Burgundy Crus

wines

The 2022 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru is very fragrant on the nose with white peach, white chocolate and hints of wet stone scents, like a Vaillons-plus. The palate is well-defined, taut and fresh, with crisp acidity and good depth, but it starts to clam up towards the finish. Patience will be required, but there is no doubting the caliber of this Grand Cru.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

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

Lovely fruit quality; weighty, ripe and powerful but balanced with citrus freshness. A little more approachable than Vaulorent for the moment. Blue and white clay adds extra depth.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2022 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has a clean, precise bouquet that is more austere than Droin’s other Premier Crus at the moment. More to give? (Droin mentioned this had just undergone some filtration). The palate is well-balanced with a crisp entry, fresh and saline with a more malic finish. Maybe the purists/classicists’ choice? This will need considerable aging.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPA more floral and slightly more elegant nose is composed of notes of cool green apple, oyster shell, iodine and hint of crushed anise with a similarly discreet application of wood. The middleweight flavors are not as rich though they are noticeably finer with a slightly more evident bead of minerality as well on the tension-filled, lingering and well-balanced finish. This stylish and classy effort could also use better depth but the Droin MdT has an excellent track record, and 2022 should prove no different.Burghound | 92 BHA clear mid lemon yellow. The bouquet is well balanced, confit de citron but not too peachy. Just a little spritz in the mouth, though this will be less evident after bottling. There is a full, rich, ripe yellow plum fruit, but not exaggerated and well within the style of Montée de Tonnerre. Drink from 2027-2033. Tasted Jun 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JM

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 Vaillons 1er Cru has a complex bouquet with touches of white peach and a muscat-like scent, very focused and seductive. The palate conveys energy and vigor with citrus fruit and hints of orange zest towards the persistent finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

Vaulorent is the opposite in style to Fourchaume for Droin, with soils only 10cm thick. This comes through on the palate with its pronounced mineral character. Shy and introverted at the moment, this is undoubtedly a fine wine which will need quite a bit of time to come round. Very crisp apple fruit flavours and a flinty finish.Decanter | 94 DECA distinctly smoky nose features notes of apple and pear confit along with various floral and seashore hints that are trimmed in just enough wood to notice. The medium-bodied flavors are rich, even plush, with a highly seductive texture that carries over to the surprisingly powerful, well-balanced and strikingly long finale. This is also lovely and harmonious.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2022 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has a sensual bouquet with yellow plum, jasmine and saffron scents that billow from the glass. The palate is very well-balanced with a fine bead of acidity, very focused and sharp, and citrus-fresh towards the finish. Almost clinical (in a good way), though that is one of Droin’s tropes.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

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

Shows richness and ripeness on the palate, countered by pretty strident acidity. Not quite at its best at the moment and likely needs 12 months in bottle. Should then open out and be a fine example.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2022 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru, matured in foudres, offers a touch of white chocolate interwoven in the citrus fruit, a subtle yeasty, bready note surfacing with time. The palate is well-balanced with lime and Granny Smiths on the entry, the foudres imparting underlying sweetness, candied orange peel and apricot towards the pretty finish. Enjoy this over the next decade.Vinous Media | 91 VMHere the cool and beautifully layered nose makes clear that it could be from nowhere else but Chablis with its array of oyster shell, brine, acacia blossom and Granny Smith apples. There is excellent punch to the classy medium weight flavors that brim with minerality on the youthfully austere and solidly persistent finale. This is perhaps not quite as refined as a classic MdT, indeed it’s borderline tannic, yet I suspect it will round out with a few years of bottle aging, in fact it will need at least some patience.Burghound | 90-93 BH

Plenty of density evident. A fine combination with concentration, a touch of smoke and richess on the palate, cut with direct acidity. Sunny and ripe yet remains fresh and focused. Will appeal when still relatively young but has the ability to age well.Decanter | 93 DECDiscreet if still noticeable hints of the exotic can be found on the ripe aromas of white and yellow peach, mango, citrus confit and a light touch of iodine. The middleweight flavors possess very good volume and richness allied with solid energy on the bitter lemon-suffused, balanced and sneaky long finale. While this delicious effort could use better depth, the underlying material appears up to the task if given a chance.Burghound | 90 BHThere is a fresh lime note in the otherwise pale colour. A lighter nose than some, less intensively Chablis, then a very fresh attack. The 2022 Brocard Fourchaume is no more than medium bodied, quite incisive, with medium concentration. Drink from 2026-2031. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 90-92 JM

