Burgundy White Wines

wines

Half the crop was lost to the frost on 5th April, alas. However, the end result has been to provide a wine of astonishing concentration, in the very best sense – nothing heavy here, just remarkable intensity. Superb finish, with enormous dry extract in 2019.Jasper Morris | 89-92 JMModerate reduction overshadows the underlying fruit though there is both good freshness and verve to the impressively dense and sappy medium weight flavors that coat the palate with dry extract before concluding in a powerful, serious and only mildly rustic finale. This is a very fine Chassagne villages and well-worth checking out.Burghound | 89-92 BHThe 2019 Chassagne-Montrachet Village was a touch more subdued on the nose out of barrel, touches of nettle and white flower eventually emerge. The palate is well balanced with a saline entry. Here, there is more expressiveness and tension, citrus fresh with slithers of Clementine towards the pointed finish. Give this two or three years in bottle.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

One barrel made, purchased as grapes. Pale primrose in colour. This Bâtard delivers spectacular heady fruit here with a sense of joy rather than undue weight. Ripe fresh pears, some mirabelle plums, a saline note, and good acidity. A thoroughly fulfilling wine.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMRipe if restrained aromas blend notes of both white and yellow peach with those of citrus confit and acacia blossom. The rich, delicious and very punchy larger-scaled flavors that also possess fine mid-palate density conclude in a compact, firm, youthfully austere and built to age finale. This balanced effort is really quite lovely and while it too needs better depth, the underlying material appears more than up to the task.Burghound | 92-95 BHThe 2019 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru mingles notes of pear, peach and mandarin with hints of honeycomb, fresh pastry, toasted nuts and mint. Full-bodied, layered and unctuous, it’s rich and textural, with succulent acids and a ripe, enveloping core of fruit. It’s a gourmand, fleshy wine that’s long on charm, even if it can’t match the tension or grip of Moreau’s superb Grandes Ruchottes.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThe 2019 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a crisp bouquet with wet limestone and flinty aromas, though quite muted at the moment. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, good weight in the mouth with the concentration loaded at the back end. A little creamy in texture (although it is raised in a used barrel racked into an older barrel) with a persistent finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Billaud-Simon, under the guidance of Olivier Bailly, is a highly consistent producer of classic Chablis. Cool and crisp, there is concentration here allied to vibrant acidity on the palate. A benchmark Chablis which combines a more modern fruit character with the structure of wines from the past. Great length and lots of finesse here. Drinking Window 2021 - 2027.Decanter | 92 DEC

A rich and generous Meursault with plenty of ripe-apricot and melon character, which is very neatly underlined by the vanilla oak. Full body with quite some creaminess, then comes the long finish with excellent mineral freshness. Everything fits extremely neatly! Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSOffering up notes of pear, white flowers, toasted almonds and beeswax, Bouchard’s 2019 Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières is medium to full-bodied, satiny and chiseled, with a more tightly wound, introverted profile than the Charmes that preceded it. Built to age, this is a serious Genevrières that I look forward to tasting from bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPA blend of two parcels, the 2019 Meursault Les Genevrières 1er Cru was the first to be picked by Bouchard in this appellation. The well-defined bouquet features touches of lemon thyme, walnut and smoke. The palate is balanced with fine acidity, fresh and focused. The pretty, apricot-tinged finish fans out wonderfully and leaves residues of grilled almond and sesame on the aftertaste. Excellent. Vinous Media | 92-94 VMTwo plots in the upper part, picked separately. Pale yellow. The bouquet is very striking with its verbena and juniper nose, plenty of energy here. Big shoulders, some warmth, but it holds it in, with excellent length. Ripe pear notes on the palate. This will all come together.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JMModerately firm reduction overshadows the underlying fruit at present. Otherwise there is very good volume to the nicely concentrated and more finely textured middle weight flavors that brim with minerality on the youthfully austere and lemon zest-inflected finale that isn’t quite as structured.Burghound | 91-93 BHFrom two domaine-owned parcels totaling 2.65ha, one near the bottom, one near the top. The grapes are gently pressed, settled and fermented in cask (15% new). The result has a high-toned citrusy fruit, with a pleasantly floral edge to it. On the palate, there is weight and breadth, but no heaviness. Really quite lovely.Decanter | 92 DEC

