France Wines

wines

This is a dense and lively La Mission white with lemon, lime and cream character and a light mineral and salty undertone. White pepper and salt at the finish.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThe La Mission Haut-Brion 2018 Blanc is a blend of 57.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 42.6% Sémillon. It sashays out of the glass with gregarious notes of white peaches, fresh pears and pineapple with nuances of lime blossoms, crushed rocks and sea spray, plus a waft of beeswax. The racy, medium to full-bodied palate is charged with energy, delivering vibrant citrus and tropical fruit layers with a satiny texture and fantastic length. Completely exceeding my barrel tasting expectations, this promises to be an earlier drinking style, albeit multilayered, dripping with class and, yes, it’s downright sexy. Give it just a few more months in bottle and then it should offer decadent drinking for the next 15+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPSeriously dark and winey, showing a deep core of black currant preserve, warmed fig paste and plum reduction flavors inlaid with racy graphite, mouthwatering tobacco and enticing singed alder, bay leaf and freshly plowed humus. Delivers density, grip and definition on the long finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040. 2,880 cases made, 262 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSA richer, more textured wine than the Haut-Brion Blanc, no doubt due to its larger Sémillon content, the 2018 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc reveals a medium gold hue as well as beautiful pineapple, honeyed lime, star fruit, and floral aromas and flavors. Nicely concentrated on the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied and offers beautiful acidity, plenty of depth and richness, and a great finish. A slightly softer wine, it doesn’t have the precision of its counter mate yet brings more texture and opulence. It’s another brilliant white that will benefit from short-term cellaring and evolve for 15+ years or so.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe white 2018 La Mission Haut-Brion explodes with notes of guava, pineapple, and ripe peaches, plus touches of honeyed toast and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut and layered, with lovely zesty sparks and a long, spicy finish.The Wine Independent | 95 TWIA serious wine that is just beginning to show its white flower and honeysuckle notes. A vintage that shows its warmth in a slightly lower acidity, but it is still an impressive textured white. 3.27pHDecanter | 94 DECThere is a light herbal touch to this wine that comes from the Sauvignon Blanc. However, it also has concentration and weight, offering a texture that brings freshness to balance the ripe fruits. The wine will age well. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2018 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has really come together nicely since I last tasted it. Bright and finely cut, with terrific creaminess, the 2018 is already very easy to taste, and, I imagine, drink. Lime, lemon peel, mint, white pepper and jasmine give the 2018 striking effusiveness.Vinous Media | 93 VM

This is tightly coiled now, but the range of juicy tangerine, white peach and white ginger notes should unfurl soon enough, carried by a mouthwatering quinine note and ending with a light orange blossom hint on the finish. Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Drink now through 2026. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSTangy aromas and flavors of lemon zest, fresh green pear, yoghurt and hints of beeswax. It’s medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity. Flavorful and concentrated with a sleek, phenolic texture. Crushed stones on the finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSBeautiful white peach, honeysuckle, white flowers, and a touch of toasted almond emerge from the 2018 Lune d’Argent Blanc, and it’s medium-bodied, with a balanced, elegant texture, nicely integrated acidity, and plenty of fruit and depth. A blend of 70% Sémillon and 30% Sauvignon, it’s going to be even better with another year in bottle and keep for 7-8 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDThe 2018 Lune d’Argent has a perfumed nose of white flowers and honeysuckle, subtle frangipane scents patiently waiting in the background. The palate is well balanced with a slightly honeyed entry, plenty of tropical fruit (passion fruit and guava) and a concentrated, almost viscous finish that lingers in the mouth. Yes, it does come across as a bit heady, but it’s still thoroughly enjoyable.Vinous Media | 90 VM

This has a fresh, floral aroma, with honeysuckle and elderflower notes leading the way, followed by a rather creamy, refined palate of kiwifruit, makrut lime and verbena flavors. As the finish glides through, this offers hints of quinine, acacia and white peach. Shows beautiful range and definition, with serious length. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2026. Wine Spectator | 95 WSFor the third time in its history, this was entirely harvested in August (mainly 23 to 28, but the first berries were picked on August 13 - the earliest date ever). Rich fruit, lovely acidity and salinity on the finish, shot through with honeysuckle and clear citrus. They harvest Y in the same way as Yquem, where it is grape by grape rather than vine by vine, and sometimes grapes from the same bunch goes on to make Yquem later. 3.15pH. Also tasted September 2020; same score.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECWhite pear, honeysuckle, elderflower, quince, rich lemon, with a bitter edge of orange peel. This is starting to deepen at three years old, and show a richer texture than when I last tasted it in November 2020. It’s unquestionably one of the great whites of Bordeaux, although extremely low yields in 2018. Harvest began on August 13, the earliest date ever, with the majority of the whites coming in from August 23 to 28, harvested grape by grape as per the main sweet estate wine - meaning that grapes from the same bunch can later go on to make Yquem. 3.15ph. Jane Anson | 94 JAThe 2014 “Y” has 5 grams per liter of residual sugar and a pale lemon-yellow color. Citrus aromas of lime leaves, fresh grapefruit, and lemon zest shoot from the glass, followed by gentle wafts of crushed stones and coriander seed. The medium to full-bodied palate gives a very dry impression, with a laser-precise line of freshness cutting through the intense, youthful, citrus layers and with a silkiness to the texture, finishing with loads of zesty and mineral sparks. Impressive!The Wine Independent | 94 TWIThe 2018 Y de Yquem is a blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Sémillon bottled at the end of August. It offers light grass clipping and green apple scents on the nose, the Sauvignon Blanc defining the aromas. The palate is fresh on the entry, light and crisp with touches of pineapple and dried apricot, a hint of grilled walnut towards the finish. This actually improves with aeration, gaining some delightful praline and subtle white chocolate notes.Vinous Media | 91 VM

At Boillot they normally make a single, 350-litre barrel of Montrachet, lightly crushing the fruit before pressing in a basket press. The results in 2019 were absolutely beautiful. Ripe pear and fresh flowers dominate the initial attack. On the palate there is a lovely intensity and richness, with a dense, creamy, buttery texture and huge reserves of substance that will keep this wine ageing for years to come. Drinking Window 2024 - 2039.Decanter | 97 DECInterestingly, here the nose resembles a grand cru Chablis with its oyster shell, iodine, quinine, lemon-lime and bee’s wax-scented nose. There is outstanding volume and concentration to the overtly powerful and muscular flavors that are supported by a citrus-tinged and markedly firm acid spine that also shapes the cuts-like-a-knife finale. As the length of my initial projected drinking window suggests, it would be pointless to open this beauty before it has at least a decade of aging as it should easily repay two of them. In sum, this is quite simply stunningly good. (Drink starting 2039)Burghound | 97 BHNotes of orange oil, pear, peach, yellow apples, fresh bread and nutmeg introduce Boillot’s 2019 Montrachet Grand Cru, a full-bodied, satiny and concentrated wine that’s textural and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit, lively acids and a long, expansive finish. More tightly wound than the demonstrative 2018, his is a superb effort that will reward bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RP

The 2019 Condrieu Chery is always a more steely, mineral-driven example of this appellation, but it packs a punch in 2019 and has powerful notes of buttered citrus, pineapple, honeysuckle, and a liquid rock-like minerality. These carry to a rich, full-bodied Condrieu with an opulent texture, moderate acidity, and a great finish. As with most 2019 Condrieu (and 2018s), it’s not going to be the longest lived, but who cares? Drink this brilliant wine over the coming 4-5 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDFrom 70-year-old vines, the 2016 Condrieu Chéry is a bit more concentrated than Niero’s Les Ravines bottling, but otherwise, it’s similar in its aromas of crushed stone and pineapple. Like the other wines at this estate, it’s aged 12 months in a mix of stainless steel (60%) and oak barrels (40%), giving it a rich, slightly oily texture. It’s harmonious and long, with pineapple and melon flavors giving way to gingery spice on the finish. (JCRobert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RP

Very discrete on the nose at this early stage. Rounded, very generous on the palate, plenty of fat. This is balanced by great driving intensity, citrusy acidity and a seam of salinity. The overall effect is bombastic and flamboyant, but fresh and balanced. The oak use is also generous, but it works with the wine. The alcohol is just a touch on the high side, but it’s entirely forgivable in the grand scheme of things. Incredible length. Drinking Window 2021 - 2032.Decanter | 97 DECA tiny production, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Fontaine Blanc is beautifully done and certainly ranks with the top wines of the vintage. Based on 100% Roussanne, it has a smoking bouquet of buttered citrus, caramelized white currants, toasted bread, and a touch of nuttiness to go with a medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated style on the palate. With bright acidity, good mid-palate depth, and a great finish, this serious Roussanne can be enjoyed now or cellared for 10-15 years, if not longer.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThis is 100% Roussanne vinified in oak. A perfumed, smoky sip, it balances notes of sweet spice, vanilla and tobacco leaf against a core of honeyed tangerine and apple flavors. Luscious and leesy on the palate, it’s held upright by a fresh streak of lemon and hints of white pepper on the midpalate. Inviting young, the wine should hit a second peak after 2030. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEPlump and open, with warmed brioche, peach and melon notes backed by heather and salted butter on the finish. Shows a late hint of macadamia nut. This is for fans of the flattering style. Drink now through 2023. 15 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

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

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

The star of the Delas whites is the 2019 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes Blanc, based on Marsanne from L’Ermite, Le Sabot (the bottom portion of Les Bessardes) and La Tourette. Barrel fermented and aged in approximately one-third new French oak, it offers scents of crushed stone, pencil shavings, toasted coconut, ripe pear and melon, plus hints of citrus. Full-bodied and rich, it’s creamy in texture and weighty on the palate, yet with great persistence and lingering flavors. Delicious now, I suspect it will close down within the next year or two, yet it should be capable of aging for up to two decades, adding layers of richness and truffled complexity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPStill a bit youthfully compact, but there’s focus and drive to the mix of salted butter, acacia, quince, lemon curd and white peach flavors. This has polished edges offset by a racy spine through it all. Cellar for maximum effect. Marsanne and Roussanne. Best from 2022 through 2032. 475 cases made, 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA fresh, fine, direct fragrance - quince, pear and plum. Very rounded and generous on the palate, a little on the fat side. This has real depth however. There’s a vein of acidity buried in the wine which will help give it some freshness, but it’s not as fresh as some this year, it’s very full-bodied, but still very good. Fermented and aged in new and recent barriques, partial malolactic. Drinking Window 2021 - 2029.Decanter | 95 DEC

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

Aromas of citrus zest, ripe pears, fresh bread and vine blossom introduce the 2019 Meursault Narvaux, a medium to full-bodied, rich and layered wine that’s concentrated and incisive, exemplifying the vintage-typical alliance between ripeness and acidity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

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

Bursting with aromas of apples, pears, almonds, warm bread and dried fruits, the 2019 Méthode Ancestrale Une Bulle is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, with lively acids and a pillowy mousse. It’s a touch drier than its 2018 counterpart.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

A massively rich effort, the 2019 Hermitage Cuvee Emilie Blanc—made almost entirely of Marsanne from the Maison Blanche lieu-dit—boasts scents of crushed stone, pencil shavings and ripe melon. Full-bodied, expansive and plush in the mouth, it showcases the power of white Hermitage without being overwhelming, and it finishes long, with robust hints of licorice that provide a refreshing note. Drink it now or forget it for a decade and drink it from 2031-2040.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPA step up over the 2018, the 2019 Hermitage Cuvée Emilie Blanc is young and unevolved yet has promising notes of honeyed peach, orange marmalade, raw oak, and citrus pith. Medium-bodied and elegant on the palate, it has plenty of texture, good concentration, and a clean finish. It needs 2-3 years of bottle age and should keep for 15 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 91+ JD

This estate makes incredible whites, and the 2019 Chateauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes Blanc is well worth seeking out. Revealing a medium gold hue as well as great aromatics of white peach, pineapple, white flowers, and spice, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a rounded, elegant texture, bright acidity, and a great, great finish. It’s stunning today and I suspect it will keep for upwards of a decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDBright and well-defined right from the get go, with both rich and racy green melon, green plum, white peach and star fruit flavors, laced with a lemon shortbread hint. The long finish lets the fruit play out, while a honeysuckle note adds range. Drink now through 2024. 500 cases made, 80 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe honeyed and cedar-inflected 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes Blanc shows a bit too much oak on the nose, but it serves to structure the wine on the palate, pushing the pear and melon notes into something more focused and refreshing than it would be otherwise. It’s still a ripe, round wine, marked by oak spice and lingering wood on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

Fresh and easy-going aromatics, tarragon and violets beneath the fruit. Full-bodied, a little gummy in texture, but there’s a good sense of fluidity to the wine. Clearly defined confit citrus on the finish. Not quite as grand as a typical Châteauneuf perhaps but very good. Very drinkable, with a saline finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2026.Decanter | 96 DECShows a creamy edge, with a mix of lemon curd, white peach and yellow apple fruit flavors, backed by hints of brioche and macadamia nut. A subtle stony underlay gives it spine on the very stylish and lengthy finish. Drink now through 2026. 300 cases made, 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe only 2019 white I was able to taste (the 2018s were also reviewed last year), the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard Blanc is a richer effort, yet still stays chiseled and focused, with classy notes of pear, white flowers, crushed citrus, and hints of honeysuckle. It shows a kiss of salinity on the palate and is medium-bodied, has bright acidity, and a beautiful finish. This is going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and will keep for a couple of decades or more in cool cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 94+ JDThere are just 4,000 bottles of the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Boisrenard, which comes from 70- to 100-year-old vines. It’s mainly Clairette and Roussanne, but includes the other four white varieties authorized in the appellation as well. Vinified and matured in large-format oak, it does show some classy hints of cedar shavings on the nose and a wonderfully slinky, silky texture on the medium to full-bodied palate, both serving to highlight the wine’s restrained melon and citrus flavors. Impressively concentrated and balanced, I’d expect this to drink well for up to a decade, at which time it should be nicely truffled and almost decadent.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

Lovely peach, pear and yellow plum notes form the core, with well-inlaid acidity for support and light verbena and shortbread accents gilding the lush finish. Marsanne and Roussanne. Drink now through 2024. 300 cases made, 10 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSBeautifully pure quince, ripe peach, and caramelized citrus notes emerge from the 2019 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, which shows a more medium-bodied, clean, vibrant style. It doesn’t have the richness of the Saint-Joseph releases, yet I love its purity of fruit as well as its balance. It’s going to gain depth with a year of bottle age and keep for 7-8 years, probably longer.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDVery good - this is a fairly rich style of white Crozes, the oak is quite lovingly applied, but it works well. Lacks a bit of focus, but it’s enjoyable with concentrated pear and melon flavours. Drinking Window 2021 - 2022.Decanter | 90 DEC

Vibrant mandarin, really fresh and lively aromatic display. Has some glycerol gummy softness on the palate, but the wine has a nice sense of fluidity and brisk acidity. Very well balanced, fresh, clear-cut and precise. Well-integrated oak, fruit to the fore. Really deliciously drinkable. Drinking Window 2021 - 2030.Decanter | 94 DEC

Classic notes of quince, crushed stone, honeysuckle, toasted bread, marzipan, and white flowers emerge from the 2019 Hermitage Blanc, a rich, full-bodied white with a dense mid-palate, flawless balance, and a great finish. This is head-turning stuff that has some up-front approachability, yet its tight, backward, concentrated core of fruit suggests that 2-3 years of bottle age are warranted, and it’s going to keep for 30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDCrackling campfire and toasted brioche accent flavors of preserved yellow peach, pineapple and crème brûlée in this masterful white. An 80/20 blend of Marsanne and Roussanne matured 12 months in oak foudre, it’s creamy on the palate, with a delicately warming, brandy-soaked kiss on the finish. Delicious young, the wine should gain even more nuance from 2030 through 2040 and hold further.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEBaked apple, pineapple, peach, dried jasmine, lemon curd, flint, cardamom and spice on the nose. It’s full-bodied, complex and intense. Long, ripe, layered and wonderfully spiced, with a creamy, almost oily texture. Lingering notes of salted butter and minerals accompany a fresh lift on the finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSA rich and showy wine, with singed brioche and salted butter notes leading off, followed by creamed yellow apple, mirabelle plum, melon and mango notes all mixed together. The finish features a buttery hint, with an echo of macadamia nut. One for the hedonist crowd. Marsanne and Roussanne. Drink now through 2024. 400 cases made, 5 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

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

Pure white peach, tart pineapple, white flowers, and chalky mineral notes all emerge from the 2019 Clos Des Lunes Lune D’Argent Blanc, a Semillon-dominated, medium-bodied, concentrated, wonderfully textured white. This is well worth your time and money, and I suspect it will have a decade of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDSuch an aromatic nose, wow, the aromas just jump out the glass - lime, mandarin peel, candied lemon - smells more on the Sauvignon side. This is lovely on the palate, it has a great weight with definition and structure from the Semillon. There is acidity but it’s really well integrated giving a rounder, more wide and weighty wine than light and super fresh. I like the style, it’s gourmet and rich but still with a lovely lift and overall appeal. This also has a really delicate but wonderful florality to the fruit - perfumed lychee, pear and peach. Delicious. Just short of unctuous but on the good side. Crack open now and enjoy with food. (Drink between 2023-2035)Decanter | 93 DECBright and zesty nose of green pineapple, gooseberry, lime curd, passion fruit and crushed stone. Wax and nougat, too. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a fresh, creamy palate. Excellent length. 70% semillon and 30% sauvignon blanc. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2019 Lune d’Argent, whose Sémillon is picked just short of botrytis, has a wonderful, sunny bouquet, traces of Sauternes DNA filtering through with aeration. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry, taut, crisp and quite mineral-driven. The saline finish calls out for seafood. Maybe just a tad shorter than I recall, but I this Lune d’Argent still has a lot to offer.Vinous Media | 92+ VMA plump, friendly offering led by white peach and white nectarine notes, with acacia, honeysuckle and makrut lime hints along the way. Open-knit, easy finish. Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Drink now through 2023. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThe 2019 Lune d’Argent comes skipping out of the glass with bright, cheery scents of lemon drops, key lime pie and fresh pink grapefruit with suggestions of mandarin peel, honeysuckle and wet pebbles. Medium-bodied, the palate bursts with vibrant citrus flavors and a racy backbone of freshness, finishing with a pretty perfume.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 88-90 RP

This wine is both taut and generously fruity. The steely edge promises plenty of aging while more tropical flavors of mango and white peach give richness. The wine will age well. Don’t drink before 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Les Fourchaumes Vieilles Vignes wafts from the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, orange oil, pastry cream, vanilla pod and light reduction. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, it’s girdled by bright acids and framed by chalky structuring extract.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Chablis Les Fourchaume Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru, a selection that is raised in two demi-muids, has a glorious, vigorous bouquet of black currant leaf, white peach, Japanese yuzu and crushed rock. The taut, fresh palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity and a saline finish. It needs a bit more persistence, but otherwise this has a lot of potential. Give it 2–3 years in the cellar.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Fresh lemon and lime colour. A concentrated powerful bouquet, electric, remarkably stylish with just a hint of bacon fat behind. This Pucelles shows Grand Cru intensity and quite high acidity, clean citrus, superbly stylish. Remarkable all the way through with extra but not excess weight at the back...Jasper Morris | 96 JMThe 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru is more timid on the nose following on from the Les Combettes and this needed more encouragement from the glass. Cold stone, granite and flint aromas are the order of the day, very well defined and precise. The palate is very concentrated with a lot of grip, the volume of this Les Pucelles towards the finish, energetic and very persistent in the mouth. This is another electrifying Puligny ‘19 from Leflaive. Closure: Diam 30Vinous Media | 95+ VMThrilling wine. Leflaive owns three parcels in Les Pucelles at the northern tip of Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet at the center of the vineyard. The mature vines deliver a perfumed, almost exotic fruit character with notes of spice and hazelnut. Still, there is also a bright lemony freshness to the wine and a lovely salty mineral finish that lift it to another plane and will allow it to continue improving for decades. The most compelling of the premiers crus from Leflaive. (Drink between 2021-2040)Decanter | 95 DECFiner boned and less concentrated than the extraordinary Combettes, the 2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles offers up aromas of peach, orange zest, white flowers, freshly baked bread and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, saline and chiseled, this might just be a little shy after bottling, but on first encounter, it doesn’t dominate Leflaive’s range of premiers crus to the extent that it usually does.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPProminent notes of honeysuckle and passion fruit are laced with a variety of spice and citrus elements. There is good richness and an abundance of dry extract to the strikingly refined flavors that possess a gorgeous mouthfeel while delivering flat out superb length on the balanced finale. This is very classy juice that should basically age for as long as anyone would reasonably like. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 93-96 BH

Beautifully layered aromas are composed by notes of citrus confit, white and yellow orchard fruit, dried apricot and traces of both wood and acacia. There is excellent density and richness to the powerful, palate coating and hugely long finish. This balanced but very firm effort completely transcends the rest of the range though note well that it’s going to require extended patience before it will reveal its full potential.Burghound | 93-95 BH

Leflaive owns four contiguous parcels in the center of BBM that total 1.15 hectares, nearly half of the appellation. The vines lie just down the slope from one of their four Bâtard parcels. In 2019, Leflaive began their harvest on September 11th. The Bienvenues has retained a rewarding freshness, with a forward fruit that has both tropical and citrus elements and plenty of floral notes. The texture is lively but supple; there is plenty of fresh acidity that brings a pleasant energy to the wine. This should age for decades to come. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECUnwinding in the glass with aromas of peach, pear, hazelnuts and dried white flowers, framed by a deft touch of youthful reduction, the 2019 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, its concentrated core of fruit framed by racy acids and chalky extract. Like the Pucelles, this is precise and fine boned, but it’s also more muscular and intense.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2019 Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is cut from a similar cloth to the Les Pucelles on the nose: reserved, mineral-driven with hints of orange blossom emerging with time, later more Granny Smith apples. The palate is strict and precise, demonstrating impressive weight, especially towards the back end. Maybe not quite as complex as the best of Leflaive’s Premier Cru, though it is extremely pesistent with a long ginger-tinged aftertaste. Closure: Diam 30Vinous Media | 94 VMThis lemon- and apple-flavored white is underlined by an oyster shell, iodine element. Complex and balanced, offering baking spice accents and a fine lingering finish of lemon and minerality on an open-knit frame. Best from 2024Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru White) Here the equally beautiful nose is quite similar to that of the Pucelles save for being much more restrained. Cool, pure and almost painfully intense flavors possess the same sleek, sophisticated and graceful texture as well as even better persistence on the youthfully austere, compact and wonderfully complex finale. This is a stunner of a Bienvenues. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 94-96 BH