Burgundy Wines

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The 2021 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau comprises just five used barrels this year. The fine bouquet is a little more mineral-driven than the regular cuvée with touches of wet pavement and citrus lemon. The palate is well-balanced, fresh and taut, with a fine bead of acidity, growing a little more compact towards the finish but with slightly more salinity to get the tastebuds going. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92 VMHere too there is a vaguely exotic note to the pretty and very floral aromas of spice, pear, apple and quinine that are trimmed in subtle wood. The old vines are very much in evidence on the concentrated, palate coating and rich bigger-bodied flavors that possess focused power on the saline and intensely bitter zest-suffused finish. This should be excellent in time.Burghound | 92 BHThis white packs a mix of peach, melon, lime and pastry flavors, which pick up light smoke and mineral accents as this builds to the finish. Firm, crisp and long. Drink now through 2026. 20 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThis and the Grands Crus were made entirely in wood so as to keep the existing stock of barrels full of wine. Pale yellow, with a little butteriness from the wood. This slightly dominates the palate with a note of acidity to finish. Will sort itself out in due course. Drink from 2025-2028. Tasted: June 2022.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JM

Brisk fresh pale yellow. There is a fine floral quality here too. Then almost a touch of super-ripeness with a bit of bacon fat, followed by a more saline finish. Interesting and high quality in its style. Drink from 2024-2029. Tasted Oct 2022.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMHere too there is noticeable petrol character to the floral, mineral reduction and green apple-suffused aromas. The middleweight flavors don’t possess the same density but they are markedly finer and much more mineral-driven on the linear, youthfully austere and crisp finale. This could also use more depth but the underlying material and balance should allow that to occur if given a chance.Burghound | 90-92 BH

A more floral and elegant nose freely offers up its slightly riper array of plum, black cherry and exotic spice nuances. The lilting and beautifully detailed middleweight flavors deliver outstanding length on the balanced, youthfully austere and stony finale. This doesn’t presently have quite the same depth as the Clos l’Audignac but the texture is more sophisticated and overall, this is class in a glass.Burghound | 93 BH

With 2.15ha, a blend from three plots in Chapelot, Montée de Tonnerre and Pied d’Aloup, with vines in the latter now 87 years old. As expected of Montée de Tonnerre, this will need a lot of time to come round. Powerful, primary and concentrated, with restrained mineral, stony notes. Great purity here, salty finish.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECLike the Vaillons, this is also quite firmly reduced though there is some wood influence present as well. The focused and beautifully refined flavors ooze minerality on the almost painfully intense, bone-dry and strikingly long but not especially austere finale. This is very stylish as well as classy. Well worth checking out.Burghound | 93 BHChapelot, Pied d’Aloue, Cote de Bréchain. Mostly tank. Very pretty lemon and lime colour. A clean, incisive bouquet, very pure and with class. Tension at the back, extremely youthful but definitely promising. Drink from 2025-2028. Tasted Jun 2022.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

A cooler and airier mix is comprised by notes of plum, red and dark currant that are trimmed in noticeable wood and menthol influences. The medium-bodied and vibrant flavors possess a positively gorgeous mouthfeel along with both good richness and minerality while delivering impressive power on the palate staining finish. The wood treatment aside, this is a classic Clos des Chênes.Burghound | 91-93 BH

An overtly floral-suffused and more expressive nose freely offers up elegant aromas of white orchard fruit, zest and a touch of spice. There is again excellent mid-palate density to the pretty middleweight flavors that exude evident minerality on the powerful, focused and superbly long finale. This is lovely and a wine that should generously repay extended cellaring.Burghound | 93 BH

Restrained and with notable concentration, this is an intense premier cru with great potential. Notes of peach fruit cut with zesty lime citrus. Very fine. From 68-year-old vines on very dense, white clay soils which are like concrete when dry, heavy when wet.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2022 Chablis Butteaux Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru comes from vines around 70 years old, only slightly older than the regular cuvée, but on different soils (white clay rather than brown with high fossil content). It is usually bottled slightly later. The nose is a little more expressive with hints of red cherries and peach skin - very well defined. The palate is well-balanced with more harmony than the regular cuvée, a crisp line of acidity and touches of oyster shell on the saline finish. Great persistence here. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMSmall millerand crop that ripened early. Pale in colour without too much nose. Nicely balanced on the palate though, a more tightly knit white fruit than the regular bottling, with a little lemon zest, and a balanced long finish. Picked at the right moment I suspect. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JMThis is similar to the regular cuvée except that it seems ever-so-slightly riper. By contrast, there is better concentration and power to the medium-bodied flavors and, somewhat unusually, the mouthfeel is finer as well, particularly on the more complex if also more austere finale. Lovely.Burghound | 90-93 BH

Pale colour. The bouquet shows a bit of white fruit but is quiet. Quite intense on the palate, more tightly wound, almost a tannic touch. Patrick says not atypical here, along with their hard pressing. Interesting complexity with length. Drink from 2027-2033. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92 JMA rich style, this white offers yellow plum, melon and fresh herb flavors, with an underlying mineral note. Shows fine balance and length, ending with a tangy, mouthwatering feel. Drink now through 2028. 300 cases made, 47 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe 2022 Chablis Fôrets 1er Cru has a more backward bouquet with touches of greengage and white flowers, later a hint of wild mint. The palate is well-balanced with a sapid entry and fine depth and acidity. It is quite strict towards the finish with a saline aftertaste. Good potential, but this will need time.Vinous Media | 90+ VMProminent smoky reduction notes dominate the nose today. More interesting are the sleek and relatively refined middleweight flavors that possess an equally lovely texture if not the same depth on the otherwise similarly long finale. Note that this should drink well on the younger side if desired.Burghound | 90 BH

An even more floral and cooler nose grudgingly reflects notes of mineral reduction, iodine and oyster shell. The ultra-sleek, vibrant and beautifully textured medium weight flavors retain excellent delineation while exhibiting outstanding length on the bone-dry, youthfully austere and sneaky long finale. Like several wines in the range, more depth would be advantageous but this is already exceptionally pretty.Burghound | 93 BHPale in colour. The bouquet is discreet at first, almost austere, but then develops some honeysuckle. Excellent tension, sun on the stones, ripe yellow fruit, very good acidity. Totally authentic Montée de Tonnerre. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92 JM

The 2022 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru has a lovely nose that is a mixture of white and yellow flowers, wet stone and hints of chalk. The palate is very well-balanced with a slightly tangy entry, fresh and saline, with plenty of substance on the finish. There is a real panache here.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis comes from the entry to the valley where there is very little topsoil. Patrick explains the relative austerity of this wine by the proximity of the mother rock. Very pure Chablis approach here, all in white fruit, with good grip behind. Plenty to work with here, needs time. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92 JMThe 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains is a pretty, perfumed wine, bursting with aromas of peach, orange zest and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and charming, with a bright but generous core of fruit, it will make for appealing drinking out of the gates.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPHere too smoky reduction is all that can be discerned on the nose. By contrast, and as one would reasonably expect, there is a finer texture to the lightly stony if less powerful flavors that also offer reasonable length of limited depth.Burghound | 90 BH

