Burgundy White Wines

wines

This was the last wine I tasted on my three-week Burgundy tour and it was a great way to finish. Sourced from a 0.33ha block of 60-year-old vines on the Chassagne side of the Grand Cru, it’s consistently the most patrician wine in Caroline Lestimé’s range. Spicy, structured and stylishy oaked in 60% new barrels, it’s powerful yet fresh with wonderful energy. Drinking Window 2023 - 2035.Decanter | 96 DEC(Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru White) : A notably ripe and ever-so-mildly exotic but not really surmature nose consists primarily of spicy white orchard fruit along with hints of wood, white flowers and viognier. The rich, opulent and vibrant broad-shouldered flavors possess lovely complexity while delivering excellent length on the powerful and focused if somewhat linear finish. This will almost certainly add body with age, and it appears to be structured for mid to even longer-term cellaring. (Drink starting 2030)Burghound | 93 BH

Balance is always the hallmark of the Bâtard from Leflaive as the fresh minerality of the Puligny side plays against the luxurious ripe, almost tropical notes of the south-facing Chassagne side of the vineyard. Here the wine is a bit restrained on the nose, but the substance and structure is immediately apparent. 2019 is a vintage that will need some time to show its full potential, but the rich, voluptuous character is evident from the start. Immense length and potential for ageing. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2040Decanter | 96 DECThe 2019 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru shows a little more clarity, a touch more crystalline on the nose compared to the Bienvenue, scents of Granny Smith apples, petrichor and gunflint. It is controlled and penetrating. The palate is extremely well balanced with a fine silver bead of acidity that cuts through the concentrated malic fruit, a dash of pepper towards the finish that fans out gloriously, sour lemon and grapefruit lingering on the aftertaste. Wonderful. Closure: Diam 30Vinous Media | 96 VMThis has a broad nose of seashore, lime blossom, hazelnut and citronella, with ample citrus and mineral flavors in reserve. Shows intensity and balance, with a superlong aftertaste that focuses the mineral elements. Terrific freshness and complexity. Best from 2023 through 2029. 115 cases made, 23 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 2019 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has turned out very well indeed, offering up aromas of pear, orange oil, white flowers, nutmeg and freshly baked bread, framed by a subtle touch of youthful reduction. Full-bodied, satiny and elegantly muscular, it's racy and concentrated, with more mid-palate plenitude and chalky structure than the more delicate Bienvenues.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP(Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru White) An exuberantly floral-suffused nose speaks of citrus, spice, passion fruit, exotic Asian-style tea and a touch of anise. The bigger and richer broad-shouldered flavors remain focused and almost as refined with superb depth and persistence on the impeccably well-balanced finale. This is also very classy and a wine that should age gracefully for several decades. This is also a bona fide stunner of a wine. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 95-97 BH

Leflaive owns four contiguous parcels in the center of BBM that total 1.15 hectares, nearly half of the appellation. The vines lie just down the slope from one of their four Bâtard parcels. In 2019, Leflaive began their harvest on September 11th. The Bienvenues has retained a rewarding freshness, with a forward fruit that has both tropical and citrus elements and plenty of floral notes. The texture is lively but supple; there is plenty of fresh acidity that brings a pleasant energy to the wine. This should age for decades to come. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECUnwinding in the glass with aromas of peach, pear, hazelnuts and dried white flowers, framed by a deft touch of youthful reduction, the 2019 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, its concentrated core of fruit framed by racy acids and chalky extract. Like the Pucelles, this is precise and fine boned, but it’s also more muscular and intense.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2019 Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is cut from a similar cloth to the Les Pucelles on the nose: reserved, mineral-driven with hints of orange blossom emerging with time, later more Granny Smith apples. The palate is strict and precise, demonstrating impressive weight, especially towards the back end. Maybe not quite as complex as the best of Leflaive’s Premier Cru, though it is extremely pesistent with a long ginger-tinged aftertaste. Closure: Diam 30Vinous Media | 94 VMThis lemon- and apple-flavored white is underlined by an oyster shell, iodine element. Complex and balanced, offering baking spice accents and a fine lingering finish of lemon and minerality on an open-knit frame. Best from 2024Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru White) Here the equally beautiful nose is quite similar to that of the Pucelles save for being much more restrained. Cool, pure and almost painfully intense flavors possess the same sleek, sophisticated and graceful texture as well as even better persistence on the youthfully austere, compact and wonderfully complex finale. This is a stunner of a Bienvenues. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 94-96 BH

At Boillot they normally make a single, 350-litre barrel of Montrachet, lightly crushing the fruit before pressing in a basket press. The results in 2019 were absolutely beautiful. Ripe pear and fresh flowers dominate the initial attack. On the palate there is a lovely intensity and richness, with a dense, creamy, buttery texture and huge reserves of substance that will keep this wine ageing for years to come. Drinking Window 2024 - 2039.Decanter | 97 DECInterestingly, here the nose resembles a grand cru Chablis with its oyster shell, iodine, quinine, lemon-lime and bee’s wax-scented nose. There is outstanding volume and concentration to the overtly powerful and muscular flavors that are supported by a citrus-tinged and markedly firm acid spine that also shapes the cuts-like-a-knife finale. As the length of my initial projected drinking window suggests, it would be pointless to open this beauty before it has at least a decade of aging as it should easily repay two of them. In sum, this is quite simply stunningly good. (Drink starting 2039)Burghound | 97 BHNotes of orange oil, pear, peach, yellow apples, fresh bread and nutmeg introduce Boillot’s 2019 Montrachet Grand Cru, a full-bodied, satiny and concentrated wine that’s textural and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit, lively acids and a long, expansive finish. More tightly wound than the demonstrative 2018, his is a superb effort that will reward bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RP

With 3.65ha spread over eight plots, Fèvre is the largest owner in Vaulorent. Didier Seguier says marl soil gives the density, while Kimmeridgian supplies the minerality. Great complexity on both the nose and palate, this has the richness and structure of the grand cru. Absolutely no need to rush drinking this. Stunning.Decanter | 96 DECOne of the finest wines in the portfolio this year is the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent, a taut, youthfully reserved bottling of immense promise. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of citrus zest, beeswax, crisp white peach, white flowers, freshly baked bread and oyster shell, it’s medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, with terrific tensioning intensity in a tightly wound format. It’s warmly recommended, though patience will be required.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP(Chablis “Vaulorent”- Domaine William Fèvre) I am always impressed that Didier Séguier chooses to only bottle the finest parcels of old vines in Vaulorent under that label, with the remainder of the domaine’s holdings being bottled under a Fourchaume label. But, when one tastes this hard on the heels of the very fine Fourchaume domaine wine, one can see that these old vines are a step up in quality. The bouquet of the 2020 Vaulorent jumps from the glass in a stunning blend of pear, apple, tart orange, lemon zesty, a kaleidoscopic base of limestone minerality, a touch of anise and a floral topnote redolent of white lilies. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a rock solid core of fruit, superb mineral drive and cut, snappy acids and great balance on the long and zesty finish. Great juice. (Drink between 2027 - 2065)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe restrained and layered nose makes clear that this could be from nowhere else but Chablis with its aromas of algae, iodine, oyster shell and spiced pear. The texture of the medium-weight flavors is also sleek and intense with slightly better density if a bit less refinement to the youthfully austere bitter lemon-suffused finish. Lovely and while qualitatively equal to the MdT, it offers a markedly different expression.Burghound | 93 BH

(Chablis “les Preuses”- Domaine William Fèvre) The 2020 les Preuses from Domaine Fèvre was one of the finest white wines I tasted from the entire vintage during my trip in November and December. The perfect ripeness of the vintage, coupled to such great acidity are the hallmarks of the best wines of 2020 and these attributes are on full display in this stunning young wine. The nose soars from the glass in a mineral bath of les Preuses Kimmeridgian limestone terroir, carrying notes of apple, pear, fresh lime, straw, oyster shell, white flowers and a topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is pure, precise, snappy and very, very complex, with great depth at the core, stunning mineral definition, laser-like focus and stunning length and grip on the simply beautiful young finish. All this great wine needs is time in the cellar to blossom. (Drink between 2031 - 2080)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is, if anything, even more electric than the formidable Valmur, wafting from the glass with notions of citrus oil, freshly baked bread, oyster jus and wet stones. Full-bodied, satiny and chiseled, it’s racy and intense, with a bright spine of acidity and a long, intensely saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPFrom 1.5ha on soils that are high in clay content above Bougros, together with 1ha just above Bouguerots. Distinct precision here, not a blockbuster but intense and focused. Lovely crystalline fruit and will age beautifully.Decanter | 95 DECAromas of quinine, essence of wet stone and seashore add breadth to the nose of pear, apple and anise. Once again there is fine density and intensity to the mouthcoating medium-weight flavors that flash outstanding length on the bracingly saline-suffused finale. This has already developed very good depth and more will almost surely follow. This is potentially outstanding.Burghound | 95 BHThe 2020 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru comes from 2.5 hectares of vines in two locations, one east-facing and one southwest-facing. It has quite a deep, intense nose featuring lemon zest, crushed stone, linden and touches of citrus peel. The cohesive palate is smooth and harmonious with fine salinity, if maybe not quite building on its initial promise, as the finish pulls up just a little short compared to the Bougros. Still, this should age well in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

An exquisite wine, the nose is almost delicate, with ripe apple and floral notes, and the texture of the wine is astonishingly crisp and fine. There is nothing heavy here and the finish lingers seductively. Rich, typical Bâtard, but with uncommon elegance. Picked on the 24th of August, and the early picking date worked well here. The grapes were lightly crushed and then fermented in cask (40% new).Decanter | 96 DECAn overtly floral-suffused nose speaks of white orchard fruit, star anise, citrus confit and a subtle exotic tea nuance. The sleek and borderline painfully intense big-bodied flavors possess excellent mid-palate concentration before terminating in a very compact, tightly wound and hugely long finale. This is very backward and almost raw in how primary it is and as such, it would be largely pointless to open a bottle before at least 5 years of age. This beauty possess first-rate potential provided you have the patience.Burghound | 95 BHPale lemon and lime. The bouquet shows all the majesty of this vineyard without the over-ripeness which I have found in some past vintages. 29 hl/ha. Superb intensity with a measured ripeness of fruit from these 48 year old vines, which are ploughed by a horse named Croesus. Stretches out beautifully at the back, with some peachier notes at the finish. Really very persistent indeed. Excellent. Tasted Nov 2021.Jasper Morris | 95-98 JM

An extremely subtle application of wood can be found on the cool if decidedly reluctant nose of spiced green apple, beeswax and citrus zest aromas. The palate impression of the medium weight plus flavors is quite interesting in that there is excellent concentration and power yet they are not massively scaled while maintaining impeccable balance on the palate etching and stunningly long finish, indeed I could still taste this 3 hours later. This is one extremely classy Montrachet and one of the jewels of the 2021 vintage.Burghound | 97 BHBeeswax and lime blossom, especially the latter, which Guillaume finds typical of Montrachet. The Montrachet shows both class and intensity over and above the Bâtard as indeed should be the case. Brilliantly racy despite the intensity. This year there is one 228 litre barrel instead of the usual 350, and made up in zebra fashion, half new wood with alternate dowels. Drink from 2030-2040.Jasper Morris | 95 JMThere’s only one 228-liter barrel of the 2021 Montrachet Grand Cru, so Boillot asked his favored cooper to assemble a special barrel, with alternating new and used staves. Delivering aromas of pear, honeycomb, freshly baked bread, spices and toasted nuts, it’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with a fleshy core of fruit and a long, nutmeg-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2021 Montrachet Grand Cru is incredibly airy and nuanced. Candied lemon peel, mint, tangerine oil and white flowers show effortless grace. This is an especially restrained, super-elegant Montrachet that shows Puligny’s finesse. The 2021 is absolutely exquisite. I doubt I will ever taste it again, though. Bright saline notes punctuate the super-expressive finish. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 93-95 VM

