Chardonnay Wines

wines

A beautifully layered nose offers up its combination of white orchard, fruit, resin, petrol and ripe citrus. There is impressive concentration to the caressing and generously proportioned but powerful medium-bodied flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract on the balanced finale. This could use better depth, but more should develop if it’s given a few years of keeping.Burghound | 92 BHale colour, white fruit, with a certain intensity, and there is a little crystalline note behind, a good framework to work from and I like the way this finishes. It began anonymously and ends with personality. Drink from 2025-2029.Jasper Morris | 89-92 JM

Fevre’s Montée de Tonnerre comes from all three sectors. Seguier notes that Pied d’Aloup has the highest marn content, Montée de Tonnerre adds weight and the old Chapelot vines (planted in 1936) add finesse. More closed on the nose. Weighty, concentrated, persistent. Saline notes. Will be a great gourmand wine. Some white flower notes, lots of zesty orange and grapefruit on the palate with a nice touch of white peach. For long ageing.Decanter | 94 DECA discreet dollop of wood sets off the equally cool and perhaps even slightly more elegant aromas of acacia, citrus, seashore and oyster shell. The sleek and highly sophisticated medium-bodied flavors possess a really lovely texture while delivering superb length on the bitter lemon and mineral-suffused finish. This beautifully balanced effort is crystalline in its purity and a wine that should repay a decade plus of keeping.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2021 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru comes from 2.2-hectares split over three climats with different orientations including the domaine’s oldest vines planted back in 1936. This has quite an aromatic bouquet with limestone, oyster shell and yellow plum aromas that blossom in the glass. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, harmonious with commendable weight matched with a countervailing saline element. Bright and sparky, enjoy this delicious Chablis over the next 15 years.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Here too moderate wood sets off the overtly spicy and ripe aromas of white and yellow peach, iodine and hints of seashore. The sleek, delicious and intense flavors are just a bit more refined, indeed they are almost delicate, while still delivering excellent length on the citrus-tinged finish where a bit of wood slowly emerges.Burghound | 91-94 BHThe 2021 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru has a taut and fresh bouquet, wonderful mineralité with a hint of smoke and flint coming through. The palate is well balanced with a saline note, fine depth, lemon and a little more lime. Builds nicely in the mouth, a lovely Vaudésir.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMDroin’s Vaudésir comes from just over 1ha with vines planted on both north- and south-facing slopes. A little subdued on the nose and palate, this is a subtle grand cru with plenty of definition, and will blossom with two to three years additional bottle age. No oak.Decanter | 92 DEC

A rich style, this white features lemon, peach and spice flavors, all backed by bright acidity. Balanced, leaving a chalky, even tannic impression on the long finish. Best from 2021 through 2029. 30 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSIf you like bold dry whites, then try this. Quite a tannic white Burgundy, but with richness that has a very positive impact on the wine. Plenty of citrus, plus some hazelnut and chalky character. Some real drive at the finish that promises a long life. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSIt’s always interesting to compare and contrast Albert Bichot’s Clos des Mouches white with the one from Joseph Drouhin, as this comes from a slightly higher parcel on the slope. The oak is a little more clamorous here and needs more time to integrate, but this is tauter and crunchier with a little less in terms of mid-palate weight. Drinking Window 2020 - 2024.Decanter | 92 DEC(Domaine du Pavillon (Pommard) - Domaines Albert Bichot Beaune "Clos des Mouches" 1er Cru White) An overtly floral nose offers up notes of pearl, apple and citrus where the latter can also be found on the round, delicious and once again generously proportioned medium-bodied flavors that deliver perfectly good if not truly distinguished depth though I do like the length. Note that my rating once again offers the benefit of the doubt that more complexity will develop if this is allowed a few years of cellar time. (Drink starting 2022)Burghound | 90 BH

The Clos des Mouches made by Joseph Drouhin may be more famous, but Bichot’s parcel of 0.7ha, situated in the highest part of the Premier Cru, is pretty impressive in its own right. Bright, focused and chiselled, it’s the sort of white that wouldn’t look out of place in Puligny-Montrachet, combining citrus, wet stone and aniseed flavours.Drinking Window 2021 - 2028Decanter | 94 DECA creamy-textured white with sliced apples, pears, cream and some lemon and lime rind. Hints of morning yogurt and smoke. Medium-bodied, ready and delicious. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSCream and roasted hazelnut notes create an inviting, rounded nose on this wine. The palate has that same hazelnut richness and creamy flow, buttressed by freshness that recalls lemon and yellow pear. A lovely balance and a juicy, fresh finish do justice to the warm 2018 vintage. Drink by 2035.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE(Domaine du Pavillon (Pommard) - Domaines Albert Bichot Beaune "Clos des Mouches" 1er Cru White) An overtly floral nose combines notes of various white-fleshed fruit with those of lemon grass and spice wisps. The sleek, delicious and equally seductively textured medium-bodied flavors possess very good depth and sneaky length. This balanced effort should drink well young as well as with a few years of bottle aging. (Drink starting 2024)Burghound | 91 BHMarked by vivid acidity, this white evokes lemon, apple, vanilla and clove notes. A tad disjointed, this could use a year to integrate, or decant now. Shows echoes of oak spice on the finish. Best from 2022 through 2029. 480 cases made, 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2020 Chardonnay Adrianna Vineyard White Stones from Gualtallary, Uco Valley, was barrel-aged for 16 months. Greenish-yellow in the glass. The intense, layered nose presents bold aromas of green apple, pear, hints of linden blossom and ginger with touches of lemon and herbs. In the mouth, it’s concentrated, rooted in a lively, heightened freshness while maintaining the variety’s expansive flow, which also delivers salinity and long-lasting flavor. A thrilling white that defines this nook of the Uco Valley.Vinous Media | 97 VMLemon zest, pineapple, white pepper, cloves, jasmine, crushed stones and chalk on the nose. Medium-bodied, focused and phenolic. Very fine, mineral and tight with persistent energy and vivid acidity. Creamy, with salted-almond notes at the end. Drink from 2023.James Suckling | 97 JSI had the opportunity to taste two vintages (2020 and 2021) of the top whites side by side and could see the differences of the two years quite clearly, as the wines express the natural conditions of the year quite faithfully. The 2020 White Stones Chardonnay is riper than the other three wines; it’s a very good wine, but it shows the warmer year with a rounder mouthfeel, faintly creamy, still a little closed in the nose, which slowly reveals yellow fruit and some spice. The palate is quite gentle, with 13% alcohol and very good balance. 7,500 bottles produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPCatena Zapata was founded in 1902, with a focus on high altitude plantings in Mendoza. Its famed Adrianna vineyard sits above 1,450m, ensuring a quality crop with good acid retention as a result of the cool night-time temperatures. The wine is 100% Chardonnay from a small selection of vines on stony, free-draining soils with a topsoil of oval-shaped white stones. Fermented in French oak, the wine also goes through partial malolactic fermentation before ageing 12-16 months in seasoned French oak barrels with batonnage throughout. Amanda Barnes: Great purity and wet stone character. Vibrant acidity and great tension on the finish. Ben Gubbins MW: Fresh, light and vibrant with red apple skin, lemon, good intensity and tension. Dirceu Vianna Junior MW: Graceful and attractive with lovely aromas of citrus fruits, yellow plum, star fruit, fresh dough and hints of sweet spices. Refined, silky texture and beautiful underlining freshness. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2032Decanter | 95 DECRestrained and elegant, with floral citrus and melon flavors and powerful minerality adding texture and expanding its presence. Ends with spicy details and hints of cream. Drink now through 2026. 540 cases made, 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Mid lemon, a slightly subdued nose, competent if slightly lacking personality, middle weight and I like the quite generous finish. White fruit, good acid balance and relatively persistent. Tasted: October 2021.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

From vines purchased in 2011, towards the Truffière side of the vineyard. Pale lemon and lime. The bouquet is quite discreet though with some finesse. The oak shows much less here, and the fruit builds quite attractively towards the back of the palate. Some fresh but ripe citrus notes nicely integrated. Persistent. Tasted: November 2021.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JM

The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Garenne exhibits aromas of pear, peach, fresh mint, toasted nuts and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, ample and charming, with an open, giving profile and a bright, saline finish, it has turned out nicely.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPOnce again there is a smoky component to the pretty and cool aromas of ripe citrus confit, essence of pear and plenty of floral wisps. There is slightly better concentration to the palate coating middle weight flavors that exude more evident minerality on the youthfully austere, focused and nicely lingering finale. This too should amply repay mid-term keeping yet be reasonably approachable after only 2 to 3 years.Burghound | 91 BH

Aromas of stone fruits, citrus zest, toasted nuts and smoke introduce the 2020 Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru La Pièce Sous Le Bois, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and lively wine that’s bright and mineral, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPA background hint of smoke is present on the cool and fresh citrus-suffused aromas of mostly apple and pear that exhibit a floral top note. The moderately voluminous medium-bodied flavors possess a caressing mouthfeel while exuding a subtle bead of minerality on the dry, lemony and sneaky long finale. This too could easily be enjoyed after only 2 to 3 years of bottle aging.Burghound | 90 BH

The 2020 Chablis Hommage a Louis Grand Cru has an already irresistible bouquet of beautifully defined yellow fruit, limestone, red apple and white peachy aromas. The palate is very harmonious, distinctly saline and quite powerful. The intense, spicy finish lingers in the mouth. This will surely vie with the Valmur for supremacy come bottling. Outstanding.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMAs a result of an ongoing dispute with the INAO—who contend that part of the Droin family’s historic parcel of Les Clos, named as such on the cadastre and always labeled accordingly, is in fact Valmur—the domaine’s Clos is appearing this year as the 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Hommage à Louis. Exhibiting aromas of fresh orchard fruit, peach, honeycomb, toasted nuts and bee pollen, it’s full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with a seamless, multidimensional profile and a long, expansive finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPHere too the fresh, cool and restrained nose is largely dominated by notes of smoky mineral reduction, acacia blossom, citrus rind and soft wood. There is excellent intensity to the admirably pure middleweight plus flavors that exude an inviting salinity on the detailed and hugely long finish that also displays a hint of bitter lemon character. This is also mouthcoating and dense and a wine that should reward extended keeping.Burghound | 94 BH

Notes of green apple, citrus confit and a hint of resin lead to rich, delicious and generously proportioned flavors that are shaped by lemon-tinged acidity on the lingering and saliva-inducing if slightly warm finale.Burghound | 90-92 BH

15 hl/ha despite the best efforts of a wine turbine and bonfire which I saw in action at 4.30a.m. on a cold snowy morning. Pale colour, backward nose, white flowers perhaps. This has a fine balanced fruit, actually sweeter and riper, then oakier behind, with an attractive mineral thread. Needs a little freshening, which will happen before bottling Drink from 2026-2032. Tasted: October 2022.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JMA more restrained nose grudgingly reflects its aromas of strong petrol and mineral reduction with background hints of citrus zest and oak. There is fine mid-palate density to the tautly muscular broad-shouldered flavors that also exude evident minerality on the tightly coiled, lingering and balanced finale. This could use better depth so like the En Caradeux, at least a few years of keeping should prove beneficial.Burghound | 92 BH

Moderate reduction again pushes the underlying fruit to the background though there is outstanding freshness and verve on the palate of the medium-bodied flavors that retain lovely delineation on the moderately dry, youthfully austere and complex finale. Very solid quality here.Burghound | 91-93 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

An interesting nose of decidedly ripe citrus tart, poached pear and discreet spice nuances. There is again fine volume to the nicely detailed medium-bodied flavors that possesses good underlying tension, all wrapped in a lingering and lemony finish that isn’t quite as complex.Burghound | 90 BH

The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Quatre Climats is a multi-climat blend mandated due to the frost. It has a well-defined, quite minerally nose, focused and gaining complexity with aeration. The palate is well balanced with a brisk opening, orange rind and lemon peel, a dab of lemongrass with a simple but persistent finish. Enjoy this over the next decade.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

TOP QUALITY PRODUCER Brocard’s 7 Lieux Grand Cru Preuses is a magnificent wine in the making. Although there is plenty of ripeness on display this regal grand cru is cool, crisp and supremely elegant. An aristocratic feel here, with great focus and lingering minerality to finish. From Domaine Brocard vines, all the components are in place to allow this to develop glacially for 15-20 years.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru is curiously just a little innocuous on the nose at the moment. I wonder if this might be going through a dumb phase? The palate is harmonious on the entry with orange peel and light peachy nose, slightly honeyed in texture, and it captures the spiciness that I seek from Les Preuses. Maybe not quite the length that you would obtain from a top vintage, but a finely made Chablis.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMThis is also quite aromatically elegant with its array of green fruit, cool citrus, wet stone and spice. The medium-weight flavors are at once seductive yet powerful with solid volume while coating the palate on the clean, dry and lingering finish that is borderline simple. This has the stuffing to age and improve up to a decade so more depth should reasonably develop if given a few years.Burghound | 90-92 BH

The 2021 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru offers more intensity and precision than the Vaudésir, the wood giving weight but beautifully assimilated, shucked oyster shells emerging. The palate is well balanced with a slightly honeyed opening, notes of lemon curd and orange pith, building nicely in the mouth towards a suave and lightly spiced finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMOnce again moderate wood is present on the spicy aromas of green fruit and oyster shell-inflected nose. The rich, powerful and broad-shouldered flavors possess a borderline creamy mid-palate texture while exhibiting outstanding length on the sappy and saline finish. Very promising.Burghound | 92-94 BHFrom a site of just over 1ha, Valmur is a colder site giving, as Dron says, a more masculine. Cool, closed on the nose, this will need a lot of time to open up. Oak is a little more apparent here, with very precise acidity. Very linear at the minute, a grand cru with a nose of white flowers, and a palate of great purity. This will need three to four years to open and will be hitting its stride in seven to eight.Decanter | 93 DEC

TOP QUALITY PRODUCER Weighty, profound and rich, this is a stunning Les Clos which has an extra level of depth and richness that would please many a Côte-d’Or fan. White flowers on the nose, spice and stone fruit on the palate with 40% oak and a lingering, freshening mineral undertow. A grand cru with gravitas that will drink for 15-20 years. Droin has 1.4ha with vine age averaging 40 years. Its plots are located in various sectors of the cru with some lower down in the western sector, and part on the blue clay soils on the mid-slope.Decanter | 96 DECLike the Grenouilles, there is enough wood to merit mentioning but not enough to overshadow the cool, airy and very fresh aromas of oyster shell, white flower and ocean breeze. The succulent yet powerful and delineated flavors brim with both minerality and dry extract, all wrapped in a driving bitter lemon-inflected and youthfully austere finale. This is a lovely combination of power and refinement that should amply repay a decade plus of cellaring.Burghound | 92-95 BHThe 2021 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru has a clean and precise bouquet, flint and chalk filtering through the citrus fruit, gaining intensity as it opens in the glass, though I feel the Grenouilles has more sophistication. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, very harmonious, nicely poised with a dab of stem ginger and white pepper towards the finish that is resolutely classic in style. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

Here’s a very typical Meursault that combines the generosity and textural complexity we expect from this appellation, with liveliness that makes it very satisfying. Good concentration. A ton of flinty character at the substantial finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSLuscious and well-delineated, too, this white offers lemon oil, sliced apple and clove flavors, with an underlying mineral element. Long and will benefit from an additional year in bottle. Best from 2023 through 2029. 2,500 cases made, 750 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSSmoky reduction dominates the underlying fruit today. By contrast, there is good freshness and verve to the notably rich, round and rather plump medium-bodied flavors that display reasonably good length if only average depth on the bitter lemon-inflected and youthfully austere finale.Burghound | 89-91 BHThe 2020 Meursault 1er Cru Château de Blagny offers up aromas of crisp Anjou pear, white flowers, green apple and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, round and rich, it’s a gourmand, textural white from this higher-altitude site.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

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

A touch more yellow than the Perrières. A very fine nose, with the weight of Charmes but the sheer class of Perrières. Really impressive once again. With exceptional intensity to finish. You can’t call this as coming from a frozen minor vintage, chortles Stéphane, with some reason. Drink from 2027-2032.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMA broad-ranging nose features notes of roasted nuts, petrol, white flower, Asian style spiced tea, apple and a subtle but still easily perceptible application of oak. The dense, serious and palate saturating flavors possess evident power and excellent minerality on the sappy, powerful and strikingly persistent finish. This is quite impressive, indeed like the Perrières the word classy comes to mind. A beautiful Charmes.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2021 Meursault Les Charmes Dessus 1er Cru is focused and delineated on the nose, apple blossom mixed with grilled walnut and a touch of smoke. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, maybe just missing a bit of concentration, though there is satisfying mineralité on the finish. Drink over the next decade.Vinous Media | 90 VM