Burgundy Red Wines

wines

(Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru Red) A notably floral character adds breadth to the highly spiced and exceptionally fresh nose of cool red currant and plum. The rich, refined and admirably pure middle weight flavors are supported and shaped by ultra-fine tannins that coat the mouth on the incredibly long finish. Despite the underlying tension, this is essentially a wine of finesse and harmony that should also age for a very long time if desired. Brilliant and remarkably complex. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 96 BHGood full red. Vibrant perfume of raspberry, spices and minerals. Boasts outstanding dark berry intensity, with powerful crushed-stone minerality and a saline quality giving great energy and tension to the middle palate. Finishes with remarkable rising length, utterly suave tannins and superb lift. Like the Suchots, this is already wonderfully aromatic but is built for a decade or two of improvement in bottle.Vinous Media | 95+ VM(Romanée-St.-Vivant- Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux) The 2010 Romanée-St.-Vivant from Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, not surprisingly, ash the best depth of fruit to stand up to the wood tannins here, and this wine is not bad at all. The nose is a complex and classy blend of cherries, orange peel, coffee, Vosne spices, lovely soil tones and plenty of smoky, luxe-styled new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a good core of fruit, fine focus and very good length and grip on the chewy and only modestly over-oaked finish. This will have no trouble eventually absorbing its wood tannin, as it is only showing a touch of backend dryness at this time, and it will be a pretty good bottle at its apogee. But, should one expect more from an expensive example of Romanée-St.-Vivant in a great year? This will certainly not offer up even a modicum of value. (Drink between 2016-2040)John Gilman | 91+ JG

The 2010 Bonnes-Mares is a towering, statuesque wine. Layers of fruit burst from the glass in this multi-dimensional, kaleidoscopic wine. It’s hard to fully capture the wine in words. Let me just say, all of the elements are in the right place. In 2010 the Bonnes-Mares captures a striking marriage of power and sensuality. This is a marvelously complete wine from Bruno Clair. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2045.This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2010 Bonnes-Mares is a towering, statuesque wine. Layers of fruit burst from the glass in this multi-dimensional, kaleidoscopic wine. It’s hard to fully capture the wine in words. Let me just say, all of the elements are in the right place. In 2010 the Bonnes-Mares captures a striking marriage of power and sensuality. This is a marvelously complete wine from Bruno Clair.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThis is a big, dense wine that has great generosity. It’s ripe, full bodied and opulent now, and it offers concentration and depth of flavor. The fruit used to make this wine was sourced from 60-year-old vines located near Clos de Tart. It has considerable aging potential, so cellar this for 8–10 years.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE(Domaine Bruno Clair Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Red) While this is also spicy and perfumed the aromatic profile of red berry fruit, stone and earth is more restrained at present than that of the Clos de Bèze. There is outstanding intensity and depth of material to the tautly muscular and impressively concentrated flavors that possess plenty of underlying tension and controlled power on the stunningly long and mouth coating finish. Again though, this is expressly constructed for the very long haul and unless your intention is to cellar this for a minimum of 10 to 12 years, I would look for more approachable high-quality alternatives. That said, this is one gorgeous wine. (Drink starting 2030)Burghound | 93-96 BH

(Clos des Lambrays- Domaine des Lambrays) The 2010 Clos des Lambrays is unequivocally the most profound young wine I have ever tasted from this great domaine. The stunningly complex and very floral bouquet offers up a supremely elegant aromatic mélange of cherries, blood orange, a touch of red plum, kaleidoscopic minerality, woodsmoke, peonies, violets, a nice dollop of fresh herbs and a discreet base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully pure on the attack, with a reserved and refined personality, a sappy core of red fruit, flawless focus and balance, very suave, but substantial tannins, tangy acids and glorious transparency on the seamless and boundless finish. Just a brilliant, brilliant wine in 2010! (Drink between 2022 - 2075)John Gilman | 97+ JGGorgeous, plentiful tannins, which are ripe and refined. Great depth and layering with energy and freshness. Persistent, pure, mineral finish.Decanter | 95 DECThierry Brouin has crafted a sublime 2010 Clos des Lambrays that should age with grace and style. It has an intense bouquet of wild hedgerow, black cherries, crushed stone and dried flowers that demonstrates even greater delineation and focus than the impressive 2009. The palate has a core of fine tannins, plenty of fresh, red berry fruit and a delicate, focused, terroir-driven finish that has plenty of power and breadth, yet remains contained and never flashy. This is a beautiful Clos des Lambrays that deserves a decade in the cellar?if you can resist temptation! Tasted March 2013.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPA supple red, loaded with spice and berry flavors that lean toward cedar, sandalwood, currant and strawberry. Underscored by a fusion of earth and mineral accents, this is buoyed by the seamless structure. Fresh and delicate, but by no means easy, offering a long conclusion. Best from 2016 through 2035. 125 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSBright pale-medium red. Higher-pitched but more reticent on the nose than the 2012, showing a distinctly floral aspect as well as a redder fruit quality; more delicate and pristine. Wonderfully sexy and complex if somewhat youthfully tight in the mouth, conveying an ineffable silkiness of texture rather than the sheer plushness of the ’12. Less dark in its fruit character as well, offering flavors of red raspberry, cherry, brown spices and underbrush. Wonderfully tactile and delineated; this really glistens on the palate and on the very long, refined aftertaste. Here the tannins are suaver than those of the 2012. More about finesse than power, but this wine will nonetheless need time to express itself more fully. An essence of terroir and a wine of great verve. (13.4% alcohol; 3.55 pH; 3.7 g/l acidity)Vinous Media | 94 VMA highly expressive and very broad nose of superb aromatic complexity that includes earth, game, spice, red currant, plum, violets and a hint of the sauvage. The round and supple flavors possess outstanding detail and while the complexity doesn’t quite match that of the exquisite nose, it’s not far behind and this culminates in a beautifully balanced and harmonious finish that delivers striking persistence. I also had a chance to retaste the 2009 and it is bigger, richer and more powerful while the 2010 is much more of a wine of finesse and refinement. In a word, beautiful.Burghound | 94 BH

(Charmes-Chambertin “Vieilles Vignes”- Domaine Denis Bachelet) Monsieur Bachelet has made some absolutely brilliant vintages of his old vine Charmes-Chambertin over the course of his fine career, but I have never had one better than this magical 2010. The simply stunning nose- still very primary, but, oh so promising- offers up a very deep and complex blend of cassis, black cherries, grilled meat, raw cocoa, black minerality, espresso, woodsmoke, fresh herb tones, violets and a lovely base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very, very pure on the attack, with a sappy core, outstanding focus and balance, substantial, but, fine-grained tannins, tangy acids and a veritable mineral bath on the extremely long and utterly suave finish. This has the seamless beauty, coupled to stunning transparency and intensity of flavor that only the very greatest wines of 2010 can deliver. A brilliant, brilliant wine. (Drink between 2025-2100)John Gilman | 97+ JG(Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru Red) Relatively prominent wood spice does not dominate the otherwise very ripe and densely fruited cassis and plum suffused nose that also displays plenty of Gevrey style pungent earth, underbrush and a hint of the sauvage. The intense earthiness continues onto the textured, seductive and mouth coating broad-scaled flavors that brim with dry extract, indeed so much so that the firm tannins are relegated to the background on the beautifully well-balanced and hugely long finish. This very serious effort is at once classic Bachelet in that the palate impression is suave and harmonious yet the wine is also the epitome of a textbook Charmes. (Drink starting 2022).Burghound | 93-95 BHThe 2010 Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes is a wine of impeccable class and elegance. Layered, nuanced and subtle, the wine literally blossoms in the glass, showing off its incomparable pedigree. Sweet, floral notes appear later, adding complexity to layers of silky, highly expressive fruit buffered by suave tannins. The gracious, aristocratic finish leaves a lasting impression. This is a dazzling effort from Bachelet. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2032.Denis Bachelet’s 2010s are fabulous across the board. I find the wines more harmonious and complete than the 2009s. The cool, long growing season provided a lovely counterpoint to the rich, fruit-driven aromas and flavors that are typical in these wines, and that marks some vintages (such as 2009) to a significant degree. Like many of his colleagues in Gevrey, Bachelet was hit by the severe December 2009 frost. The flowering, which typically takes one week, took an entire month because of bad weather, leaving the plants with a high percentage of shot berries. Bachelet began harvesting on September 25. The wines spent 15 days on the skins and were racked prior to the malos. Bottling was scheduled for March 2012.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-95 RPBright red-ruby. Pure, perfumed aromas of black raspberry, blackberry, violet, licorice and pepper, plus a hint of molasses. Silky, dense and very intense, with a distinctly tangy high-toned quality giving lift to the sappy berry, dark chocolate and violet flavors. Piquant, classy wine with a very long, firmly tannic finish that delivers mounting length. The highest-toned of these 2010s at 0.55 grams per liter and the sexiest today. But this really needs at least eight to ten years of cellaring. These vines were originally 100 year old but there has been substantial repiquage (the replacement of dying or virused vines with new ones) in recent years.Vinous Media | 95 VM

I first saw a sample of the 2010 Echézeaux from Maxime Cheurlin last November, when the wine had just finished up its malo, and it was a bit disjointed from the secondary fermentation, but showing outstanding potential. I was very happy to have the chance to revisit it again in March, where it was absolutely singing. Maxime’s family’s parcel lies in the lieu à dit of Les Cruots and the vines are in excess of eighty years of age. These venerable old vines have produced a superb wine that shows no difficulty standing up to its one hundred percent new wood this year, soaring from the glass in a blaze of plums, black cherries, dark soil tones, woodsmoke, a touch of game and a generous base of spicy new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure on that attack, with a rock solid core sappy fruit, tangy acids, ripe, well-integrated tannins and outstanding length and grip on the focused and nascently complex finish. This is a classic example of Echézeaux in the making, with the vintage’s beautiful transparency very much in evidence. A prodigious first vintage of Echézeaux. (Drink between 2022 - 2060)John Gilman | 93+ JG

This is also notably floral in character with a panoply of spice elements that add both depth and breadth to the cool cherry, raspberry and red currant aromas. As was the case with the Beaux Monts there is a spicy inner mouth perfume to the delicious and classy middle weight flavors that are shaped by sophisticated and very fine tannins, all wrapped in a mouth coating, focused and seriously persistent finish. A classic RSV. (Drink starting 2022)Burghound | 95 BHGood full, deep red. Sexy nose combines dried currant, cocoa powder, coffee, mocha, pepper and flowers; conveys a strong impression of terroir . Highly concentrated and sweet, with the red fruit and roast coffee flavors conveying a compellingly sappy quality. The powerful building finish offers serious tannic spine and lovely floral lift. The crop level for these old vines (the vineyard was originally planted in 1922 and the vines average 55 to 60 years of age) is always around 30 hectoliters per hectare, according to Alain Meunier.Vinous Media | 94 VM

(Musigny- Maison Joseph Drouhin) I simply cannot imagine a better example of young Musigny than the Joseph Drouhin 2010. The deep, pure and utterly profound bouquet offers up a magical blend of cherries, red plums, blood orange, mustard seed, stunningly complex soil tones (and there is no other terroir in Burgundy that I love as well as Musigny!), incipient notes of gamebird, woodsmoke, roses and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, and brilliantly pure on the attack, wonderfully sappy and transparent at the core, with fine-grained, substantial tannins and simply haunting length and grip on the regal and utterly sublime finish. I have had the good fortune to taste almost every top vintage of Drouhin Musigny since the 1959 vintage and have never had one as flawless as this brilliant 2010 Musigny. For me, this is a perfect wine. I hope that it shuts down after bottling so that it can receive the bottle age it so richly deserves, as it would be a criminal act to open this wine before it has at least witnessed its secondary layers of complexity blossoming. It should start to drink well about ten to twelve years from now, but its real zenith of peak drinkability will be two to three decades down the road! (Drink between 2022-2100)John Gilman | 100 JG(Maison Joseph Drouhin Musigny Grand Cru Red) Here the fantastic nose closely resembles that of the Amoureuses except that the wood is more completely integrated. The suave and gorgeously rich middle weight flavors display superb precision and like its stable mate, the palate impression is one of pure silk. There is ample minerality on the fantastically complex and persistent finish and once again, this is a picture perfect example of power without weight. In short, this is absolutely a ’wow’ wine. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 94-97 BHGood bright, dark red. Compelling aromas of raspberry, blueberry, blood orange and crushed stone. The palate combines great sweetness and outstanding energy, thanks to perfectly ripe acids that frame the dark fruit, spice and mineral flavors. Deceptively approachable now owing to its sweetness, but it would be a shame to open this wine before 2022 or so. Really spreads out on the back half to saturate every square millimeter of the palate. One of the longest wines of the vintage and still a baby.Vinous Media | 96+ VMThe 2010 Musigny wraps around the palate with sensual layers of fruit. This is an understated Burgundy whose many attributes might be easy to miss, so pure is the integration of fruit, acidity and structure. A notable refinement caresses the palate on the silky finish. Despite its approachable personality, there is plenty of structure lurking underneath. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040.This is an impressive showing from Drouhin. In my view the 2010s are more interesting and transparent than the 2009s. Veronique Drouhin describes 2010 as a vintage with long-term aging potential, which certainly seems to be the case. Some of the wines were vinified with a portion of whole clusters, including the Corton-Bressandes, Petits-Monts, Charmes and Musigny.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RP

A highly spiced nose features notes of cool red currant, plum, violets and wet stone along with ample amounts of pungent Gevrey style earth. There is impressive richness and size to the powerful and well-concentrated large-scaled flavors that are underpinned by buried tannins before culminating in a huge finish that is also monumentally proportioned. This built-to-age beauty will also require a considerable amount of patience as it should see its 50th birthday without undue effort.Burghound | 94-97 BHBright, deep red. Pungent, vibrant nose combines dark raspberry, smoked meat, sandalwood, musky herbs, minerals and lower-pitched earth tones. Dense, sappy and expansive, boasting outstanding lift and energy to its sharply delineated flavors of dark cherry, berry skin, flowers and white pepper. There’s no easy sweetness to this great Clos de Beze, which finishes with noble tannins and compelling subtle persistence.Vinous Media | 96 VMWell-marked by oak, showing smoke and spice notes, with ample black cherry, currant and mineral flavors adding depth. The tannins are dominant but not overbearing, offering balance on the long finish of fruit and spice. Best from 2016 through 2032. 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSOne of the jewels of Domaine Faively, this wine is huge, rich and structured. It has power and concentrated tannins, and the hints of wood aging are apparent. The ripeness of the fruit and the serious texture promise long-term aging. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE

(13.7% alcohol; 3.45 pH; 3.89 g/l acidity; production just under 35 h/h): Medium red with a faint suggestion of amber at the rim. The wonderfully complex yet discreet nose combines the fruits, flowers and spices of the ’15 and the brooding medicinal character of the ’12, presenting fruit aromas of raspberry, strawberry and cranberry lifted by white pepper, pungent spices and chalky verve. Wonderfully juicy, savory and tactile, showing outstanding intensity and cut, with the wine’s aromatic treble notes of red berries, spices and rose petal complicated by subtle soil tones. With its near-perfect balance and tautness, this wine has great potential to fill out while maintaining its energy. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins and outstanding, slowly building length and grip; only a slight angularity suggests that it hasn’t yet embarked on what should be an extended plane of peak drinkability. Barnier noted that the grapes benefited from a bit of late concentration from a north wind, as well as from some millerandage that resulted in smaller grapes. Splendid.Vinous Media | 95+ VMThe 2010 Corton Pougets is a beautifully focused wine laced with sweet red cherries, raspberries, flowers, mint and crushed rocks. The Pougets is all about nuance, detail and clarity. It comes across as quite elegant, but there is an understated weight that fleshes out on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030.IRobert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPA highly complex nose speaks of pure wet stone, fresh cassis and ripe plum aromas. There is excellent detail to the mineral-driven and tension-filled sleekly muscular flavors that culminate in a precise, linear and driving finish that offers superb balance, wonderful depth and stunning length. As it always is, this is a relatively fine Corton; indeed it is consistently one of the most refined Corton reds made but note that is has an almost uncanny ability to age. In short, this is fabulous.Burghound | 94 BHThe 2010 Corton “Pougets” shows off how well the elegance of the vintage dovetails with some of the more stalwart terroirs such as youthful Corton, and this is likely to be an absolute reference point vintage of this consistently excellent bottling. The nose jumps from the glass in a very classy mélange of cassis, dark berries, superb minerality, gamebirds, espresso, woodsmoke and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very elegant for a young Corton, with a sappy core of fruit, substantial, but very fine-grained tannins, tangy acids and outstanding focus and grip on the very long and delineated finish. A superb Pougets in the making, but do not think about touching this wine for at least a dozen years. It should prove to be extremely long-lived. (Drink between 2022 - 2075)John Gilman | 93 JGThis red offers adequate fruit and suppleness up front, but remains a bit shy, locked down by aggressive tannins on the finish. Come together in the end, so be patient. Best from 2016 through 2029.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2010 Griotte-Chambertin floats on the palate with the silkiest of red berries, freshly cut roses and sweet mint. Currently the Griotte comes across as understated, finessed and classy. The mid-weight structure is deceptive in its weightlessness. While the Griotte may drink well fairly early for the vintage, it also appears to have the pedigree to age well for a number of years.Antonio Galloni | 91-93 VMThe 2010 Griotte-Chambertin floats on the palate with the silkiest of red berries, freshly cut roses and sweet mint. Currently the Griotte comes across as understated, finessed and classy. The mid-weight structure is deceptive in its weightlessness. While the Griotte may drink well fairly early for the vintage, it also appears to have the pedigree to age well for a number of years. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP(Griotte-Chambertin- Maison Louis Jadot) There are only two piéces of the 2010 Griotte-Chambertin, both of which are new this year. The nose is very stylish, offering up scents of cherries, blood orange, coffee, a bit of grilled meat, soil, cedar and a floral topnote redolent of roses. On the palate the wine is fullish, deep and complex, with very good length and grip, moderate tannins and a long, tangy finish. This wine is also not vinified by the Jadot team and perhaps, there is just a touch less precision here than the wines made from their own vineyards, but this is a very, very good bottle of young Griotte. (Drink between 2017-2045)John Gilman | 92 JG

(Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée "Les Chaumes" 1er 1er Cru Red) An intensely floral nose exhibits a lovely spiciness to the plum and black berry fruit nose. There is excellent richness and volume to the generous and velvet textured medium-bodied flavors that are shaped by phenolically mature tannins before terminating in an intense and mouth coating finish. There seems to be a bit more depth than usual and this has the potential to be one of the better Méo Chaumes of recent vintages. That said, it probably will not match the 2005 version. (Drink starting 2022)Burghound | 90-93 BHThe 2010 Vosne-Romanee Les Chaumes is deep, powerful and sensual. It boasts fabulous depth and an understated personality that is immensely appealing. Today the Chaumes is cool and introspective, but it should blossom nicely with further time in bottle. At present it is quite reticent, even if its potential is striking. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThe 2010 Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes is deep, powerful and sensual. It boasts fabulous depth and an understated personality that is immensely appealing. Today the Chaumes is cool and introspective, but it should blossom nicely with further time in bottle. At present it is quite reticent, even if its potential is striking.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM(Vosne-Romanée “les Chaumes”- Domaine Méo-Camuzet) The Vosne “Chaumes” is one of the wines chez Méo that saw a bit of whole cluster in 2010, as the wine included fifteen percent of the stems in this vintage. Given that Chaumes can sometimes be a bit too easy going structurally for its own good, this seems like a very good idea to me and the 2010 version is going to be very good indeed. The nose is deep, pure and nicely reserved, offering up scents of black raspberries, cassis, raw cocoa, lovely soil tones, woodsmoke and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and quite tight on the attack, with a lovely core of fruit, ripe tannins and excellent precision on the well-balanced and tangy finish. A lovely bottle of Chaumes. (Drink between 2019-2040)John Gilman | 91+ JG

(Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Richebourg Grand Cru Red) An intensely floral and gloriously spicy nose of ripe and highly complex black cherry liqueur and rose petal aromas leads to impressively dense and brooding large-scaled flavors that possess fantastic depth and positively stunning length. I have experience with almost every Mongeard Richebourg since the first vintage in 1984 and I have never seen one with more potential than this one though not surprisingly, patience will be needed. In a word, brilliant. (Drink starting 2030)Burghound | 94-96 BH(Richebourg- Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret) The 2010 Richebourg just noses out the Grands Echézeaux this year as the best wine in the cellar, but, at least at this early stage, this is a race that is likely to go right down to the wire for king of the cellar. The stunning and utterly refined nose soars from the glass in a blend of red and black cherries, black plums, dark chocolate, fresh herb tones, complex soil nuances, woodsmoke and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure, with a fine sense of reserve, a rock solid core, brilliant transparency (particularly for Richebourg), ripe tannins, tangy acids and outstanding length and grip on the utterly refined finish. A beautiful, beautiful wine. (Drink between 2025-2100)John Gilman | 96+ JG

Rousseau’s 2011 Ruchottes-Chambertin dazzles from start to finish. Plums, black cherries, cloves and violets are among the many notes that are alive in the glass. This is a surprisingly rich, explosive Ruchottes endowed with superb depth and more than enough intensity to drink beautifully for many, many years. What a gorgeous wine this is.Vinous Media | 95 VM(Ruchottes-Chambertin “Clos des Ruchottes”- Domaine Armand Rousseau) As I noted in the introduction, the domaine’s use of less new wood has really ratcheted up the expression of the underlying soil in the 2011 Ruchottes-Chambertin- at least to my palate- and this is probably the finest young vintage of Rousseau Clos des Ruchottes that I have ever had the pleasure to taste! The brilliant nose offers up a sappy and very transparent blend of red and black cherries, red plums, cocoa, a touch of gamebird, magically complex soil tones, a deft framing of vanillin oak and a pungent topnote of violets. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very primary in personality, with a great core of fruit, ripe, fine-grained tannins, vibrant acids and outstanding focus and grip on the very long and very energetic finish. At this point in time, this wine truly looks to be superior to the excellent Clos St. Jacques in 2011, and I would have to guess that part of this is the purity of terroir that is brought about by less new wood in the mix. A great wine. (Drink between 2023-2060)John Gilman | 94 JGThe 2011 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru was aged in a judicious 10% new oak. It has an entrancing bouquet that is a serious level up from the Mazy and Charmes-Chambertins with pure fresh strawberry, raspberry and violet aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, sensual tannins and a fine line of acidity. This is silky smooth in the mouth, that prudent oak just giving it lift and sensuality. If I were buying 2011 Rousseau, my money would be spent here. Drink now-2025.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94 RP-NMNot surprisingly this hasn’t changed greatly since my last review in January 2014 (see herein) and most of my original tasting note remains apt. An adroit but not invisible application of wood frames cool, pure and restrained red and dark berry fruit, truffle and spice aromas that are becoming slightly earthier. There is good richness and volume to the intensely mineral-driven flavors that terminate in a beautifully complex, lengthy and impeccably well-balanced finish. This is very classy and should be excellent in due course. I should note that this is actually enjoyable now and while it is nowhere near its full maturity it is lovely thanks to the fine balance. Tasted twice recently with consistent results.Burghound | 93 BH

(Clos St. Denis- Domaine Dujac) I have a fair bit of Dujac Clos St. Denis in my cellar, but I cannot recall any previous vintage as promising as the 2011 showed at the time of my visit in November. This is one of the most elegant of all the grand crus in the Côte de Nuits and this has obviously dovetailed brilliantly with the style of the 2011 vintage. The stunning nose soars from the glass in a glorious mélange of cherries, blood orange, gamebirds, cinnamon, roses, beautiful minerality, cocoa, peonies and a discreet base of spicy wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and absolutely ethereal in style, with great mid-palate depth and nascent complexity, laser-like focus, suave tannins and magical grip and focus on the very, very long and very transparent finish. This beautiful wine already dances across the palate and it will be a legend in the years to come! (Drink between 2022-2065)John Gilman | 96 JGA model of elegance and finesse, the 2011 Clos St. Denis presents a hugely attractive fabric laced with orange peel, rose petals and sweet spices. The 2011 is an especially floral, lifted Clos St. Denis endowed with terrific energy and focus, while the mid-weight structure suggests it will drink well relatively early.Vinous Media | 95 VMDeep, profound wine with dark berries, cinnamon and spices. Velvety tannins and long finish. Terroir-driven, very intense flavours, amazing depth. Drinking Window 2018 - 2028.Decanter | 94 DEC(Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis Grand Cru Red) Here too an adroit application of wood serves as a discreet foil for the more obvious floral aromas that enjoy added scope from the presence of pure, spicy and highly complex red and dark berry scents. There is an abundance of mouth coating extract that imparts a suave, even lush character to the very rich medium-bodied flavors that are an exercise in finesse and refinement while offering controlled power and outstanding length. A classic Clos St. Denis of class and grace. (Drink starting 2026)Burghound | 93 BHThe 2011 Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru is missing a little cohesion on the nose, rather loose-knit with broody, stony red berry fruit. Fortunately, it begins to come together with rigorous swirling of the glass and musters much better focus. The palate is medium-bodied with quite chalky tannins on the entry. There is a fine core of red cherries, pomegranate and attractive saline notes toward the masculine finish. It is more approachable than other vintages that I have tasted at this stage, but it deserves three or four years in bottle because there is a lot of potential here. Drink 2015-2025.I have been visiting Jeremy and Alec Seysses at Domaine Dujac for several years now, and it is always one of my favorite ports of call. Alec, looking surprisingly chipper for a new dad had taken time off nappy duty to guide me through the 2011s this year. I have to confess that I was concerned by the conspicuous nature of the new oak on both their negociant label wines and the entry Village Crus. I felt that 35% new oak tended to overwhelm the fruit and terroir and occasionally impart drying finishes, which is why my scores are parsimonious here. As I tasted through the range toward the flock of Grand Crus the oak seemed better assimilated, although I would still maintain that the wine is of such quality that the present level of oak risks being superfluous to requirements. All the negociant label wines were bottled before Christmas.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NM

The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Combottes shows the pure power and intensity of the year in spades. Dark red stone fruits meld into expressive floral notes, but it is really the wine’s energy, depth and textural finesse that stand out most. Readers can look forward to several decades of exceptional drinking.Vinous Media | 94 VM(Gevrey-Chambertin “aux Combottes”- Domaine Dujac) The 2012 Combottes was again rather reductive at the time of my visit and ready for its imminent racking. With a bit of urging, the wine reluctantly offers up a very promising and quite black fruity bouquet of cassis, black cherries, espresso, gamebirds, dark soil tones, woodsmoke and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, suave on the attack and impressively transparent, with a sappy core, fine-grained tannins and excellent balance on the long, pure and focused finish. This will certainly be lovely. (Drink between 2022-2055).John Gilman | 92-93 JGThe 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Combottes comes from 1.15-hectares of vineyard, with an average age of 30 years. It has a very precise bouquet that is wonderfully focused: subtle notes of red berry fruit with lifted mineralite. The palate is medium-bodied with fine definition, supple tannins: taut and focused with a linear but very fresh finish. This will probably need four or five years bottle age, but it has great potential.Tasting in the cellars of Domaine Dujac in Morey Saint Denis is always an educational, enlightening experience, granting you a useful picture of how some of the top vineyards performed in the Cote de Nuits during a given year. Alec Seysses was on hand to guide me around his particularly cold cellar, one of those occasions when my warm hands might be bad for pastry, but ideal for warming glasses. “It was the fourth poor year in a row in terms of quantity,” he explained, showing me the concrete eggs now employed at the domaine, a less common sight here in Burgundy compared to Bordeaux. “although in 2012 we had a regular crop of the village crus and the younger vines did well. We averaged around 20 hectoliters per hectare. Everything was racked in early September but there is some reduction from the cold cellar. The softness of the tannins strikes me as a character of the vintage. It is more a dark fruit vintage than a red fruit vintage. Sugars were between 12.5 and 13%, with a few 13.3% here and there. I find the wines similar to 2010, but the 2012 is a little more charming because the tannins are not quite as strong.” Tasting through the complete range of wines from the small batch of negociant wines under “Dujac Fils et Pere” to the clutch of grand crus, it was clear that propitious terroirs that influenced the wines greatly. The village crus were mostly commendable in their own right, but the real excitement begins as you broach the premier crus, where the barrel samples achieve high degrees of complexity and nuance. Like many of the top growers, I was pleased to see individual terroirs articulated with great clarity in 2012, perhaps more so than the 2011s. These barrel samples seemed to contain so much energy: tightly coiled springs of fermented grape juice, brimming with tension and freshness that Jeremy and Alec will endeavor to capture once in bottle. I have little doubt that they will succeed.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91-93 RP-NM(Domaine Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin "Aux Combottes" 1er Cru Red) This is also reduced if not quite as firmly as the Morey villages. This is extremely fine and pure with a knockout mouth feel to the restrained, pure and lacy medium-bodied flavors that are also shaped by fine-grained tannins on the mouth coating, understated and lingering finish where there is also a trace of austerity. This is not a big wine but as classic examples typically are, this is a Gevrey 1er of finesse and refinement plus it’s impeccably well-balanced. I would make the same observation here that while the reduction is a concern my score assumes that it will ultimately dissipate with a few years of bottle age. (Drink starting 2024).Burghound | 92 BH

Good bright, deep red. Complex, subtle aromas of raspberry, redcurrant and graphite minerality, plus some sexy oak tones. Ripe and silky, even plump for the year, but classically dry and light on its feet. Saturates the mouth and cheeks without leaving any impression of heaviness. At this point in my tasting, Marie-Christine Mugneret noted that these 2013s had been uncorked the previous evening. They are showing spectacularly now and I suspect they benefited dramatically from aeration. Finishes with very suave, even tannins and a suggestion of minty lift. Very classy juice.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe Mugnerets usually get six to seven casks of Echézeaux in a normal vintage, but in 2013, the old vines in their holding in the climat of Rouge de Bas were really badly affected by the poor flowering in this year and there are only four casks of this lovely wine as a result- the same as in 2012. It is too bad that there is not more quantity, as the quality here is exceptional, with the wine soaring from the glass in a blaze of black cherries, cassis, gamebirds, violets, a gloriously complex base of soil, dark chocolate and nutty new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and supremely elegant in personality, with great mid-palate depth, impeccable balance, ripe tannins and outstanding transparency on the very long, tangy and perfectly focused finish. A beautiful wine in the making. (Drink between 2025 - 2075)John Gilman | 94+ JGAn exuberantly spicy nose exhibits notes of raspberry liqueur, earth and essence of black cherry scents as well as enough wood to notice. Here too there is a distinctly sleek mouth feel to the suave and very seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that possess impressive power in the context of the appellation and simply knock-out depth and length. This impeccably well-balanced effort is a notably more robust and concentrated vintage of this wine than usual that should age well for a long time to come.Burghound | 94 BHThe 2013 Echézeaux Grand Cru, which comes from two parcels in the lieux-dits “Les Rouges du Bas” (70-year-old vines on métayage from Fabrice Vigot) and “Quartiers du Nuits” (on métayage with Pascal Mugneret) has a seductive bouquet in the same vein as the Nuits Chaignots with very pure dark cherries, bergamot and mineral scents. The palate is rounded in the mouth with very good weight. It does not quite have the delineation or complexity of the 2012 at the moment, but there is a lovely caressing finish. This will be giving pleasure earlier than the other crus, but it should still age well.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP

I really like the cool fruit tones of the 2013 Chaignots from the Mugnerets this year, as the wine really harkens back stylistically to the young 1993s. The bouquet is a refined and properly reserved mix of dark berries, cassis, espresso, woodsmoke, gamebirds, fresh herbs, soil and a deft base of new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still very primary in personality, with great purity and focus, a lovely core of fruit, excellent soil signature and a very long, tangy and moderately tannic finish. Nuits St. Georges does not get a lot more elegant than this lovely wine, but it will need time in the cellar to blossom. (Drink between 2022 - 2050)John Gilman | 92+ JGGood medium red. Sexy, complex aromas of ripe plum, redcurrant, cedar, spices and rose petal. Supple, plump, dry and saline; classically backward wine but with a surprisingly pliant texture for the year. Strong, almost peppery acidity is nicely buffered by intense red fruits. Finishes with sexy sweetness and length.Vinous Media | 91 VMA beautifully spicy nose features ripe aromas of both red and dark currant along with plenty of earth and sandalwood influence along with a whisper of herbal tea. There is good tension to the seductively textured medium weight flavors that display a lovely stony quality on the relatively fine, well-balanced and persistent finale. Depending on the vintage this can be a bit more Vosne or Nuits in basic character; in 2013 it’s more Vosne in style though there is just enough Nuits muscle to remind you of its origins.Burghound | 91 BHTasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Nuits St Georges 1er Cru les Chaignots has a menthol-tinged bouquet that feels a little ostentatious (not a word I associate with this domaine’s wines). It does come out of its shell with aeration, manifesting more refinement and offers an attractive orange blossom, almost honeyed note later on. The palate is supple on the mouth with strawberry pastilles taking center stage, the acidity nicely judged albeit missing complexity on the fleshy and easy-going finish. As always, I adore the elegance of Mugneret-Gibourg’s wine, though it does not possess the density of other recent vintages. Tasted September 2016.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

The 2013 La Tâche Grand Cru was picked from the afternoon of October 7 and over the next two days at 18 hectoliters per hectare. It has a heavenly nose with exquisite mineral-rich red cherry, wild strawberry, blood orange and subtle woodland, damp autumn leaf and moss aromas that are extraordinarily complex. It seems to gain vigor and intensity with each swirl of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, a slightly suppler La Tâche compared to recent years, a wine with an athleticism. There is nothing wasted or superfluous here, a honed La Tâche that is all about tensile structure matched by perfect acidity and an incredibly complex, kaleidoscopic finish that seems so mercurial in the glass, initially offering red fruit then changing its mind and revealing darker and more tertiary notes. In a word: awesome. Production is 1,023 cases. Tasted February 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 97 RP-NMThe 2013 La Tâche Grand Cru is dazzling. Bright and nuanced, the 2013 sizzles with energy right out of the gate. The 2013 is just starting to open. Ideally, a few more years in the cellar would be helpful, but the 2013 is so inviting at this stage. This late-ripening year produced a La Tâche that bristles with tension.Antonio Galloni | 97+ AG(Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Pinot Noir / Pinot Nero, La Tâche Grand Cru Monopole, Burgundy, France, Red) Among the vineyards that could beat the odds in 2013, La Tâche is near the top of the list. The vintage was cold and wet, and growers had to use all their savvy to ripen during the August reprieve. The Domaine managed to turn in a bright, fresh La Tâche, with a complex bouquet that melds high-toned red fruit, saline minerality and a suggestion of wild herbs. The texture is elegant and fine, with silky tannins and a lovely, wispy elegance. Fans of the customary power and depth of La Tâche, however, may be disappointed. (Drink between 2025-2065)Burghound | 96 BHDeep velvety colour, the slightly exotic black fruits nose are so entrancing than it slows up the move to take in the beauty of the palate, which is firmer than expected. It’s even a little closed for La Tâche, whose profundity and grandeur will give it a magnificent future. Drinking Window 2023 - 2038.Decanter | 95 DEC

A clear bright and still youthful colour. The bouquet is sublime, the quintessence of elegant fruit, maybe peonies because there is a floral note, medium weight, and a perfectly refined finish.Jasper Morris | 92 JMTasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale has a more sophisticated and nuanced nose compared to its peers, red and black fruit here and well integrated oak. The palate is smooth in the mouth, supple and quite plush, clearly with some quality new oak that is almost Cathiard-like in style (something that appears to have evolved in the last few months). However, there is fruit to support that here. Give this 2-3 years in bottle and it should turn into a very decent Nuits Saint-Georges. Tasted September 2016.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPBright, dark red. Highly aromatic nose combines blackberry, black raspberry, minerals and spices. Sappy and fine-grained; very dry and concentrated, conveying a strong impression of inner-palate energy. Sexy cherry and crushed stone flavors are framed by suave tannins on the very long, aromatic back end. Showing more éclat than it did from barrel a year ago, this wine has turned out very well.Vinous Media | 91 VMThe inherent elegance of the vintage is very much in evidence in the 2013 Clos de la Maréchale, which offers up a pure and classy bouquet of red and black cherries, pomegranate, nutskin, mustard seed, a touch of pepper and a complex signature of soil. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and very soil-driven this year, with a sappy core of red fruit, tangy acids, ripe and quite suave tannins and excellent length and grip on the youthful and very promising finish. A lovely wine in the making, the 2013 Clos de la Maréchale should drink very well at a fairly early age for this cuvée in this year. (Drink between 2022 - 2055)John Gilman | 91+ JG

Concentrated and powerful, this wine is rich and full in the mouth, with wonderful ripe fruits over the great tannins. It is solid, dark and dense, full of smoky flavors and a rich strawberry flavor.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEHere there is a bit more wood with the associated traces of menthol that surround the elegant floral and like the Estournelles, airy essence of red berry fruit liqueur and spice suffused aromas. There is a sophisticated mouth feel to the appealingly textured, intense and focused middle weight flavors that also display plenty of minerality that serves to add lift to the structured, serious and strikingly long finish. This is indisputably terrific though interestingly it doesn’t seem to have quite as much separation between it and the other Gevrey 1ers in the range as I typically find chez Jadot. Still, this should be a really lovely effort though note well that this is a CSJ for the patient. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 91-94 BHTasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques has a composed bouquet with dark cherry, red plum, a light estuarine influence seeping through with aeration, all with good intensity and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, plenty of blackcurrant and raspberry fruit, tensile with a brisk and quite punchy finish. I thought it might be Bruno Clair’s Clos Saint Jacques before its identity was revealed - a classy number from the Jadot team. Tasted September 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NM(this fruit was harvested on October 10, following heavy rain on the 9th): Medium red. Lovely rose petal perfume dominates the nose. Juicy and pure but tight and youthfully unforgiving; showing less fat and volume than the Estournelles. Unless this is simply painfully backward, it’s hard to imagine this wine ever delivering the satisfaction of the Estournelles.Vinous Media | 90-93 VMSuch pretty clarity to this with spice, dried strawberry, and wet earth too. Full-bodied, firm and chewy with bright citrus acidity and a long finish. I like the austerity with vivid fruit character. Needs a year or two to soften. Reminds me of 2008.James Suckling | 93 JSIntense and powerful, with plum, black cherry and spice flavors flowing before giving way to dense tannins. Finishes with tobacco and mineral elements. All the components are there, but this needs time to integrate.Wine Spectator | 93 WSIn marked contrast to the Estournelles, the 2013 Clos St. Jacques was not showing particularly well at the time of my visit, as it too seemed to lack energy and was a bit flat on the palate. The bouquet offers up fine depth in its blend of cassis, black cherries, bitter chocolate, dark soil tones, smoke and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep and full-bodied, but quite flat, with a creamy core of fruit, ripe tannins and a long, nascently complex and quite linear finish. I hope this is just a stage for this wine, which is usually one of the greatest premier cru bottlings to be found in Gevrey. (Drink between 2023-2050)John Gilman | 89-92 JG

The 2014 Richebourg from Charles van Canneyt is stunning, with the elegance and transparency of the vintage finding a perfect dance partner in the depth and succulence of this cru. The superb bouquet wafts from the glass in a blend of red and black plums, cocoa powder, duck, a very complex base of soil tones, woodsmoke, violets and a lovely framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very refined out of the blocks, with a sappy core of fruit, great mineral drive, suave tannins and stunning backend energy on the precise and very, very long and complex finish. A great young example of Richebourg. (Drink between 2025 - 2075)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2014 Richebourg Grand Cru has a fabulous bouquet: complex and profound, quite floral in style with wonderful intensity. The palate is medium-bodied, more masculine than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant and perhaps without quite the same riveting tension and detail. That said, it comes across as extraordinarily fresh and vibrant, with hints of undergrowth and smoke towards the structured and masculine finish. It will need a few years to really settle into its groove, but it will surely evolve into a tremendous Richebourg.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPPerfumed with subtle aromas of raspberry and wild strawberry coupled with nuances of cured meat. A very racy wine with a velvety texture and some sweet spices on the finish.Decanter | 95 DECMedium red Distinctly darker on the nose than the RSV, offering scents of blackberry, boysenberry, violet, smoky minerals and spicy oak Sappy, saline, broad and classically dry; distinctly thicker and more backward than the RSV, with its soil character currently dominating its primary fruits Superb volume here but rather uncompromising today; this wine will need a long time to emerge from its shell Finishes with hints of chocolate and mint The RSV shows more oaky sweetness but this wine is more profound (Incidentally, when I tasted the 2014s from bottle at Hudelot-Noëllat in late 2015, this wine showed more high-toned lift and early personality than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but then Charles van Canneyt has been telling me for years that these two grand crus are constantly "changing their position in the cellar" during their élevageVinous Media | 93+ VMDiscreet but not invisible wood frames the less expressive but similarly spicy nose of fresh and ripe plum, cassis and violet scents that also display a hint of herbal tea. There is outstanding volume and intensity to the lightly mineral-inflected big-bodied flavors that possess very fine depth and length on the well-balanced finale. This is very firmly structured and is going to require at least a decade of cellaring before it will be approachable.Burghound | 93 BH

A fresh, cool and moderately restrained nose speaks of various red and dark berries along with plenty of iron-inflected earth, animale and pretty floral nuances. The lush, even opulent flavors certainly don’t lack for size, weight and power as they coat the palate while buffering the notably firm tannic spine on the muscular, driving and wonderfully persistent finish. This too is impressively concentrated and built-to-age.Burghound | 93-95 BHSweet spicy oaky nose with vibrant black cherry fruit; stylish. Rich, suave, full-bodied plate boasting fine-grained tannins that don’t lack texture or force. Good acidity and length. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035Decanter | 94 DECBright medium-dark red. Reticent but very pure aromas of cherry, dark berries, licorice, musky underbrush and salty minerals; smells riper and less peppery than the ’13, and a bit Cabernet-like. Thick but fresh on entry, then wonderfully suave, juicy and fine-grained in the mid-palate, showing terrific vibrancy and lift as well as a rose petal topnote that’s not yet present in the 2015. Still plenty of medicinal reserve here but this is a step up in finesse from the 2013 and distinctly longer and subtler on the aftertaste. Finishes with very fine-grained, tongue-saturating tannins and a subtle whiplash of pungent red and black fruits, minerals and soil. There’s incipient body here but the wine is still youthfully imploded and more salty than sweet. Its balance and finesse, though, make it easy to taste today. Extended aeration brought an even silkier texture and lovely sweet Pinot tang of red berries, rose petal and minerals, even a hint of blood orange. Obviously still very young but this wine struck me as a bit more pliant than it was shortly after bottling. It’s also hard to believe that such a stylish wine could have been produced here under the old regime. (13.2% alcohol; 3.45 pH; 3.75 g/l acidity; 33 h/h).Vinous Media | 94 VMA flagship of the Faiveley range, this is a structured wine with great acidity and beautiful perfumes. The wine is dense, already balanced with the red fruits shining through the tannins. It will develop slowly and will not be ready to drink before 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis is pure, featuring cherry, berry, floral and spice aromas and flavors married to a vivid structure. Firms up nicely as the fruit and supporting matrix build to a long finish. Best from 2020 through 2033. 120 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe product of a dry spring and a rainy summer, the 2014 Corton Grand Cru Clos des Cortons Faiveley offers up an appealing bouquet of wild berries, dark chocolate, cedar, espresso roast and candied peel that’s framed by a deft touch of creamy new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, with an ample, textural attack but a tight-knit, somewhat closed mid-palate that’s structured around fine-grained but firm tannins. While the 2014 isn’t as as broad-shouldered as the 2015, it’s a powerful, structured wine that will demand some patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPGeorges Faiveley won the right to include his family name in the name of this grand cru in 1937; it’s a 7.44-acre parcel within Le Rognet. Some of the vines today date back to 1936 and ’56, providing a complex 2014 with lasting floral intensity. The dense, raspberry-scented fruit is completely savory, with powerful tannins that lend it broad richness. Cellar this until it’s ten years old before you consider drinking it. Frederick Wildman and Sons, NYWine & Spirits | 92 W&S

(Volnay “Clos des Chênes”- Domaine Antonin Guyon) I always like the Guyon family’s Clos des Chênes and the 2016 is another fine example in the making. The wine is quite a bit more red fruity in personality than in many vintages, offering up a fine aromatic constellation of red plums, cherries, gamebird, a complex base of soil, mustard seed, woodsmoke and a bit of new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and tangy, with a sappy core, excellent transparency, fine-grained tannins and lovely grip on the long and complex finish. (Drink between 2026-2060)John Gilman | 92+ JGNotes of reduction and wood render the nose tough to evaluate today. Otherwise there is both good density and punch to the more mineral-suffused medium weight flavors that possess better power and persistence though the finish is very, very austere and as such, this won’t be for everyone.Burghound | 88-91 BH