Burgundy Collector Wines

wines

This is perhaps the spiciest wine in the range with a lovely mix of anise, exotic tea and sandalwood on the deeply pitched dark berry fruit aromas that also evidence a hint of volatile acidity. The rich, full-bodied and mouthcoating big-bodied flavors brim with sappy dry extract before concluding in a grippy and mildly rustic finish that still manages to deliver very good length. (Drink starting 2033)Burghound | 90-93 BH

The 2018 Richebourg Grand Cru is dark in colour, more so than A.F. Gros’s. Dark berry fruit, pressed rose petals, sous-bois and a touch of Indian ink. This seems to expand in the glass, likewise there is certainly some Brettanomyces evident here. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy ripe, quite saturated tannins, orange zest and hints of marmalade, taut and fresh with real weight and density towards the effervescent finish. There is a palpable sense of grandeur here that I do not find in Gros’s, yet the bottom line is that it depends on what happens to the brett. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMA very dense saturated if slightly evolved crimson colour. A significant weight of brawny fruit. There is muscle in this wine, and maybe some stems too. Wonderful generosity behind. There is the faintest hint of bacterial reduction but the quality and intensity of fruit swarms all over it. Brilliant weight and length. Would have been touching 98 points if completely pristine and is still exceptionally complex. Drink from 2035.Jasper Morris | 95 JMAn appealingly floral-infused combination, and particularly violet and rose petal, exhibits notes of black raspberry, pomegranate and cassis along with plenty of spice elements. The rich and relatively full-bodied flavors possess fine intensity and good minerality, all wrapped in a somewhat grippy finish that doesn’t display the length that it normally does. We’ll see if this harmonizes in time.Burghound | 89-91 BH

Rousseau Clos de Bèze is a blend of three plots that total 1.42ha. Cyrielle believes the wine shows better in its youth than Chambertin. Both wines, however, are vinified in the same way: destemmed, long maceration, gentle extraction and ageing in new François Frères barrels. The result is sublime: charming in its youth, with accessible, ripe notes of red and black fruits, spice, mineral and game, plus a velvety, dense texture that is firm but not forbidding. This has the substance to last fifty years if cellared well. Drinking Window 2029 - 2069.Decanter | 100 DECThe 2019 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru clearly has more intensity than the Chambertin. True, it is showing a little more wood at the moment, but I also find more fruit – raspberry and wild strawberry – interlaced with shavings of black truffle and forest fern. The palate is medium-bodied with supple but firm tannins. This is endowed with impressive depth and body weight and yet it retains disarming elegance on a finish that fans out gloriously. "This is the business" is the phrase that passed through my mind as I tried to keep a stoic face after encountering this fabulous Clos-de-Bèze.Vinous Media | 97-99 VM(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Red) Equally subtle wood frames the even spicier if slightly riper nose that reflects a layered blend of red currant, violet, rose petal, earth and a whisper of exotic tea. The full-bodied if slightly less concentrated flavors also reflect an abundance of minerality on the firm, serious and equally well-balanced, youthfully austere and hugely long finale. I usually prefer one or the other [Chambertin] at this stage each year but in 2019, while the two wines are noticeably different, it’s not clear which will ultimately be the more interesting. In sum, this is a choice but one where there is no wrong answer as this too is brilliant! (Drink starting 2041)Burghound | 98 BHDeeper-pitched and more carnal than the Chambertin, Rousseau’s 2019 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru mingles aromas of cherries, cassis and raspberries with hints of Asian spices, incense, smoked tea, rich soil tones and grilled duck. Full-bodied, sumptuous and enveloping, it’s bright and lively, with a fleshy core of concentrated fruit, succulent acids and powdery structuring tannins. Long and perfumed, this is a sensual Clos de Bèze in the making.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP(Chambertin “Clos de Bèze”- Domaine Armand Rousseau) The Rousseau family’s Clos de Bèze is equally brilliant in 2019. The wine is always a touch more exotic out of the blocks than the Chambertin here and this is again the case in this vintage. The stunning nose soars from the glass in a blaze of sappy black cherries, black raspberries, black minerality, smoked meats, dark chocolate, cedary oak and a touch of black tea in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and impeccably balanced, with great depth at the core, superb complexity and mineral drive, firm, buried tannins and a long, vibrant and focused finish. A great wine by any measure. (Drink between 2036-2100)John Gilman | 96+ JG

