Pinot Noir

wines

The 2006 Clos De La Roche Grand Cru knocked it out of the park. Still incredibly youthful, it blossomed over the course of the evening, revealing loads of spice and forest floor characteristics paired with beautiful fruit. It certainly has a vibrant, almost crunchy style, yet the mid-palate is terrific, it’s flawlessly balanced, has ample ripeness, and is just a joy to drink. It’s just now at the early stages of maturity and has another 15-20 years (if not more) of longevity ahead of it. I’d certainly be thrilled with bottles in the cellar.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe Dujac 2006 Clos de la Roche is a dark, brooding Pinot no less complex or long than its Clos St.-Denis sibling. Here, the animal side is a gamey, faintly sweaty beast; the fruits dark and as bitter as they are sweet; and the sense of chocolate-like richness remarkable in the context of the vintage. And rather than an energetic sense of interplay, this conveys a layering of fruit, meat, and stony, saline mineral elements, supported by tactile viscosity and a sappy sense of almost indelible cling. Lucky are those who can follow and compare both of these wines over the next dozen years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2006 is showing well, with ripe, lush notes of mulberry fruit and a suggestion of lilac and spice on the initial attack. There is still plenty of primary fruit, but subtle developed hints of smoke and game are starting to appear. Alec Seysses lamented that the vintage is overlooked. Indeed, today this wine shows great finesse, silky tannins, and an outstanding acid balance that carries the wine through to a sensuous finish.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThis beauty is evolving glacially with its reserved and still quite primary nose of intensely floral red berry fruit, earth and discreet spice nuances. There is excellent concentration and power to the robustly constituted big-bodied flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the impressively complex, balanced and wonderfully long finale. While this could be enjoyed now it is very clearly still on the way up and I would recommend allowing it at least another 5 years or so first. In a word, excellent. Note that another bottled tasted in November 2017 was not as good as it was extremely tannic and somewhat drying. I rated that bottle: 92?Burghound | 94 BHThe 2006 Clos de la Roche was in splendid form in November, and clearly will be a great bottle of wine. The bouquet is deep and pure, as it offers up a refined mélange of red plums, raw cocoa, cherries, blood orange, a lovely base of soil and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is fullish, complex and intensely flavored, with beautiful focus and depth, tangy acids, very fine-grained tannins and a beautiful, long and palate-staining finish. A beautiful vintage for this consistently compelling wine. (Drink between 2016 - 2045)John Gilman | 94 JGGood deep red-ruby. Musky, meaty nose is dominated today by chocolate and minerals; lower-pitched than the Clos-Saint-Denis. Fat and sweet in the mouth, with an almost liqueur-like ripeness and wonderful silky depth. Offers compelling sweetness if not quite the detail of the Clos-Saint-Denis. Finishes with a boatload of chewy, granular tannins. Not especially perfumed today but this has the size of a 2005.Vinous Media | 93+ VMYouthful fresh colour, lighter than 2005 of course but still as it should be. There is a sucrosity to the fruit which is enchanting followed by a slightly drier structure. Really good now in its youth. Balanced and classy. Tasted Nov 2017.Jasper Morris | 93 JM

The 2006 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts from Sylvain Cathiard really blossomed in the glass, unfurling to reveal notes of plums, dark chocolate, rich soil, burning embers and some savory and hard-to-define bass notes, its new oak nicely digested at age 12. On the palate, the wine starts out a little foursquare but opens up to become quite expansive, more taut and controlled than the 2005 En Orveaux tasted the following day, with fine-grained but not yet melted tannins, a deep core of fruit and a long finish. An excellent Malconsorts with a full decade ahead of it.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPGood full red. Darker fruits on the nose, complicated by minerals, violet and sweet oak. Rich and silky but at the same time minerally and firm; boasts impressive volume and texture but comes across as almost weightless. Finishes tight and youthfully closed, with superb mineral energy and toothcoating tannins. Lovely already but this should really be held for five or six years.Vinous Media | 93+ VM(Domaine Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts 1er Cru Red) A gorgeously layered and deep nose of spicy, and once again notably cool black pinot fruit seems to offer up a different nuance with each examination and serves as a classy intro to the supple, rich, round and strikingly pure mouth coating flavors brimming with dry extract on the hugely long finish that exhibits serious power. This is a big yet refined wine that remains the current reference standard for Malconsorts though, happily, there will be more serious competition going forward with Domaines Dujac and de Montille coming to the party. Impressive but note that patience will be required. (Drink starting 2016)Burghound | 93 BH

Good full red. Flamboyant, soil-inflected nose offers raspberry, minerals and iodine, with exotic suggestions of white flowers and apricot. Then lush, silky and utterly seamless, combining an exotic perfume with great inner-mouth energy. The wonderfully subtle, kaleidoscopic finish throws off scents of raspberry, minerals, flowers and minerals and goes on and on.Vinous Media | 95 VMStill very young, this is showing the proper staying power of a powerful wine. The structure is complex and dense, the plum and cranberry fruits are wrapped in tannins and hints of wood. The wine powers through the palate, promising long-term aging. A great success for the vintage.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WERose petal, fennel, licorice, raspberry and dark cherry, and decadent gaminess in the nose of Bouchard’s 2007 Chambertin Clos de Beze lead into a correspondingly complex palate that combines a silken texture with bright, penetrating fruit of a sort rare in 2007. Persistently alluring rose and peony perfume lends persistent allure as this finishes with delightful and profound interaction of fruit, mineral, floral, and animal elements. It should be worth following for at least 12-15 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPAs it usually does, this offers another level of aromatic complexity with a highly spiced nose trimmed in a subtle touch of wood that does not interfere with the overall transparency of either the nose or the palate as this is pure, classy and refined. Moreover, the tannins are also more refined, which is unusual, and this completely stains the palate on the hugely long finish. A balanced, stylish and beguiling Bèze that is built to age, and improve, for up to two decades.Burghound | 93-95 BH

As it usually does, this brings another dimension of complexity with notably ripe yet elegant, even airy red berry fruit aromas, earth, underbrush, spice hints and a touch of jerky, all of which are picked up by the layered, seductive, rich, and full-bodied flavors that are blessed with ample dry extract on the palate staining, velvety and impressively long finish.Burghound | 93 BHBright medium red. Strawberry, raspberry, game and a hint of rust on the nose. The silkiest and most opulent yet of these 2007s, with complex flavors of red berries, chocolate, animal fur and mineral dust framed by harmonious acidity. Offers lovely sweetness in the middle, but really excites the palate on the classically dry finish.Vinous Media | 93 VMLightly-cooked cherry and red currant, mingle on the nose of Claude Dugat’s 2007 Charmes Chambertin, then re-emerge on an infectiously juicy, silken, subtly sweet palate. When tasted immediately after his 2008s, this offers both striking and welcome contrast due to its generosity of fruit, textural polish, and spiciness. Faint hints of game add complexity and a slightly drying hint of tannin diminishes the otherwise impressively persistent finish slightly. Still, this ought to perform impressively for at least the next 5-7 years, and quite possibly beyond that, though I would want to monitor it in a few years’ time to properly assess that possibility.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

The 2008 Liger-Belair Reignots is flat out stunning and I am not sure I would not prefer to have the ’08 in my cellar rather than the more flamboyant ’09 (though of course, it would be better to have both)! The bouquet is deep, pure and magically complex, as it offers up scents of black cherries, black raspberries, a touch of bonfire, duck, wonderfully complex soil tones, a bit of citrus zest and a deft framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and elegant, with great bounce and focus, a superb core of fruit, moderate tannins and outstanding length and grip on the dancing finish. This is a great, great premier cru in the making. (Drink between 2018 - 2050)John Gilman | 95 JGTasted at the Comte Liger-Belair vertical at the Château de Vosne. The 2008 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots does not quite possess the same delineation and poise on the nose as the 2007, which comes as some surprise. Touches of cooked meat come through and later an attractive sea spray scent. The palate is medium-bodied with a rounded, savory entry. This is quite animally and gamy, the acidity nicely judged with a little chewiness toward the finish. Give this 2-3 more years in the cellar. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPGood deep red. Black raspberry, licorice, game and a whiff of soil on the very deep nose. Dense and thick--even plump--in the mouth, with superb concentration to the youthful flavors of dark berries and black cherry. Already remarkably round, savory and lush. Perhaps most impressive today on the very long, suavely tannic finish, which boasts terrific echoing lift and mineral precision. From a crop level of just 24 hectoliters per hectare, according to Louis-Michel Liger-BelairVinous Media | 93+ VMThe most elegant and coolest of these Vosne 1ers with a plum, violet, rose petal and anise suffused nose that gracefully introduces the detailed, intense and highly refined middle weight flavors brimming with an almost pungent minerality before culminating in a seductively mouth coating and strikingly long finish. Reference standard Reignots.Burghound | 93 BH

It is my distinct impression that the Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin does especially well in high acid vintages such as 2008, and the wine is one of the best examples of this wine that I have tasted in twenty years of tasting the Rousseau wines out of barrel. The bouquet offers up a terrific mélange of fraises des bois, sappy cherries, blood orange, cocoa, a touch of meatiness and a great base of minerality. On the palate the wine is medium-full, long and intensely flavored, with a fine core of fruit, bright acids, moderate tannins and lovely focus and soil drive on the long and tangy finish. A superb vintage of Rousseau Charmes. (Drink between 2016 - 2040)John Gilman | 92+ JGThis is turning out a bit better than I imagined it might with its fresh and pretty red berry fruit nose that presently displays only a trace of secondary character along with hints of earth and the sauvage. I like the vibrancy of the nicely intense medium weight flavors that are focused if not especially concentrated, all wrapped in a bright, clean and lingering finale. For my taste this hasn’t quite yet arrived at its apogee but it’s not so far away that it couldn’t be enjoyed now.Burghound | 91 BH

Medium-deep red. Gorgeous floral nose and palate offer raspberry, rose petal, spices and minerals. Sappy, dense and deep, with terrific concentration and thrust to its tight kernel of fruit. Finishes with compelling energy and length, and an impression of weightlessness. A beauty.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe Clos St. Jacques is always one of the crown jewels in the cellars at Maison Jadot, and the 2008 will be no exception to the rule. The bouquet is deep and properly reserved, as it offers up a lovely blend of cassis, dark berries, grilled meats, espresso, a touch of bonfire and a very complex base of soil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very soil-driven this year, with a rock solid core of fruit, fine-grained tannins and excellent length and grip on the tangy and transparent finish. Really classy juice. (Drink between 2018 - 2050)John Gilman | 93 JGMusky and bittersweet perfume of iris and narcissus mingles with high-toned red fruit distillates in the nose of the Jadot 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques. Pungent fresh ginger and cinnamon, peat, and salt add invigoration to the brightly fresh and ethereally rarified fruit on silken-textured palate. The corresponding Estournelles St.-Jacques actually has the edge in interactive dynamism, but this lovely Clos St.-Jacques surpasses it in textural allure and sheer length, and ought to be worth following for 12-15 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-92 RPA discreetly wooded nose of ripe but cool red and blue berry fruit aromas trimmed in notes of violets and minerality of which the latter amply suffuses the supple, vibrant and beautifully detailed middle weight flavors that offer excellent length if only moderate depth compared to the usual extremely high standards of this wine. This will require 10 to 12 years to arrive at its full potential.Burghound | 90 BH

Since day one, I have loved the entire range of 2008s from Domaine Dujac and the Clos de la Roche is still showing beautiful potential as it starts to approach its tenth birthday. The wine has now moved into a stage where one can really sense what it will be like at maturity, with the first stirrings of secondary layers of complexity showing on both the nose and palate. The vibrant bouquet delivers scents of cherries, beetroot, mustard seed, coffee, still a touch of its youthful stems, gorgeous soil tones, woodsmoke and a discreet framing of spicy new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and tangy, with a lovely core of red fruit, excellent soil signature, fine-grained tannins and excellent length and grip on the vivid finish. To my palate, this is an utter classic in the making. (Drink between 2020-2050)John Gilman | 96 JGThe 2008 Clos de la Roche is particularly refined in this vintage. The wine literally floats on the palate with weightless elegance in its intensely perfumed fruit. Crushed flowers and red berries linger on the silky, impossibly fine finish. This is a fabulous effort from Dujac. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPhe 2008 Clos de la Roche is particularly refined in this vintage. The wine literally floats on the palate with weightless elegance in its intensely perfumed fruit. Crushed flowers and red berries linger on the silky, impossibly fine finish. This is a fabulous effort from Dujac.Vinous Media | 95 VMI’ve had mixed experiences with this wine as the bottle in the tasting was certainly very good but was displaying some secondary development on the nose while displaying a touch of backend dryness that was enough to cause concern. Score: 91/2028+. By contrast, a bottle tried in April 2016 was notably better and that note is: The airy, cool and relatively deeply pitched dark red berry fruit-suffused nose is cut with hints of stone, game and leather as well as a subtle but not invisible touch of wood. The detailed, robust and firmly muscular broad-shouldered flavors are still presently very backward, serious and superbly long on the mouth coating finish. The supporting tannins are quite prominent but the overall impression is a well-balanced effort that will require plenty of cellar time to realize its full, and considerable potential.Burghound | 94 BHModerate depth of colour. Some depth of evolving fruit and a touch of pepper. Quite tight on the palate stem-dry, still a good intensity behind but awkward. Tasted Jun 2018.Jasper Morris | 92 JM

The 2008 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts from Dujac is a magical beauty that’s drinking brilliantly today. Sporting a vivid ruby, translucent color, it offers an amazingly complex bouquet of sweet red fruits, green herbs, spring flowers, and layers of spice. The palate follows suit and is medium-bodied, incredibly seamless, and pure, with fine tannins. This incredibly classic Vosne-Romanée is drinking fabulously well today, with both fruit and complexity, yet will keep for another 10-15 years. It’s well worth seeking out.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThe 2008 Vosne-Romanee Aux Malconsorts blossoms with endless layers of dark fruit. This is a totally sensual, enveloping wine graced with finesse, class and elegance. The Malconsorts is a pretty open 2008, but it will be even better in another few years’ time. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2028.This is a beautiful set of wines from Dujac. The harvest started on September 10 and ended on the 17th. Jeremy Seysses told me he wanted to pick on the early side in order to preserve freshness. In a similar vein, Seysses kept the fermentations short and gentle to avoid over-extracting. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, which are beautiful wines that are true to type and site. In 2008 the estate finished its conversion to fully organic farming originally started in 2001. Dujac fans have a lot to look forward to in these two vintages.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPMedium red. Knockout nose combines wild red berries, minerals and red licorice, lifted by ineffable notes of blood orange and rose petal. Very suave on entry, then intense and pure in the middle, at once taut and seamless. Superb energy to the raspberry, mineral and spice flavors. Downright thick for a 2008, saturating the entire palate on the back end and leaving the taste buds quivering. Finishes with suave tannins and outstanding length. A beauty.Vinous Media | 94 VM(Vosne-Romanée “Malconsorts”- Domaine Dujac) The 2008 Dujac Malconsorts is an absolutely complete and ethereal wine that is the epitome of Vosne-Romanée elegance and refinement. The nose is a stunning mélange of raspberries, cherries, raw cocoa, grouse, fabulously complex soil tones, spices, smoke and new oak. On the palate the wine is fullish, deep and very intensely flavored, with a svelte profile, a fine core of fruit, tangy acids and wonderful length and grip on the finely tannic and palate-staining finish. Wonderful Malconsorts. (Drink between 2017-2050).John Gilman | 94 JG(Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée "Malconsorts" 1er 1er Cru Red) This is less fine but more powerful and a bit more complex as well with a spicy mix of both blue and black pinot fruit cut with earth and herbal notes that precede the full, rich and very serious medium weight plus flavors that offer up a certain opulence on the mid-palate yet the gorgeously long finish is focused and classy. I very much like the dry extract level as it does a good job of buffering the firm tannins. (Drink starting 2023).Burghound | 93 BH

Surpassing the 2007, Anne Gros’s 2008 Richebourg Grand Cru is showing very well, unfurling in the glass with scents of cassis, cherries, dried flowers, grilled meats and spices. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, ample and nicely concentrated, with melting tannins, racy acids that are elegantly cloaked in succulent fruit and a long, penetrating finish. It makes for dramatic, head-turning drinking today, so there seems little reason to wait.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP(Richebourg- Domaine A-F. Gros) The 2008 Richebourg from A-F. Gros is fairly oaky, but with its wood much better integrated into the main body of the wine on both the nose and palate and posing no threat to the ultimate balance of the wine. The classy nose jumps from the glass in a blend of plums, black cherries, cocoa powder, orange zest, woodsmoke and spicy new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely transparent, with a fine core of fruit, ripe tannins and fine length and grip on the youthful finish. There is plenty of wood in this wine, but it is seamlessly integrated already and does not detract at all from the overall pleasure that the wine delivers. A very good example. (Drink between 2018-2040)John Gilman | 92+ JG(Domaine Anne-Françoise Gros Richebourg Grand Cru Red) Very generous wood fights somewhat at present with the cool, spicy and highly complex nose of red currant, plum and violet aromas that is very much in keeping with the equally spicy rich, full-bodied and tautly muscled flavors that display ample minerality on the balanced, long and linear finish. This is a very serious effort with fine but dense tannins that will require 15 to 20 years for them to fully resolve so this isn’t a precocious Riche. (Drink starting 2023)Burghound | 91-94 BH

This is notably fresher than the Chapelle with a strikingly elegant and highly complex nose that displays perfumed and notably ripe red currant and cassis aromas that are liberally laced with warm earth and spice hints. There is good intensity and detail to the opulently textured medium weight plus flavors that are blessed with a seemingly endless reserve of sap on the gorgeously long finish. This is a really impressive effort and if the palate complexity can eventually match that of the nose, this should be able to achieve, or perhaps even exceed, the upper end of my predicted range.Burghound | 94 BHThe 2009 Griottes is a dead ringer for the 1985 at the same stage of development, as the wine soars from the glass in a very ripe and very pure mélange of red and black cherries, cocoa, a great base of soil, grilled meats and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very opulent on the attack, with a great core of fruit, lovely, tangy acids and superb backend grip and focus on the complex and ripely tannic finish. This is voluptuous and almost syrupy in its sappiness, much like the 1985 was in its infancy. Superb wine. (Drink between 2018 - 2050)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe 2009 Griotte-Chambertin is another big, super-ripe wine loaded with dark fruit. This is almost port-like in its intensity, with endless layers of blueberries, blackberries, spices and white flowers that build towards the substantial, textured finish. The Griotte is a totally seductive wine endowed with fabulous harmony and tons of personality. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-94 RPThe 2009 Griotte-Chambertin is another big, super-ripe wine loaded with dark fruit. This is almost port-like in its intensity, with endless layers of blueberries, blackberries, spices and white flowers that build towards the substantial, textured finish. The Griotte is a totally seductive wine endowed with fabulous harmony and tons of personality.Vinous Media | 91-94 VM

The 2009 Musigny is a huge, structured wine within the context of the domaine. Big, tannins support a highly expressive core of dark fruit, smoke and licorice. This is a decidedly powerful, almost extreme style of Musigny that will require considerable patience to settle down. An explosive, mineral-drenched finish lingers on the palate. The 2009 is flat-out dazzling. Wow. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2009 Musigny is a huge, structured wine within the context of the domaine. Big, tannins support a highly expressive core of dark fruit, smoke and licorice. This is a decidedly powerful, almost extreme style of Musigny that will require considerable patience to settle down. An explosive, mineral-drenched finish lingers on the palate. The 2009 is flat-out dazzling. Wow.Vinous Media | 98 VMAs brilliant the nose of the Amoureuses might be, this ups the ante considerably as this offers fireworks in a glass with its positively kaleidoscopic array of spice, violets and ripe fruit elements that if anything are even fresher. The rich, dense and overtly powerful broad-scaled flavors possess a tight muscularity yet remain elegant and refined with a linear, palate staining and explosive backend that delivers simply huge length. An incredible effort that should live for a very long time indeed. The word fabulous does not do this monument in the making complete justice.Burghound | 98 BHThe 2009 Musigny had been racked the day before my visit, but was still showing very well indeed. This too is quite a bit riper and more fruit-driven in profile than is customarily the case chez Mugnier, but there is an awful lot to like here in that riper style. The bouquet offers up a ripe and flamboyant mélange of black cherries, plums, cocoa, lovely soil tones, a bit of coffee bean and a nice topnote of violets. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and voluptuous on the attack, with a beautiful, sappy core of fruit, great length and grip and a very focused, pure and opulent finish. This will of course never be the most soil-driven vintage of this great wine, but Musigny brings an awful lot to the table in terms of fruit complexity, and this is a pretty stunning wine. I am sure that there are some Burgundy lovers out there that are going to taste this flamboyant vintage of Musigny and conclude that I have underscored it by three or four points! (Drink between 2016 - 2050)John Gilman | 94 JG

The 2009 Echezeaux comes across as rich, powerful and totally seductive. It shows considerable richness and depth in a more immediate style than the 2010. The aromatics and nuance of the 2010 are missing, but in exchange readers will find a deep, fleshy wine that will deliver considerable pleasure with minimum cellaring. I especially like the intensity of the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2034.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2009 Echézeaux comes across as rich, powerful and totally seductive. It shows considerable richness and depth in a more immediate style than the 2010. The aromatics and nuance of the 2010 are missing, but in exchange readers will find a deep, fleshy wine that will deliver considerable pleasure with minimum cellaring. I especially like the intensity of the finish.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2009 Mugneret Echézeaux is one of the riper wines in the cellar this year, but it does not lose any of its purity or fidelity to its underlying soil as a result. Rather, the wine takes on a very Henri Jayer-like flamboyant aspect to it that is a bit out of character for this bottling in most vintages, but is really very attractive and quite a classic interpretation of 2009. The bouquet soars from the glass in a stunning and sappy mélange of red and black cherries, woodsmoke, gamebirds, cocoa, complex soil tones, fresh herbs and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very sappy at the core, with superb purity, ripe tannins and stunning length and grip on the beautiful finish. Stylistically, this is worlds away from the very pure and transparent 2008 Echézeaux chez Mugneret, but qualitatively it is every bit as fine. (Drink between 2018 - 2060)John Gilman | 95 JGA blend of both wood and natural spice adds breadth and interest to the notably ripe red raspberry and black cherry suffused nose that also displays a delicate floral note that is picked up by the supple but detailed medium weight plus flavors. There is unusually good energy here, particular for the vintage, and this culminates in a driving and impressively long finish that exhibits a velvety and seductive mouth feel. Overall, this is a suave and quite powerful effort that delivers outstanding quality.Burghound | 94 BH

The 2009 Bonnes Mares opens with gorgeous aromatics that lead to a muscular core of fruit. The wine finds its inner elegance on the mid-palate and finish, where hints of candied fruit and violets come together, adding lift and elegance. The combination of aromatic expressiveness and nuanced fruit elevate this to a very high level. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-96 RPThe 2009 Bonnes Mares opens with gorgeous aromatics that lead to a muscular core of fruit. The wine finds its inner elegance on the mid-palate and finish, where hints of candied fruit and violets come together, adding lift and elegance. The combination of aromatic expressiveness and nuanced fruit elevate this to a very high level.Vinous Media | 93-96 VMModerate reduction kills an evaluation of the nose. However there is marvelous density to the serious and muscular broad-shouldered flavors that brim with tannin buffering dry extract and flat out incredible length, indeed it’s possible that this, along with the Richebourg, possesses the longest finish of any wine in the range. A stunner of a Bonnes Mares built for the long haul.Burghound | 93-96 BH

This is aromatically much more reticent at present with more obvious floral and spice influence along with the somber and quite earthy red berry fruit notes. There is good richness and intensity to the medium-bodied and fleshy flavors that possess an emphatic finishing austerity. I like the Cistercian character this displays though it will not be to everyone’s taste. Note that I suspect the current reserved quality will pass with a few years of bottle age.Burghound | 89-91 BH

This impressively complete wine offers up very ripe aromas of spice, earth and game that introduce strikingly rich, naturally sweet and mouth coating big-bodied flavors that explode on the formidably long finish. This is a classy wine with absolutely superb complexity, impeccable balance and almost uncanny presence, all delivered with grace and power. Be prepared to be patient however as this will need plenty of time. A ’wow’ wine that possess excellent verve, especially within the context of the ’09 vintage.Burghound | 96 BHThe opulent 2009 Clos de la Roche seems a bit more black fruity in its personality than the equally flamboyant, but much more red fruity 1985 version, at least at this early stage in its evolution. The nose is deep, pure and sappy, as it offers up scents of black cherries, plums, roasted venison, fresh herb tones, coffee and a very complex signature of soil. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, with a huge core of sappy fruit, excellent focus and balance, suave, but substantial tannins and brilliant length and grip on the opulent and palate-staining finish. (Drink between 2020 - 2070)John Gilman | 96+ JGThe 2009 Clos de la Roche Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is round, sweet and totally enveloping. It is a huge, towering Burgundy that impresses for its gorgeous inner perfume and juicy, exuberant fruit. This shows tons of richness without being heavy or overripe in any way. Anticipated maturity: 2029-2049.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-97 RPThe 2009 Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is round, sweet and totally enveloping. It is a huge, towering wine that impresses for its gorgeous inner perfume and juicy, exuberant fruit. This shows tons of richness without being heavy or overripe in any way.Vinous Media | 94-97 VM

A notably floral, spicy and very cool nose is trimmed in noticeable but reasonable wood and leads to very rich, round and velvety big-bodied and powerful flavors that culminate in a moderately oaked but strikingly long finish. Again, the oak is not subtle on the palate but there appears to be more than enough concentration to handle it.Burghound | 91-94 BH

Full, deep red. Sexy scents of black raspberry, licorice, violet and minerals, plus torrefaction notes of espresso and mocha. More tightly wound on the palate than the young 2012; less horizontal and broad at this stage but wonderfully thick, fine-grained, savory and precise, with its multidimensional flavors of dark fruits, spices, minerals and flowers given an added element of complexity by savory soil tones. Manages to be both velvety and light on its feet, and ultimately suppler than the ’12. This exceptional young grand cru finishes with utterly mellow, perfect integrated tannins, explosive rising length and penetrating salty minerality. In short, a great expression of soil and a classic example of its vintage. (13.7% alcohol; 3.34 pH; 20 h/h)Vinous Media | 96 VMThere is just enough wood to be visible but it should be absorbed in short order. Interestingly, the aromatic profile is relatively similar to that of the Griotte, though this has significantly more depth and concentration to the full-bodied, powerful and explosive flavors that benefit greatly from the exceptional depth of material before culminating in a massively long and impeccably well-balanced finish. Sometimes the Roty Charmes displays its wood for years but the 2010 version appears as though it will eat it sooner than usual. In short, this is a stunner of a wine that clearly outclasses its two grands crus stable mates so if you can find it buy it.Burghound | 95 BH

(Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru Red) A notably floral character adds breadth to the highly spiced and exceptionally fresh nose of cool red currant and plum. The rich, refined and admirably pure middle weight flavors are supported and shaped by ultra-fine tannins that coat the mouth on the incredibly long finish. Despite the underlying tension, this is essentially a wine of finesse and harmony that should also age for a very long time if desired. Brilliant and remarkably complex. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 96 BHGood full red. Vibrant perfume of raspberry, spices and minerals. Boasts outstanding dark berry intensity, with powerful crushed-stone minerality and a saline quality giving great energy and tension to the middle palate. Finishes with remarkable rising length, utterly suave tannins and superb lift. Like the Suchots, this is already wonderfully aromatic but is built for a decade or two of improvement in bottle.Vinous Media | 95+ VM(Romanée-St.-Vivant- Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux) The 2010 Romanée-St.-Vivant from Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, not surprisingly, ash the best depth of fruit to stand up to the wood tannins here, and this wine is not bad at all. The nose is a complex and classy blend of cherries, orange peel, coffee, Vosne spices, lovely soil tones and plenty of smoky, luxe-styled new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a good core of fruit, fine focus and very good length and grip on the chewy and only modestly over-oaked finish. This will have no trouble eventually absorbing its wood tannin, as it is only showing a touch of backend dryness at this time, and it will be a pretty good bottle at its apogee. But, should one expect more from an expensive example of Romanée-St.-Vivant in a great year? This will certainly not offer up even a modicum of value. (Drink between 2016-2040)John Gilman | 91+ JG

(Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru Red) In stark contrast to the expressiveness of the Clos St. Denis, this is almost mute and even aggressive swirling liberates only the briefest glimpses of wild red berries and earth notes. There is superb size and weight to the imposing and overtly muscular flavors that also enjoy an incredible amount of dry extract that confers a supple and seductively textured mouth feel to the highly concentrated mid-palate. The presently buried tannins are intense and markedly firm though not hard on the explosively long finish that seems to go on and on. This should be something very special if given sufficient time to reach its apogee. (Drink starting 2032).Burghound | 95-97 BH

There is by contrast super richness and a lovely minerality to the vibrant and tension-filled medium-bodied flavors that enjoy very ripe tannins that add to the moderate sense of austerity on the impressive long finish. In contrast to the Griotte this is not likely to be nearly as accessible young.Burghound | 91-94 BH

(Bonnes-Mares- Domaine Mugnier) The 2010 Bonnes-Mares from Domaine Mugnier is a magically elegant and intensely flavored wine of silken refinement. The stunning nose offers up a beautiful mélange of red and black cherries, red plums, a touch of blood orange, brilliantly complex minerality, woodsmoke, gamebirds, fresh herbs and a violet topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, suave and seamless, with a sappy core of fruit, very refined tannins, laser-like focus and great length and grip on the succulent finish. Tout en finesse and the finest young Bonnes-Mares I have ever had the pleasure to taste from this great estate. (Drink between 2022-2075)John Gilman | 95 JGA more deeply pitched nose features plenty of earth influence but there are also soft floral and herbal nuances to the array of very ripe red berry fruit liqueur aromas. There is impressive concentration and an overt muscularity to the big-bodied flavors that possess plenty of power on the dusty, explosive and seriously long finish where the supporting tannins are very well integrated. There is first-rate complexity and this should amply reward 12 to 15 years of cellar time.Burghound | 94 BHGood medium red. High-toned, liqueur-like aromas of blackberry, blueberry and smoky underbrush. Densely packed and broad, showing the sappiness and great energy of the vintage. Black raspberry fruit is complicated by iron and mocha notes. The dense finish features slowly rising persistence and surprisingly smooth tannins. This vineyard was originally planted in the 1950s but Mugnier replanted about half of the vines in 1987.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe 2010 Bonnes-Mares comes across as a bit reticent. An expressive bouquet laced with dark berries, crushed rocks and graphite leads to a pretty core of dark red fruit. The generous, fleshy finish is the best thing about the Bonnes- Mares. As good as this is, it isn’t as compelling as I had hoped. It’s hard to believe I did not catch the Bonnes-Mares during an awkward stage. Today, some of the magic is missing. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040.Leave it to Frederic Mugnier to take a contrarian view of the 2010 vintage. Mugnier is quite clear in espousing his opinion that not only is 2009 a better vintage than 2010, but that the 2009s will be longer-lived as well. His advice to me was to drink the 2010s now and cellar the 2009s. Mugnier’s highly personal take is also reflected in the unconventional order in which these wines were tasted. I have to say, it was quite eye-opening to taste the wines in a different sequence than is the norm, as it keeps the palate and intellect sharp. The harvest started on September 22. As has been the case for a while, the focus is on doing as little as possible to the wines once they are in cellar, which among other things means that new oak is now practically non-existent here. Readers who want to learn more might want to take a look at my interview with Frederic Mugnier posted on our website.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-94 RP