The 2021 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet from Domaine Sauzet is a brilliant wine in the making. The bouquet is pure, precise and elegant, offering up scents of lemon, apple, a hint of peach, a complex base of limestone minerality, citrus blossoms, vanillin oak and a lovely topnote of citrus zest. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and soil-driven, with a lovely core of fruit, seamless balance, vibrant acids and a long, focused and complex finish that closes with outstanding energy and lift. (Drink between 2031 - 2075)John Gilman | 96 JGAn overtly floral-suffused nose features notes of lilac, carnation and acacia blossom that are trimmed in spice, citrus rind and soft wood wisps. The strikingly pure and beautifully defined larger-bodied flavors are not super-dense but I very much like the texture, all wrapped in a clean, bone-dry and compact finish that flashes plenty of focused power. This could also use a bit more depth but that shouldn’t be an issue. As an aside, for those readers who were Sauzet fans 25-ish years ago, the ’21 Bâtard reminds me quite a bit of the 1993, which is one of Sauzet’s all-time great vintages.Burghound | 93-96 BHPretty pale primrose. The nose has a reductive character than is not displeasing. It feels as though there is something more floral beneath. In any case, a wine of substance. This continues on the palate, with excellent acidity behind. Nothing meagre though, the grand cru character is certainly there. The flavours build to the back. Well done. There is a lot in reserve here. Two barrels made. Drink from 2028-2036. Tasted: October 2022.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMThe 2021 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru unwinds in the glass with notes of confit citrus, nutmeg and light reduction. Medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, with racy acids and a saline finish, this is another old-vine cuvée that’s a stalwart chez Sauzet, no matter the vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThe 2021 Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru had quite a lot of reduction on the nose that made it difficult to read. The palate is quite powerful, weighty and slightly creamy in texture, perhaps requiring a little more tension on the pithy, pear and nectarine-tinged finish. Fine, but a little outclassed by Sauzet’s best Premier Crus.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Having finished pruning just eight days before the brutal trio of April frost days and having put out a ’shameful’ number of candles, Weber was rewarded (it’s all relative in this miserly vintage) with almost 20 hl/ha. And, it is a divine Montrachet with spiced pears, herbal tea, gingerbread and cream. It is all lace and flourishes. The bustling acidity drives the flavors into a seemingly eternal finish with a lightly crispy edge. Bravo! (2023)Tim Atkin | 97 TATOP QUALITY This is a wine of impressive concentration, with complex layers of fruit on the nose that range from citrus to green apple, apricot, quince and passion fruit. There are elements of cream, butter, flinty mineral and fresh flowers. The texture is dense and long, but there is no lack of freshness, and the balance seems nearly perfect. It is produced from 0.89ha of mature vines on the Puligny side, just south of the Ramonet parcel. Profound and ageworthy, it will doubtless also show well young.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECThe 2021 Montrachet Grand Cru is half the normal volume, pruned just before the frost with a massive number of candles, therefore it managed to produce 20hL/ha despite everything. This is unequivocally a step up from the Chevalier-Montrachet with greater definition and poise, more energy. The palate is well balanced with fine detail, light wild peach and citrus notes, fine mineralité with satisfying tension on the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMA bit better in yield as everybody protected their vines in Le Montrachet, with the 2016 disaster in mind. A fine mid lemon yellow, this begins discreetly but there is a wonderful concentrated intensity through the middle, a racy quality perhaps not quite there in the Chevalier. This time there is clearly a beginning, a middle and an end. Really enormously persistent and leaving a special taste in the mouth. I might just sip it to keep me company en route to my next tasting in Gevrey-Chambertin! Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted Nov 2022.Jasper Morris | 94-98 JMThe 2021 Montrachet Grand Cru opens in the glass with aromas of pear, confit orange, honeycomb, spices and freshly baked bread. Full-bodied, ample and satiny, it’s rich, fleshy and complete, with lively acids and a long, expansive finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPReluctant if broad-ranging aromas include those of petrol, floral, spice, white orchard fruit, especially white peach, exotic tea and a suggestion of oak. The dense and powerful yet caressing large-scaled flavors coat the palate with sappy dry extract while displaying stunningly good length on the balanced, youthfully austere and compact finale. This is definitely built-to-age but the mid-palate density is so good that the 2021 Montrachet should be approachable after only 7 to 8 years of keeping.Burghound | 93-96 BH

Small yield, very concentrated, with masses of density on the palate. Plenty of drive and energy but has finesse to balance out the power. White peach fruit characters, vibrant acidity and a pronounced mineral, salty finish. Very long future ahead. Fèvre owns 4.1ha of the 25ha total within Les Clos. Its plots situated on the top of the hill, with 50% of the vines planted by William Fèvre’s father in the 1940s and 1950s.Decanter | 95 DECMostly from old vines, a good half planted between 1948 and 1952. Translucent lemon and lime colour. The bouquet is not ready to unfurl yet there is a sense of sublime purity about the nose. A wine in perfect harmony on its wide bench of white fruit. Just a little touch of spice behind, good acidity. Sign up for this! Drink from 2032-2045. Jasper Morris | 95-98 JMThis is aromatically quite similar to the Côte Bouguerots but with more floral influence. The rich, big-bodied and tautly muscular flavors are also seemingly chiseled from Kimmeridgian, all wrapped in a wonderfully persistent, very dry, balanced and stony finale. This is also extremely impressive and equally built to repay extended cellaring.Burghound | 93-95 BHThe 2022 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru has a surprisingly primal bouquet with gooseberry, melon, fruits de mer and citrus peel, with more oyster shell scents developing as it opens, though never quite achieving the flair of the Valmur. The palate is well-balanced, steely and strict, with fine intensity and a saline finish. But it doesn’t quite have the precision of Fevre’s best cuvées at the moment.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Beautiful mix of richness, grace and drive. As always with Fèvre’s Les Preuses, this is elegant, long-living and fine. Ultra-stylish and very mineral. From two sections of vines. One situated low down on Les Preuses next to Vincent Dauvissat’s plot, on the flatter part facing south, the other on deeper soils, with both adding richness and totalling 2.5ha.Decanter | 96 DECSuch a fresh lime infused colour. The bouquet shows the soft creamy riches that you can find here in Les Preuses. There is plenty of bulk but the hectare plot which drops down into Vaudésir gives the mineral tension. A little lime and lemon coats the tongue at the finish. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMThe 2022 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru is not unlike the Valmur on the nose: backward and a little sultry in style, with faint touches of crustacea coming through. The palate is more generous with orchard fruit, hints of apricot and wild peach, and fine acidity. It is very harmonious but without quite the same complexity as the Valmur on the finish. Still, this should give many years of drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMA toasty nose features notes of smoky grilled shellfish, pear and algae. The dense and equally serious larger-scaled flavors don’t have quite the same power yet they are clearly more refined on the markedly bitter citrus zest finish that displays outstanding length. This is exceptionally classy and while it too could use more depth, that is all but assured if given a chance.Burghound | 92-95 BH

The magnificent, carousel-like sweep of the hill of Corton – almost 100 m top to bottom, and revelling in every exposition save north – means that exact location on the hill is critical for quality. The white wines of Corton-Charlemagne come overwhelmingly from south-west- and west-facing vineyards, coolly exposed, so often these are among the least articulate of all Burgundy’s great white Grands Crus in their youth. Not, though, in the case of this wine from the generous 2022 vintage. It’s promisingly pale, but already compelling on the nose, with subtle oak, wild hawthorne blossom and refined grape and cool citrus. It has all the controlled breadth you’d expect on the palate with more white blossom and subtle, vinous, breath-freshening fruits. The finish is long and lingering, mingling ripe, fruit-bonded acidity with a quiet pulse of ripeness. It will, of course, be better after a decade in a cool cellar, but there’s nothing to stop you enjoying the wine soon, either. Alcohol 13.0%. (DWWA 2024). - Decanter | 97 DECFour plots all in Pernand. Pale in colour with ripe apple notes. The bouquet suggests a leaner style of wine than the palate delivers, which may be a question of being just after bottling. There is some complexity on the palate, a little lime, a phenolic touch. I don’t notice the 40% new wood, so there is clearly good fruit concentration.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JM

Very cool and and focused, this mouthwatering Saint Romain has an extreme chalky minerality. Only medium-bodied, but really concentrated. Super-fresh and focused finish with so much fresh herb complexity (think sage and thyme). Very long and polished finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2022 Saint-Romain Sous Le Velle is comparatively more backward on the nose, a little chalky in style with light Golden Delicious and orange pith scents. There is fine delineation with neatly integrated oak. The palate is well-balanced, with a tang of orange zest on the entry. This has a silver beard of acidity, lending real tension and matching the impressive depth towards the vibrant finish. Sous Le Velle is often one of the go-to vineyards in Saint-Romain, and this proves exactly why.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMPalish lemon and lime. A fine and classy bouquet, floral but still with the racy freshness of St-Romain. Fresh apples on the palate, with an intensity that will demand a little bottle age. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

Flint and spice come through clearly, showing a higher level of reduction in the winemaking and providing intensity and intrigue to the wine. It’s medium-bodied, linear and very racy with a bright, lightly phenolic finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSA slightly more elegant nose proffers a more pronounced floral influence along with cool essence of pear, apple and lemon zest nuances. The succulent, vibrant and utterly delicious medium weight flavors terminate in a dry, clean and balanced finale. This too could use better depth so at least a few years of cellaring should prove to be beneficial.Burghound | 89-91 BHA blend from all the plots of Puligny except Charmes and Trézin. A pretty bouquet with some fresh citrus blossom on the nose, pure white fruit on the palate, which is on the broader side but with enough concentration to kick on nicely to a tasty finish. Very correct and quite accessible. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JM

The 2023 Montrachet Grand Cru showed a little more cloudiness in the glass due to the lees (of course, they will disappear once racked). Perhaps the nose is a little primal as a result—it’s not as complete as the Bâtard or the Bienvenues. The palate is more indicative of where this Monty will be heading. It has intense, immense weight with an almost pixelated mineral-driven finish. This is going to be a great Montrachet, but it might take longer to reveal its true identity. Only six barrels were produced this year.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMSix barrels. This was slow to ferment and is still not clear after racking. A huge volume of pure white fruit with a slightly honeyed not as well, and a limestone backbone that drives the second half of the wine. Opulent in one sense yet managed, while the length and concentration of the finish is fully Montrachet worthy. Come back in many years. Lime as well as limestone, lingering in the mouth. Drink from 2032-2040. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JMEnough wood to remark upon surrounds the cool and airy white orchard fruit aromas that are liberally laced with spice, zest and floral nuances. The sleek, intense and impressively scaled flavors brim with sappy dry extract that seems to have no effect on the precision of the wonderfully long, bone-dry, superbly long and well-balanced finale that is also supported by citrus-tinged acidity. This is not a massive Montrachet but it’s beautifully proportioned and a wine that should more than repay extended keeping. Moreover, it’s the class of the cellar in 2023.Burghound | 93-96 BH

Complex aromas of sliced apples and dried flowers, as well as lemon grass. Some honeysuckle and white peaches, too. Full-bodied and dense, with lively acidity that adds energy. Spicy and tangy. Dense and structured, yet weightless in so many ways. Give it time to come together. Best after 2027.James Suckling | 97 JSAn exuberantly floral-suffused nose speaks mostly of pear, lychee, citrus confit and an admirably subtle application of oak. The rich and generous yet solidly punchy and beautifully refined middle weight flavors tighten up noticeably on the firm, youthfully austere and impeccably well-balanced finale. This does need better depth but that should simply be a matter of exercising some patience.Burghound | 90-93 BH

This exquisite wine enchants with a complex nose of lime peel, gooseberry and pear with hints of smoky reduction and a salty mineral edge. The wine is dense and compact, and its weight is perfectly balanced by racy acidity. The grapes are from 1.76ha in the blue clay soils of the Côte de Bréchain. They are crushed and fermented in tank and cask (25%). In the view of Benoît Droin, this is a ’super premier cru’ – grand cru-adjacent, like Chambolle Amoureuses and Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECAromas of citrus blossom, orange oil, white flowers, iodine and honey introduce the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered wine that’s rich and dense. It’s a strong effort with good cellaring potential.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2023 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has a more austere bouquet of light fumé notes mixed with petrichor–a more uncompromising aromatics than the Vaulorent, one for hardcore Chablis-lovers. The palate is taut and fresh, displaying good body and density. Very pure with a strict and persistent finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis too possesses just enough wood to merit pointing out on the smoky nose of white flowers, wet stone and soft quinine whiffs. The elegant, intense and focused medium-bodied flavors exude evident minerality on the unusually powerful, balanced and precise finale. This is also lovely though with the proviso that it definitely needs to develop better overall depth.Burghound | 91 BHPale in colour, quite strict on the nose. This is so much less exotic than the Mont de Milieu but it has a generous flesh through the middle, more white peach than yellow, but all very well harnessed. Crunchy finish. 30% was made in barrel. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted Jun 2024.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

