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Plenty of density evident. A fine combination with concentration, a touch of smoke and richess on the palate, cut with direct acidity. Sunny and ripe yet remains fresh and focused. Will appeal when still relatively young but has the ability to age well.Decanter | 93 DEC

The 2022 Chablis Sainte Claire, which comes from organically grown fruit within several large parcels, is one of the hidden gems from Brocard. The enticing nose offers Mirabelle, wet stone and nuanced patisserie scents, with just a hint of white asparagus in the background. The palate is well-balanced, with a crisp bead of acidity and commendable depth. This is a strong follow-up to the impressive 2021; who knows, it may surpass it.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

Dense and rich style with a hint of reduction on the nose. More peach fruit than the citrus seen in Brocard’s other Chablis. Love the extra weight here, very classy and fine. Aged in wood (petit foudre of 15 hectolitres). Comes from a massale selection planted after the Second World War.Decanter | 93 DEC

Restrained on the nose, with a brooding, savoury character on the palate. Initially a bit more subdued than the ’straight’ Chablis Sainte Claire, this has the potential for future development given the concentration on show; certainly pushing premier cru quality, if not even higher. Julien Brocard explains that the vines here age up to 75 years, reaching down 25m into the soil.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2022 Chablis Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire has a more backward, less articulate nose than the regular cuvée at this time. The palate has a pleasing lick of salinity on the entry. With fine depth, this linear and taut Chablis will appeal to those seeking a more classic style in this warmer vintage. Excellent.Vinous Media | 91 VMAt least 60 years old. A clean clear colour with a green edge. There is notably more reduction here as well as a broader depth of white fruit. This terroir tends to reduce a little bit and that also explains the little youthful bitter touch. Yet the wine expands beautifully across the palate Drink from 2025-2029. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 90 JM

An unusually bright, light-gold color with hints of green in it distinguish this rare wine from the first glance before rich, layered and complex aromas lead to even richer poached pears, hazelnuts and cream on the palate. Full-bodied but light on its feet, the wine shows deft balance, great depth and incredible length on the finish. Best from 2028.James Suckling | 100 JSDrouhin’s Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche is always a classic expression of Montrachet, and often among the best ’bargains’ from this site. The 2022 has exotic aromas of ripe peach, nectarine, green apple and hints of acacia flowers, star anise, and beeswax. The texture has the weight of the vineyard and a creamy opulence, yet there is enough freshness to carry the wine to a charmingly persistent finish. The grapes from the Laguiche holdings are from five parcels totalling just over two hectares, picked in three passes by the Drouhin team. (Drink between 2030 - 2070)Decanter | 96 DECStill on its fine lees. A fine fresh very pale primrose colour. Super discreet nose, just offering some light floral notes at first, but you know there is so much more to come. It is not over exuberant but the fruit comes across the palate in little wavelets, perfectly balanced acidity, the oak subsumed into the intensity of the fruit. The 2022 Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet bows out with a wonderfully long and fine finish. Drink from 2034-2045. Tasted: November 2023.Jasper Morris | 96-98 JMThe 2022 Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche Grand Cru was harvested in three picks this year. Exhibiting aromas of pear, peach, honeycomb, toasted nuts, baking spices and buttered toast, it’s full-bodied, ample and unctuous, with a richly layered core of fruit, lively acids and a long, resonant finish. Tasted from a barrel sample before an aerating racking, it displayed fine tension.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPSmoky notes of mineral reduction add breadth to the cool and airy nose of mildly exotic white peach, citrus confit and a plenitude of floral wisps that are trimmed in discreet oak influence. The refined medium weight flavors possess good if not genuinely special density but with a positively gorgeous texture that carries over to the stony bitter lemon zest finale that possesses stunningly good length and terrific complexity. This is very classy and a wine that I suspect will add weight with bottle aging.Burghound | 93-96 BH

Julien Brocard’s ’7 Lieux’ are seven distinct vineyards, run biodynamically under his own name. Fermented with indigenous yeast and matured for 12 months in foudres. Lovely wine with a fine balance of fleshiness, power, vivid acidity and lingering minerality to keep everything precise and in check. You can almost feel the health of the vineyard. Delicious.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2022 Chablis La Boissonneuse has a clean, precise bouquet with more mineralité than the Petit Chablis, a subtle crustacea scent emerging with time. The palate is taut on the entry with commendable linearity, certainly one of the stricter, meaner takes of the vintage that will appeal to Chablis purists. Good value.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 2022 Saumur Blanc from Lena Filliatreau is a lovely wine. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a vibrant blend of sweet quince, lemon, chalky soil tones, limepeel, a touch of lanolin and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil signature, zesty acids and excellent focus and grip on the long and very well balanced finish. Fine juice that is already quite easy to drink, but will be even better with a few years’ worth of bottle age. (Drink between 2023 - 2040)John Gilman | 92 JG

This stellar Sancerre is a remarkable expression of the Sauvignon Blanc grape. This wine captivates the senses with an enchanting mélange of aromas, featuring vibrant notes of pink grapefruit, pear and green apple. These scents are harmoniously balanced, offering a fresh and crisp bouquet that invites you to delve deeper. The wine’s crisp acidity and mineral undertones contribute to its refreshing character, making it an excellent companion for a variety of dishes, from seafood to goat cheese. What truly sets this Sancerre apart, however, is its long, lingering finish. Sokolin Tasting Panel | 94+ SP

The 2022 vintage of Muscadet “les Gras Moutons” from Domaine de la Pépière is a beautiful wine, offering up a precise and complex bouquet of lemon, breadfruit, wet stone minerality, dried flowers and a discreet foundation of leesy tones. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied, focused and complex, with superb depth of fruit at the core, lovely mineral drive and grip, zesty acids and a long, impeccably balanced and very, very classy finish. This is superb Muscadet! (Drink between 2023 - 2055)John Gilman | 94 JG

Aged for seven months in wood, this ripe wine has power as well as richness. Its spicy character chimes with the dense white fruits from old Sémillon. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

Fine combination of fruit ripeness allied with purity of flavour, zesty citrus acidity and a lingering mineral quality on the finish. Plenty of concentration here. Will age but already drinking well. Based in Lignerolles, Lavantureux are one of the region’s rising stars.Decanter | 91 DEC

Brothers Arnaud and David have been making exciting, intriguing wines at the family domaine. Their Vau de Vey comes from 0.95ha of vines with an average age of 35 years. Plenty of power and complexity on nose and palate. A touch of oak evident but just needs a bit of time. Rich and luscious palate cut with vibrant citrus acidity and a long, pure finish. A very fine example.Decanter | 94 DEC

Coming from a 1.8ha plot, at one of the highest plantings of AP Chablis, this has more concentration than brothers David and Arnaud’s ’straight’ Chablis, with an additional mineral character balancing the concentration of fruit on the palate. Manages to have weight and force, yet remains light and delicate on its feet. A touch of wood adds a different type of complexity on the palate.Decanter | 93 DEC

The Muscadet “la Pépie” from Domaine de la Pépière is the first example from this appellation that I have tasted from the 2023 vintage and fully underscores just how favored Muscadet was in this difficult growing season. The vibrant bouquet hops from the glass in a complex combination of green apple, lime, lovely minerality, briny notes of ocean breeze and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is zesty, precise and full-bodied, with an excellent core of fruit, lovely mineral drive and cut, a fine spine of acidity and lovely precision on the long,impeccably balanced and complex finish. This is excellent Muscadet and a stunning value! 2024-2045. 92.John Gilman | 92 JG

Domaine Filliatreau’s 2023 Saumur-Champigny Blanc “Cuvée Lena” is a fine bottle, with the bounce and cut of young chenin blanc fruit beautifully wed to its underlying limestone soils. The bouquet hops from the glass in a refined constellation of green apple, quince, chalky soil tones, a touch of lanolin and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and complex, with a lovely girdle of acidity, excellent focus, a fine core of fruit and a long, well balanced and nicely soil-driven finish. This is still youthful and will drink with even more generosity with a bit of bottle age, but even in its zesty youth it is immensely tasty. 2024-2045. 92.John Gilman | 92 JG

A well-rounded, precise and lively sauvignon blanc. The nose reveals notes of sliced apples, anise, grilled herbs and some limes. It’s medium-bodied with a fresh and well-driven expression on the palate. Seductive and zesty, with an agile and persistent finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JS

The 2023 Cheverny Blanc from François Cazin is crafted from its customary blend of eighty percent sauvignon blanc and twenty percent chardonnay, with the two grapes fermented together and aged in stainless steel and older oak foudres. The wine is bright and classy, offering up a refined nose of gooseberry, green apple, a beautiful base limestone soil, lovely grassiness and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and nicely round on the attack from the chardonnay component, with a fine core of fruit, lovely acids and grip and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. This is really lovely. 2024-2034. 92.John Gilman | 92 JG

A seductive, flavorful, vibrant and vertical Sancerre. The nose offers notes of pears, quince and stones. Medium-bodied with bright acidity. Plenty of vitality and verticality to the mineral edge. Lively, mouthwatering finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

The 2023 Sancerre “l ’Authentique” from Domaine Thomas-Labaille is a beautiful, classic example and augurs very well for other bottlings from this next vintage in the pipeline. The wine offers up a superb bouquet of gooseberry, lime, fresh-cut grass, an excellent base of limestone minerality, citrus blossoms and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is bright fullbodied, complex and nicely balanced, with a fine core of ripe fruit, superb soil transparency and grip, bright acids, lovely focus and bounce and a long, complex and vibrant finish. Lovley Sancerre. 2024-2032+. 92.John Gilman | 92 JG