This is still a bit closed on the nose, but on the palate it is rippling with ripe-apricot and orange character. Dense and rich, almost to the point of being unctuous, although this is properly dry. Serious tannin structure behind the lavish exterior, which, together with the fresh acidity, keeps this on course through the very generous finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSBouchard’s holding here is superb: 0.90ha on the edge of the Puligny side at midslope between Ramonet and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. In 2019, Bouchard emphasised the richness by picking this parcel last. Ripe apples, white flowers and even a touch of honey make their appearance on the nose, while the texture on the palate is unctuous and deep without being heavy. There is still enough freshness to keep this lively through the intensely long finish. (Drink between 2024-2039)Decanter | 97 DECAromas of white flowers, fresh peach, toasted bread, mandarin oil and pastry cream introduce Bouchard’s 2019 Montrachet Grand Cru, a full-bodied, layered and multidimensional wine that’s deep and concentrated, with racy acids, terrific mid-palate amplitude and a long, saline finish. Broad shouldered and powerful without being at all overbearing, it’s an exemplary rendition of this celebrated site.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2019 Montrachet Grand Cru has a complex bouquet of crushed chalk, mirabelle, apricot and light vanilla pod aromas, plus just a touch of white chocolate in the background. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite powerful and very well defined. Orange zest, mandarin and lemon thyme notes feature on a very long finish that fans out extremely well. Superb. Vinous Media | 94-96 VMSpicy and notably ripe yet fresh aromas of petrol, white peach and plenty of floral elements give way to slightly finer though less concentrated flavors that possess focused power and evident minerality on the compact, youthfully austere and more structured finale that flashes huge length. While qualitatively quite similar, the two wines offer distinctly different personalities. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 93-95 BH

A hint of petrichor colors this wine’s lemony, bright nose with a stony allure. The palate dresses this lemony richness in nutty, rounded smoothness without denying its mouthwatering essence. The midpalate is buffered, chalky and intense, with reverberating richness and freshness that makes this wine a real joy.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEPart of the wider Montmains Premier Cru, Butteaux is situated on the top of the hill, located on sparse Kimmeridgian soil with the presence of the much-vaunted blue clay. In 2019, the exposure of this site has added an extra layer of richness to the palate. Fine acidity keeps the wine in balance with purity of fruit very evident. Lots of concentration for further ageing. A fine Premier Cru, appealing now but with much more to come. Drinking Window 2022 - 2027.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2019 Chablis Butteaux 1er Cru has a very promising bouquet of honeysuckle, jasmine, citronella and Japanese yuzu. Very fine delineation and focus on display here. The palate is well balanced with a supple and harmonious opening, lively and pretty, offering yellow plum and citrus notes, and becoming spicier with a dab of stem ginger toward the finish. This Butteaux will be difficult to resist in its youth, but it will give 12–15 years of drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2019 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has an expressive nose of crushed stone, mirabelle and light honeysuckle aromas, one of the classiest from Brocard in 2019. The palate is fresh and saline on the entry, with driving acidity, superb tension and a judicious kiss of salinity on the racy finish. A great Chablis from Brocard. Recommended.Vinous Media | 94 VMMossiness accompanies pear and lemon notes on this wine’s nose along with a lift of dried hayflower. The palate adds ripe roundness and intense, multidimensional creaminess that takes in yeast, smokiness and chalkiness alongside the intense lemon. Drink 2022–2040.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE(Maison Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis "Vaulorent" 1er Cru White) This is aromatically similar to the Fourchaume with its softly honied and exotic aromas that are ripe but fresh while exhibiting good Chablis typicity. There is fine volume to the punchy and tautly muscular flavors that possess a borderline tannic mouthfeel that carries over to the markedly dry finale. Solid quality here that is marked by the vintage but not excessively so. (Drink starting 2025).Burghound | 91 BH

(Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis "Vaillons - Cuvée Guy Moreau" 1er Cru White) Subtle but not imperceptible wood surrounds the ripe and fresh white and yellow orchard fruit scents that are nuanced by hints of tidal pool and iodine. There is again excellent intensity and delineation to the dense and rather serious medium weight flavors that also exude a bracing salinity on the impressively long and more complex finale. The Guy Moreau is usually a bit better than the regular cuvée but in 2019 this appears to offer a substantial step up in quality. (Drink starting 2026)Burghound | 90-93 BHThe 2019 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau comes from a specific one-hectare parcel planted by the titular winemaker, Christian’s father, back in 1933. It has a bouquet similar to the regular cuvée, very well defined with yellow plum and a touch of saffron. The balanced palate offers a slightly creamy texture, fine acidity and flavors of white peach plus hints of almond toward the generous finish, though it retains acidity from beginning to end. Enjoy this over the next 15 years.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Textural and gourmand, the 2019 Pouilly-Loché Clos des Rocs (Monopole) opens in the glass with scents of pear, clear honey, fresh bread, nutmeg and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, layered and satiny, its fleshy core of fruit is framed by lively acids that enliven the saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The 2019 Pouilly-Loché En Chantone offers up notes of pear, green apple, white flowers and fresh bread, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and precise palate that’s bright and lively. It’s a nicely balanced wine that has turned out very well.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