The reference standard in Chambertin. This is every bit the equal of the Clos de Bèze, if slightly less approachable young. Blended from four parcels including a cooler section near the southern end and another near the top of the slope, this gives a wine of incredible concentration if a bit reserved initially. Here, ripe berry fruit, a strong mineral/saline edge and a gamey note all emerge with time, and the texture is firm and tightly wound. This should age gracefully for the better part of a century. Drinking Window 2029 - 2069.Decanter | 99 DECThis too evidences subtle wood influence on the ripe yet cool nose that combines notes of spice, earth and floral elements with those of dark berries and poached plum. There is excellent intensity to the full-bodied, concentrated and mineral-inflected flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract while delivering excellent depth and persistence on the beautifully balanced and imposingly powerful if decidedly compact finale. This strikingly pure effort is already Zen-like in its sense of harmony and should prove to be remarkably long-lived. Brilliant. (Drink starting 2041)Burghound | 98 BHThe 2019 Chambertin Grand Cru is very promising, unwinding in the glass with aromas of exotic spices, grilled meats, cherries, cassis, dark chocolate, licorice and loamy soil. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it was the most introverted, tightly wound wine in the cellar on the day of my visit. Broad-shouldered and elegantly muscular, it’s bright and precise, concluding with a penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPThe 2019 Chambertin Grand Cru is initially tightly wound on the nose, opening gradually to reveal blackberry, raspberry, orange pith and rose petal scents; more sous-bois character develops with time. The palate is very harmonious with a lightly spiced entry. A little oak remains to be subsumed, but there is fine depth on the finish, and veins of blood orange on the aftertaste. This feels like a Chambertin that is holding everything back and letting the Clos-de-Bèze steal the show. Once in bottle, we will find out if that was just part of its tactics.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThe 2019 vintage of Chambertin from Domaine Rousseau is a perfect synthesis of power and elegance. The bouquet is still quite primary, but offers up a refined blend of black cherries, sweet dark berries, espresso, a fabulously complex base of soil, grilled meats, cedary oak and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is pure, deep and full, with a sappy core of fruit, stunning transparency and grip, fine-grained tannins and a very, very long, very complex finish. All this magical wine needs is time in the cellar to reach its cruising altitude! (Drink between 2035-2100)John Gilman | 96+ JG

The 2019 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is turning out nicely, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berry fruit and plums complemented by hints of smoked meats, preserved citrus, warm spices and raw cocoa. Medium to full-bodied, supple and charming, it’s pretty and fine-boned, with good depth at the core, velvety tannins and a seamless, enveloping profile. This is another cuvée that I suspect will turn out to be Rousseau’s finest rendition since at least 2012.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RP(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Red) Discreet but perceptible wood sets off pretty and nicely layered aromas of red currant, forest floor, spice and a suggestion of warm earth character. There is excellent intensity to the detailed, palate coating and sappy medium-bodied flavors that are firm, powerful and unusually robust on the refined, focused and sneaky long finish. There is very good size and weight, yet the overall impression is rather one of refinement. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 91-94 BHThe 2019 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is very perfumed on the nose of rose-petal-infused red berry fruit, although I would like to see more complexity develop in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with candied red fruit on the entry, orange zest, and light, almost peachy notes that I would associate with a white wine. It does not possess the substance or grip of Rousseau’s other cuvées, although it does deliver a lovely silky texture and fine length.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru opens in the glass with rich aromas of berry fruit, loamy soil, peonies, dark chocolate and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and elegantly muscular, it’s generous and enveloping, with velvety tannins and fine depth at the core. Bright and lively, it’s another wine that marries maturity with freshness.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is highly perfumed on the nose, presenting an irresistible mixture of red and subtle blue fruit, very harmonious and exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. A feminine and very elegant Clos de la Roche that may well be earlier-drinking than others but feels very poised, with a touch of spice on the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMProduced from three parcels: two in the original Clos de la Roche vineyard and almost 1ha in Les Fremières. Aged in used casks like the producer’s Charmes, this has a very different character, with dark, plummy fruit alongside an earthy note on the nose, and a texture that is less firm perhaps, but broader and more full-bodied. Very solid. Drinking Window 2024 - 2059.Decanter | 95 DEC(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Red) Here too there is just enough wood to remark upon surrounding the well-layered blend of red and blue pinot fruit, earth and a plenitude of spice and floral elements. The wonderfully energetic, sleek and equally muscular larger-scaled flavors also brim with minerality on the refined, focused, balanced and even more persistent finish. This is terrific and a wine that should easily repay two decades of cellaring if you have the patience. (Drink starting 2036)Burghound | 92-95 BH

The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has wonderful transparency on the nose of red currant and wild strawberry, plus glimpses of orange blossom and rose petal. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, lightly spiced and quite peppery in the mouth. Fine grip and length. This is a lovely Lavaux that will be difficult to resist in its youth.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMThe 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques is promising, mingling aromas of cassis and smoky berries with hints of loamy oil, raw cocoa and potpourri. Medium-bodied, bright and lively, with a succulent core of fruit framed by ultra-refined tannins, it concludes with a long, perfumed finish. This is the highest-alcohol wine in the cellar in 2019, but that certainly didn’t stand out in the glass.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPModerate reduction dominates the underlying fruit today. Otherwise there is very good volume and intensity to the tautly muscular and serious medium-bodied flavors that brim with minerality while exhibiting excellent depth and persistence on the well-balanced and mildly austere finale. This is firm but not as firm as it usually is though with that said, it will still need 10 to 12 years of cellaring.Burghound | 90-93 BH

