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A masterclass in purity and delicacy for this 2020 vintage which manages to convey the beauty and allure of Yquem in a toned down, subtle and beguiling way. Aromas of white blossom and honeysuckle, gently caramelised Mirabelle plums and fresh apricots with flecks of clementine and grapefruit pith abound on the nose - richly scented in their individual aspects but delivered quietly, almost sultry and shy. Immediately mouthfilling and unctuous, streamlined and fresh with a sugary hit hitting first before mouthwatering acidity follows giving sumptuous succulence and vibrancy. Apricot, peach, fleshy mango and sharp pineapple give the exotic fruit zing balanced by a salty, flintiness that adds faint angles to the expression. Juicy, bright, clean and complete with hints of cinnamon spice and just-toasted bread providing the frame and structure reminding you that this is built to last. It’s not as opulent as some vintages, much more understated and relaxed - and coincidentally one of the lowest in residual sugar at 135g/l - but this is a wonderful expression with control and confidence on show. It also has supreme drinkability even now with tension, clarity and energy so don’t be afraid to open and enjoy this in its joyful youth. The 2020 is the smallest production since 2000 with an equivalent of 35,000 bottles made. All stock will be released for sale on 23rd March with only a small number of bottles kept back for the estate’s library collection. 3.79pH. The vintage was challenging in terms of viticulture with tropical spring-like weather delivering early budburst and high mildew pressure, especially given it was the estate’s first year of official organic conversion. June was wet and cool followed by a hot, dry summer. Botrytis arrived in mid-October but there was only a small window of five days and two separate passes to harvest grapes with perfect noble rot.Decanter | 96 DECVery transparent and elegant with white peaches, lilacs, and light caramel. Medium-bodied, sweet and agile with salted caramel and dried orange character. Spicy botrytis at the end. Give this three or four years to come together.James Suckling | 96 JSThis has a broad and unctuous feel, with nectarine, apricot and mango notes creating an opulent feel, while racy bitter almond, orange blossom and elderberry accents add contrast and range. The lush finish is carried by notes of mango and piecrust. Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Best from 2028 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

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

Unwinding in the glass with aromas of green apple, white flowers, mint and bee pollen, the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains is medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with a textural attack and a long, saline finish. From a site characterized by white marls, it has performed well in this sunny vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2020 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru is another precise, steely classic Chablis from Benoît Droin. The palate is beautifully balanced and poised, showing good concentration and wonderful cohesion and salinity toward the finish. I cannot wait to taste the final version.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMn initial touch of reduction slowly gives way to very pretty and quite cool aromas timidly offer up notes of lemon-lime, white-fleshed fruit, sea breeze and a touch of algae character. There is good vibrancy and detail to the delicious and appealingly textured flavors that possess fine depth on the balanced finish that exhibits a touch of wood as it sits on the palate.Burghound | 91 BHPale light colour with a juicy fruit nose, a wealth of joyous white fruit, very lightly peachy, not reductive this year. Benoît thinks will tighten up and refine its toastier character Jasper Morris | 90-92 JM

Discreet but perceptible nuances of wood and menthol are present on the ripe and fresh red and dark raspberry, pepper and newly turned earth. The is fine mid-palate density to the utterly delicious middle weight flavors that possess much better than average depth and persistence for such a young Chassagne red. One to strongly consider as this is very good.Burghound | 90 BHPicked 28th August. Excellent pure purple and fresh pinot on the nose, with a delicious juicy red fruit on the palate, with a beautifully suave finish and just a touch of acidity to complete it. 13.8% but not exaggerated. Good length too.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JM

Beautiful, exotic aromas of green mangos and pineapples. Pears, too. It’s full and creamy with a gorgeous texture and a vivid finish. Harvested very early with fantastic results. Sauvignon blanc and sauvignon gris.James Suckling | 94-95 JSFleshy nectarine and peach, this is a less weighty Monbousquet blanc than in certain vintages, still rich with texture but enjoyable and well placed.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2020 Monbousquet Blanc is a blend of 62% Sauvignon Blanc and 38% Sauvignon Gris, aging for six months in 25% vats, 38% new oak barrels and 37% one-year-old barrels. It springs from the glass with exuberant notes of fresh Bosc pears, white peaches and green guava, plus and undercurrent of lime blossoms, lemongrass and chalk dust. The medium-bodied palate is clean and refreshing, with a seriously zippy line of freshness cutting through the pear and tropical fruit flavors, finishing long and zesty.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThe 2020 Monbousquet Blanc was whole-bunch-pressed and matured in 38% new oak. The bouquet has a pleasing edginess that might have been missing in a couple of recent vintages; more of the terroir seeps through, touches of crushed gravel intermingling with white flowers. The well-balanced palate delivers orange peel, lemon zest and just a touch of grilled hazelnut, and fine depth and plenty of energy on the finish. This white Saint-Émilion comes recommended.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

A succulent, open-knit white marked by an alluring mix of peach fruit and stony mineral flavors, with yellow plum and citrus notes adding depth as this lingers on the finish. A fresh and focused, sunny version. Drink now through 2028. 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2020 Chablis “les Séchets” from Domaine Piuze is a superb wine in the making. The bouquet is pure, focused and detailed, offering up scents of tart orange, lemon, pear, chalky minerality, citrus peel, vanillin oak and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with great cut and grip, impressive focus and a long, racy and complex finish up impressive structural integrity. A beautiful wine in the making. (Drink between 2026 - 2060)John Gilman | 94 JGThe 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet is a beauty, bursting with aromas of Meyer lemon, white flowers, crisp green apple, pastry cream and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with racy acids and chalky grip, it’s a long and penetrating wine that’s quintessentially Chablisien in profile.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPOpen in feel, yet there’s an inner tension that emerges as this builds to a long, mouthwatering finish. Balanced and lengthy, featuring prevalent apple, lemon, herb and stone flavors. Drink now through 2026. 110 cases made, 34 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2020 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet, quite focused but a little tighter than the Les Roncières at the moment. The palate is vibrant on the entry thanks to a citric bead of acidity. Linear and quite strict for the vintage, this is perhaps one of Piuze’s most classically styled Chablis in 2020, and it should age well.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMRipe aromas display the hallmark ripe citrus confit notes of a fine Séchets along with notes of oyster shell, spice and cool white-fleshed fruit. The rich and relatively full-bodied flavors possess fine mid-palate density before terminating in a dry and exceptionally lemony finish that is presently tart and tightly wound. While I would expect that the intense citrus character would progressively diminish, it’s unlikely to be for everyone young.Burghound | 89-91 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

I was absolutely blown away by the 2020 Hermitage Domaine Des Tourettes Blanc, a rich, powerful expression of Marsanne (there’s 10% Roussanne as well) from the L’Ermite, le Sabot, and La Tourette lieux-dits, brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. Revealing a vivid gold hue, it just about jumps out of the glass with its exotic nose of honeyed quince, acacia flowers, buttered pears, chalky minerality, spice, and licorice. The purity is off the charts, and it has full-bodied richness, a deep, plush, opulent mouthfeel, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It’s the finest vintage of this cuvée to date, and readers who love the richer, powerful style of Hermitage should do their best to snatch bottles up. I suspect the acidity is moderate, but it holds onto a riveting sense of freshness and has this liqueur of rock-like sensation on the finish, and it will stand toe to toe with anything out there. I would enjoy bottles over the coming 4-6 years or so and then, at that point, do my best to hold off until 2032 or after. Predicting drink windows for great Hermitage Blanc can be tricky, but this is worth buying multiple bottles and drinking in its youth, then taking a chance with a few in the cellar. There are roughly 400 cases made in each vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDVery striking nose of toasted almonds and pistachio nuts that’s still full of youthful energy, even if the stone-fruit character (mostly mirabelle) is discreet. So much underplayed power and beautiful candied-orange character on the ample yet precisely delineated palate. Then comes the stony finish that doesn’t want to stop. 100% from the marsanne grape. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThis is a very pure and restrained version, featuring white peach, yellow apple, quinine, honeysuckle and verbena notes stretching out together through a finish that sports a light kiss of brioche at the very end. Approachable now, with charm and elegance. Marsanne and Roussanne. Drink now through 2030. 475 cases made, 16 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA bit lighter, fresher and easier to drink in the short term than the massive 2019, the 2020 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes Blanc should still prove capable of lasting 20 years in a cool cellar. It’s medium to full-bodied, full of notes of ripe melon and pear, with a long, citrusy and briny finish that shows a less pronounced bitterness than the previous vintage. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe Maison Delas Frères’ 2020 Hermitage Blanc “Domaine des Tourettes” is a ripe wine in the style of this vintage, coming in at 14.5 percent octane. The white grapes for this bottling grow in the lieux à dits of l’Ermite, le Sabot and la Tourette on the hill of Hermitage. The cépages is ninety percent marsanne and ten percent roussanne, with the wine barrel-fermented and aged for nine months in cask prior to bottling, with the casks a combination of new, one or two years of age. The wine offers up a deep and complex nose of white peach, fresh pineapple, almond, a beautifully complex base of soil tones, acacia blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a great core of fruit, good framing acids, fine mineral drive and grip and a long, well-balanced and impressively precise finish that carries its alcohol beautifully and only shows a whisper of backend heat. This is a lovely bottle of Hermitage Blanc in the making. (Drink between 2026 - 2050)John Gilman | 93 JG

The 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is more powerful, unwinding in the glass with aromas of pear, ripe citrus fruit, peach, buttery pastry and baking spices. Full-bodied, satiny and multidimensional, it’s a broad, muscular wine with racy acids and a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is more backward on the nose compared to the Bienvenue at the moment despite rigorous coaxing. The palate has impressive weight and density, perhaps less finesse than the more approachable Bienvenue at the moment but with more aging potential. It feels long on the saline finish, but it’s surly at this early stage.Vinous Media | 96 VMMid lemon yellow. The bouquet also takes time to emerge, then shows a little more power than the Bienvenues. The oak is a fraction more present but still superbly integrated. The taffeta texture could not possibly have more tensile strength, with an exemplary purity of fruit. To have so much power (not in an alcoholic sense) and yet so much grape. Little light fresh apple notes to finish. Tasted: May 2022.Jasper Morris | 96-98 JMA sleek, lemon-infused version, with a linear profile and racy structure delineating the lemon, peach, green apple, mineral and spice flavors. Remains lean and steely, with a long, spicy finish. Best from 2026 through 2037. 500 cases made, 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA wonderfully floral-suffused nose reflects additional notes of petrol, citrus, white orchard and a hint of oak toast. The bigger and richer flavors also possess a gorgeous mouthfeel that is almost delicate yet racy with excellent delineation on the youthfully austere and beautifully balanced finish that just goes on and on. This is potentially a magnificent Bâtard and it’s going to be interesting to compare this with the Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet in a decade’s or so time. In sum, I would offer the same advice - if you can find it, buy it.Burghound | 95-97 BH

A fine Chablis which manages to be both powerful and concentrated, yet still retains a lovely lift. Plenty of acidity and distinctive mineral flavours on the palate, along with some spiced, confit lemon character to finish. Will age well.Decanter | 93 DECDauvissat’s 2020 Chablis bursts with aromas of crisp green apple, white flowers, wet stones, oyster shell and struck match. Medium to full-bodied, taut and racy, it’s deep and incisive, with impeccable Chablisien credentials and a long, intensely mineral finish. As usual, it’s the reference point for the appellation.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe Dauvissat family’s 2020 Chablis AC is also excellent, showing of the purity of the vintage on both the nose and palate. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a stylish blend of lemon, pear, a lovely base of limestone, just a touch of iodine and a topnote of paraffin. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and vibrant, with a fine core, excellent wet stone mineral drive, bright acids and impeccable balance on the long, focused and complex finish. This has a bit more mid-palate depth than the Petit Chablis and will have a far longer shelf life. Fine juice. (Drink between 2024 - 2045)John Gilman | 91 JGA more restrained but equally fresh nose features notes of green fruit, oyster shell and lemon-lime wisps along with a very subtle dollop of menthol. There is excellent intensity to the sleek, detailed and delicious medium-weight flavors that terminate in a clean, dry and sneaky long finish. Excellent quality here for its level.Burghound | 90 BHThis feels like quite a big step up. More density, pure white fruit, super balance here, and admirable persistence. Above all a sense of harmony. A classic Vincent Dauvissat Chablis to be appreciated over the next decade. Drink from 2024-2030. Tasted: June 2022.Jasper Morris | 90 JMThe 2020 Chablis Village has a fragrant orange blossom bouquet, delicate at first, then gaining in intensity and revealing touches of white tea. The palate is well balanced with markedly more weight than the Petit Village. A very subtle spearmint trait toward the finish lends another layer of complexity. This only just has its nose ahead of the Petit Chablis.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

I’m not sure the 2020 Côte Rôtie La Mouline will match the 2019, but it’s still early to be making any final conclusions, as these wines have an uncanny ability to gain in richness and depth over their élevage. Cassis, violets, spring flowers, and scorched earth define the bouquet, and it’s more reserved, focused, and elegant on the palate. This full-bodied, concentrated, pure, beautifully balanced effort is loaded with potential.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDSticky damson and plum fruit, just a little touch of prune in the mix. Medium-bodied with fresh, fine tannins; quite an ethereal style of La Mouline, with floral hints and plentiful spicy oak among the roses. A compact style of wine for the vintage that suits what this vineyard delivers - good expression of terroir. I would drink this young, though it will no doubt age fairly well. From lieu-dit Côte Blonde and at the beginning of its 40 months in new French oak barriques.Decanter | 95 DECDominated by dark notes of espresso, black olive and pumpernickel, the 2020 Cote Rotie La Mouline was missing the vineyard’s normally expressive floral aromas on this occasion. Full-bodied and rich, it’s an atypically muscular and closed vintage of La Mouline right now. It will be interesting to see how it evolves over the next few years of élevage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RP

The 2020 Côte Rôtie La Turque reminds me of the 2018 with its pure, seamless, full-bodied, and elegant profile. Blueberries, smoked meat, scorched earth, graphite, and black cherry notes all show on the nose, and it’s full-bodied, has a concentrated, powerful mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a seriously good finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDThis feels like a classic, with the weight and tannins necessary to help this age, but it’s not as massive as some recent vintages. Star anise, cinnamon and nutmeg - very much about the spice this year - this is bold and sweetly fruited, with juicy, pliable tannins and a long finish. Vines are on the Côte Brune, planted by Marcel Guigal in 1980 (first vintage 1985) after being abandoned since 1935. La Turque is a central part of Côte Brune, less than 1ha. This is only at the beginning of its 40 months in new French oak barriques.Decanter | 96 DECNotes of espresso and barrel char ride above notes of purple raspberries in the 2020 Cote Rotie La Turque. It’s full-bodied, with ample concentration and length, but it seems to lack a bit of depth compared to other recent vintages. Let’s see what next year brings.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96

The 2020 Beaujolais Coeur de Vendanges Vignes Centenaires is showing very nicely, bursting with aromas of juicy cherries, ripe berry fruit, licorice and peonies. It’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and gourmand, with an enveloping core of fruit, melting tannins and succulent acids. This is a comparatively rich, gourmand rendition of this reference-point cuvée—consistently one of France’s finest wine values—but that additional power doesn’t come at the expense of its habitual charm and facility.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

This estate makes a brilliant white, and their 2020 Château Couhins Blanc is pure gold, offering a bright citrus and lemon zest core as well as lots of white flowers and honeyed mineral-like nuances. Medium-bodied, bright, racy, yet also concentrated, it’s going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDFreshly shelled peas on the nose with green apple aromas. Zingy and full of life straight away, vibrant yet so well controlled. A beautiful glass of wine with excellent acidity, weight and texture. It has a lovely salty, iodine tang to the lemon, lime, orange rind, pineapple, grapefruit pith and green apple. Thrilling and vibrant but clean and crisp. So well worked, focused so give this a year or two for it to settle and expand but this is a great white from 2020. A wine to buy, and more importantly drink and enjoy.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2020 Couhins Blanc, 100% Sauvignon Blanc, is bright, crisp and super-expressive. White pepper, sage, mint and tomato leaf play off a core of citrus-infused fruit. I very much like the energy here.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe insider’s choice among dry white Bordeaux, the 2020 Couhins Blanc unwinds in the glass with aromas of nectarine, mint, white flowers, lemongrass and pastry cream, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive palate, with racy acids and a chalky, passion fruit-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPExtremely perfumed and vivid with sliced lime, lemon and hints of grapefruit. Full-bodied, yet linear and racy. Always nicely done.James Suckling | 92-93 JS

The 2020 Viré-Clessé Quintainé Cuvée E.J. Thevenet was matured in epoxy-lined vats to regulate the temperate and oxygen ingress. The alcoholic fermentation finished around the beginning of summer. What a beautiful nose: dried honey, dandelion and a touch of lanolin coming through with time. This is very pure. The palate is slightly viscous on the entry, with admirable weight, a little waxiness and touches of ginger and curry leaf towards the complex finish. Recommended.Vinous Media | 92 VM

A bright, lively version, with the mix of apricot, peach and white nectarine fruit flavors enlivened by honeysuckle and acacia notes through the juicy finish. Drink now through 2026. 400 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis family makes two beautiful Condrieu, both of which are worth your time and money. Starting with the 2020 Condrieu, it has a classic nose of orange blossom, exotic flowers, and honeysuckle in a balanced, medium to full-bodied, incredibly pure style. It sees one-third new French oak, but you wouldn’t know it by tasting it.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDLovely nose of ripe peach and melon with honeysuckle and jasmine notes filling in the details of the colorful yet subtle nose. Rich and viscous, yet retaining delightful freshness that encourages you to linger over this classic Condrieu. You feel the weight slightly at the finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSBottled in June 2021, the 2020 Condrieu was singing when I tasted it. Two-thirds of the volume was aged in tank, while one-third went into new oak, yet there’s no overt woodiness here, just pristine floral notes backed by ripe melon flavors. With less opulence and fewer apricot notes than the 2019, it’s medium to full-bodied, silky and elegant, with just the merest hint of bitterness evident on the lingering finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

Now the flagship of this estate, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is 75% Grenache and the rest Cinsault, Mourvedre, and a little Syrah. Sporting a deep ruby/purple hue, it offers a beautiful array of black raspberry and darker cherry fruit as well as lots of graphite, chalky minerality, Provençal garrigue, and spice. Beautiful on the palate as well, this medium to full-bodied effort has a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, rock-solid underlying structure and concentration, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It needs to be forgotten for 2-4 years (although it certainly offers incredible pleasure even today) and will keep for two decades. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThis cuvée replaces the three historical red cuvées of the domaine (Classique, Auguste Favier and Charles Giraud). Quite introverted for now, seems to have everything required but needs time to knit together. Freshness, energy, fine and plentiful tannins with good acidity. While the alcohol is warming it is balanced. Could be very good in time, hard to judge now, but early signs are good and I’d like to see this again in bottle. From the galets roulés of lieu-dit Les Serres, fermented in concrete and then aged in concrete, old oak and amphora. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2036Decanter | 95 DECApproachable out of the gate, with gorgeous red fruit, wild strawberry, licorice root, dusty earth and lavender flavors joined by floral highlights. Beautifully textured and silky on the palate, with mineral intensity building on the palate, imparting nice persistence and length. A polished yet honest, characteristic wine. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2032. 3,300 cases made, 1,007 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSIsabel Ferrando informed me during my visit that she planned to eliminate the Reserve Auguste Favier and Collection Charles Giraud bottlings, folding those lots and the "tradition" Saint-Prefert Châteauneuf into a single, combined wine under the Famille Isabel Ferrando label. The resulting blend she showed as the 2020 Famille Isabel Ferrando Chateauneuf du Pape is a fine effort, with layers of cola-like spice and hints of garrigue layered against a lush backdrop of cherries and raspberries. Medium to full-bodied and almost creamy in texture, it finishes long, silky and mouthwatering.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RP

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Marjosse comes barreling out of the glass with rambunctious scents of cassis, crushed blackberries and black plum preserves, followed by hints of dark chocolate, anise and tar, plus a fragrant waft of lavender. The medium-bodied palate is soft, juicy and wonderfully refreshing, delivering wonderful poise and expression with a fun burst of pure black fruit on the finish. Delicious!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPA touch of reduction on the nose which clears as it relaxes in the glass. This is well put together, has definition and finesse, and is punching above its weight in the appellation. Ambitious, well managed tannins and juicy red fruits; 2% Malbec completes the plantings. I don’t have the 2020 blend.Decanter | 91 DECThis shows notes of ripe berries, vanilla, licorice, crushed walnut and cocoa. Medium-bodied with ripe, supple tannins and a creamy texture. Fruit-forward and flavorful. Drink now, but better give a year or two.James Suckling | 90 JSThe 2020 Marjosse sports a nicely defined nose of blackberry, undergrowth and light mushroom-like aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a crisp line of acidity and a precise, focused finish. There is pleasing salinity here, and it feels tender from start to finish. Promising.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

One of the gems in the vintage is the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Barbe Rac, a 100% Grenache that was destemmed and brought up all in concrete tanks. Darker berries, ground pepper, graphite, and savory garrigue are just some of its nuances, and this beauty is full-bodied, has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and an awesome finish. It’s a brilliant bottle of wine that readers will love. It deserves 3-4 years of bottle age and will shine over the following two decades. Bravo.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDA seductive 100% grenache with cherries, mixed berries, licorice and sweet spices on the nose. Full body with creamy tannins. Round and velvety with a caressing touch of strawberries and raspberries at the center. It has volume and texture with a succulent and precise long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThere’s an appealing high-toned spice over the very ripe blackberry fruit here, like star anise. Very rounded and generous, but with some good intensity and freshness at its core. Concentrated and ripe but with good acidity. The alcohol is warming on the finish, but it’s not overly unbalanced. A fruity and immediate style of Barbe Rac.Decanter | 93 DEC

The 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is the white wine of the vintage, hands down. Creamy and layered, the 2021 offers all the qualities that make whites off this site so compelling, Nothing is out of place. It’s aromatic yet deep, fresh yet layered. Utterly mind-bending right out of the gate, this superb white hits all the right notes. Slate, crushed rocks, mint and white pepper linger. Magnifique!Vinous Media | 98 VMThis has so much depth and power, with complex notes of flint, oyster shell, white pepper, dried mango, lemon, papaya, apricot stone and chalk. Medium-to full-bodied. Bright, yet creamy. It’s so long and concentrated. Wait and see. 90% sauvignon blanc, 5% semillon, 5% sauvignon gris. From organically grown grapes.James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe 2021 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc (90% Sauvignon and 5% each of Sauvignon Gris and Sémillon) is similarly crisp, focused, and chiseled, yet has another level of concentration. Racy citrus, lime, and graphite fruit notes are support by beautiful minerality, minty herb, and sappy flower-like aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated white offering perfectly integrated acidity, a balanced, layered mouthfeel, and a clean, dry finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. This beauty will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and have over two decades of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDLemon and lime, such purity and scintillating freshness, bright and sharp, so well positioned and poised with licks of mineral salinity on the finish. Great texture, weight and sense of life. I love this wine! The juiciness is moreish and this makes you want another sip straight away.Decanter | 96 DECA blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris, and 5% Semillon, the 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc soars from the glass with enticing scents of nectarines, lime leaves, and fresh grapefruit, giving way to notes of cedar, jasmine tea, and yuzu zest, with a touch of chalk dust. The light to medium-bodied palate has exhilarating tension, with loads of orchard fruit and citrusy layers, finishing with fantastic length.The Wine Independent | 96 TWIThe 2021 Blanc has developed gracefully since en primeur, delivering attractive aromas of ripe pear, peach, lime tree leaves, verbena and mint intertwined with mineral, smoky nuances. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with a broad attack and fleshy mid-palate, it exhibits compelling purity and tension, concluding with a saline, mint-inflected finish. It has the potential to improve in the cellar over the next decade or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPPlump, with an enticing edge to the mix of lemon curd, jasmine, honeysuckle and white peach flavors. Shows length too, with paraffin and salted butter details filling in. A touch shy on depth and cut overall, but this is still well ahead of the pack in this vintage. Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris. Drink now through 2029. 2,400 cases made, 250 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Perfumed nose, full of pot pourri, scented flowers, dried raspberries and cherries. Really quite evocative, maybe in a vertical you’d pick this out from the nose but it smells wonderful and rich with cool blueberries. Round and charming, this is gorgeously soft, tannins are so inviting, caressing the mouth, not deep at all, this is delicate and primed to float across the tongue, registering the flavours but no heaviness. Almost ethereal in its performance. Really very delicious, full of flavour and character. Gorgeous styling and only got better after half an hour in the glass. Succulent, mineral, graphite, limestone touches on the finish remind you where you are.Decanter | 97 DECFull-bodied, but so elegant and fresh, with a silky, elegant tannin texture. Very deep and expansive. Lots going on already with plenty of perfume. Blueberries, cloves, lavender and some wild-berry notes. Dark cocoa, too. Some espresso character at the end. Wonderful interplay of spices and fruit. Long. It keeps going.James Suckling | 96-97 JSWith 65% Cabernet Franc, this is a structured wine. Fine perfumes show in the sandalwood and toast aromas, and this luscious wine is dense and solid with tannins for aging. It is concentrated, but with elegance and a bold freshness at the end. Drink from 2028. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEA blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot, the 2021 Ausone has a deep garnet-purple color. It storms out of the glass with an initial burst of juicy black plums, blackberries, and Bing cherries, leading to an undercurrent of fragrant soil, wet slate, lilacs, and tar, with a touch of bay leaves. The light-bodied palate has impressive intensity and tension, featuring a frame of beautifully ripe, rounded tannins to support the tightly stacked black and red berry layers, finishing long and mineral-laced. Around 16,000 bottles were made.The Wine Independent | 96 TWIThe 2021 Ausone is a gorgeous wine, but it is also quite reticent and in need of time to come around. The operative word here is balance, as all the elements are so well put together. Soft, gentle contours wrap around a core of succulent red/purplish fruit, blood orange, spice, lavender, rose petal and dried herbs. The 2021 is compelling.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2021 Ausone was the fruit of a challenging growing season, the estate’s second year in organic conversion coinciding with notable diseases pressure, but the resulting blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot (featuring a touch more Cabernet Franc than normal) was one of the most seductive wines of the en primeur campaign, its exotic perfume and crystalline purity evoking the great Ausone vintages of yesteryear and offering an unvarnished representation of this superb limestone terroir. In bottle, the 2021 remains an excellent wine, but at least out of the gates, its élevage (in 90% new oak, predominantly from Demptos and Taransaud, with four rackings) has taken the lead, intermingling aromas of vanilla, spices and toast with discreet notes of minty dark berries, cherries, petals and pencil shavings. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with an ample and enveloping core of fruit that retains its energy and purity but which gives way to a finish marked by somewhat assertive barrel tannins. Given the inherent quality of the wine and the terroir, I’m sure time will be kind to it, but I’m not quite sure it will ever realize the magical potential it showed in April 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPThe Grand Vin 2021 Château Ausone is Cabernet Franc-dominated, made from 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot that saw the same 20 months in 90% new French oak. It offers classic notes of redcurrants, cassis, iron, spicy wood, and graphite, with hints of tobacco and thyme in the background. Rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and tight on the palate, it has beautiful mid-palate depth, ripe, balanced yet present tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It will need 7-8 years, if not a decade, to hit maturity but is a beautiful, elegant, gorgeous Ausone that will be one of the longest-lived in the vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JD

Lime and spicy pear with crushed stone. Kumquats. Smoke and iron. Kiwi. Full and rounded with bitter pear and steel. Dried limes. Unique minerality. Bright acidity. Touch of sweetness at the end that makes it fascinating. 65% sauvignon blanc and 35% semillon. September release. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2021 Y d’Yquem is a blend of 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Sémillon, possessing 7.2 grams per liter of residual sugar. Strait-laced notes of struck flint and wet slate on the nose give way to a delicate core of lime blossoms and lemonade with hints of aniseed and grapefruit. The medium to full-bodied palate reveals a racy backbone and intense citrusy flavors with a compelling oiliness to the texture, finishing with a minerally lift. This should evolve beautifully over the next 15+ years.The Wine Independent | 95 TWISuave, with alluring acacia, elderflower and lemon pith notes backed by a long finish revealing racy and creamy aspects. Offers nice chalk and orange blossom details in the background, too. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2028.Wine Spectator | 94 WSFrom the same vines as its parent d’Yquem, the wine is fresh and full of ripe yellow fruits. Ripe apricots and honey come together with the beautiful texture in this rich, but dry, wine. Drink from 2027. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEIn fact, the first pour was the dry wine, the 2021 Y de Yquem. This latest release has a more powerful bouquet, with a distinctive marine influence, a nuanced oxidative trait that lends freshness. The palate is, likewise, quite intense with razor-sharp acidity to the extent that I find this refreshingly penetrating in style, hints of tinned apricot and white peach filtering through on the finish. A lovely dry Sauternes.Vinous Media | 90 VM

TOP QUALITY PRODUCER Quite a different, cool, fresh character on the nose. Louis Moreau always aim to pick early to preserve freshness. Lemon-lime citrus characters dominate the palate giving lots of vibrant acidity, balancing the concentrated fruit notes and providing a great backdrop for future ageing. Needs a two or three years to settle in bottle, and it’s a keeper.Decanter | 95 DECThis white’s creamy texture is offset by lively acidity that frames its lemon, yuzu, floral and vanilla flavors. Tense and racy, picking up mineral and herbal accents on the long finish. Drink now through 2032. 712 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2021 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau comprises just five used barrels this year. The fine bouquet is a little more mineral-driven than the regular cuvée with touches of wet pavement and citrus lemon. The palate is well-balanced, fresh and taut, with a fine bead of acidity, growing a little more compact towards the finish but with slightly more salinity to get the tastebuds going. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92 VMHere too there is a vaguely exotic note to the pretty and very floral aromas of spice, pear, apple and quinine that are trimmed in subtle wood. The old vines are very much in evidence on the concentrated, palate coating and rich bigger-bodied flavors that possess focused power on the saline and intensely bitter zest-suffused finish. This should be excellent in time.Burghound | 92 BHThis white packs a mix of peach, melon, lime and pastry flavors, which pick up light smoke and mineral accents as this builds to the finish. Firm, crisp and long. Drink now through 2026. 20 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThis and the Grands Crus were made entirely in wood so as to keep the existing stock of barrels full of wine. Pale yellow, with a little butteriness from the wood. This slightly dominates the palate with a note of acidity to finish. Will sort itself out in due course. Drink from 2025-2028. Tasted: June 2022.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JM