(Domaine Antonin Guyon Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru White) Ripe, airy and restrained aromas include those of just sliced green apple, lemongrass and a lovely array of spice elements. There is excellent volume and density to the equally precise and chiseled larger-scaled flavors that display ample power on the lemony and youthfully austere finale. This too is quite promising. (Drink starting 2029)Burghound | 92-95 BHThe 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is excellent, unwinding in the glass with notes of pear, citrus zest, fresh bread, white flowers and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it’s elegantly muscular, with a satiny attack and a long, precise finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

Subtly smoky and thrilling in minerality, this pure-fruited, lemon-scented Chablis highlights white peach and lime flavors etched by limestone and chalk. Despite a hot vintage, it’s a classic, cooling expression of Mont de Milieu vinified entirely in stainless steel. It’s at peak from 2023 to 2035 but the wine should hold longer still.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2019 Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru has a clean, Alpine-scented bouquet that displays fine mineralité and tension. In the mouth, it’s fresh, vibrant and quite spicy on the midpalate, leading into an engaging, intense finish. This is a superb Mont de Milieu that should age with style. A Chablis with pedigree.Vinous Media | 93 VMMore depth and resolve on the nose here, with a deeper hue in the glass and some intriguing spice and woody notes on the palate. Good concentration with some refreshing citric acidity to finish. This shows the combination of ripeness and stony minerality which makes Mont de Milieu one of the leading Premier Crus. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2027Decanter | 92 DEC

This is toasty, featuring spice notes that frame peach and apple fruit flavors. Fluid and lively, with a hint of white flowers and fine balance, while a citrus element lines the finish. Drink now. 350 cases made, 60 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2019 Viré-Clessé had just been racked on my visit, therefore there was so much gas in this wine, as expected. Nevertheless, there is already fine balance and harmony, a keen line of acidity with a lovely spicy finish that lingers in the mouth. It’s a work in progress, but there is plenty of potential here. This is due to be bottled September 2022.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

The 2019 Rully Clos du Chaigne 1er Cru, a monopole of the domaine on clayey soils, is matured in 60% barrels (less than 20% new) and the remainder in tank. It has a ripe and honeyed bouquet with honeysuckle, tinned apricot and hints of golden raisin. The palate is well balanced with impressive depth, very harmonious with a judicious touch of ginger. This builds nicely in the mouth and it fans out gloriously on the mineral finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92 VM(Rully “Clos du Chaigne” 1er Cru Monopole- Domaine de la Folie) The Clos du Chaigne lies on the same slope as the domaine’s Clos St. Jacques, but a bit higher up, so the wine tends to be a bit more minerally in personality as a result. These vines were planted in 1971 and the wine is raised in a combination of about sixty percent tank and forty percent casks, with a small percentage of the barrels being new each year. The 2019 Clos du Chaigne delivers a complex nose of fresh pineapple, pear, chalky minerality, white lilies, just a whisper of buttery oak and a bit of orange zest in the upper register. On the palate the wine is vibrant, ripe and full-bodied, with a fine core, lovely mineral drive and backend bounce and a long, complex finish. This has a touch more cut than the equally impressive Clos St. Jacques this year. (Drink between 2021-2033)John Gilman | 91+ JGScents of Meyer lemon, musky peach, ripe pear, white flowers and nutmeg introduce the 2019 Rully 1er Cru Clos du Chaigne Blanc, a medium to full-bodied, round and fleshy wine that’s gourmand but precise. As usual, this will drink well young.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

Domaine des Malandes is a 29ha estate with the ’Envers de Valmur’ an intriguing ’insiders’ choice from vineyards abutting Grand Cru Vaudésir. Classic in colour, aroma and flavour profile on the palate, this is a fine Chablis with great potential for further ageing. Bright, focussed and mineral with a lovely balance between freshness, bright acidity and ripe fruit flavours. Long and precise on the finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2027.Decanter | 94 DECA slight notion of wet chalk appears alongside hints of lemon zest on this wine’s fresh nose. Superbright and more open, the palate offers cooling, smooth chalkiness pervaded by lemony ripeness. It’s a concentrated, elegant wine with depth.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

Pale yellow. Rather a backward nose, this appears low key after the oaky sumptuous character of Perrières, but it is a brilliant wine, all about the white fruit, ripe enough to include white peach flesh, but beautifully managed and with exceptional persistence. Almost saline in its minerality at the finish.Jasper Morris | 93-97 JMA ripe yet equally cool, pure and airy nose is comprised by hints of white peach, apricot, lavender and a hint of hazelnut. There is excellent intensity to the stony and attractively textured and beautifully delineated flavors that terminate in a bone-dry and youthfully austere finish that is quite tightly wound.Burghound | 91-94 BH

This creamy version is laced with peach, lemon cake and sweet spice aromas and flavors, with a floral accent adding lift. Balanced and long. Drink now through 2025. 320 cases made, 106 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA softly toasty mix of white and yellow peach, acacia and spice also displays plenty of phenolic character. The slightly finer medium weight flavors possess really lovely vibrancy and an appealing mid-palate texture that contrast with the powerful, serious and robust finale that offers impressive depth and persistence. This won’t win any awards for refinement, but it is impressive all the same.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2019 Meursault Les Charmes 1er Cru comes from vines on the upper slopes of the vineyard and cropped at 25hl/ha instead of the 40hl/ha the Meursault Village enjoyed. The nose features clear honey, clementine and light saffron aromas. The palate is well balanced with a slightly tangy, marmalade-tinged entry, good weight and a harmonious finish that just needs a little more complexity given the vineyard. Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

The 2019 Chablis Boucheron, which had been in barrel since March, has a pretty nose of expressive yellow flowers mixed with honeysuckle and light jasmine scents. The palate is lightly spiced on the entry, edgy and tensile, with a vibrant peppery finish. Good potential – lots of energy locked up in this Chablis.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

The 2019 Chablis Le Bas de Chapolot seems to have more horsepower on the nose compared to the 2020. This really sings with orange blossom, white peach and touches of linseed. The palate is beautiful – well defined, quite showy and forward, with fine weight and tempting peach, elderflower and light mango notes. Long but not necessarily minerally on the finish. Lovely.Vinous Media | 92 VMThe 2019 Chablis Bas de Chapelot has turned out very nicely in bottle, unwinding in the glass with notes of orchard fruit, fresh pastry, citrus oil, white flowers, peach and beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, it’s fleshy and concentrated, concluding with a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

The 2019 Chablis Les Pargues has a stunning nose of orange zest, yuzu and citrus lemon – scents that seem to spring from the glass. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a saline lick, very zesty and intense. The vivid finish leaves you with a smile on your face. Fantastic.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

The 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is showing nicely, opening in the glass with scents of pear, orange oil, clear honey, blanched almonds and fresh bread. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and textural, it’s rich and fleshy, with bright acids girdling its enveloping core of fruit.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RP(Domaine Follin-Arbelet Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru White) A mildly oaky nose features aromas of green apple, citrus blossom and white-fleshed fruit. The sleek, delicious and more concentrated bigger-bodied flavors brim with minerality and particularly so on the muscular, powerful and sneaky long finish. This will need a few years to better integrate the wood treatment but given the density of material, that should be no problem. In sum, this is quite promising. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 93 BH

The 2019 Chassagne-Montrachet Maltroye 1er Cru has a fragrant, chalk dust scented bouquet that opens nicely with aeration. The palate is well balanced with a lightly spiced opening, touches of orange rind and marmalade lending a welcome tanginess. It might not be a long-term Chassagne, though it is thoroughly enjoyable. 14.10% alcohol.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 2019 Saint-Aubin Les Murgers des Dents de Chien 1er Cru has more delineation and mineralité compared to the Les Perrières, more terroir expression in situ. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, tropical tones such as passion fruit and mango, counterbalanced by a spicy/ginger tinged finish. It does not quite kick on as I might have hoped, yet there is still a lot of potential here. Expect this to land at the top of my banded score.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM(Jean Chartron St. Aubin "Murgers des Dents de Chien" 1er Cru White) Restrained aromas of very pretty white orchard fruit, rose petal and acacia blossom introduce intense and seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that exhibit slightly better overall depth and persistence. This is lovely and a wine that should age well over the mid-term. (Drink starting 2025).Burghound | 90-92 BHThe 2019 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Murgers des Dents de Chien has turned out nicely, exhibiting notes of pear, crisp green apple, white flowers and fresh pastry. Medium-bodied, bright and precise, with tangy acids and a saline finish, it will show well out of the gates.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP