Chardonnay Wines

wines

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

Fullish yellow. The complex nose shows the power of the vintage, a few drier tannins behind, fair acidity. I find this backward and difficult to judge. I think the Clos character is there, but it is reticent today. The palate does deliver detail and layers of fruit though. The finish does also suggest the necessary class. Really good length here.Jasper Morris | 94 JM

Ample but not dominant wood doesn’t completely mask the equally exotic white and yellow orchard fruit scents that exhibit enough Chablis typicity to be persuasive. There is once again very impressive volume and mid-palate density to the long, caressing and balanced finale where a refreshing touch of bitter lemon character slowly emerges. This is a powerful Preuses that will require at least a few years to fully integrate the wood treatment and to develop more overall depth.Burghound | 94 BHThe 2019 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru has a clean, precise bouquet, quite tight at the moment but displaying focus and admirable delineation. The palate is well balanced with a crisp line of acidity, fresh and vibrant, tapering away a little toward the finish, which offers bright citrus fruit laced with orange peel and truffle but needs a tad more depth and grip.Vinous Media | 91 VMA lean, wiry white, with a touch of oak spice framing apple, lemon and lanolin flavors. It’s bracing and moderately long. Drink now through 2025. 90 cases made, 30 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

In spite of the ripe-orange and exotic-fruit character that pours from the glass, there’s nothing superficial about this wine. Thanks to its generosity and very attractive fruit, this makes a very friendly initial impression on the palate, then the intense minerality comes through, building to a serious crescendo at the very fresh finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSA rich, opulent white, this features lemon cake, lime blossom, baking spice and stone flavors. Though intense, there’s also a sense of restraint, yet the finish is long and complex. Drink now through 2027. 630 cases made, 66 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Domaine du Pavillon (Pommard) - Domaines Albert Bichot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru White) Smoky aromas of Granny Smith apples, acacia and a plethora of citrus influences are trimmed in discreet wood influence. There is fine volume to the delicious and almost creamy larger-scaled flavors that brim with both dry extract and minerality on the lemon-tinged and youthfully austere finale. This compact and serious effort should definitely benefit from mid-term or perhaps even a decade of cellaring. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 93 BHBichot has 1.2ha in Languettes, high on the slope, with a south/south-east exposition. The southern exposition is of major importance here, if one is to avoid over-ripeness. In 2019, the wine has very exotic, almost tropical aromas, while on the palate the texture is dense and creamy, and the ripe pear fruit touched with honey is even more apparent. A wine of luxurious charm. Drinking Window 2024 - 2039.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru comes from 1.2 hectares of vines in Les Longuettes. Matured in 35% new oak, it has a perfumed nose of yellow fruit, nectarine and peach skin aromas. The palate is well balanced with a light pineapple and passion fruit opening and well-judged acidity. Very harmonious, with a gentle landing on the finish. Maybe it is missing some tension and nerve, but the flavors are irresistible. Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

Fresh, cooling tones of lemon and grapefruit are accented by burnt butterscotch in this robust yet sharply honed white. Reflective of an intensely hot vintage, it’s broad shouldered and weighty yet firmly anchored by a steely, smoky mineral undertow. Tight in youth, the wine should mature beautifully and be at peak from 2024 through 2035.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2019 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru has an intense bouquet that shrugs off the reduction to deliver crushed pebbles and honeysuckle and jasmine scents. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh. The elegant finish just needs to develop a little more persistence on the aftertaste. But overall, this is very promising.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMPlump and also juicy, this white borders on orange framing the core peach and melon flavors. A mineral note grounds this version as it plays out on the lingering finish. Fine balance, with a lemon aftertaste. Drink now through 2026.Wine Spectator | 92 WSAn expressive and decidedly ripe yet fresh nose reflects notes of honey, dried yellow orchard fruit and just enough Chablis typicity to make one remember where this is from. There is fine volume and richness to the palate soaking medium-bodied flavors that are shaped by bright acidity on the dry, youthfully austere and lingering finale. The nose is certainly not classic but I very much like the palate impression.Burghound | 91 BH

A relatively recent estate - Celine’s father is Jean-Marc Brocard, whilst Frederic worked at Domaine Durup. A classy Vosgros with ripeness of stone fruit allied to an intriguing fennel/herb character on the palate. Fleshy, with plenty of warmth from the vintage, this is married with a tangy, flinty finish. A fine Premier Cru, drinkable already and with good concentration for further ageing. Drinking Window 2022 - 2028.Decanter | 93 DECApple, lemon, buttermilk and yeast all show on this wine’s funky nose. The palate unites these notions on a buffered, concentrated, chalky and lemony body that has subtle depth. The wine is smooth, fresh and understated.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

A touch of fresh, ripe lemon zest is all that peeps though on this wine’s shy and closed nose. More air reveals lovely hints of petrichor and chalk. The palate is rounded and textured. Yeastiness and chalky depth align themselves to bright, ripe lemon, and the lemony chalkiness lasts beautifully. Drink by 2040.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEShowing rather more of a rich, toastier style, this has some driving mineral characters underneath with lovely concentration. The freshness imparted by the east-facing, steeply-sloping face of Blanchot contrasts with the warmth and ripeness of the 2019 vintage. A Grand Cru which has a fine balance of richness, power and structure, that is already drinking very well. Drinking Window 2022 - 2030.Decanter | 93 DEC

Introducing the 2019 Chablis are aromas of beeswax, dried white flowers and oyster shell dominating youthfully discreet notions of citrus oil and fresh bread in an already complex bouquet. A medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping wine, this is fleshier and more textural than its Petit Chablis counterpart—though it’s just as chiseled—concluding with a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Chablis Village has an intriguing nutty and slightly smoky bouquet. The palate is lively on the entry, with a superb line of acidity, and quite saline in the mouth, leading to a brisk, energetic finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM(Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Villages White) Here too there is very fine typicity with its ripe but cool nose of white peach, pear, iodine and pretty floral nuances that also include a whiff of citrus confit. There is equally fine volume to the rich yet well-detailed flavors that flash a lovely mineral streak on the refreshingly dry finale. Good stuff in a robust and powerful style that should repay mid-term aging. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 90 BH

Matured for one year in barrel and six months in tank, the 2019 Montagny 1er Cru delivers aromas of pear, peach and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, ample and charming, with a satiny attack and mouthwatering acids, it’s the most open-knit, giving white in the cellar, and it’s drinking well out of the gates.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPPurchased fruit, blended from two sites - L’Épaule and Creux de Beauchamp - planted with old vines. Both vineyards are densely planted and propagated using massale selection, to give super-ripe grapes with aromas of apple and just a bit of spice. A long maturation on the lees gives this wine a density and supple texture that is truly appealing. Drinking Window 2021 - 2029.Decanter | 90 DEC

A relatively young estate, Lavantureux is definitely a domaine to watch. Arnaud and David are now running things, with a recent 0.95ha acquisition in Vau de Vey. Farmed by hand, this is a delightful Premier Cru which emphasises the character of this steep, stony climat. Lovely density on the palate with an intriguing lime character, balanced by mineral, flinty notes and a touch of creamy oak adding more complexity. Subtle and nuanced. Drinking Window 2022 - 2027.Decanter | 95 DECAromas of honeysuckle, lemon grass and citrus follow through to a medium body with fine tannins and a fresh, bright finish. Lots of lemon rind at the end. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey is a fine success, offering up aromas of citrus oil, white flowers, nutmeg and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, bright and chiseled, with fine depth at the core and a saline finish, this is certainly oak-inflected in style but integrates that patina more completely than the Vauprin.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Chablis Vau de Vey 1er Cru has a lovely, pure, well-defined bouquet of mineral-tinged citrus fruit, dewy meadow and light flinty scents. The palate is taut and fresh with orange peel and a touch of yellow plum on the entry. There are hints of tropical fruit, but they are discreet, and the wine maintains wonderful focus on the finish. Delicious!Vinous Media | 92 VM

Just a whisper of vanilla wafts on the nose of this steel-honed, fruity Chardonnay. A richly concentrated expression of a ripe vintage, it has Mirabelle and white-melon flavors that are pertly balanced by streaks of lime. Creamy in texture and endless on the finish, it’s irresistible young but likely to drink well through 2030.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA dynamic estate in Lignerolles, with David and Arnaux now in charge of the winemaking. Vauprin is one of the estate’s signature wines - a selection from a small, southerly-facing, parcel on local hills named Vauprin. This is a serious, intense Chablis that balances a luxurious texture on the palate, concentration of fruit, along with the unmistakable lift and drive of Chablis. Drinking well now though it will be even better in 12 months. Drinking Window 2022 - 2026.Decanter | 93 DECLemon tree, mineral and flint on the nose with a hint of matchstick. Full-bodied with density and intensity. So much character here. Some phenolics. Flavorful finish. This is so real. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2019 Chablis Vauprin has a backward bouquet, offering sultry malic scents that gradually open to show a little undergrowth along with attractive apple peel and dewy meadow notes. The palate is fresh on the entry, offering lively, vivacious orange zest and citrus flavors. Lovely peach notes surface toward the finish. A Chablis-Villages that aims for wide appeal and, judging by this sample, will succeed.Vinous Media | 90 VM

From the slopes above Montrachet, planted in 1962. The result shows aromas that meld citrus, tropical, and white stone fruits with a strong sense of salty minerality and notes of smoke and beeswax. The wine is firmly structured, with lots of racy acidity and plenty of extract, but there is never a loss of elegance or finesse. This is a superb wine that will easily continue to improve for thirty or forty years in a proper cellar. Drinking Window 2022 - 2034.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru wafts from the glass with aromas of ripe yellow orchard fruit, clear honey, white flowers, toasted almonds and nutmeg. Full-bodied, satiny and layered, it’s lively and concentrated, with a deep, enveloping core, racy acids and a long, precise finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPHere the wood influence is more apparent with notes of toast and menthol framing the aromas of the cool essence of pear, apple, fennel and jasmine tea. There is another dimension of size, weight and power as well as minerality to the big-bodied and dense flavors that display outstanding length on the balanced, clean and bone-dry finale. At least 5 to 7 years will be necessary as this is presently quite tightly wound.Burghound | 95 BH

The 2019 Chardonnay Platt Vineyard is laced with hints of jasmine, lemon confit, mint, orchard fruit and tangerine oil. Time in the glass brings out light tropical overtones that take on a Riesling-like feel that is hugely appealing.Antonio Galloni | 95 AG

This wine exhibits strength as well as richness. With a dense texture and powerful, warm yellow- and white-fruit flavors, its ripe character is supported by toast and a tight structure. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2019 Chablis Les Blanchots Grand Cru is very well defined on the nose, where sea spray and oyster shell notes combine with citrus aromas. Hints of green olive emerge with time. The well-defined palate is taut on the entry, with hints of chai tea and chamomile infusing the white peach and citrus notes, and builds nicely toward a very composed finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 94 VMLaroche owns 11 acres of Blanchots, a cru named for the layer of white clay over Chablis’s Kimmeridgian limestone. That clay helps retain some moisture, which may be why this particular grand cru shows so beautifully in 2019. It’s as full as you would expect from the heat of the season, but the dynamic energy of the wine sustains freshness and buoys the broad flavors of yellow apple and puff pastry. It’s generous in spirit, without being overwhelming in alcohol. Lush and delicious, it lasts on floral apple and tangy white cranberry notes. A keeper.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SThe 2019 Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots wafts from the glass with notions of crisp orchard fruit, white peach, apple blossom, toasted almonds and vanilla pod. Full-bodied, concentrated and reserved, with good cut and back-end grip, it concludes with a long, delicately honeyed finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

The 2019 Onomatopoeia is all Chardonnay from the cooler Edna Valley, and it’s a bright, medium-bodied, beautifully balanced white offering classic citrus and lemon fruits, notes of sappy herbs, vibrant acidity, and a great finish. Aged 14 months in 48% concrete eggs, 26% in new barrels, and the rest in neutral oak, bottled unfined and unfiltered, it’s incredibly impressive.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2019 Chardonnay Onomatopoeia is creamy, open-knit and inviting, all of which make it a good choice for drinking now and over the next few years. Lees stirring and full malolactic fermentation add textural richness. Hints of apricot, lemon confit, sage and chamomile linger.Antonio Galloni | 91 AG

The 2019 Gaia & Rey may be one of the finest vintages I have ever tasted of this white. Creamy, ample and expressive, the 2019 is a wonderfully, classy, polished wine. All the elements come together so effortlessly here. Bright and focused, the 2019 is fabulous and I say that as someone who is not especially fond of Italian Chardonnays.Antonio Galloni | 95 AG

The 2020 The Agnes has a clean, precise, crushed stone nose with dewy green apple, fresh pear and grassy meadow aromas. The palate is well balanced, taut and fresh, featuring a fine bead of acidity and a spicy undertow that defines the finish. Reserved but cerebral. I would like to see where this goes with bottle age.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 2019 Chardonnay Myrna shows just how compelling the vintage is for white wines. Lemon oil, white flowers, chalk and mint give the 2019 a brilliant upper register that almost comes as a surprise once the wine shows its superb depth and persistence. This highly expressive, nuanced Chardonnay has a lot going on and plenty to offer.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGA polished, minerally chardonnay with sliced apple, lemon rind and some stone and flint. Laurel and other herbs, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with a creamy texture and balance. Phenolic texture. Lively and stony. From mountain vineyards in Sonoma and Mount Veeder. Nice debut wine. Drink or hold. 1,500 cases made.James Suckling | 94 JSHigh-toned and floral, this wine offers a generous mouthfeel of salty oak, mineral and wet stone. The elegant fruit profile combines pear, apple and Meyer lemon with ease, complementing the body weight with ample acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

After some time in the glass, the 2018 Chardonnay Cascadia opens to dried chamomile and apple slices with notes of hay, candle smoke, roasted almonds and beeswax. The palate is broad and creamy with expansive, honeyed layers, finishing with great length and powerful flavor. It’s pure pleasure!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP(Chardonnay “Cascadia”- Brick House Wine Company (Ribbon Ridge)) The Cascadia bottling from Brick House is their Reserve bottling of chardonnay, made from a barrel selection of the finest casks in the cellar in any given vintage. The 2018 Cascadia tips the scales at a very refined twelve percent alcohol and offers up a very expressive bouquet of pear, hazelnut, complex soil tones, a hint of passion fruit, white lilies, a dollop of fresh nutmeg and a very stylish framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, youthful and full, with a superb core, excellent mineral drive and cut, impressive focus and a long, nascently complex and beautifully balanced finish. This is still a puppy and really deserves at least two or three years in the cellar to allow its secondary layers to emerge. Fine juice. (Drink between 2024-2040)John Gilman | 93 JGDried apple, spiced pear, grilled pineapple, smoke, licorice, lime zest and flint on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with bright acidity. Tight, spiced and flinty. Excellent focus. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSAn alluring white, with a luscious yet crisply vibrant texture. Offers expressive pear blood orange accents that linger on a minerally finish. Drink now through 2021. 220 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSCrisp and layered, with whiffs of flower and spice, this appealing young wine offers fresh apple fruit, along with lighter, well-defined flavors of cucumber and white peach. The low alcohol is in keeping with the flavor profile, but the biodynamic farming brings great depth and detail, unusual in such a lightly ripened wine.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2019 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills is characterized by broad, intense flavors foiled by tangy acidity. It offers aromas of apple pie, honeycomb, toast and white blossoms and is intensely flavored, ripe and textural, finishing with energetic freshness.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPPretty aromas of honeysuckle, white peach, lemon tart and flint. It’s full-bodied, yet bright, with tangy acidity. Textured and fleshy. Some spice and hay notes to close. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSWonderfully floral on the nose, sappy and rich on the palate, this expressive wine is packed with flavorful fruits perfectly set against tangy acidity. White peach, Asian pear and a touch of lime combine on a full-bodied midpalate. The juicy fruit flavors energize the wine and set the taster up for sip after sip.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEToasty with a lean oak frame, this smoky chardonnay’s aromas are mildly oaked at first. But the flavors are refreshing, lean and balanced, with an oyster-shell duskiness that suggests a pairing with shellfish, particularly seared scallops. Wine & Spirits | 92 W&S

The 2019 Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru has an attractive nose, more extrovert than others from this climat, displaying scents of yellow plum, pressed white flower, crushed rock and subtle Granny Smith apple. The palate is clean and fresh, a dab of bitter lemon on the entry combining neatly with the silver bead of acidity. Quite tensile toward the finish, which lingers in the mouth. This may warrant a higher score with bottle age. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

The 2018 Chablis Côte de Jouan 1er Cru has a gorgeous bouquet of lemon curd, orange pith and honeysuckle scents that seem to grab the olfactory senses. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and crisp, leading to a complex finish of sour lemon, kumquat and saline notes that linger on the aftertaste. Superb.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 2019 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru has a very pretty bouquet of yellow flowers, honeysuckle and light white truffle scents, plus a touch of flint in the background. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. This is certainly one of the more elegant Grand Crus in 2019, displaying admirable poise and a touch of spice toward the lingering finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93 VM

A decadent complexity of yellow peach, smoky nuts and fragrant almonds with beautifully crafted oak, superb acidity and a long, powerful finish. Truly delicious.Decanter | 95 DEC