Medium body. Fine tannins and a delicious finish. Delicate is the word. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

Aromas of raspberries, cassis, forest floor, espresso toast, spices and orange zest introduce the 2021 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, a medium to full-bodied, ample and layered wine with lively acids, ripe tannins and a broad, saline, peony-inflected finish. This is a beautiful middle-weight in the making.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2021 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru sported quite hefty reduction on the nose that made it difficult to read during my visit at the Domaine. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth, slightly lactic entry, powdery texture, tight and firm. Maybe not quite the complexity or amplitude of Dugat’s other cuvées on the finish, but it will evolve with time in bottle. A bit stoic at the momentVinous Media | 92-94 VMFirm reduction. The round and seductively textured medium-bodied flavors are not especially dense, but they do offer excellent length on the balanced finish. As it usually does at this point, this will need to add depth, but more should almost certainly develop as the Dugat Charmes has an excellent aging track record.Burghound | 91-93 BH

The 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru, the usual blend of Crapiots and Perrières, has a beautifully defined bouquet with dark cherries, bergamot and wild hedgerow, very focused and classy. The palate is medium-bodied with a powdery texture, just a very small reduction at play, though that does not disguise the structure and substance on the finish. Wonderful.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMWafting from the glass with notes of smoky berries, sweet soil tones, spices and orange zest, the 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru is medium to full-bodied, lively and elegant, with bright acids and sweet, powdery tannins, concluding with a mineral finish. Once again, it’s the usual blend chez Dugat of premiers crus Craipillot and Perrières.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RPHere too the nose is firmly reduced. More interesting are the delicious and vibrant middleweight flavors that possess slightly better density while delivering solid length on the punchy and mildly austere finale. Good mid-term development potential here.Burghound | 90-92 BH

Rose petal, pomegranate and an herbal blast of oregano and marjoram show on the nose of this bottling from an historic producer in the mountains east of Salinas. The palate is snappy in acidity with plenty of herbal influence, offering thyme-flecked strawberry-sauce flavorsWine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2021 Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains) is a gorgeous wine that captures the essence of the house style. Bright, lifted and wonderfully transparent, the 2021 is all class. Sweet spice and citrus accents complement a core of bright red-toned fruit. Whole cluster accents add layers of nuance. This is such a gorgeous Pinot.Vinous Media | 93 VM

An exuberantly fresh nose of spicy purple fruit, exotic tea, violet and hints of cinnamon and sandalwood are trimmed in discreet but not invisible wood. There is both good richness and punch to the supple medium-bodied flavors that conclude in a lightly austere but impressively long and harmonious finale. This could use better depth but like the VRBM, the Rouget Ech has an excellent track record for aging well.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2021 Echézeaux Grand Cru, aged in 100% new oak, is tasted from two barrels as one is heavily reduced, while the other shows fine delineation: crushed strawberry, wild mint and loam. The palate is heavily reduced at first, quite dense and broad-shouldered, black cherries mixed with cassis, a little chocolaty towards the finish.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

There are only three barrels of the 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques, but its quality is some compensation for the lack of quantity. Exhibiting complex aromas of raspberries and cassis mingled with sweet spices, orange zest and smoke, it’s medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with excellent concentration, powdery tannins and lively acids.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThe 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques 1er Cru shows a bit of reduction on the nose, yet it still offers quite delineated, brambly red fruit and conspicuous crushed rock aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with tensile tannins, strict and what you might call as "vertical" in style. This feels as if it is keeping everything under wraps on the finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMFirm reduction is all that is discernible though there is again excellent vibrancy and freshness to the relatively supple, if more concentrated, medium weight flavors that flash evident minerality on the lingering and moderately austere finish that firms up noticeably as it sits on the palate. Dugat almost never misses with this wine and the 2021 vintage continues that streak.Burghound | 91-93 BH