Chardonnay Wines

wines

Patrick’s 2020 Butteaux is utterly classic in personality and superb in potential quality. The nose jumps from the glass in a refined blend of apple, pear, a complex base of chalky soil tones, paraffin, fruit blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and shows of gorgeous fruit at the core, with excellent soil undertow, bright, zesty acids, fine focus and grip and a long, perfectly balanced and complex finish. Great juice. 2025-2060.John Gilman, A View from the Cellar | 94 JGThe 2020 Chablis Les Butteaux 1er Cru had received a bit of SO2 a couple of days before my visit. For that reason, it is a little muted on the nose, opening gradually to reveal yellow flower scents. The well-balanced palate offers grapefruit and melon notes, a fine bead of acidity and good weight on the finish. It does need to cohere in the glass, but this has good potential.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM(Maison Patrick Piuze Chablis "Butteaux" 1er Cru White) A very Chablis-like nose features notes of mineral reduction, pear, apple, shellfish and a plethora of citrus elements. The succulent and round yet decidedly powerful medium-bodied flavors exhibit borderline painful intensity before culminating in a very dry, firm and austere finale. Patience strongly suggested. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 90-92 BHDelivers peach, apple and citrus flavors tinged by mineral and the slightest hint of vanilla. Balanced, remaining long and present on the pastry-inflected finish. Drink now through 2026. 392 cases made, 127 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 91 WS

One of the highlights of the range is the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent, a medium to full-bodied, taut and concentrated wine evocative of pear, citrus oil, smoke, oyster shell and freshly baked bread. Chiseled and incisive, it concludes with a long, penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP(Chablis “Vaulorent”- Domaine Patrick Piuze) The 2020 Vaulorent from Patrick Piuze is outstanding. The bouquet is pure, precise and complex, wafting from the glass in a suave mix of apple, pear, chalky minerality, a touch of raw almond, white lilies, beeswax and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, precise and nicely reserved in personality, with a full-bodied format, a lovely core of fruit, excellent soil signature and a long, nascently complex and vibrant finish. This wine has beautiful grip and purity and all it needs is some time in the cellar to properly blossom. (Drink between 2028-2070)John Gilman | 94 JG(Maison Patrick Piuze Chablis "Vaulorent" 1er Cru White) An expressive nose combines aromas of white flowers, anise, tea, oyster shell and whiffs of ocean breeze. There is better volume if not quite the same degree of refinement on the punchy, saline and sneaky long finale. This firm effort is lovely with a Zen-like sense of poise. (Drink starting 2028)Burghound | 90-93 BHThe 2020 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru was showing a bit of reduction on the nose when I tasted it directly from barrel. Moving straight on to the palate, there is crisp citrus fruit, lemon curd, touches of frangipane and plenty of spice toward the back end. A tang of stem ginger lingers on the aftertaste. This is a fine Vaulorent but it will need time in bottle.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMThis supple white is highlighted by apple, melon and green plum flavors, with accents of mineral and vanilla adding detail. Balanced and crisp, finishing on the bracing side. Drink now through 2026. 248 cases made, 73 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This silky, vibrant white is all about texture and harmony, showcasing peach, melon, apple and lemon fruit underscored by a subtle minerality. Seamless from start to finish, ending in a long, citrusy and stony aftertaste. Drink now through 2028. 120 cases made, 48 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSFrom a parcel that seems to do especially well in warm vintages, perhaps because the vines are planted east to west, so its grapes are never exposed to direct sunlight, Piuze’s 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Les Roncières wafts from the glass with aromas of pear, freshly baked bread, white currants, beeswax and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and racy, with bright acids and a charming core of fruit, it concludes with a long, mineral finish. Drink Date2025 - 2045 Robert Parker The Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2020 Chablis Les Roncières 1er Cru, taken directly from barrel, demonstrates impressive complexity on the nose, which features lemon curd, hazelnut and crushed stone aromas. The harmonious palate is well balanced with fine acidity, poise, and tension toward the saline finish. This is very promising.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM(Chablis “Les Roncières”- Domaine Patrick Piuze) The 2020 les Roncières chez Piuze is another outstanding premier cru in the making. The wine delivers a fine aromatic combination of lemon, apple, limestone soil tones, spring flowers, paraffin and a touch of oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with fine purity of fruit at the core, lovely soil definition and grip, bright, bouncy acids and lovely focus on the long, well-balanced and complex finish. Fine, fine juice. (Drink between 2025-2060)John Gilman | 93+ JG(Maison Patrick Piuze Chablis "Roncières" 1er Cru White) Here the nose is again firmly reduced though there is both good freshness and verve to the medium weight flavors that also flash good minerality on the clean, dry and compact finish that will likely need at least a few years to fully unwind and 5 to 8 years to realize its full potential. (Drink starting 2026)Burghound | 89-91 BH

(Chablis “La Butte O”- Domaine Patrick Piuze) The new bottling of Chablis villages that Patrick has named “La Butte O” hails from vines planted in 1982. The wine offers up a superb aromatic constellation of pear, tangerine, lime zest, a gorgeous base of chalky soil tones, a touch of paraffin and a topnote of straw. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and racy, with a lovely core, excellent soil undertow, bouncy acids and excellent length and grip on the impeccably balanced finish. A great new addition to the portfolio! (Drink between 2024-2040)John Gilman | 92 JGA ripe version, this hints at white flowers, apricot and sweet spices, with a core of apple and lemon flavors. There is an appealing crispness here, revealing a vein of mineral that lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2027.Wine Spectator | 92 WS(Maison Patrick Piuze Chablis - Butte O Villages White) Ripe and wafting aromas include those of white peach, lime, algae and a pretty floral nuance. The relatively generously proportioned medium weight flavors possess reasonably good punch that carries over to the lingering finale that is supported by citrus-tinged acidity. This delicious effort should again drink well on the younger side. (Drink starting 2024)Burghound | 88-91 BHThe 2020 Chablis La Butte “O” is the debut release from the parcel previously farmed by Piuze’s former boss Jean-Marie Guffens (Domaine Verget). The lieu-dit is actually Butteaux, but Village, not Premier Cru. This has a fine, lively citrus peel and lime bouquet that springs from the glass. The palate is well balanced with fine poise, delivering more lime and citrus peel, but it needs a little more matière to develop on the finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 88-90 VMA new cuvée for Piuze, which readers might remember in a different incarnation chez Maison Verget, the 2020 Chablis La Butte ’O’ offers up aromas of pear, fresh bread, citrus zest, exotic botanicals, orange oil and pastry cream, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and racy palate that concludes with a long and saline finish. I’ll leave readers to imagine to which nearby climat its name advertises. Drink Date 2021 - 2035Robert Parker The Wine Advocate | 90 RP

The 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is showing nicely, opening in the glass with scents of pear, orange oil, clear honey, blanched almonds and fresh bread. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and textural, it’s rich and fleshy, with bright acids girdling its enveloping core of fruit.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RP(Domaine Follin-Arbelet Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru White) A mildly oaky nose features aromas of green apple, citrus blossom and white-fleshed fruit. The sleek, delicious and more concentrated bigger-bodied flavors brim with minerality and particularly so on the muscular, powerful and sneaky long finish. This will need a few years to better integrate the wood treatment but given the density of material, that should be no problem. In sum, this is quite promising. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 93 BH

Bursting from the glass with aromas of peach, pear, fresh mint, baking spices, pastry cream, toasted almonds and white flowers, Ramonet’s 2019 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with a generous core of fruit, ripe acids and a long, expansive finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

A lifted but guarded sense of lemon zest plays on this wine’s nose, forthright at one moment, restrained the next. The palate channels concentrated but creamy lemon peel, mouthwatering in its frankness but buffered by lovely chalkiness. Lemony limestone freshness rings long after the last sip.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2019 Chablis Vau de Vey 1er Cru has an intriguing, melted candle wax and white flower nose, showing touches of apple peel and chalk dust. This seems to grow in complexity in the glass. The palate is well balanced and spicy, with a fine bead of acidity. Orange peel and touches of bitter lemon give way to a slightly oily-textured finish. This is a very engaging Vau de Vey that will be fascinating to see mature in bottle.Vinous Media | 92 VMHere the expressive nose is blessed with more evident Chablis character in the form of iodine, oyster shell and citrus along with ripe pear and apple whiffs. There is fine underlying tension to the impressive dense and stony medium weight flavors that are not especially complex, but the citrus-tined finish is refreshing plus there is enough underlying material to suggest that more depth should develop in time.Burghound | 90 BH

The 2019 Pouilly-Loché En Chantone offers up notes of pear, green apple, white flowers and fresh bread, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and precise palate that’s bright and lively. It’s a nicely balanced wine that has turned out very well.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

A well-layered nose blends notes of citrus, mineral reduction, Granny Smith apples and a touch of wood toast. There is both excellent minerality and punch to the moderately concentrated flavors that possess slightly better ripeness on the clean, dry and persistent finale. (Drink starting 2024)Burghound | 92 BH

A seductive white that draws you in with heady aromas of stone, butter, hazelnut and lemon. The intensity continues on the palate, where the mineral element and vivid acidity elevate the white peach, apple and baking spice notes. The texture borders on creamy, but maintains a mineral edge and cascades on the long aftertaste. Best from 2021 through 2030. 5 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe best of Pierre-Yves Colin Morey’s Meursaults comes from the lower part of Perrières, very close to the limit with Puligny-Montrachet. The humidity in the soil was a boon in 2017, helping the vineyard to produce a premier cru that’s racy, refined and very pure, with laser-like focus and intensity and a kiss of oak. (Drink between 2022-2030)Decanter | 95 DEC(Colin’s vines are located just across the road from his Charmes and a bit closer to the village of Meursault): Bright, pale yellow-green. Wonderfully delicate aromas of underripe pineapple, white peach, flowers, spices and crushed rock. Denser than Colin’s other Meursault premier crus but its uncanny thickness is fully buffered by dusty, palate-staining minerality. This very pure wine shows the penetrating energy of a tungsten filament. Consistent from start to endless finish. There’s still an impression of sweetness here as the wine has two grams per liter of residual sugar, but Colin suspects that one of his three 350-liter barrels has not yet completely finished its sugar fermentation.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMAs is usually the case chez Colin, this is the most elegant wine among these 1ers with its cool, pure and airy nose of lemon peel, mineral reduction, apple, pear and soft floral nuances. There is very good concentration to the seductively textured but precise medium-bodied flavors that flash plenty of minerality on the saline and strikingly persistent finish. Note well however that this chiseled effort is very firm and is a wine that is going to require extended patience. (Drink starting 2029)Burghound | 91-94 BHThe 2017 Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières is strongly marked by its terroir, offering up a crisp bouquet of lemon oil, tart green apple, crushed chalk, iodine and subtle spices. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, taut and tensile with tangy acids and a pronouncedly chalky, mineral quality.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RP

Here too there is plenty of petrol character to the cool and nicely layered nose of ripe yellow orchard fruit, resin and rosemary oil. The attractively textured, rich and solidly concentrated medium weight flavors exude a subtle minerality while offering outstanding complexity on the sappy, balanced and sneaky long finish. If you allow this to warm up a touch of warmth slowly emerges but it’s a non-issue if the proper serving temperature is maintained.Burghound | 93 BH

The 2019 is a fabulous wine, with ripe apple fruit showing a citrusy edge to it, balanced acidity and impressive length on the palate. Roulot now farms 5ha of vines in this appellation, located between the village and the Route Nationale, spread over eight parcels. The fruit is lightly crushed and fermented in cask (mostly used) before ageing for one year. (Drink between 2021-2029)Decanter | 92 DEC

Opening in the glass with hints of honeycomb, toasted nuts, fresh pears and wet stones, the 2017 Mâcon-Cruzille Clos de la Mollepierre is medium to full-bodied, enveloping but precise, with a tensile core, excellent concentration and a long, chalky finish. It’s another very serious wine from Domaine Guillot-Broux.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

Bright and expressive, this white sports apple, lemon, spring meadow and gravel dust flavors. The vibrant structure holds court on the lingering finish. Drink now through 2028. 500 cases made, 75 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

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 ripe and beautifully layered nose consists of notes of green fruit, citrus, iodine and mineral reduction. The powerful, rich and voluminous big-bodied flavors possess fine mid-palate density that coats the palate with sap before concluding in an austere, long and vaguely rustic finale. This is an imposing Bougros that should age effortlessly over the next decade plus.Burghound | 92-94 BHAromas of aniseed and lemon rind with dried apple and pear follow through to a full body. Yet, it’s tight and layered with a compact palate and plenty of fruit. Needs time to open. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSThis is not the legendary Côte de Bouguerots bottling, but the regular Bougros – which still stood out alongside its peers. The fruit shows grand cru weight and the sunshine quality of the vintage, juicy but well balanced, while the crystalline purity of the finish sets this wine apart.Jasper Morris | 94 JMAromas of crisp green orchard fruit, clear honey, peach, mint and buttery pastry introduce the 2019 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros, a full-bodied, ample and enveloping wine that’s one of the more textural, dramatic wines in the range. Unusually deep and concentrated, its immediate, charming profile belies considerable aging potential this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPVibrant, this white combines green apple and citrus flavors with an iodide element. This is lean and intense, with a lingering citrus and mineral aftertaste. Drink now through 2027. 70 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

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

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

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