Cote de Beaune Wines

wines

The primacy of the citrus and green apple fruit is dramatic, but there is depth and nuance here as well, not to mention fresh acidity and enough extract to make the finish linger enticingly on the palate. Boillot’s Clos de la Mouchère is a monopole of nearly 4ha in the lieu-dit Les Perrières. The vines are more than 80 years of age, and each section is vinified and matured separately in cask (70% new). This wine has surprising volume, concentration and length – assuredly close to grand cru in quality. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECThis is perhaps the most floral-suffused nose in the range with its aromas of essence of pear and plenitude of spice and citrus elements. Once again, the mid-palate mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is absolutely gorgeous, which contrasts noticeably with the cuts-like-a-knife finish that remains ultra-refined, balanced and persistent. This is most impressive, particularly for the remarkably fine volume and power that is delivered with grace and class.Allen Meadows, Burghound | 96 BHClear pale lemon. This has a very high class nose, just a fraction of barrel toast too, very complex, the fruit is notably fresh. What an intensity, lots of fresh plum, good oak helping to whiten the finish. Tension throughout, picked at the right time. The four plots, vinified apart and now assembled, make a very complete wine.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JM

The 2020 Meursault Village comes mainly from Les Tillets and Narvaux, matured in around 25% new oak. There is a faint marine influence underlying the cooking apple and pear aromas, gently unfolding with aeration. The palate is well balanced with light peach skin and apricot notes, quite pretty though not complex. Yet for a Meursault Village, I find this very satisfying. Closure: Diam 5Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

With forward aromas of ripe apple, acacia flowers and spice, this delicate, elegant wine exhibits admirable balance and finesse. Yet, there is enough substance and structure to draw it out to a lingering finish, although the texture is creamy rather than crisp. Heitz has nearly a half-hectare in La Barre, in stony soils over a slab of pure limestone just up the slope from Antoine Jobard. A very accomplished village-level Meursault.Decanter | 93 DECA hint of smoke character lurks in the background of the aromas of freshly sliced apple, hazelnut, acacia blossom and a touch of spiced pear. The succulent and seductively textured medium-bodied flavors possess fine richness as well as mid-palate density while exhibiting very fine depth and persistence for a villages-level wine. Worth checking out.Burghound | 90 BH

The 2020 Meursault Les Tillets has a light white flower and linen scented nose, quite Zen-like at first but gaining intensity with aeration. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, fresh and vibrant with a touch of spice on the finish. Very fine, though maybe it just needs a little more mineralité.Vinous Media | 90 VMA cool, pure and restrained nose reflects airy and elegant notes of acacia, green apple, anise and a whiff of citrus rind. There is a beguiling sense of underlying tension to the detailed and mineral-inflected flavors that culminate in an attractively dry, clean and lingering finale. This is fine Meursault villages with the innate finesse of Tillets on display.Burghound | 90 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

A more floral-suffused nose features very bright and fresh aromas of Granny Smith apples, essence of pear and a variety of citrus influences. There is again excellent volume and richness along with even more apparent minerality on the complex and beautifully persistent finale that flashes focused power. This too offers first-rate quality for a villages-level wine.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2020 Meursault Cuvée Tête de Murger has a well-defined nose, although I was expecting a little more presence and energy compared to previous vintages that I have tasted over the years. The palate is well balanced and shows more gumption, fine acidity with a touch of ginger, well-defined with red apple, nectarine and orange pith on the finish. Just give it some time for the aromatics to open.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

Matured with 20% new oak the 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet Village has a high-toned and expressive bouquet with white flowers and a touch of tangerine. The palate is well balanced with a finely tuned opening, lemon verbena and apricot, with a pretty, quite floral finish. This is quite classy for a Chassagne Village.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 2020 Meursault Le Tesson wafts from the glass with aromas of white currants, ginger, lime, spring flowers and nutmeg, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and tensile palate that’s taut and racy, concluding with a bright, precise finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RPAn exuberantly floral-suffused nose is more elegant still with its aromas of poached pear, spiced apple and citrus confit. There is excellent punch to the beautifully delineated medium-bodied flavors that display outstanding length on the sneaky long finish that is both stylish and very classy. Meursault villages wines rarely get much better than this and it too is strongly recommended.Burghound | 91-93 BH

The 2020 Meursault Les Narvaux opens in the glass with aromas of pear, orange oil, nutmeg, freshly baked bread and beeswax. Medium-bodied, racy and chiseled, with good concentration, tangy acids and a long, precise finish, it’s a lovely wine from this underrated producer.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThere is a phenolic note to the aromas of apple, pear, acacia blossom and just sliced fennel. I like the sense of underlying tension suffusing the density, tautly muscular and stony medium weight flavors that are both clean and dry while delivering outstanding length for a villages-level wine. Year in and year out this is one of the domaine’s best performers and so it is again in 2020. Recommended.Burghound | 89-92 BH

The 2020 Meursault Les Tillets opens with notes of crisp green apple, freshly baked bread, white flowers and crushed mint. Medium-bodied, satiny and elegant, it’s lively and precise, with a pretty core of fruit and a mouthwatering finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPThis too is quite firmly reduced and unreadable today. More interesting are the delicate but punchy flavors that evidence plenty of minerality on the vibrant, focused and beautifully well-balanced finale. Once again, more depth would be beneficial, but this wine has an excellent track record in that regard. Worth checking out.Burghound | 89-91 BH

Drouhin’s Meursault En Luraule is done in the classic style, with profuse aromas of ripe apples, acacia flowers, spice and a hint of toasted almonds. The texture is dense and compact, with plenty of substance and breadth, yet enough acidity to balance. Véronique has given the wine extended lees ageing to obtain a slight hint of ‘beaux amers’ – the complexity of a slightly bitter note. The result is exquisitely stylish.Decanter | 92 DEC

The 2020 Meursault Les Narvaux has a perfumed, floral bouquet with touches of white flowers infusing the citrus peel and orange pith aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a slightly waxier texture than Chavy-Chouet’s other cuvées, with fine persistence on the finish. Very good length here.Vinous Media | 92 VMHere too there is a hint of mineral reduction to the equally cool and airy aromas of green apple, citrus peel and crushed anise. Once again, the medium-bodied flavors possess a highly attractive texture and solid power if not quite the same refinement on the bone-dry and youthfully austere finale. This too is a very good villages and worth a look.Burghound | 90 BH

The 2020 Meursault Les Vireuils has a perfumed nose with white flowers, jasmine and light hazelnut aromas gently unfolding in the glass. The palate is well balanced with subtle tropical notes on the entry: wild peach and apricot, fine weight with a very pretty finish. This will be difficult to resist in its youth.Vinous Media | 91 VMA cool, pure and airy nose offers up notes of mineral reduction, apple, pear and exotic tea. There is terrific intensity to the attractively textured and overtly mineral-driven flavors that culminate in a sneaky long and well-balanced finale. This is a very good Meursault villages and worth considering.Burghound | 90 BH

A dense and lively white, evoking lemon and apple core flavors wrapped in toasty oak. Smooth, picking up generous baking spices as this winds down on the long citrus- and oak spice-inflected aftertaste. Best from 2025 through 2035. 104 cases made, 40 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSDomaine Clos de la Chapelle’s Corton-Charlemagne has become one of my favorites on the hill of Corton. The 2020 vintage here is exceptional, offering up a deep and youthful nose of apple, pear, raw almond, a hint of crème patissière, a beautiful base of chalky soil tones, apple blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and pure, with a superb core, great mineral drive and cut, lovely acids and a long, focused and perfectly balanced finish. This comes in listed at 13.5 percent octane and is a fairly ripe example of this bottling, in the style of the vintage, but with impeccable typicité and potential for long-term cellaring. Fine, fine juice. (Drink between 2022 - 2055)John Gilman | 94+ JGEx Laleure Piot. Pale lemon and lime. This is very different from the Pierre Meurgey label Corton-Charlemagne, though the plots are next door and picked on the same day. This version is much less exotic in aromatics, much more chiselled, and is actually very fine with youthful mineral bitters. Long salient steely finish. A Corton-Charlemagne success this year, with the wood perfectly integrated. Tasted: October 2021.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMA subtle but not invisible application of wood surrounds the aromas of just sliced green apple, mineral reduction and a similar array of citrus elements. There is first-rate intensity to the broad-shouldered and powerful flavors that deliver excellent length on the stony, clean and very dry but not especially austere finale. Like the Sous Frétille, this could use better depth but in this case, more will also certainly develop in time.Burghound | 93 BH

A wine of great finesse, showing bright lemony fruit, with hints of acacia flowers and marzipan on the nose. On the palate, the wine retains admirable acidity and an effortless lightness on the finish. Caillerets is actually an umbrella for grapes from En Caillerets, Combards, Chassagne and Vigne Derrière; Jean-Noël Gagnard is in the first two lieux-dits. Caroline Lestimé remarked that the vines suffered incredibly from the heat in 2020 and ripening was blocked for a time, although she considers this a ’top-level’ premier cru.Decanter | 95 DEC34 hl/ha. Fine pale lemon, with a very distinct Caillerets nose - all the stones you could want - to support the pure white fruit. Impeccable density on the palate, now including some bright yellow plum fruit, racy acidity, layers on layers here, boding well for the future. Perfect balancing acidity, this has the power to age extremely well. Tasted Nov 2021.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMA deft application of wood can be found on the vaguely exotic aromas of white peach, lemon-lime and pretty floral whiffs. The sleek, intense and finer, if less concentrated and powerful, middle weight flavors also possess a beautiful texture on the clean, dry and tightly wound finish where a touch of austerity slowly emerges. This impeccably well-balanced effort should also repay a decade of keeping.Burghound | 92-95 BHThe 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru has a lovely bouquet with yellow plum and light Mirabelle scents, the oak here neatly integrated. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, good weight and density, waxy and with touches of lemon curd on the finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM