Grand Cru Burgundy

wines

A wine of intense concentration, tension and focus, even in the warm conditions of 2022. Aroma notes of ripe apple, peach and quince, then the volume and density you’d expect from 2022, but it’s well balanced by the fresh acidity that draws it to a lingering finish. Grapes from Niellon’s plot of old vines are fermented on native yeasts in 40% new cask. This wine is among the best from this vintage and will make old bones if you are so inclined.Decanter | 98 DECThe vines were planted in 1962 and 1968. Pale to mid lemon in colour. A light reduction on the nose. The limestone is close to the surface on the nose, a little biscuit note, this is discreet but evidently with a fine tensile strength. Just leave this the time to blossom and it will become a really fine example. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 95 JM

An unusually bright, light-gold color with hints of green in it distinguish this rare wine from the first glance before rich, layered and complex aromas lead to even richer poached pears, hazelnuts and cream on the palate. Full-bodied but light on its feet, the wine shows deft balance, great depth and incredible length on the finish. Best from 2028.James Suckling | 100 JSDrouhin’s Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche is always a classic expression of Montrachet, and often among the best ’bargains’ from this site. The 2022 has exotic aromas of ripe peach, nectarine, green apple and hints of acacia flowers, star anise, and beeswax. The texture has the weight of the vineyard and a creamy opulence, yet there is enough freshness to carry the wine to a charmingly persistent finish. The grapes from the Laguiche holdings are from five parcels totalling just over two hectares, picked in three passes by the Drouhin team. (Drink between 2030 - 2070)Decanter | 96 DECStill on its fine lees. A fine fresh very pale primrose colour. Super discreet nose, just offering some light floral notes at first, but you know there is so much more to come. It is not over exuberant but the fruit comes across the palate in little wavelets, perfectly balanced acidity, the oak subsumed into the intensity of the fruit. The 2022 Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet bows out with a wonderfully long and fine finish. Drink from 2034-2045. Tasted: November 2023.Jasper Morris | 96-98 JMThe 2022 Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche Grand Cru was harvested in three picks this year. Exhibiting aromas of pear, peach, honeycomb, toasted nuts, baking spices and buttered toast, it’s full-bodied, ample and unctuous, with a richly layered core of fruit, lively acids and a long, resonant finish. Tasted from a barrel sample before an aerating racking, it displayed fine tension.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPSmoky notes of mineral reduction add breadth to the cool and airy nose of mildly exotic white peach, citrus confit and a plenitude of floral wisps that are trimmed in discreet oak influence. The refined medium weight flavors possess good if not genuinely special density but with a positively gorgeous texture that carries over to the stony bitter lemon zest finale that possesses stunningly good length and terrific complexity. This is very classy and a wine that I suspect will add weight with bottle aging.Burghound | 93-96 BH

A markedly floral-suffused nose is both cool and strikingly pure with its airy aromas of essence of white orchard fruit, passion fruit and plenty of spice and citrus elements. There is first-rate volume to succulent but punchy large-bodied flavors that are rich to the point of opulence yet there is very good delineation to the powerful, sappy and palate coating finish where the only nit is a trace of warmth. I would point out that this is presently decidedly compact and tightly wound so this would best be purchased knowing that at least mid-term cellaring will be in order.Burghound | 96 BHThe 2022 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru emerges from holdings that straddle the Chassagne and Puligny sides. Super-elegant and refined, Boillot’s Batard has a ton to offer, even if it is rather reticent at this stage. White flowers, mint, spice and light pastry overtones add layers of nuance. The 2022 is unctuous, but not at all heavy. This really opens beautifully onto its explosive finish. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 95-97 VMA glowing pale yellow. Super-concentrated if not yet very yielding bouquet. Extra tension here, certainly some depth, but perhaps more in class than power. That will change with time – the class with remain but the depth will expand. White fruit, tension, some youthful bitters, but keeping itself to itself for the moment. Really very long finish though. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted: December 2023.Jasper Morris | 95-98 JM

Grandfather Fernand Coffinet, who planted the almond tree on the edge of this plot, died at the start of the year, so this wine is something of a homage to him. Clear bright pale colour. The nose shows the muscle in a harmonious way. Almost lean at the front then with a growing flesh behind. Huge potential here, less charming than Dent de Chien but a fabulous finish as well, stretching out even further than does the Dent de Chien. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JM

This peerless wine is the summit of the domaine wines from Chartron. It is produced from a half-hectare of vines at the northern end of the original Chevalier-Montrachet. This is the Clos des Chevaliers, right next to the vines from Domaine d’Auvenay. The aromas span a complex range from lime zest through ripe pear to nectarine and passionfruit, with exotic spice, flint, and smoke nuances. The core of the texture is a rapier-fine acidity (even in sunny ’22), but there is density and weight as well. Allow seven to ten years before opening; this should drink well for 30 - 40 years from the vintage.Decanter Magazine | 97 DECA full primrose yellow. The bouquet is sturdier here, surprisingly, after the pure white fruit Bâtard. However, the chiselled elegance of Chevalier shows much more on the palate, where there is an impressive, if initially restrained, intensity and a second wave of flavour further back on the palate. This will be particularly fine and the aftertaste is notably persistent. A very long finish indeed. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 95-98 JMThe 2022 Chevalier-Montrachet Clos de Chevaliers Grand Cru has a taut and precise bouquet: much more mineralité than the Bâtard-Montrachet, quite tensile with a hint of white peach and orange blossom. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine depth and concentration counterbalanced by a brisk line of acidity. It gradually builds to a very suave and prolonged finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMHere the more restrained and cooler nose is even more floral-suffused with it array of citrus, Granny Smith apple, spice and an abundance of citrus elements. The wonderfully textured and almost painfully intense larger-scaled flavors possess a mouthfeel that is akin to rolling tiny pebbles around the mouth and this stony character continues onto the powerful, focused, austere and hugely long finale. This is extremely classy and very much built to repay extended keeping In a word, terrific.Burghound | 93-96 BH