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

The 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is also rather rich and textural this year, mingling notes of sweet orchard fruit and confit orange with notions of toasted nuts and buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with lively acids and a saline finish, I’d expect this to take on more cut and tension by the time it’s bottled.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2022 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru has an elegant bouquet with apricot purée, yellow flowers and light Mirabelle aromas, with hints of crushed stone emerging with time. The palate is well-balanced, with a slightly viscous opening matched by a silver bead of acidity. The salinity comes through right on the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93 VMA restrained nose grudgingly offers up a blend of green fruit, citrus, iodine, shellfish and a hint of quinine. There is again fine volume to the beautifully texture and more refined medium-bodied flavors that exude evident minerality on the equally long if not quite as complex finale. Lovely and I very much like the balance that should permit it to age gracefully.Burghound | 93 BH

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

Brothers Arnaud and David have been making exciting, intriguing wines at the family domaine. Their Vau de Vey comes from 0.95ha of vines with an average age of 35 years. Plenty of power and complexity on nose and palate. A touch of oak evident but just needs a bit of time. Rich and luscious palate cut with vibrant citrus acidity and a long, pure finish. A very fine example.Decanter | 94 DEC

The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Maltroye 1er Cru has a "buttoned-down" nose that demands coaxing to reveal its yellow fruit, hazelnut and light orange rind scents. The palate is well balanced and opens up wonderfully with aeration, displaying a touch of orange rind, spice and smokiness on the finish. It’s quite mercurial and, to my senses, fascinating.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Vergers 1er Cru has a bright nose with yellow plum, white peach and light sea spray scents that opens beautifully in the glass. The palate is very well balanced and quite intense with a bit more body than other cuvées. It’s a little honeyed toward the finish but the acidity keeps everything in check. This is a charming Chassagne.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Mid lemon yellow. Grilled almonds Marjolaine suggests, and I agree. Once more the flesh and the oak on the nose are apparent. All the requisite weight and white fruit, silky length, a little salinity, understated but very long indeed. Rather hidden at the moment. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMThe 2023 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, from vines planted in 1996, had quite a bit of that matchstick reduction on the nose when I tasted it from barrel, but you can discern the concentration here. The palate is well balanced with a slightly honeyed opening. Acidity counters its richness as hints of ginger and white pepper emerge toward the finish. Powerful compared to its peers, this Grand Cru will require two or three years in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet La Romanée 1er Cru is a step up from the En Cailleret, just as I found last year—perhaps because it was cropped at the lowest yield after some of the crop was lost to oidium. Suddenly, more tension and mineralité come through, with touches of petrichor and vibrant citrus fruit. The palate is taut and fresh, with well-integrated oak, commendable depth and a very harmonious finale of peach skin and yellow plum. What a lovely Chassagne this is going to be.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMPale yellow. A little soft oak on the nose. Coconut too on the palate. I would like a little more grip here. Soft pillow of white fruits. Fair acidity at the finish, La Romanée doesn’t quite have the length of finish this year. Drink from 2028-2034. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 90-92 JM

The 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has an expressive bouquet with pure red cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit tones bounding from the glass with nascent energy. The oak is neatly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. It has more depth than the Lavaux—a little broader in the mouth. This is very harmonious toward the finish with greater backbone. It’s excellent.Vinous Media | 94 VMAn even crimson ruby colour. The fruit is more immediate than the Ruchottes. This is seamless across the palate and leaves a gorgeously balanced feeling of little red fruits at the finish, entirely covering the tannins, which in any case are refined. There is a little minerality too as befits Cazetiers. Really a lovely stylish finale. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JMSubtle wood influence can be found on the spicy and ripe aromas of poached plum and floral nuances, especially violet. The sleek, delineated and powerful flavors are a mix of the refinement and minerality of the Estournelles St. Jacques with the power and muscle of the Lavaut St. Jacques, all wrapped in a more complex, longer and more structured finale. This is excellent and warmly recommended.Burghound | 93 BH

Like the 2023 les Minots, the la Forêt chez Piuze is nicely expressive and generous right out of the blocks this year and will drink beautifully from the moment of release. The beautiful bouquet wafts from the glass in a mix of lemon, pear, chalky minerality, fruit blossoms, beeswax and a topnote of citrus peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and succulent at the core, with lovely mineral drive and grip, bouncy acids and a long, seamlessly balanced and zesty finish. Fine juice. 2025-2055.John Gilman | 93 JGThe more giving, fruit-forward 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts offers a lovely contrast to the pronouncedly mineral Séchet. “It comes from the bottom of the valley, where the soils are deeper,” observes Piuze, and it’s evident in the glass, as the wine wafts with a deep bouquet of beeswax, peach skin and pear mingling with savory tones. Flamboyant, elegantly muscular and enveloping, it’s fleshy yet laden with lively acidity, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

From a site within the climat of Les Vaillons, where the vines are planted east to west and the grape skins are never kissed by the sun, Patrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Les Roncières has turned out very well. Opening in the glass to reveal a bouquet of beeswax, peach and lemon zest, it is medium-bodied, textural yet racy, with lovely tension and a long, mineral finish. It retains a classically Chablisien profile even in this warm year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPI have never seen another vigneron who bottled their Chablis “Les Roncières” on its own. As this premier cru can also be bottled as Vaillons, most producers choose this direction for labeling of this wine. As I have mentioned before, Pat’s parcel in the les Minots section of Vaillons has a completely different exposition than his vines in Roncières, so the two are bottled separately for a very good reason. The 2023 version is lovely, offering up a complex nose of lemon, pear, a complex base of chalky soil, paraffin, orange peel, a touch of anise and a topnote of lemon zest. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and impeccably balanced, with a very good core of fruit, fine transparency and grip, zesty acids and lovely nervosité on the long and precise finish. Fine juice. 2027-2055.John Gilman | 92+ JG

Derived from over 60-year-old vines growing in very shallow soil, with limestone bedrock close to the surface, Patrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet is one of the highlights of the broad 28-bottle tasting across many different climats and appellations. Opening in the glass to reveal a bouquet of oyster shell, green apple and lemon zest mingling with beeswax and iodine, it’s medium-bodied, bright and precise, with mouthwatering acidity and ample structuring extract, concluding with a searingly chalky finish. If one wants to pick a bottle that’s unmistakably (even when tasted blind) Chablisien, look no further than this beautifully defined and incisive interpretation of Séchet.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPThe 2023 Chablis “les Séchets” from Domaine Piuze is also a fine example of the vintage. The wine’s aromatic constellation delivers scents of apple, pear, lemon blossoms, a lovely base of limestone soils, beeswax and a nice touch of Chablisienne straw in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely structured out of the blocks this year, with a fine core offruit, excellent mineral undertow and grip, bright acids and a long, complex and very well balanced finish. This will want a few years in the cellar before drinking with abandon. 2028-2055.John Gilman | 92+ JG

The 2023 Montmains is one of my favorite premier crus in the Piuze cellars this year. The wine’s bouquet is pure, precise and complex, offering up notes of lemon, pear, a touch of tangerine, beeswax, spring flowers, lemon peel and a beautiful foundation of chalky minerality. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and deep at the core, with great soil signature and grip, a fine spine of acidity, lovely balance and a long, focused and complex finish. Most impressive. 2028-2055+.John Gilman | 93 JGPatrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains has turned out well, opening from the glass with notes of acacia, pear, peach and youthful reduction. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and tensile, built around a chalky core, it’s laden with bright acidity and concludes with a long, saline finish. It’s produced from a parcel just next to Raveneau’s.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

The 2023 vintage of “Vaillons” Les Minots from Patrick Piuze is excellent. The wine’s aromatic constellation offers up a superb blend of fresh lemon, pear, tart orange, chalky soil tones, anise, spring flowers and a topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is deep, zesty, complex and full-bodied, with a succulent core of fruit, superb mineral undertow, bouncy acids and lovely balance on the long and vibrant finish. This will drink beautifully upon release and has the balance to age gracefully for several decades. 2025-2055.John Gilman | 92+ JGDerived from one of the warmest places in the valley, Patrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots is flamboyant and demonstrative, soaring from the glass with a bouquet of marzipan, peach and dried white flowers mingling with passion fruit. Enveloping and underpinned by racy acids, it’s full-bodied, rich and gourmand and, unsurprisingly, in the context of the warmer site, is among the first that is harvested. While it offers immediate appeal, it has proven to be an age-worthy bottling.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP