Investment Grade Wines

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The 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru is magnificent. It displays stunning definition on the nose; there’s no messing about as it ladles out captivating raspberry, wild strawberry and light oyster shell notes. Though opulent and reflective of the growing season, the bouquet oozes class. The palate has a sorbet-like freshness and so much vitality after 31 years, building toward a perfectly symmetrical finish featuring vivacious morello cherries and raspberry coulis and hints of bay leaf. This is simply Rousseau in full flight. How do you follow that pair?Vinous Media | 97 VMThis was a wine that I was quite curious to try because while I had the good fortune to have enjoyed it several times in the 1990s, it had not come my way since 2001. I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint with its ripe yet airy aromas of sous-bois, spice, earth, game and beautifully well-layered secondary fruit. There is fine richness as well as very good power to the delicious and attractively textured medium-bodied flavors that exhibit equally good layering on the impressively persistent finale. This is not a particularly elegant vintage for the Rousseau CSJ and there remains enough tannin to notice on the slightly warm finish but overall, I found this to have aged out extremely well.Burghound | 93 BHThe outstanding Gevrey-Chambertin-Clos St.-Jacques possesses a saturated deep ruby color, and an explosive nose of black fruits, spicy new oak, flowers, and truffles. In the mouth, the wine is dense, seductive, and ripe, with low acidity, glycerin, and alcohol in the finish, making it a voluptuous, opulent mouthful of chewy Pinot Noir. Drink it over the next decade.Robert Parker | 90 RPA supple 1990, with a firm core of solid tannins and enough fruit to compensate for the tannic backbone. A well-integrated wine, with lots of raspberry, mushroom and wet earth flavors. Best after 1996.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Huge, dense and thick with extremely ripe but not roasted fruit and flavors that still manage to remain graceful and reasonably elegant despite what can only be described as impressive concentration. The firm tannins have now almost completely been resolved with sweet and ripe flavors that are still vibrant if no longer youthful and for my taste I would suggest that this has arrived at its apogee though it should hold here for up to two more decades. Multiple, and consistent, notes.Burghound | 93 BHThe 1991 Gevrey-Chambertin-Les Combottes is an outstanding premier cru. This magnificent vineyard, sandwiched between such revered grand crus as Clos de la Roche and Latricieres-Chambertin, reaches heights in Leroy’s cellars that do not exist elsewhere. It offers a decadent nose of smoked duck, grilled meats, black fruits, spices, and truffle-like smells. Superb black-cherry fruit flavors are loaded with glycerin and extract. This unctuously-textured, hedonistic wine is remarkably long, sweet, and velvety. Tasting more like an unevolved barrel sample than a finished wine, it should be drunk between 1996-2012.Robert Parker | 92 RP

(Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru Red) The nose evidences a slight floral quality, and a fascinating mix of earth, leather, tea and spice notes plus an interesting green bark component. The slightly austere, tannic, wonderfully rich flavors are dense, in fact extremely dense with excellent depth and terrific complexity and a finish that seems to go on forever. Though there are now hints of secondary aromas, this remains very young, structured and remarkably intense. When you get the right bottle, the ’93 can be a real stunner. Note: the inconsistency of this wine continues unabated as a bottle opened at the Domaine recently was almost aggressively vegetal and awkward. In short, when it’s good it’s very good but I’ve now had too many disappointing bottles not to be wary. (Drink starting 2018)Burghound | 95 BHLight red. Beautiful nose, very youthful and pure. A vegetal note emerges with air. Packed with dense fruit and marked by a very firm structure of both acidity and dense tannins. The fruit is locked up right now in this massive, powerful La Tâche. Rather than open in the glass, this appears to close up, but have faith; this will be great.--La Tâche non-blind vertical. Best from 2010 through 2030. — BSWine Spectator | 95 WS

(Domaine Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin, 1er Cru Clos-St-Jacques, Burgundy, France, Red) Medium-full colour. Rich, concentrated, high quality nose with a touch of new oak. Fullish body. Profound. Youthful. Excellent grip. Very impressive finish. Splendid quality as usual. Will still improve. (Drink between 2003-2025)Decanter | 96 DEC(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos St. Jacques" 1er Cru Red) Knockout aromas of wonderfully intense black and red cherry fruit loaded with cassis and a touch of new oak introduce medium-bodied, sweet, harmonious, very expressive and long flavors all underpinned by racy minerality and firm structure. The tannins are prominent but ripe and the density of extract is impressive and this both coats and stains the palate. As it always does, this delivers finesse with real mid-palate punch with near perfect grace. For my taste, I would hold this for another 1 to 3 years but it would be no vinous crime to be drinking this now. Note to be sure to serve this cool as the alcohol becomes noticeable if it becomes a bit too warm. (Drink starting 2013)Burghound | 93 BHRousseau’s 2001 Grevey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques is a very pretty wine, bursting from the glass with a projected bouquet of rose petal, cassis, red cherry, cedary new oak and sweet forest floor. On the palate, the wine is youthful but expressive, with a sweet, almost candied core of succulent fruit, framed by supple tannins. At first glance, this seems to epitomize Rousseau’s elegant style, but by the time the bottle was finished, the wine had begun to seem just a touch facile and diffuse, missing the intensity and concentration that this bottling can attain.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPGood medium red. Strawberry, coffee, rose petal and smoky oak on the nose. Sweet, ripe and plump, with aromatic flavors of plum and spicy oak. Here the nearly 100% new oak percentage (the foregoing wines get little or no new oak) adds considerable sex appeal and nicely frames the wine’s rather delicate fruit. Finishes long, subtle and aromatic, with an impression of finer tannins.Vinous Media | 90 VM

(Chambertin- Domaine Dujac) The 2007 Chambertin is also a beautiful bottle in the making, as it offers up a beautiful aromatic mélange of cherries, red plums, coffee, cocoa, a great base of soil, spice tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and magically complex, with great length and grip, flawless focus, a sappy core and superb length on the modestly-tannic and very tangy finish. Quintessential Chambertin. I would love to drink this wine side by side with Éric Rousseau’s example a dozen years from now. (Drink between 2017-2050)John Gilman | 96 JG(Domaine Dujac Chambertin Grand Cru Red) A much more restrained and certainly cooler nose of all red berry fruit aromas that possess obvious mineral and underbrush highlights dissolves into precise, intense and driving medium full flavors that possess simply terrific length and vibrancy. This is not a super concentrated effort but it is extremely well balanced, persistent and classy. A qualitative choice. (Drink starting 2019)Burghound | 91-94 BHBright medium red. Aromas of black cherry, red berries, iron and flowers hint at a liqueur-like ripeness. Dense, sweet and deep, but in a rather polite style for Chambertin, with its fruits and flowers to the fore. But this classy, beautifully balanced wine shows a weightless quality that is compelling.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Fine colour. Really quite closed on the nose: even more so than the Richebourg. Lovely perfumed cassis nose. A big, backward, quite tannic wine with excellent grip. More austere than the Richbourg. But it has even more depth and intensity. Very lovely.Decanter | 100 DECThe 2009 La Tâche Grand Cru is still a decade away from the plenitude of maturity, but it’s already a head-turning wine, soaring from the glass with an extravagant bouquet of rose petal, Asian spices, grilled meats, rock salt, espresso roast, rich soil tones, plums and dark chocolate. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, ample and richly structured around fine-grained chalky tannins, with a deep and multidimensional core and succulent underlying acids, concluding with a long, fragrant finish. This is an utterly classic La Tâche that ranks among the vintage’s high points.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2009 La Tâche Grand Cru is the most ethereal of the three wines in this flight. Whole cluster influence is especially marked here. A whole range of spice, dried flower, mint and savory overtones infuse the 2009 with layers of nuance. Next to the other wines in this flight, La Tâche is ethereal and harder to fully capture with words, an attribute many, if not most, of the world’s greatest wines share.Vinous Media | 98 VM(Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru Red) A discreet but incredibly complex nose features notes of spicy, pure and relatively high-toned fruit that is laced with plenty of rose petal and violet hints. There is excellent energy and freshness to the lacy and stunningly precise broad-scaled flavors that build in intensity from the densely concentrated mid-palate to the explosive and mouth coating finish that seemingly goes on without end. This is a big LT with ample muscle and very firm but not aggressive structure along with superb depth of underlying material and positively mind-blowing length. But the real genius of this wine is the Zen-like harmony and poise though note that it is very tightly wound and will need many years of cellaring before it will be completely ready. In a word, magnificent. (Drink starting 2034).Burghound | 98 BHNoticeably oaky and darker than its siblings, evoking black cherry, licorice and spice. On the palate, there’s depth and concentration, with a menthol note that persists through the long finish. The mouthcoating tannins will require some time to integrate.--Non-blind 2009 DRC tasting (February 2012). Best from 2016 through 2042.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

(Romanée-St.-Vivant- Domaine Dujac) There is always very little Romanée-St.-Vivant in the Dujac cellars, and with the very short yields in 2010, this chronic shortage will be exacerbated. I cannot recall precisely how few barrels there were of the RSV this year, but there is not much of this magical elixir. The profoundly complex nose offers up scents of cherries, raspberries, coffee, exotic spice tones, a brilliant base of soil, a touch of pain epice, woodsmoke, gamebird and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, very pure and elegant, with kaleidoscopic minerality, refined tannins, tangy acids and stunning length and grip on the beautiful finish. (Drink between 2022-2075)John Gilman | 97+ JG(Domaine Dujac Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru Red) Like several of these 2010s, this is aromatically reserved to the point that only aggressive swirling liberates reluctant notes of spice, violets and a mix of perfumed red and black liqueur scents. The delicious, intense and beautifully detailed middle weight flavors possess a highly sophisticated mouth feel before terminating in a massively persistent, pure and harmonious finish. This seriously classy and exceptionally stylish effort is the epitome of power without weight, indeed it is textbook RSV. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 96 BHGood bright, full red. Aromas of crushed red berries, eucalyptus and blood orange, given even more punch by a suggestion of citrus peel. Pungent and penetrating in the mouth, with the crushed-grape character giving this very pure, focused wine an extremely primary quality today. With its rather powerful tannic spine, this is an infant. I would not be surprised if it needed 15 years to approach its plane of peak maturity.Vinous Media | 95+ VMThe 2010 Romanee Saint Vivant comes across as quite delicate, floral and feminine. Sweet red cherries, crushed flowers and mint wrap around the finish in this weightless, airy RSV. I have seen this wine grow significantly once it is in bottle, and expect that will be the case here as well. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040.Dujac fans will be thrilled with these 2010s. They are off the charts. The most difficult thing will no doubt be finding them. Jeremy Seysses reported yields down by 30-50% across the board, although his Morey blanc was down a whopping 90%. The poor flowering and wet summer resulted in loose bunches with a high amount of shot berries. The wines came in at 12 to 12.5% potential alcohol and were lightly chaptalized. Seysses used 80-90% stems for most of the wines, a little less for some, such as the Charmes and Combettes (around 70%) and more for the Chambertin and RSV (both 100%). Unfortunately, the 2010 Morey 1er Cru was too reduced to evaluate, so I will have to wait for another opportunity to taste the wine. I also tasted the entire range of 2009s. I will report on those wines in the April issue.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-96 RP

(Clos St. Denis- Domaine Dujac) I have a fair bit of Dujac Clos St. Denis in my cellar, but I cannot recall any previous vintage as promising as the 2011 showed at the time of my visit in November. This is one of the most elegant of all the grand crus in the Côte de Nuits and this has obviously dovetailed brilliantly with the style of the 2011 vintage. The stunning nose soars from the glass in a glorious mélange of cherries, blood orange, gamebirds, cinnamon, roses, beautiful minerality, cocoa, peonies and a discreet base of spicy wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and absolutely ethereal in style, with great mid-palate depth and nascent complexity, laser-like focus, suave tannins and magical grip and focus on the very, very long and very transparent finish. This beautiful wine already dances across the palate and it will be a legend in the years to come! (Drink between 2022-2065)John Gilman | 96 JGA model of elegance and finesse, the 2011 Clos St. Denis presents a hugely attractive fabric laced with orange peel, rose petals and sweet spices. The 2011 is an especially floral, lifted Clos St. Denis endowed with terrific energy and focus, while the mid-weight structure suggests it will drink well relatively early.Vinous Media | 95 VMDeep, profound wine with dark berries, cinnamon and spices. Velvety tannins and long finish. Terroir-driven, very intense flavours, amazing depth. Drinking Window 2018 - 2028.Decanter | 94 DEC(Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis Grand Cru Red) Here too an adroit application of wood serves as a discreet foil for the more obvious floral aromas that enjoy added scope from the presence of pure, spicy and highly complex red and dark berry scents. There is an abundance of mouth coating extract that imparts a suave, even lush character to the very rich medium-bodied flavors that are an exercise in finesse and refinement while offering controlled power and outstanding length. A classic Clos St. Denis of class and grace. (Drink starting 2026)Burghound | 93 BHThe 2011 Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru is missing a little cohesion on the nose, rather loose-knit with broody, stony red berry fruit. Fortunately, it begins to come together with rigorous swirling of the glass and musters much better focus. The palate is medium-bodied with quite chalky tannins on the entry. There is a fine core of red cherries, pomegranate and attractive saline notes toward the masculine finish. It is more approachable than other vintages that I have tasted at this stage, but it deserves three or four years in bottle because there is a lot of potential here. Drink 2015-2025.I have been visiting Jeremy and Alec Seysses at Domaine Dujac for several years now, and it is always one of my favorite ports of call. Alec, looking surprisingly chipper for a new dad had taken time off nappy duty to guide me through the 2011s this year. I have to confess that I was concerned by the conspicuous nature of the new oak on both their negociant label wines and the entry Village Crus. I felt that 35% new oak tended to overwhelm the fruit and terroir and occasionally impart drying finishes, which is why my scores are parsimonious here. As I tasted through the range toward the flock of Grand Crus the oak seemed better assimilated, although I would still maintain that the wine is of such quality that the present level of oak risks being superfluous to requirements. All the negociant label wines were bottled before Christmas.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NM

Enjoyed over dinner in Burgundy after tasting many truly lovely wines, this wine could erase your memory of anything else. It is a riveting tour-de-force, with a medium lemon-yellow colour and heady, incredibly forward aromas of ripe orchard and stone fruit with exotic spices, butter, and a bit of oak. There is fresh acidity, plenty of body and extract, and incredible finesse and elegance as well. The combination of youthful fruit, fresh acidity, and robust density carry this wine to an interminable finish.Decanter | 100 DECThe 2014 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is a wine that leaves you lost for words - never helpful in this profession. It begs the question: Why are not all Corton-Charlemagnes like this? It has a stunning bouquet with a profound mix of yellow plum, Mirabelle, Seville orange marmalade, those liquid minerals and later, scents of cold wet limestone. The palate is incredibly powerful with stunning acidity. There are multiple layers of spice-tinged citrus fruit, just a faint tinge of marzipan, wondrous umami sensation in the mouth with grilled walnut and a hint of pralines towards the finish. This represents an astonishing Corton-Charlemagne that might end up touching the imperious 2005. Readers should note that Raphael told me that the release of this will be delayed, just like the 2005 and 2010. Put it on your wish list and wait.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPThe 2014 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru was the first time I had tasted the wine in bottle after first sampling it at the domaine. It is more open than expected and displays less reduction than the 2005 tasted alongside, offering penetrating citrus peel, lanolin, crushed limestone and fragrant yellow flower scents. The palate is beautifully balanced with razor-sharp acidity and an extraordinarily saline, praline-tinged finish that electrifies the senses. It flirted with perfection in 2016 and it is still within a whisker now. Tasted at Otto’s restaurant in London.Vinous Media | 99 VMA still somewhat reticent nose grudingly speaks of discreet wood, smoky mineral reduction, petrol, green apple, white rose and spice elements. In the same vein as the nose, the dense and well-muscled broad-shouldered flavors are still moderately tightly wound while delivering an abundance of minerality on the massively persistent, highly complex and perfectly well-balanced finish that is quite dry yet not especially austere. This is sufficiently backward at present to need continued cellaring even though with say 30 or so minutes of air in a decanter, it could be approached. With that qualification duly noted, I would strongly advised holding this unicorn of a wine for another 5ish years. In a word, OK, two, absolutely brilliant.Burghound | 98 BH

(Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Red) This is also relatively restrained with its more deeply pitched and gorgeously complex mélange of liqueur-like dark currant, newly turned earth, game, sandalwood and violet aromas. There is excellent mid-palate concentration present on the muscular and powerful big-bodied flavors that possess impressive focus and persistence on the hugely long, robust and very firmly structured finale. This breathtakingly good effort will also require extended cellaring to resolve the prominent tannic spine. (Drink starting 2035).Burghound | 96 BHDomaine Dujac's 2015 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is wonderful, one of the stars of the range this year, wafting from the glass with a kaleidoscopically complex bouquet of blackberry, cassis, cinnamon, dried rose, orange peel and pencil lead. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, multidimensional and complete, with a deep core, fine-grained tannins and perfect balance, its finish long and sapid. While this is concentrated—even powerful—it is also beautifully elegant, avoiding the overt muscularity of which this grand cru is capable.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP(Clos de la Roche- Domaine Dujac) The 2015 Dujac Clos de la Roche is another marvelous synthesis of elegant, sappy fruit and classic soil signature. The gorgeous bouquet soars from the glass in a blaze of red and black plums, cocoa, pigeon, a complex and classy base of soil, woodsmoke, a touch of nutskin and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, sappy at the core and very, very pure and soil-driven at the same time, with seamless, ripe tannins and a very long, nascently complex and refined finish. There is a touch more reserve here than in the 2015 Echézeaux and this will need just a bit more time in the cellar to reach its apogee. (Drink between 2027-2075).John Gilman | 95+ JGVery rich cherry nose but not overblown. Firm attack, very concentrated, taut and rather inexpressive now because of the density and weight of fruit. It has grandeur as well as finesse, and is definitely a wine for the long haul. A classic style, initially severe but with a great deal in reserve. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035.Decanter | 95 DECBright, dark red. Deeper-pitched on the nose than the Echézeaux, offering scents of black raspberry, clove, mocha and dark chocolate. Similarly more soil-driven in the mouth than the 2016 version, but with its thick flavors of earth, spices and saline minerality conveying a light touch for 2015. Finishes sappy, vibrant and long, with thoroughly ripe tannins and echoing minerality.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2017 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru has a very precise and focused bouquet, almost the epitome of transparency and utterly encapsulating. There is real mineralité here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very tensile from the start with tart red cherries, Japanese yuzu and orange zest that fans out beautifully on the finish. This is a Charmes-Chambertin with a skip in its step.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMLight, pale and charming, this is always the most approachable and forward of the Rousseau grand cru bottlings, almost ready to drink from barrel. It’s sweet and appealing, with supple summer pudding flavours, a hint of cola and supple tannins. Drinking Window 2023 - 2027.Decanter | 94 DEC(Charmes-Chambertin- Domaine Armand Rousseau) The 2017 Charmes-Chambertin from Domaine Armand Rousseau is another great vintage for this bottling, which has hit some superb high water marks in recent times, with 2005, 2010, 2014 and now 2017 a significant step up from what this bottling was capable of back in the decades of the 1980s or 1990s. The 2017 offers up a deep and nicely black fruity bouquet of black cherries, black plums, dark soil tones, raw cocoa, grilled meats, woodsmoke and a touch of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite powerful in personality this year, with a sappy core of dark fruit, ripe, seamless tannins, excellent focus and grip and (Drink between 2029-2075).John Gilman | 94 JGRousseau’s 2017 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is showing nicely, wafting from the glass with inviting aromas of red berries, plums and peonies mingled with hints of cedar, raw cocoa and mandarin orange. Medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, it’s soft and charming, with melting tannins and an ample core of fruit. Generous and demonstrative, like many 2017s it has picked up a bit of richness and depth in bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Red) This too reflects just enough wood to mention as it serves as a relatively neutral backdrop for the restrained and pure essence of red pinot fruit, earth and discreet spice whiffs. The backward if supple medium-bodied flavors possess a beguiling sense of underlying tension that carries over to the detail but very firm, serious and youthfully austere finish that delivers sneaky good length. Of all the Rousseau wines, the Charmes has made the most progress over the last 5 years as it’s finally beginning to consistently achieve grand cru quality. (Drink starting 2032).Burghound | 91-93 BH

Making the most of owning a total of 1.5ha divided between the upper and lower parts of this premier cru, the Seysses always seem to make a particularly well-balanced Malconsorts. This is typically floral and appealing, with spicy notes coming from 85% whole-bunch fruit, along with textured berry flavours and supporting minerality. Drinking Window 2023 - 2030.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2017 Dujac Malconsorts is a superb wine, offering up glorious complexity, intensity of flavor and soil signature in a medium-full format that will be the epitome of elegance when it is fully mature. The bouquet jumps from the glass in a blaze of raspberries, red plums, smoked duck, a complex base of soil tones, roses, cocoa powder and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and vibrant, with a sappy core of red fruit, beautiful transparency, seamless tannins, tangy acids and a very long, complex and dancing finish. There is a weightlessness to the palate impression here that is utterly charming. (Drink between 2027-2065)John Gilman | 94+ JGBoth more concentrated and more introverted than the preceding Beaux Monts, Dujac's 2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts opens in the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, plums, orange rind, smoked duck and peonies. On the palate, it's full-bodied, supple and elegantly muscular, with fine depth at the core, powdery tannins and mouthwatering acids, concluding with a perfumed finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2017 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts 1er Cru has a little more intensity on the nose compared to the Les Beaux Monts at the moment, while the fruit is a tad darker. The palate is compact on the entry, linear and strict, with blackberry, raspberry and touches of brine on the sturdy finish. This demonstrates the spine I look for in a Malconsorts. Give it three or four years once in bottle, because it punches at Grand Cru weight.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM(Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée "Les Malconsorts" 1er Cru Red) There is a seductive sweetness to the intensely floral-scented nose of various red berry fruit that are trimmed in a beautiful array of spice elements. The intense and well-detailed middle weight plus flavors culminate in firm, muscular and very serious finish that is dusty, austere and compact. This too will need to flesh out though it appears to have the necessary stuffing to do so if given time. (Drink starting 2032).Burghound | 91 BH

The 2018 Echézeaux Grand Cru had been racked the day prior to my visit. That said, the bouquet is very well defined, offering black cherries, raspberry, rosemary and pressed rose petal aromas that blossom with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannins, good depth and precision, revealing bitter cherry and a touch of balsamic toward the finish. Very good potential.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM(Echézeaux- Domaine Dujac) The 2018 Echézeaux from Domaine Dujac is a brilliant wine in the making, and this is one of the best young examples of this cru that I can recall tasting at the estate. The celestial bouquet soars from the glass in a sappy blend of raspberries, cherries, red plums, duck, a very complex base of soil tones, Vosne spices, cocoa powder and cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and tangy, with all of the complexity that the nose promises, a great core, suave, fine-grained tannins and outstanding backend mineral drive on the focused and utterly complete finish. Great, great Echézeaux! (Drink between 2032-2075).John Gilman | 95 JGThe 2018 Echezeaux Grand Cru is a promising cuvée in the making, mingling aromas of dark berry fruit, cassis and cherries with notions of burning embers, dried flowers and dark chocolate. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, broad and ripely tannic, with a layered and nicely concentrated core, lively acids, and a well-defined finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94+ RP(Domaine Dujac Echézeaux Grand Cru Red) The wood treatment is more evident though it certainly doesn’t intrude on the exceptionally spicy and very floral aromas that reflect notes of cassis, plum, exotic tea and a touch of violet. The medium-bodied flavors possess a seductive and succulent mid-palate that contrasts markedly with a powerful but grippy and slightly drying finish. Again, the open question is whether this will eventually harmonize? (Drink starting 2028).Burghound | 88-91 BH

Rousseau Clos de Bèze is a blend of three plots that total 1.42ha. Cyrielle believes the wine shows better in its youth than Chambertin. Both wines, however, are vinified in the same way: destemmed, long maceration, gentle extraction and ageing in new François Frères barrels. The result is sublime: charming in its youth, with accessible, ripe notes of red and black fruits, spice, mineral and game, plus a velvety, dense texture that is firm but not forbidding. This has the substance to last fifty years if cellared well. Drinking Window 2029 - 2069.Decanter | 100 DECThe 2019 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru clearly has more intensity than the Chambertin. True, it is showing a little more wood at the moment, but I also find more fruit – raspberry and wild strawberry – interlaced with shavings of black truffle and forest fern. The palate is medium-bodied with supple but firm tannins. This is endowed with impressive depth and body weight and yet it retains disarming elegance on a finish that fans out gloriously. "This is the business" is the phrase that passed through my mind as I tried to keep a stoic face after encountering this fabulous Clos-de-Bèze.Vinous Media | 97-99 VM(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Red) Equally subtle wood frames the even spicier if slightly riper nose that reflects a layered blend of red currant, violet, rose petal, earth and a whisper of exotic tea. The full-bodied if slightly less concentrated flavors also reflect an abundance of minerality on the firm, serious and equally well-balanced, youthfully austere and hugely long finale. I usually prefer one or the other [Chambertin] at this stage each year but in 2019, while the two wines are noticeably different, it’s not clear which will ultimately be the more interesting. In sum, this is a choice but one where there is no wrong answer as this too is brilliant! (Drink starting 2041)Burghound | 98 BHDeeper-pitched and more carnal than the Chambertin, Rousseau’s 2019 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru mingles aromas of cherries, cassis and raspberries with hints of Asian spices, incense, smoked tea, rich soil tones and grilled duck. Full-bodied, sumptuous and enveloping, it’s bright and lively, with a fleshy core of concentrated fruit, succulent acids and powdery structuring tannins. Long and perfumed, this is a sensual Clos de Bèze in the making.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP(Chambertin “Clos de Bèze”- Domaine Armand Rousseau) The Rousseau family’s Clos de Bèze is equally brilliant in 2019. The wine is always a touch more exotic out of the blocks than the Chambertin here and this is again the case in this vintage. The stunning nose soars from the glass in a blaze of sappy black cherries, black raspberries, black minerality, smoked meats, dark chocolate, cedary oak and a touch of black tea in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and impeccably balanced, with great depth at the core, superb complexity and mineral drive, firm, buried tannins and a long, vibrant and focused finish. A great wine by any measure. (Drink between 2036-2100)John Gilman | 96+ JG

The reference standard in Chambertin. This is every bit the equal of the Clos de Bèze, if slightly less approachable young. Blended from four parcels including a cooler section near the southern end and another near the top of the slope, this gives a wine of incredible concentration if a bit reserved initially. Here, ripe berry fruit, a strong mineral/saline edge and a gamey note all emerge with time, and the texture is firm and tightly wound. This should age gracefully for the better part of a century. Drinking Window 2029 - 2069.Decanter | 99 DECThis too evidences subtle wood influence on the ripe yet cool nose that combines notes of spice, earth and floral elements with those of dark berries and poached plum. There is excellent intensity to the full-bodied, concentrated and mineral-inflected flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract while delivering excellent depth and persistence on the beautifully balanced and imposingly powerful if decidedly compact finale. This strikingly pure effort is already Zen-like in its sense of harmony and should prove to be remarkably long-lived. Brilliant. (Drink starting 2041)Burghound | 98 BHThe 2019 Chambertin Grand Cru is very promising, unwinding in the glass with aromas of exotic spices, grilled meats, cherries, cassis, dark chocolate, licorice and loamy soil. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it was the most introverted, tightly wound wine in the cellar on the day of my visit. Broad-shouldered and elegantly muscular, it’s bright and precise, concluding with a penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPThe 2019 Chambertin Grand Cru is initially tightly wound on the nose, opening gradually to reveal blackberry, raspberry, orange pith and rose petal scents; more sous-bois character develops with time. The palate is very harmonious with a lightly spiced entry. A little oak remains to be subsumed, but there is fine depth on the finish, and veins of blood orange on the aftertaste. This feels like a Chambertin that is holding everything back and letting the Clos-de-Bèze steal the show. Once in bottle, we will find out if that was just part of its tactics.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThe 2019 vintage of Chambertin from Domaine Rousseau is a perfect synthesis of power and elegance. The bouquet is still quite primary, but offers up a refined blend of black cherries, sweet dark berries, espresso, a fabulously complex base of soil, grilled meats, cedary oak and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is pure, deep and full, with a sappy core of fruit, stunning transparency and grip, fine-grained tannins and a very, very long, very complex finish. All this magical wine needs is time in the cellar to reach its cruising altitude! (Drink between 2035-2100)John Gilman | 96+ JG

The 2019 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is turning out nicely, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berry fruit and plums complemented by hints of smoked meats, preserved citrus, warm spices and raw cocoa. Medium to full-bodied, supple and charming, it’s pretty and fine-boned, with good depth at the core, velvety tannins and a seamless, enveloping profile. This is another cuvée that I suspect will turn out to be Rousseau’s finest rendition since at least 2012.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RP(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Red) Discreet but perceptible wood sets off pretty and nicely layered aromas of red currant, forest floor, spice and a suggestion of warm earth character. There is excellent intensity to the detailed, palate coating and sappy medium-bodied flavors that are firm, powerful and unusually robust on the refined, focused and sneaky long finish. There is very good size and weight, yet the overall impression is rather one of refinement. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 91-94 BHThe 2019 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is very perfumed on the nose of rose-petal-infused red berry fruit, although I would like to see more complexity develop in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with candied red fruit on the entry, orange zest, and light, almost peachy notes that I would associate with a white wine. It does not possess the substance or grip of Rousseau’s other cuvées, although it does deliver a lovely silky texture and fine length.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru opens in the glass with rich aromas of berry fruit, loamy soil, peonies, dark chocolate and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and elegantly muscular, it’s generous and enveloping, with velvety tannins and fine depth at the core. Bright and lively, it’s another wine that marries maturity with freshness.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is highly perfumed on the nose, presenting an irresistible mixture of red and subtle blue fruit, very harmonious and exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. A feminine and very elegant Clos de la Roche that may well be earlier-drinking than others but feels very poised, with a touch of spice on the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMProduced from three parcels: two in the original Clos de la Roche vineyard and almost 1ha in Les Fremières. Aged in used casks like the producer’s Charmes, this has a very different character, with dark, plummy fruit alongside an earthy note on the nose, and a texture that is less firm perhaps, but broader and more full-bodied. Very solid. Drinking Window 2024 - 2059.Decanter | 95 DEC(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Red) Here too there is just enough wood to remark upon surrounding the well-layered blend of red and blue pinot fruit, earth and a plenitude of spice and floral elements. The wonderfully energetic, sleek and equally muscular larger-scaled flavors also brim with minerality on the refined, focused, balanced and even more persistent finish. This is terrific and a wine that should easily repay two decades of cellaring if you have the patience. (Drink starting 2036)Burghound | 92-95 BH

The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has wonderful transparency on the nose of red currant and wild strawberry, plus glimpses of orange blossom and rose petal. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, lightly spiced and quite peppery in the mouth. Fine grip and length. This is a lovely Lavaux that will be difficult to resist in its youth.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMThe 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques is promising, mingling aromas of cassis and smoky berries with hints of loamy oil, raw cocoa and potpourri. Medium-bodied, bright and lively, with a succulent core of fruit framed by ultra-refined tannins, it concludes with a long, perfumed finish. This is the highest-alcohol wine in the cellar in 2019, but that certainly didn’t stand out in the glass.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPModerate reduction dominates the underlying fruit today. Otherwise there is very good volume and intensity to the tautly muscular and serious medium-bodied flavors that brim with minerality while exhibiting excellent depth and persistence on the well-balanced and mildly austere finale. This is firm but not as firm as it usually is though with that said, it will still need 10 to 12 years of cellaring.Burghound | 90-93 BH

This large 1.75ha holding is at the northern end of the lieu-dit, not far from Bonnes Mares, where it is planted in a terres blanches soil similar to the top of the slope. In 2019, the fruit has given a seductive result, with profuse raspberry aromas, a hint of ginger and liquorice. The texture on the palate shows plenty of extract, with sweet fruit but also a lovely depth and density. Drinking Window 2024 - 2049.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2019 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras 1er Cru was showing a little more reduction than the Les Combottes, though not much, allowing black fruit laced with crushed stone and iris flower to emerge with aeration. The palate is beautifully defined with succulent, vibrant red and black fruit, hints of blood orange and a subtle irony tincture toward the graceful finish. An outstanding Les Cras. Just superb.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMRoumier’s 2019 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras unwinds in the glass with scents of cherries, smoky berry fruit, orange rind, Indian spices and dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and elegantly textural, it’s rich and concentrated, with powdery tannins, succulent acids and a perfumed finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThis is definitely ripe yet again quite fresh with its overtly floral combination of cassis, poached plum, anise, rose petal and discreet wood-suffused aromas. Once again there is a really lovely texture to the more obviously mineral-driven flavors that culminate in a highly refreshing, chiseled and youthfully austere finale that delivers notably better length. Impressive stuff that should age effortlessly. (Drink starting 2031)Burghound | 93 BH

This 0.23-hectare parcel at the base of the rock of Solutré enjoys a full south exposition and chalky clay soils. The grapes, grown with biodynamic methods, are lightly crushed and fermented in cask (15% new) before aging 18 months in total. The result has delightful aromas of green apple and chamomile, yet there is a gentle touch of honey as well. The wine is superbly balanced, crisp and clean, with appreciable richness but no heaviness. The lingering finish and substance of the wine hint it will improve for decades in the bottle. Drinking Window 2023 - 2033.Decanter | 95 DEC(Domaine Leflaive Pouilly-Fuissé "En Vigneraie" Villages White) Ripe and very fresh aromas are comprised by notes of poached pear, green apple, citrus rind and a hint of mineral reduction. There is fine richness and solid concentration to the middle weight flavors that possess a caressing mouthfeel and exhibit fine length on the clean, dry and balanced finale. This could use better depth, but more should develop if this is allowed a few years first. (Drink starting 2026)Burghound | 90-93 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

The 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru needed a little encouragement from the glass. Eventually it reveals captivating scents of honeysuckle, petrichor and pressed yellow flowers, an underlying spiciness that comes through with aeration. The palate has a beguiling symmetry from the start: a killer line of acidity counterbalancing the intensity of this Chevalier, gentle grip towards the spicy and "flowing" finish. Everything you could really want in a Chevalier-Montrachet Closure: Diam 30Vinous Media | 98 VMThis is produced from Leflaive’s three parcels of Chevalier that total more than 1.8ha in the centre of the appellation. Most of the vines run from the top to the bottom of the vineyard to give a wine of regal balance. The grapes are lightly crushed and slowly pressed before fermentation in cask (25% new). The 2019 vintage delivered a wine of impressive concentration and freshness with a pronounced minerality yet the density and richness to carry it to a spectacular finish. The combination of finesse and power in this wine is truly striking.Decanter | 98 DECThis is even more aromatically elegant with its intensely floral-suffused aromas that include acacia, lavender and rose petal along with an array of white fleshed fruit, spice and subtle wood influence. The cool, intense and precise large-scaled flavors brim with both sappy dry extract and minerality, all wrapped in a tightly coiled, linear and remarkably persistent finish. This is incredibly promising and very clearly built-to-age.Burghound | 96-98 BHLeflaive’s 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru unwinds in the glass with scents of Anjou pear, orange oil, clear honey, white flowers and freshly baked bread, framed by a deft touch of youthful reduction. Full-bodied, concentrated and incisive, it’s textural but taut, its satiny attack segueing into a deep, chiseled mid-palate, concluding with a long, electric finish. This is a brilliant Chevalier with a long life ahead of it.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPA concentrated white, this features vanilla, butter pastry, peach, hazelnut cream and apple flavors. Concise and bracing yet balanced, this should come together nicely in a year or two. Ends with a mineral flourish and a tactile sensation. Best from 2024 through 2030. 95 cases made, 19 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS