Popular Wines

wines

A beautiful mix of red and black pinot fruit aromas nuanced by hints of smoke, earth and underbrush merges into textured and layered medium full flavors that possess plenty of underlying material and a punchy, strikingly long finish. This is quite backward at the moment and like the Colombière is closing up fast so again, plenty of air is advised. In sum, this is highly recommended as it’s of reference standard quality.Burghound | 93 BHGood deep red. Ripe, complex, slightly reduced aromas of plum, currant, cherry and smoke. Silky and vibrant, with lovely lift to the flavors of red fruits and dried rose. Finishes very long and bright, but distinctly firmer than the preceding village wines. This seems to be shutting down in bottle today.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

The 2005 Volnay Clos de la Bousse d’Or offers scents of plum, black raspberry, Asian spices, soy, noble fungus and wood smoke. In the mouth, it delivers tart (though ripe) black raspberry fruit with black truffle undertones and subtle spice and chalk, while managing to display a flattering creaminess. Fascinating fungal, fruit skin and mineral notes vie for attention in the finish. This strikes an ideal balance between flattering fat and underlying structure. Figure to cellar it for at least 12-15 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPGood ruby-red. Superripe but reticent nose hints at blueberry and licorice, accented by orange rind and pepper. There’s a pronounced earthy underbrush component to the black plum fruit. Strong soil tones here. Finishes with serious, building tannins. This one needs patience.Burghound | 91-93 BHGood ruby-red. Superripe but reticent nose hints at blueberry and licorice, accented by orange rind and pepper. There’s a pronounced earthy underbrush component to the black plum fruit. Strong soil tones here. Finishes with serious, building tannins. This one needs patience.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

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

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

Menthol and soft wood nuances frame the restrained but spicy aromas of black fruit and high-toned floral scents. There is good richness to the relatively full-bodied generous flavors that possess a silky texture, all wrapped in a lightly structured and impressively persistent finish. There is a bit of wood on the finish that offers only moderate complexity at present though my score assumes that more will develop over the next 3 to 5 years. As was the case when I originally reviewed this ultra-elegant effort, there is noticeable gas on the finish so if you’re going to try a bottle young I would advise decanting it first.Burghound | 92 BHSuchots can also often be quite black fruity in personality, but this is not the case with the 2011 Hudelot version, which offers up a fine bouquet of cherries, blood orange, Vosne spice, fresh herb tones, fine soil nuances and a bit of cedary wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and shows off lovely mid-palate depth, with ripe tannins, bright acids and excellent grip and focus on the long and dancing finish. A very elegant and intensely flavored Suchots. (Drink between 2021 - 2050)John Gilman | 92+ JG(picked at 13.1% potential alcohol): Medium red with an amber edge. Highly aromatic nose combines strawberry, musky brown spices, dried flowers and cinnamon. Juicy and penetrating in the mouth, with a bit of unabsorbed CO2 accentuating the tartness of the cranberry, pomegranate and soil flavors. Very savory wine, with enough stuffing and flavor intensity to maintain its balance. Finishes with firm tannins and very good tangy length.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 2012 Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes shows a much more aromatic, lifted side of Chambolle than the Groseilles, which precedes it in this tasting. Sweet floral notes meld into bright red berries in a classy, understated Chambolle that should drink nicely pretty much right out of the gate. Finely cut, chalky tannins give the wine much of its drive and focus.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMThis offers a noticeable step up in aromatic elegance with its ultra-fresh, cool and restrained nose that is comprised of essence of red and blue pinot fruit, spice and stone nuances. There is excellent tension and beautiful delineation to the racy and silky medium-bodied flavors that also exude a fine bead of minerality on the delicious finish that tightens up quickly. This is a really beautiful and harmonious effort, indeed the word Zen comes to mind.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes comes from vines that border the village, around two-thirds planted in the 1920s, the rest in 1966. It owns one of the most appealing and complex aromatic profiles of the Chambolle premier crus, adorned with ripe blackberry, bilberry and mineral aromas that are vivacious and captivating to the senses. The palate is energetic with a crisp, citric line of acidity and impressive poise on the finish. I just love the vibrancy, the passion already evident in this Chambolle-Musigny.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP

An intensely spicy and floral red berry and cassis-suffused nose merges seamlessly into impressively rich and full-bodied middle weight flavors that possess just a hint of minerality on the hugely long and palate staining finish. This lightly austere and beautifully well-balanced effort is an obvious wine of class and grace.Burghound | 93 BH(100% vendange entier; 80% new oak; from a healthy crop of 42 hectoliters per hectare):Bright red-ruby. A touch of reduction mostly dissipated to reveal classic Suchots scents of black raspberry, Oriental spices, flowers and fresh herbs, plus an intriguing note of paprika. Wonderfully silky, plush, generous wine with sneaky inner-mouth energy. The wine’s sweet oak component will need a few years to harmonize with its fruits and flowers. Finishes with terrific length and substantial ripe tannins. This should ultimately make a wonderfully complete Burgundy.Vinous Media | 92-95 VM

The 2014 is one of the best young vintage of Feusselottes that I have tasted from the Mugneret sisters. The stunning nose delivers a perfumed constellation of red plums, cherries, roses, gamebird, cocoa powder, a gorgeous base of chalky soil tones and a gentle framing of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and sappy at the core, with stunning soil signature, suave tannins and great length and grip on the laser-like finish. A beautiful bottle of Chambolle. (Drink between 2024 - 2065)John Gilman | 94 JGGood dark red A bit less pristine and high-pitched on the nose than the Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Chaignots Round and silky on the palate, conveying an utterly seamless texture to the expressive flavors of strawberry, redcurrant and earth This doesn’t quite glisten in the mouth like the Chaignots does today but it’s still a wonderfully sappy, complex wine with slowly building red berry, mineral and earthy perfume A touch of pepper gives lift to the finishVinous Media | 92 VMThe 2014 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselots, which saw 50% new oak, has a crisp, tensile bouquet with more volume that the Nuits Saint Georges Chaignots. There is real transparency here: fabulous definition and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, tensile like the Chaignots but there is a touch of more fruit that seems a little darker and denser. The finish just skips along with joy. This is superb.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThough there is a touch of wood here as well it is more subtle and easily allows the cool red currant, pomegranate, cherry and softly spice-inflected aromas to be appreciated. There is a notably finer mouth feel to the seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that exhibit fine depth and length if perhaps not quite the same refreshing vibrancy on the dusty finish.Burghound | 91 BH

The 2014 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Narbantons is brisk, precise and beautifully sculpted, with plenty of red-toned fruit and floral accents, all of which add to the impression of energy. Still very much tightly wound, the Narbantons needs time in bottle to soften a bit. There is plenty to look forward to, that much is clear. Small red berry, anise and crushed flowers add nuance, the Narbantons is ultimately a wine of energy. And there is plenty of that here.Vinous Media | 93 VMAt 10 years of age, this is still cruising with only a touch of secondary character present on the still conspicuously earthy and cool nose of humus and underbrush characters that add breadth to the mostly dark berry fruit scents. There is unusually good density in the context of the vintage to the velvety middle weight flavors that possess an abundance of dry extract that coats the palate and buffers the firm tannins on the slightly rustic and austere yet wonderfully complex finale. This is still improving and while it could certainly be enjoyed now, I would advise holding it for another 5 to 8 years first.Burghound | 92 BHWhen broaching the 2014 Savigny lès Beaune les Narbantons, Lalou quipped that it was her "Petit Corton." It has a complex nose of red berry fruit, dried orange peel and even a distant scent of fresh fig. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, plenty of freshness and vitality here, a little hardness toward the finish and a light spicy aftertaste. Very fine.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

A rich style, this white features lemon, peach and spice flavors, all backed by bright acidity. Balanced, leaving a chalky, even tannic impression on the long finish. Best from 2021 through 2029. 30 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSIf you like bold dry whites, then try this. Quite a tannic white Burgundy, but with richness that has a very positive impact on the wine. Plenty of citrus, plus some hazelnut and chalky character. Some real drive at the finish that promises a long life. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSIt’s always interesting to compare and contrast Albert Bichot’s Clos des Mouches white with the one from Joseph Drouhin, as this comes from a slightly higher parcel on the slope. The oak is a little more clamorous here and needs more time to integrate, but this is tauter and crunchier with a little less in terms of mid-palate weight. Drinking Window 2020 - 2024.Decanter | 92 DEC(Domaine du Pavillon (Pommard) - Domaines Albert Bichot Beaune "Clos des Mouches" 1er Cru White) An overtly floral nose offers up notes of pearl, apple and citrus where the latter can also be found on the round, delicious and once again generously proportioned medium-bodied flavors that deliver perfectly good if not truly distinguished depth though I do like the length. Note that my rating once again offers the benefit of the doubt that more complexity will develop if this is allowed a few years of cellar time. (Drink starting 2022)Burghound | 90 BH

A relatively recent estate - Celine’s father is Jean-Marc Brocard, whilst Frederic worked at Domaine Durup. A classy Vosgros with ripeness of stone fruit allied to an intriguing fennel/herb character on the palate. Fleshy, with plenty of warmth from the vintage, this is married with a tangy, flinty finish. A fine Premier Cru, drinkable already and with good concentration for further ageing. Drinking Window 2022 - 2028.Decanter | 93 DECApple, lemon, buttermilk and yeast all show on this wine’s funky nose. The palate unites these notions on a buffered, concentrated, chalky and lemony body that has subtle depth. The wine is smooth, fresh and understated.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

Subtly smoky and thrilling in minerality, this pure-fruited, lemon-scented Chablis highlights white peach and lime flavors etched by limestone and chalk. Despite a hot vintage, it’s a classic, cooling expression of Mont de Milieu vinified entirely in stainless steel. It’s at peak from 2023 to 2035 but the wine should hold longer still.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2019 Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru has a clean, Alpine-scented bouquet that displays fine mineralité and tension. In the mouth, it’s fresh, vibrant and quite spicy on the midpalate, leading into an engaging, intense finish. This is a superb Mont de Milieu that should age with style. A Chablis with pedigree.Vinous Media | 93 VMMore depth and resolve on the nose here, with a deeper hue in the glass and some intriguing spice and woody notes on the palate. Good concentration with some refreshing citric acidity to finish. This shows the combination of ripeness and stony minerality which makes Mont de Milieu one of the leading Premier Crus. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2027Decanter | 92 DEC

The 2019 Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru has an attractive nose, more extrovert than others from this climat, displaying scents of yellow plum, pressed white flower, crushed rock and subtle Granny Smith apple. The palate is clean and fresh, a dab of bitter lemon on the entry combining neatly with the silver bead of acidity. Quite tensile toward the finish, which lingers in the mouth. This may warrant a higher score with bottle age. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

Old vines grown on a warm, exposed slope (important in Chablis) give this wine its richness and textured concentration. Ripe apple and tangy lime flavors complement a tight edge that will soften as the wine matures. Drink from 2023. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEDomaine Laroche traces its beginnings back to AD867. This high-quality example of Premier Cru Chablis Vieilles Vignes shows purity of fruit, density of flavour and some subtle, judicious, oak maturation adding some extra layers of complexity. With a mineral aftertaste, this also has intriguing hints of honey and lemon curd on the nose and palate. Drinking Window 2022 - 2028.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes unwinds in the glass with aromas of green orchard fruit, pastry cream, fresh bread and light reduction. Medium to full-bodied, ample and saline, it’s bright and chiseled, with a classically Chablisien tang.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Chablis Les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru has a crisp nose of Granny Smith apples, freshly sliced Nashi pear, wild fennel, green olives and touches of crushed limestone. The palate is fresh and crisp on the entry, demonstrating admirable weight. A little viscosity toward the finish betrays the warmth of the summer, yet the acidity keeps it fresh and tensile. Delicious.Vinous Media | 91 VMAn inflection of green herbs and green fruit marks this round, lively white, with apple, yellow plum and earth notes completing the profile. Excellent length. Drink now through 2025. 1,500 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Firm reduction and a whiff of oak dominate the nose at present. Much more interesting are the beautifully textured, racy and detailed medium weight flavors that also possess a highly sophisticated mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the bitter zest-inflected finish that goes on and on. This is terrific and easily delivers grand cru quality.Burghound | 94-96 BHMid lemon colour. As always, the bouquet rises above the others. I feel the need to keep on sniffing this! Brings a smile to the face. The 2021 Domaine Leflaive Pucelles offers such a complex mix of fruits, fresh apricot along with a mix of quality citrus, good density but above all a stylishness that expresses itself in a hugely long finish. Perfect balance with a lifted fresh elegance at the finish. This may yet earn a fifth star later in life. Drink from 2027-2035.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JMThe 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru has a crisp, petrichor and green apple-scented bouquet, tight at first but opening up nicely with aeration. The palate is fresh and crisp with a subtle reduction at play, fine depth, lightly spiced with stem ginger and a dab of lemongrass towards the finish. This should drink nicely over the next decade.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

Restrained and with notable concentration, this is an intense premier cru with great potential. Notes of peach fruit cut with zesty lime citrus. Very fine. From 68-year-old vines on very dense, white clay soils which are like concrete when dry, heavy when wet.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2022 Chablis Butteaux Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru comes from vines around 70 years old, only slightly older than the regular cuvée, but on different soils (white clay rather than brown with high fossil content). It is usually bottled slightly later. The nose is a little more expressive with hints of red cherries and peach skin - very well defined. The palate is well-balanced with more harmony than the regular cuvée, a crisp line of acidity and touches of oyster shell on the saline finish. Great persistence here. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMSmall millerand crop that ripened early. Pale in colour without too much nose. Nicely balanced on the palate though, a more tightly knit white fruit than the regular bottling, with a little lemon zest, and a balanced long finish. Picked at the right moment I suspect. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JMThis is similar to the regular cuvée except that it seems ever-so-slightly riper. By contrast, there is better concentration and power to the medium-bodied flavors and, somewhat unusually, the mouthfeel is finer as well, particularly on the more complex if also more austere finale. Lovely.Burghound | 90-93 BH

Cool, fresh and lively, yet the brisk acidity provides a great counterfoil for some succulent, juicy and ripe fruit. Clear Chablis origin, with the focus and intensity on the palate. This should have a long drinking window and is a very classy example, marrying the warmth of 2022 and the density of the premier cru.Decanter | 94 DEC

The 2022 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has a complex bouquet with touches of white peach and a muscat-like scent, very focused and seductive. The palate conveys energy and vigor with citrus fruit and hints of orange zest towards the persistent finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

The 2022 Chablis Vosgros 1er Cru, which is already in bottle, has a harmonious bouquet with fleeting lime, wet stone and a touch of citrus peel. Nicely detailed. The palate is sapid on the entry, with plenty of oyster shell/marine notes and a classically styled, almost "mean" finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92 VMDroin explains that although Vosgros is technically a left bank premier cru, it faces the same way as the top right bank climats. Although with a direct southwesterly exposition, the vines are located in a very cold valley. More restraint here, good density, but a little less of a mineral thread.Decanter | 91 DEC

Shows richness and ripeness on the palate, countered by pretty strident acidity. Not quite at its best at the moment and likely needs 12 months in bottle. Should then open out and be a fine example.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2022 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru, matured in foudres, offers a touch of white chocolate interwoven in the citrus fruit, a subtle yeasty, bready note surfacing with time. The palate is well-balanced with lime and Granny Smiths on the entry, the foudres imparting underlying sweetness, candied orange peel and apricot towards the pretty finish. Enjoy this over the next decade.Vinous Media | 91 VMHere the cool and beautifully layered nose makes clear that it could be from nowhere else but Chablis with its array of oyster shell, brine, acacia blossom and Granny Smith apples. There is excellent punch to the classy medium weight flavors that brim with minerality on the youthfully austere and solidly persistent finale. This is perhaps not quite as refined as a classic MdT, indeed it’s borderline tannic, yet I suspect it will round out with a few years of bottle aging, in fact it will need at least some patience.Burghound | 90-93 BH

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 DECDiscreet if still noticeable hints of the exotic can be found on the ripe aromas of white and yellow peach, mango, citrus confit and a light touch of iodine. The middleweight flavors possess very good volume and richness allied with solid energy on the bitter lemon-suffused, balanced and sneaky long finale. While this delicious effort could use better depth, the underlying material appears up to the task if given a chance.Burghound | 90 BHThere is a fresh lime note in the otherwise pale colour. A lighter nose than some, less intensively Chablis, then a very fresh attack. The 2022 Brocard Fourchaume is no more than medium bodied, quite incisive, with medium concentration. Drink from 2026-2031. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 90-92 JM

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