This large 1.75ha holding is at the northern end of the lieu-dit, not far from Bonnes Mares, where it is planted in a terres blanches soil similar to the top of the slope. In 2019, the fruit has given a seductive result, with profuse raspberry aromas, a hint of ginger and liquorice. The texture on the palate shows plenty of extract, with sweet fruit but also a lovely depth and density. Drinking Window 2024 - 2049.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2019 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras 1er Cru was showing a little more reduction than the Les Combottes, though not much, allowing black fruit laced with crushed stone and iris flower to emerge with aeration. The palate is beautifully defined with succulent, vibrant red and black fruit, hints of blood orange and a subtle irony tincture toward the graceful finish. An outstanding Les Cras. Just superb.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMRoumier’s 2019 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras unwinds in the glass with scents of cherries, smoky berry fruit, orange rind, Indian spices and dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and elegantly textural, it’s rich and concentrated, with powdery tannins, succulent acids and a perfumed finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThis is definitely ripe yet again quite fresh with its overtly floral combination of cassis, poached plum, anise, rose petal and discreet wood-suffused aromas. Once again there is a really lovely texture to the more obviously mineral-driven flavors that culminate in a highly refreshing, chiseled and youthfully austere finale that delivers notably better length. Impressive stuff that should age effortlessly. (Drink starting 2031)Burghound | 93 BH

The 2019 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a deep color. The beautifully defined bouquet offers blackberry, raspberry, incense and crushed stone aromas, all incredibly detailed and precise. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, perfectly pitched acidity and a structured finish that delivers good grip and a touch of black pepper on the spicy aftertaste. Seriously fine.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMA dense, muscular red, delivering dark cherry and blackberry fruit shaded by mint, tar, toasty oak, earth, iron and tobacco. This has tannins that are present, if covered by the bright fruit and fleshy texture, which exert themselves on the long, spice- and iron-inflected aftertaste. Best from 2025 through 2047. 143 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 95 WS(Domaine Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru Red) A ripe, brooding and deeply pitched nose speaks of black cherry, cassis and humus nuances. There is strikingly good volume and mid-palate concentration to the dense, serious and powerful flavors that conclude in an austere, balanced, very compact and sneaky long finish. This ever-so-slightly warm effort is a big Clos de Vougeot that isn’t particularly refined, but it is undeniably impressive. (Drink starting 2031)Burghound | 94 BHGrivot owns 1.86ha in Quatorze Journaux, along the Route Nationale. There are three different soil types in this large parcel and some portions are declassified in wet years. In a warm, dry year like 2019, the results are delightful, with bright red fruits and a silky, subtle texture. Lighter than the offerings from Vosne but also very worthy. Drinking Window 2024 - 2039.Decanter | 93 DEC

Bottling in summer 2021, the 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes bursts with aromas of cherries, sweet berries and plums mingled with hints of licorice, cinnamon, red fruit compote and orange rind. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, it’s muscular and textural, with broad shoulders and a deep, layered core of fruit. Concluding with a long, saline finish, this is the most powerful wine in the range, and it will require the most patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPPonsot is the largest landowner here, with old vines whose average age is 65 years. Everything at Ponsot is calculated for maximum purity of expression: the fruit is completely destemmed, extraction is gentle and no new casks are used in the maturation. The results in 2019 are absolutely marvellous, with lush dark plum and cassis fruit, alongside savoury, earthy accents. The texture is silky, dense and long. A monumental wine. Drinking Window 2029 - 2049.Decanter | 96 DEC(Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru Red) A cool, pure and highly complex nose combines aromas of essence of plum liqueur, black cherry, violet, earth and plenty of spice components. The sense of refinement continues on the sleek, succulent and almost lacy mineral-driven and wonderfully textured medium weight flavors that deliver superb persistence on the exceptionally firm, beautifully balanced and youthfully austere finale. It’s not all the time that Clos de la Roche is described as a wine of class, but in 2019, this wine has that highly desirable attribute. In a word, terrific. (Drink starting 2037)Burghound | 96 BH

The Grivot family owns 0.84ha of Echézeaux, mainly in Les Cruots. The grapes are entirely destemmed and given a cold soak before gentle fermentation on native yeasts. The wine is pressed and aged in cask (40% new). The result shows impressive elegance yet is in no way lacking fruit, with a lovely, expressive black cherry and pomegranate quality. The texture is delicate, yet there is impressive concentration, and the red fruit and floral notes linger on the finish. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2050Decanter | 96 DECTouches of bitter chocolate and kirsch are present on the spicy aromas of plum, violet and soft wood. The finer if not denser flavors possess a velvety texture while also coating the palate with dry extract on the dusty and chalky finish that is likewise youthfully austere. I very much like the depth and persistence and this beauty should also age gracefully for as long as most anyone would like.Burghound | 93-96 BHThe 2020 Echézeaux Grand Cru offers mulberry, sous-bois and very subtle star anis aromas on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, quite taut and fresh, linear at the moment with touches of blood orange and Clementine towards the finish. Give this several years in bottle.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM