Chardonnay Wines

wines

The nose on this wine promises creaminess, with subtle yeastiness. The palate has ease and creamy flow, presenting a lemony, cushioned and yeasty texture. Rounded and bright, the finish leaves a vivid impression of buttermilk.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe 2017 Meursault Les Narvaux is showing beautifully, offering up aromas of citrus oil and crisp Anjou pear mingled with hints of beeswax and fresh butter. Medium to full-bodied, satiny but incisive, it’s elegantly textural, with terrific depth and tension at the core, underpinned a racy spine of acidity that carries through the penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

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

The 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre unwinds to reveal aromas of citrus oil, warm pastry, crisp green orchard fruit and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and precise, it’s lively and mineral, concluding with a saline finish. Tightly wound and gently patinated by its élevage, this will develop well with time in bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPThe 2019 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru, from vines on white and blue clay, has a backward nose that mixes struck flint with Granny Smith apples, suggesting old-school Chablis. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity and beautifully composed, maybe the most harmonious of Droin’s Premier Crus. A little spiciness manifests on the finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Domaine Jean-Paul et Benoit Droin Chablis "Montée de Tonnerre" 1er Cru White) An equally pure and elegant nose is quite different as here there is much more smoky reduction to the citrus-inflected pear and shellfish scents. The rich yet nicely restrained medium weight flavors brim with minerality and excellent detail, all wrapped in a slightly more complex finish. This is only a touch better than the Vaulorent but overall, it’s just a bit more complete. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 93 BH

A lifted intensity of lemon and hazelnut on this wine’s subtle nose promises concentration. The palate presents lemon zestiness and a yeasty texture that seems to fizz with freshness. It has lemony resonance, mouthwatering brightness and a rounded body to back it all up. Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe 2019 Chablis Saint Martin, which had already been bottled, has a charming nose of fragrant yellow flowers, caramelized pear and hints of chalk, all very well defined. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh, revealing a twist of sour lemon toward the finish. This is a very fine entry-level Chablis that deserves your consideration.Vinous Media | 91 VMThis special cuvée pays homage to the relics of St Martin, kept in the C9 cellars now owned by Domaine Laroche. This is a pretty strident example of Chablis with powerful acidity that is a little dominant at the moment. Ripe, sunny, peach fruit characters promise a bright future but this really needs 6-12 months to settle down. Drinking Window 2022 - 2026.Decanter | 90 DEC

Old vines grown on a warm, exposed slope (important in Chablis) give this wine its richness and textured concentration. Ripe apple and tangy lime flavors complement a tight edge that will soften as the wine matures. Drink from 2023. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEDomaine Laroche traces its beginnings back to AD867. This high-quality example of Premier Cru Chablis Vieilles Vignes shows purity of fruit, density of flavour and some subtle, judicious, oak maturation adding some extra layers of complexity. With a mineral aftertaste, this also has intriguing hints of honey and lemon curd on the nose and palate. Drinking Window 2022 - 2028.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes unwinds in the glass with aromas of green orchard fruit, pastry cream, fresh bread and light reduction. Medium to full-bodied, ample and saline, it’s bright and chiseled, with a classically Chablisien tang.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Chablis Les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru has a crisp nose of Granny Smith apples, freshly sliced Nashi pear, wild fennel, green olives and touches of crushed limestone. The palate is fresh and crisp on the entry, demonstrating admirable weight. A little viscosity toward the finish betrays the warmth of the summer, yet the acidity keeps it fresh and tensile. Delicious.Vinous Media | 91 VMAn inflection of green herbs and green fruit marks this round, lively white, with apple, yellow plum and earth notes completing the profile. Excellent length. Drink now through 2025. 1,500 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

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

A ripe and generous Corton-Charlemagne with a caramelized-pear aroma, but the stony character that’s typical for the site is the dominant aspect of the wine. Serious structure here! Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSFrom holdings located in the south-facing climat Les Languettes, Drouhin produced three barrels of the 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (Domaine), a medium to full-bodied, layered and nicely concentrated wine that’s bright and structured, evocative of white flowers, pomelo, orange oil and buttery pastry.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru was a small yield this year, with just three barrels produced instead of the usual six. It has an understated bouquet of light dandelion and patisserie aromas. The well-balanced palate displays fine delineation and a tang of marmalade toward the finish. This is a nicely composed Corton-Charlemagne, though I wager it will be best consumed within its first decade. Vinous Media | 92-94 VMProminent aromas of mineral reduction and floral elements are laced with hints of wood toast, citrus peel, apple and anise. The sleekly muscular and stony big-bodied flavors are also nicely refined yet powerful while possessing excellent delineation on the youthfully austere finale. This is clearly ripe yet manages to retain the style of a classic CC.Burghound | 92-94 BHFrom a 0.33ha, domaine-owned parcel in Aloxe with an eastern exposition and densely planted 40-year-old vines on thin soils over the limestone bedrock. The fruit is pressed as whole bunches and fermented on native yeasts in cask (one-quarter new) to give a lovely definition of fruit that stretches from green apple to apricot, with hints of smoke, spice, and mineral. On the palate, the texture is broad yet well balanced by firm acidity on the lingering finish. Drinking Window 2024 - 2039.Decanter | 93 DEC

The Boudriotte blanc is produced from the climat Les Fairendes, located reasonably high on the slope, reaching almost to Les Ruchottes. This superb terroir for white wine has provided in 2018 a result that seamlessly melds citrus, mineral, and ripe apple aromas and balances them with surprisingly fresh acidity, a lovely depth of flavour on the palate, and impressive weight and length. Drinking Window 2021 - 2041.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Boudriotte is showing beautifully, unfurling in the glass with notes of toasted bread, pear, waxy citrus rind, smoke and popcorn. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and elegantly fleshy, it's seamless and elegant, with fine depth at the core and a long, delicately nutty finish. Already approachable, this will offer a broad drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPA mild touch of reduction is sufficiently subtle to permit the notes of white flowers, citrus rind and discreet wood to be discerned. There is an attractive sense of underlying tension to the delicious medium weight flavors that possess focused power and good delineation on the lingering finish that flirts with rusticity. This well-made effort needs to develop more depth but it appears to have the requisite density to do so. (Drink starting 2028)Burghound | 91 BHA grassy, herbal note makes this white distinctive, adding to the lemon and apple fruit. It finds more focus in the end, leaving a butterscotch- and pastry-tinged finish. Drink now through 2024. 60 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Crystal clear like a mountain stream, a light oak influence adds a note of lanolin to the apple, melon and lemon fruit. Turns more sleek and defined on the long, mineral- and herb-tinged aftertaste. Drink now through 2027. 269 cases made, 64 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2019 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru comes from vines located just above Vincent Dauvissat’s. The well-defined bouquet features honeysuckle and subtle white flower aromas. The palate is where the action is: it delivers vibrant citrus fruit, orange zest and light ginger notes. Lovely depth on the finish. This is an excellent Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet is taut and chiseled, unwinding in the glass to reveal aromas of citrus oil, white flowers, beeswax and crushed chalk. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and incisive, it will require and reward a bit of bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

The 2018 Chablis Village, matured for 12 months in 80% stainless steel and 20% used oak, has a vibrant, fresh, classic Chablis nose that many other growers were not able to achieve in this warm year. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, vibrant and zesty, showing a touch of spice on the elegant finish. This must surely be one of the finest Chablis Village of 2018.Vinous Media | 92 VMA touch of wet walnut accompanies pear and lemon on this wine’s fresh nose. Vivaciousness at the core belies the heat of the 2018 vintage. Yes, there is concentration and some midpalate weight, but salty, preserved-lemon freshness dominates the wine and bright finish.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2018 Chablis Vauprin comes from 1.7ha of 25-year-old vines and is raised for 12 months in 50% oak barrels and 50% stainless steel. It has a very harmonious bouquet of yellow flowers, mirabelle, crushed rocks and light hazelnut aromas that attain impressive intensity with aeration. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity; there is real tension and race here. The finish fans out wonderfully and its persistence deserves applause considering the relatively unknown location of this vineyard. Highly recommended.Vinous Media | 93 VMResonant notes of roasted hazelnut on the nose of this wine sit well with the lemon brightness. The palate carries the same nuttiness but puts lemon freshness center stage. This slightly smoky combination is bedded on a smooth but cooling, yeasty texture, with beautiful length. Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2018 Chablis Vau de Vey was cropped at 58hl/ha and matured in 50% barrels and 50% stainless steel for 12 months. It has a clean, pure bouquet of yellow plum, orange pith and light crushed stone notes. The palate conveys energy right from the start, revealing hints of blood orange and quince, racy acidity and an elegant, very persistent finish that lingers in the mouth. Superb.Vinous Media | 94 VMA lovely, slightly reductive note of smoke swathes green pear notes on the nose of this wine. The palate adds lemony juiciness to sonorous notes of smoky oak that surround lively Mirabelle fruit. On the finish, bright lemon adds poise, elegance and length.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

This white is lean, sporting lemon, green plum, chamomile and lanolin aromas and flavors. A spine of vivid acidity keeps it focused and long, while the balance and harmony bode well for the future. Shows excellent length. Drink now through 2027. 263 cases made, 93 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots is lovely, wafting from the glass with notes of clear honey, citrus oil, white flowers and oatmeal. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and succulent, it’s bright and charming, concluding with a long, mineral finish. As I’ve written before, this hails from one of the sunnier, warmer lieux-dits within the larger climat of Les Vaillons, and it typically produces a more generous, gourmand wine; it’s also often where Piuze begins his harvest.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru "Les Minots" has a pretty beeswax and gravel bouquet. The palate is concentrated with fine depth and a touch of viscosity.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Pops of hazelnut and cream lend richness to this ripe, lusciously textured Chablis. Bright lemon and yellow-apple flavors on the palate maintain the appellation’s characteristic steeliness and nerve but this mouthfilling Chardonnay is welcoming young and likely to drink well through 2035.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2019 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has a taut, crisp, energetic bouquet that displays fine delineation and plenty of mineralité. The fresh, vibrant palate delivers crisp acidity and lemon zest, orange peel and subtle apricot notes, maintaining superb precision and poise through to the satisfyingly persistent finish. Superb!Vinous Media | 93 VMA ripe version, with apple and melon flavors holding court and a hint of pineapple. The acidity amps up on the mouthwatering finish, where a vein of mineral shines through. Drink now through 2026. 215 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

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

The 2019 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru is slightly deeper in color than the Les Clos when compared side by side. The bouquet is richer and more honeyed – in fact, more 2018 in style – with enticing orange pith and praline scents developing over time. The palate is ripe and much more intense than the Les Clos, the weight of the fruit counterbalanced by the acidity. This is a very fulfilling Blanchot that packs quite a punch and may well drink sooner than the Les Clos.Vinous Media | 94 VM(Domaine Servin Chablis - Blanchot Grand Cru White) A restrained if very pretty nose combines notes of pear and apple with those of mineral reduction, white flower and a touch of shellfish. The succulent, delicious and quite rich middle weight plus flavors possess an attractive vibrancy on the sneaky long finish that isn’t quite as precise though it is longer. We will see in time if it can catch the MdT but for now, the latter has the edge. (Drink starting 2027).Burghound | 91-93 BHThe 2019 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots unfurls in the glass with notes of clear honey, freshly baked bread, orange zest, pear and citrus blossom. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, with a glossy attack and a rich, fleshy mid-palate, it’s deep and concentrated. As usual, it’s one of the more demonstrative wines in the range.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

The 2018 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru shows a little more definition and terroir expression compared directly with the Montée de Tonnerre. Lemon peel, touches of crushed stone and dried flowers almost reluctantly emerge with aeration. The palate is powerful and expressive, with a honeyed texture...Vinous Media | 92 VMThis is also quite cool with its restrained, airy and more elegant nose that features notes of mineral reduction, oyster shell and white flowers. The racy and beautifully well-delineated middle weight flavors deliver excellent persistence on the clean, notably dry and bracing finale where a hint of bitter lemon appears.Burghound | 90-92 BHThis has attractive peach and peach-kernel aromas with hints of flint and almond pastry. The palate has a very fleshy and succulent feel with apricot, mango and yellow-peach flavors. A steely-mineral spark below. Drink on release.James Suckling | 91-92 JS

One barrel, an exchange. Paler colour and correctly chiselled. Very tight and with excellent concentration. The length is good too. Just a baby, but with promise. Stony lemons to finish. Drink from 2026-2031.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JMThe 2021 Corton-Charlemagne from Domaine Jean Chartron is another outstanding wine in the making. The complex nose wafts from the glass in a mix of apple, pear, a fine base of chalky soil tones, a touch of almond, spring flowers crème pâtissière and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and nascently complex, with a fine core of fruit, excellent focus and balance, bouncy acids and a long, balanced and soil-driven finish. This not showing quite the same mineral dimension as the top two Puligny premier crus right now, but it may well catch up in this regard with some extended bottle age. Fine juice. (Drink between 2027 - 2060)John Gilman | 94 JGOnce again there is an attractive coolness to the essence of green apple, spice and mineral reduction scents. There is superb delineation to the bigger-bodied and more powerful flavors that are at once muscular yet refined, all wrapped in a moderately austere finale where a touch of wood slowly emerges. This tightly wound and very promising effort should age like a classic Corton-Charlemagne.Burghound | 92-94 BHThis delicious wine presents aromas of citrus peel and hawthorn flowers coloured with a chalky, saline mineral edge and notes of cream, butter, and spice. This year the wine is made exclusively from a domaine-owned parcel in Pernand from the lieu-dit En Charlemagne that was planted in 1961 and picked on 25 September just before the rain. It produced a single barrel, which is ageing in a two-year-old cask from the cooper Chassin.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2021 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, reduced to one and a half barrels due to the absence of any exchange, sports quite a bit of reduction on the nose that makes it difficult to read at present. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, quite taut and maybe just missing a little tension on the finish. Fine, though Chartron has made better in the past.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

TOP VALUE A superb white Burgundy value wine this year, as with most years. It featured lovely ripe lemon peel and green apple aromas with delicate nuances of white flowers. The texture is crisp and creamy simultaneously, a perfect balance between richness and freshness. Production is down to one third of an average year, so stock up early to enjoy this perennial favourite.Decanter | 93 DEC

The holding is right in the middle of Bâtard-Montrachet, with rows all the way up and down. Mid yellow. A weighty punchy bouquet, not quite so fine. Massive on the palate and the fruit takes on a whiter, not over ripe configuration, with excellent thread of acidity. Still an absolute baby but will certainly achieve its grand cru status. Drink from 2027-2035.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JMTOP QUALITY An exemplary Bâtard and among the best wines of the appellation. There is a deep lemon-yellow hue and pronounced ripe apple and pear fruit aromas with hints of spice, cream, butter and toasted hazelnut. The texture is lush and dense, just this side of opulence, but there is enough acidity to balance everything out and lead it to a harmonious, lingering finish. It is produced from a domaine-owned parcel of one third of a hectare on the border between Puligny and Chassagne, fermented and aged in new casks.Decanter | 95 DEC A restrained and distinctly citrus and floral-suffused nose displays hints of exotic tea, anise, oak and just sliced apple. There is both excellent volume and excellent delineation on the succulent but almost painfully punchy big-bodied flavors that terminate in a precise, balanced and bone-dry finale. This is presently very tightly coiled and a wine that will need extended keeping and should amply reward 12 to 15 years of it. Excellent. (Drink starting 2033)Burghound | 95 BHAromas of clear honey, sweet orchard fruit and white flowers preface Boillot’s 2021 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, a full-bodied, ample and satiny wine with racy acids and a broad, expansive profile, concluding with a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThe 2021 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is heady, rich and exotic, with good depth for the year and plenty of allure. Apricot, tangerine oil, butter, white pepper, hazelnut, chamomile and lightly honeyed notes fill out the layers. This is a decidedly small-scaled Bâtard, but then again, we are talking about 2021. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 91-93 VM

Brocard used one-year old used barrels here, adding richness and complexity to this Valmur. The wood needs another 18-24 months to fully integrate. Sweet, ripe, plush fruit combine beautifully with bright acidity to finish. Very classy.Decanter | 94 DECPale lemon colour with a green tinge. Quite a firm strict nose though with some fruit weight behind. This once again has the fleshing out character, along with some coconut perhaps from the wood. Drink from 2026-2030.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

The 2020 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru is quite backward on the nose, unfolding to display touches of cold wet limestone and shucked oysters, yet always discreet; this a Grand Cru that does not want to brag. The palate is well balanced with a tangy, quite concentrated entry, fine weight, and good density toward the finish, even if I am not convinced that it will become Droin’s most complex 2020 in the end. We’ll see.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMAn overtly floral nose is comprised by vaguely exotic aromas of lychee, citrus blossom, iodine and ocean breeze. There is outstanding intensity to the beautifully well-detailed larger-scaled flavors that brim with both minerality and dry extract that buffers the moderately firm acid spine shaping the slightly more complex and impressively persistent finish. Very sold quality here.Burghound | 92-94 BHA little more of a lemon tint to the colour. Concentrated white flowers on the nose but too sunny to be edelweiss, and the fruit rapidly takes over. A faint suggestion of banana, we feel the heat behind, but it all retains its balance. Not quite coherent yet, but with time to establish its balance.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JS