Aromas of pear, honeycomb and dried white flowers introduce Piuze’s 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming wine that’s seamless and enveloping, offering considerable early appeal.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2022 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru Les Minots has a lovely bouquet with orange blossom, Golden Delicious and light saffron aromas. The palate is well-balanced with a slightly honeyed opening, a little more exotic in style, yet it retains the essence of Chablis. There’s a very slight reduction that plays to its advantage on the finish. Highly recommended.Vinous Media | 92 VMMinots or Mélinots is the hottest part at the end of the valley. Mid lemon yellow. There is a clear pure ripe apple fruit, a slight marine note alongside, fresh and vigorous. A wealth of white fruit through the middle, with plenty of energy behind, and a very long finish. Drink from 2026-2032. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92 JMMinots is another spelling for the climat Mélinots which was originally known as Les Minos; it is generally considered to be the warmest of all of the climats within Vaillons yet curiously the wines always seem to retain good acidityBurghound | 91 BHGreen plum, Honeydew melon, peach and vanilla flavors pick up a hint of the sea in this round, open, balanced white, which ends with a moderately long finish. Drink now through 2028. 330 cases made, 83 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Elegant and ripe yet cool aromas include those of a blend of white orchard fruit, spice, citrus confit and a hint of seaweed character. The utterly delicious bigger-bodied flavors brim with sappy dry extract that adds a sense of power to the sappy and palate coating finish that offers notably better depth and persistence. The Butteaux is quite good but the Vaulorent is at another level.Burghound | 93 BHMid lemon yellow. The nose shows evidence of the yellow fruit style of the right bank. Indeed, a very classy bouquet, while the fruit builds in volume on the palate, offering generosity without sucrosity, very digestible, excellent length of aftertaste and fine typicity. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 93 JMThe 2022 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has a clean and precise bouquet with touches of nutmeg, desiccated orange peel, and chalky notes. The palate is very well-balanced with a sapid entry, quite powerful, with impressive density on the finish. Bit of a powerhouse, but a delicious powerhouse.Vinous Media | 92 VMAromas of pear, freshly baked bread, iodine and hazelnuts preface the 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent, a medium to full-bodied, ample and layered wine that’s richer and more unctuous than normal, reflecting the warmth of the vintage. If it tightens up with some time in bottle, it will make my score look conservative.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPGreen plum, Honeydew melon, peach and vanilla flavors pick up a hint of the sea in this round, open, balanced white, which ends with a moderately long finish. Drink now through 2028. 330 cases made, 83 cases imported.Wines Spectator | 90 WS

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

Cool, fresh and lively, yet the brisk acidity provides a great counterfoil for some succulent, juicy and ripe fruit. Clear Chablis origin, with the focus and intensity on the palate. This should have a long drinking window and is a very classy example, marrying the warmth of 2022 and the density of the premier cru.Decanter | 94 DEC

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

A more moderate dollop of wood can be found on the smoky aromas of petrol, rosemary oil and a variety of white fleshed fruit. The finer, though not nearly as concentrated, medium weight flavors display excellent power on the focused, balanced and saliva-inducing finale. This is more classic in style than any of the foregoing 1ers and a wine that should repay mid-term keeping.Burghound | 90-92 BH

Here too there is subtle if perceptible wood framing the ripe citrus confit and white orchard fruit-scented nose. The delicious and energetic medium-bodied flavors that possess a caressing mouthfeel while exuding a bead of minerality that adds a sense of lift to the balanced, firmer and slightly longer finale. Lovely and understated in style.Burghound | 91 BHBottled in early August. Clear colour, a softer white fruit here, open and delicious. Seems more generous but less precise compared to Chenevottes but there is certainly plenty of wine here. Drink from 2028-2034. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

The 2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Vide Bourse shows considerable promise, unwinding in the glass with aromas of pear and orange oil mingled with notes of white flowers, mint and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and structured, with lively acids, chalky grip and a resonant finish, it will only be bottled after a second winter on the lees.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPLike the Vergers, the wood treatment is prominent but not invasive as it permits the ripe and again vaguely exotic aromas of white and yellow peach, passion fruit and citrus confit to be appreciated. The wood also appears on the caressing and plush medium weight plus flavors that are also blessed with an abundance of sappy dry extract that coats the palate on the powerful and serious but well-balanced and refreshing finale. While this could be approached young, I would advise holding it for at least a few years first so that the wood treatment can more completely integrate.Burghound | 92 BHPale lemon. Powerful character. Stands up like a limestone menhir. Too concentrated to see all the detail yet, with also a little salinity. Mostly white fruit but with some riper yellow tints to it. Clean at the finish, not too oaky, and of course persistent. Drink from 2028-2036. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JM

In 2022, the Chambolle Baudes was my favourite of Lignier’s several holdings in the village. The wine displays an expressive red and black fruit aroma, with notes of Asian spice and peonies, yet there is also a savoury, earthy side to the aroma. The texture is supple and not at all heavy. Ideally, one would wait five years to open this and then drink it over the next twenty or more that follow since it has the substance to age well.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThere is one new barrel out of the four. Mid purple, much more energy, and density behind. A lower pH compared to Chabiots is what drives this. An explosion of red berry fruit on the palate, with a crisp clean long finish, very complete. Drink from 2032-2038. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMThe 2022 Chambolle-Musigny Les Baudes 1er Cru has a very floral bouquet like the Chabiots…more intense perhaps, a touch more mineralité. Very well-defined. The palate is svelte and velvety smooth in texture, with vivacious redcurrant, strawberry notes, blood orange, and a touch of fresh fig towards the caressing finish. This will be very seductive.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMThe 2022 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Baudes is one of the highlights of the range, offering up aromas of ripe cherries, red berries, orange zest and Indian spices. Medium to full-bodied, supple and layered, it’s deep and concentrated, with a style that reflects its proximity to Bonnes-Mares.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPHere the ripe, spice and floral-suffused aromas display notes of violet, rose petal, anise and both red and dark pinot fruit. There is equally good size, weight and power to the slightly more muscular flavors that deliver excellent length on the balanced and slightly more structured finale. The Lignier Baudes always ages extremely well and the 2022 version should be no exception.Burghound | 91-93 BH

Aromas of peonies, mint and sweet red berries introduce the 2022 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Chabiots (négoce), a medium to full-bodied, supple and perfumed wine with melting tannins and a saline, rose-inflected finish. This delicate, ethereal red will offer a broad drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RPThe 2022 Chambolle-Musigny Chabiots 1er Cru comes from purchased fruit, 25% whole bunches, and comprises three barrels. This is nicely focused with rose petals, red cherry, and crushed strawberry on the nose. The medium-bodied palate is floral in style with pliant tannins, quite lush red fruit, and a smooth, sensual finish. Très Chambolle, this should be drinking after four or five years.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM3 barrels, one new, from purchased grapes. A pink crimson colour, flowery, soft strawberries, a little peppery behind, minor tannins. Agreeable yet lacking the density of the Nuits Poisets. Fair length though. Drink from 2030-2035. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JMA much spicier and more elegant nose freely offers up its aromas of fresh red cherry, plum and pretty array of floral elements. The delicious, vibrant and moderately muscular medium-bodied flavors exude evident minerality on the dusty, firm and youthfully austere finale. This could use better depth but I like the balance, which should allow it to age gracefully over a decade plus.Burghound | 89-92 BH

Laurent Lignier’s 2022 Gevrey Combottes is a resounding success, with its expressive black and red fruit aromas and abundant earthy complexity and depth. The texture is broad and dense, and the structure carries the wine to an impressively lingering finish. The wine is produced from Lignier’s tiny 0.15-hectare plot at the foot of Mont Luisant, surrounded on three sides by grand crus. The grapes are from vines originally planted in 1957; they are partially destemmed before gentle fermentation on native yeasts and ageing in cask.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Combottes 1er Cru has a beautiful bouquet (as usual) with pure red cherries, wild strawberries, pencil box, and light loamy scents in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins. There’s impressive depth, fleshier than the La Petite Chapelle, with a caressing, persistent finish. Very seductive. Very delicious.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMA rich and even purple. A little bit of graphite on the nose. A fine density of dark red fruit, with some roses and peonies as well. All building together very well. A rich fruit quite lush, yet with an electric backbone through the middle, leading to a long sensuous finale. Very good. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMRich and wild, the 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes offers up aromas of licorice, plums, smoked meats and spices. Medium to full-bodied, supple and carnal, with a fleshy core of fruit and powdery tannins, it can’t quite match the level of the Morey Vieilles Vignes this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPMore discreet wood influence more easily allows the elegant, and more floral, aromas of mostly dark pinot fruit to be enjoyed. The caressing but punchy medium weight flavors possess good mid-palate richness before terminating in a dusty, youthfully austere and well-balanced finale. This is lovely and very Combottes in character, which is to say refined but with focused power.Burghound | 91-94 BH