The density and balance are so attractive here, with sliced apples, white pineapple and crushed stones. Hints of dried flowers, too, such as white roses and lilacs, as well as almonds. Medium-bodied with focus and subtle strength. Seemingly endless, with a bitter-lemon edge and nice reduction in the aftertaste of gun metal. Drink and enjoy.James Suckling | 96 JSDrouhin’s Clos des Mouches 2023 exemplifies the vintage’s potential for delicious whites. The wine has lush, forward aromas of Mirabelle plums and quince with hints of marzipan, butter and a suggestion of stylishly smoky reduction. The texture is supple and dense, but the richness is kept in balance and the extract carries the wine to a lingering finish. Parts of the 7ha vineyard have been replanted; the old vines that produce this bottling have delivered a wine of great character.Decanter Magazine | 94 DEC The 2023 vintage of Clos des Mouches Blanc is an absolute classic in the making, but it will demand a few years in the cellar to properly blossom before it will start hitting on all cylinders. The bouquet is deep, nascently complex and beautifully detailed, delivering scents of apple, lemon, beeswax, chalky soil tones, a nice touch of sweet butter, dried flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and a bit reserved in profile at the present time, with a superb core of fruit, fine soil signature and grip, very good acidity and a long, poised and impeccably balanced finish. This really has grand cru weight and authority on the palate, but also a bit of a structural chassis that will want to be waited out before starting to drink the wine with abandon. (Drink between 2029 - 2060)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe 2023 Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc (Domaine) is another strong performance, delivering aromas of sweet pear, peach and mandarin mingled with buttered toast and mint. Full-bodied, rich and ample, it’s layered and unctuous, with a seamless, satiny, textural profile and a long, lusty finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-94 RPThe 2023 Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc 1er Cru has more intensity on the nose than expected, with lovely lilting yellow fruit, quince and crushed stone scents. The palate is very well balanced and generous, with a slightly oily texture, great depth, fine acidity and a judicious touch of lemongrass toward the finish that feels long and intense. This may well surpass the 2022.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMMid lemon, with the somewhat more sumptuous bouquet of Clos des Mouches, always more flesh right from the outset. This is a powerful fleshy wine, with a good oak support, probably higher in alcohol. Lower than expected yield here in white. May well be around 14% I suspect but that goes with this territory. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 92-95A vague suggestion of the exotic is present in the form of jasmine tea, orange peel, white peach and a background hint of passion fruit. The medium-bodied flavors are rich to the point of opulence yet retain a relatively sleek mouthfeel that carries over to the balanced and nicely dry finale. This attractively persistent effort could use better depth so at least a few years of cellaring should prove to be beneficial.Burghound | 90-92 BH

The 2024 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a pretty bouquet with hints of rose water and apricot, even a hint of quince infusing the citrus fruit. Good delineation, as one comes to expect from this address. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry. Fine grip, the terroir flooding through towards the finish that fans out as a Grand Cru ought to. You can feel the terroir on the aftertaste… as if you’ve just popped a bit of limestone in your mouth!Vinous Media | 95 VMRobin Rapet waited until 22 September to pick the Corton-Charlemagne, and harvested everything, almost 3ha, together. ’Normally, we pick the vines facing southwest, then those facing west. This year they predicted rain, and we picked everything,’ says Rapet, which gives a wine that is at the same time rich, fresh and slightly exotic. The complexity was enhanced by the variety of maturation: one concrete egg, one amphora and one wine globe. Overall, one third of the part in barrel is new, and two-thirds are older barrels.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECEverybody seemed to be picking their Corton-Charlemagne on the same day on the Pernand side, Saturday 21st, because rain threatened. Pale lemon in colour. A little tension showing on the nose which is not exuberant. 60% wood with one third new, plus wineglobe, egg, amphora and foudre. Interesting complexity on the palate, just a little softness in the white fruit through the middle, then stones behind. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JM

From Les Chaumes. Mid lemon yellow. The nose is more about vanilla and coconut than fruit at the moment, but there is time. The density is certainly there, though this is a broad based Corton without the seeming minerality of Corton-Charlemagne. But it does seem a little overdone on the oak front. One barrel, one year old wood.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

The concentrated exotic fruit aromas of this wine range from passionfruit and kiwi to gooseberry, with accents of acacia flower, spice and smoke. The texture strikes a beautiful balance between lively, fresh acidity and substantial extract, lingering exquisitely on the palate. The grapes are from just over a hectare of vines planted at the northern end of Les Pucelles, including a sliver of the Clos des Meix, which mainly belongs to Domaine Leflaive. This powerful wine should last 30 years at least.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2024 Clos de la Pucelle is a brilliant wine in the making. The wine’s aromatic constellation is elegant and complex, delivering scents of pear, golden delicious apple, lemon zest, crème pâtissière, apple blossoms, vanillin oak and a stunning foundation of chalky soil tones. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, crisp, complex and utterly refined in personality, with a beautiful core of succulent fruit, even better backend mineral drive, vibrant acids and a very long, seamlessly balanced and youthfully complex finish. This is a brilliant premier cru in the making, but it will demand some cellaring time to blossom properly. (Drink between 2030-2060)John Gilman | 94+ JGFresh lemon yellow with a green tint, rather more backward on the nose. Still working itself out. There is more structure here but less appeal in youth. The Clos de la Pucelle offers good tension, but this will take time. I am not yet seeing the electric backbone that this wine can have. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JMThe 2024 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Pucelle 1er Cru was coming out to play when I visited the Domaine, the nose obstinate and backward. The palate is crisp on the entry, quite malic with cooking apple and notes of pear, moderate depth and a dash of spice on the finish. Fine, but it needs to find its groove.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

Restrained and smoky aromas possess a plethora of floral elements that include those of carnation, acacia, lilac and rose petal, along with citrus confit and spice wisps. There is outstanding volume to the utterly delicious and tautly muscular flavors that display stunningly good persistence on the balanced, very dry and compact finale. Despite being clearly built-to-age, this actually quite an elegant Bâtard that should richly reward a decade plus of keeping. If you can find, don’t hesitate.Burghound | 95 BHGlowing mid lemon yellow. A regal nose without being in any way too weighty. Obviously, the sensation of fruit weight was there from the very start, yet it keeps building. There are little tentacles of ripe fruit without ever over balancing. The acidity is perfectly judged and integrated. This will age exceptionally well. A very striking Batard. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 95-98 JMThe 2024 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has quite a driven, minerally, slightly fumé nose that gently unfolds in the glass but remains on the reserved side. The palate is fresh on the entry with bright acidity. Not a powerful or broad-shouldered Bâtard, fresh and saline, though needing just a bit more sustain on the aftertaste. Drink over the next 15 years. | 91-93 VM

Here too the lightly wooded nose displays a panoply of floral nuances that include rose petal, lilac and acacia blossom with additional notes of just grated zest, spice, and green apple. There is almost painful intensity to the slightly more concentrated and more mineral-driven flavors that conclude in a chiseled, youthfully austere and sneaky long finale that seems to go on and on. The Clos de la Mouchère is always excellent but in 2024, it is genuinely stunning.Burghound | 96 BHMid yellow. There is a little touch of patisserie on the nose, showing the additional breadth of fruit on Henri Boillot’s favourite vineyard. That’s what gives the gourmandise to the wine, says Henri. This seems to have all the aspects with an excellent mineral backbone holding the fruit together. Lime blossom and acacia he finds, from the adjacent trees which flower at the same time. Very fine long finish. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JM