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This is considered to be among the greatest vintages ever made in Montrose, right up with the 1929, 1945, 1947, 1959, 1961, 1989, 1990 and 2009. Harvest was October 15 to 17. The wine has really come on since I last tasted it, and it needs at least another 10 years of cellaring. The blend was 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine is opaque black/blue, with an incredible nose of blueberry and blackberry liqueur, with hints of incense, licorice, and acacia flowers. Tannins are incredibly sweet and very present. The wine is full-bodied, even massive, with great purity, depth and a finish that goes on close to a minute. This is a 50- to 75-year-old wine that will repay handsomely those with good aging genes. (Note: The Chateau Montrose website gives an aging potential of 2020-2100.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe 2010 Montrose is insanely beautiful. A vivid, eternal wine, the 2010 dazzles right out of the gate with its explosive energy. Soaring floral and mineral notes are immediately captivating on the bouquet. All that carries through to the palate, where the wine is dense and expansive. Readers lucky enough to own it should be thrilled. This really benefits from aeration. What a wine! Vinous Media | 100 VM...the 2010 Château Montrose is an undeniably great wine that has everything you could want from this terroir...rocking levels of cassis, graphite, spring flowers, crushed stone, and spicy leather. Full-bodied, incredibly pure, and balanced, it has a seamless mouthfeel, tons of ripe tannins, and a gorgeous, layered finish. It’s a riveting, multi-dimensional Montrose that ranks with the true greats of the vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2010 Montrose is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, warm cassis, and licorice, followed by hints of mocha, tapenade, crushed rocks, and cast-iron pan. The full-bodied palate has a formidable structure of very firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the voluptuous black fruit and mineral layers, finishing long, long, long.The Wine Independent | 100 TWIFabulous inky rich depths to the colour here, and right off the nose you feel it enticing you in. Spice is evident, as are the ripples of muscles and walls. This is in the Lynch Bages school of not being ready yet, the tannins are still fully standing to attention. Fruit is dark, tight, hiding its fleshier side for now, and it is extremely clear that this is a vintage with ambition and no intention of going anywhere for many decades. A great wine, needs to be opened for five to six hours if drinking soon, but my suggestion would be to put it away for another three or four years at least. Drinking Window 2022 - 2050Decanter | 98 DECRock solid, displaying a dense core of plum, steeped currant and braised fig fruit, with racy charcoal and ganache notes. Intensely chalky, offering flesh and refinement to match the bracing minerality, this shows hints of grilled savory, iron, warm paving stone and bitter orange on the riveting finish. Should age very slowly. Best from 2019 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 97 WSA perfumed and pure Montrose, with lots of currants, berries and spices that evolve to chocolate and light coffee. Full body, with super racy tannins and bright and clean finish. Very fine and structured. A balance and freshness to it all as well as beautiful form and tension. Try in 2018.James Suckling | 97 JSThis is such an elegant wine that has all the structure of the vintage. Surrounding the tannins, the wine is sweet and ripe, with smokiness from the wood. It’s powerful, elegant and sophisticated with a strong sense of poise. The tannins promise long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE(Château Montrose) The 2010 Montrose is another very, very good example of the vintage, but I suspect it will always have to live in the long shadow of the 2008 and 2009 wines from this estate. The wine is probably a tad riper than the 2009, as it weighs in at 13.6 percent, and at this very early date, it seems to have lost just a touch of focus and delineation at this slightly higher octane level. The bouquet is certainly deep and impressively complex out of the blocks, as it offers up scents of sweet cassis, dark berries, Cuban cigar ash, espresso, gravel, lead pencil and a bit of singed earth. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and truly massive in shape, with impeccable balance, a superb core, very substantial, but well-integrated tannins, tangy acids and outstanding length and grip on the powerful finish. There is a fine spine of minerality in the 2010 Montrose that promises very fine evolution on into the future, but the ripeness here seems to have taken just a touch of backend lift away from the wine in this vintage. It is a very good wine, and it may prove that after it has fifteen or twenty years of bottle age on it, I will have underrated it a bit. But at this stage, as good as the 2010 Montrose is, I would rather own the superb 2008 or 2009 vintages from this great estate. (Drink between 2027-2100)John Gilman | 93+ JG

A wine of noble bearing and exceptional beauty, the 2010 Mouton Rothschild is a flat-out stunner. The aromatics alone are beguiling. On the palate, the wine is every bit as thrilling, with myriad layers of flavor that continue to open up in the glass. Graphite, gravel, smoke, plum, black cherry and savory herbs are all strikingly delineated throughout. Vivid and crystalline, the 2010 is a jewel of a wine, but it is impossibly young now. Readers who can be patient will be treated to a fabulous wine. Today, the 2010 reminds me of a more civilized version of the 1986. The 2010 is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon (the highest amount of Cabernet ever here). Dollops of Merlot round out the blend. Harvest took place between September 29 and October 13.Antonio Galloni | 100 AGSmoked grilled tar on the nose, it feels both very 2010 and supremely Mouton - accomplished and confident. A more glamorous, enticing edge than the other Pauillac Firsts at this 10 year window. There are plentiful tannins but they are lined with air, and the overall feel is of plush, plumped fruits, like being rolled-up in luxurious sheets. It is very different in character to the other two Pauillac Firsts, but no less enjoyable. It feels higher in alcohol, more Cos than Lafite in terms of personality, in the way that Pichon Baron is more Latour than Comtesse, but it is nuanced and clever and surprising. Drinking Window 2025 - 2050Decanter | 100 DECClearly a perfect wine that shows incredible depth of fruit with currants, dark chocolate, minerals and licorice. Full-bodied, tight and wound up with ripe tannins that let go and seduce you. Makes me want to drink it now. But this is a wine for the long term. Extraordinary. 94% cabernet sauvignon. Better in 2020.James Suckling | 100 JSThis remains the stunner, a battleship of a wine, brimming with cassis, blackberry and fig fruit that has melded together now, with the backdrop of alder, bay leaf and menthol starting to emerge a bit more. The long finish is loaded with grip, pulling the fruit and other components together. And then there’s that flash of iron at the very end. Awesome wine.--Non-blind Mouton-Rothschild vertical (March 2017). Best from 2025 through 2060.Wine Spectator | 99 WSOnly 49% of the production made it into the 2010 Mouton Rothschild, which has a strikingly beautiful label by Jeffrey Koons. This is a truly great wine, with a very high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (94%) and the other 6% Merlot. At 13.9% natural alcohol, Mouton’s director, Philippe Dhalluin, has clearly produced another 50- to 60-year wine that has a chance at perfection in about 15 years time, when I suspect this wine will be rounding into drinking condition. It is dense, rich and full-bodied, with the classic Mouton creme de cassis, forest floor, licorice and floral notes, but also some blueberry and hints of subtle espresso and mulberry. The wine has more minerality and precision than the rich, extravagantly opulent 2009, and while that may please some, others will have their patience tested as they wait and wait for this compelling Mouton Rothschild to hit full maturity.Robert Parker | 98+ RPA dense, smooth and opulent wine bursting with ripe Cabernet Sauvignon flavors. It’s regal and well structured, balancing the natural exuberance of Mouton with a more severe side. This is a wine with power, yet not without its charms from the fruitiness and final acidity. This great wine will age many, many years.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WE(Château Mouton-Rothschild) Prior to my visit to Mouton at the end of my trip, I had heard from several sources that this was a top-notch vintage for this great estate. Having now tasted the wine, I would have to say that such an assessment included more than a bit of wishful thinking, as the 2010 Mouton has not managed to carry its fourteen percent alcoholic ripeness without sacrificing precision on both the nose and palate. The wine offers up a ripe and fairly complex bouquet of black cherries, black raspberries, coffee bean, cigar smoke, soil and lead pencil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite broad-shouldered, with a rock solid core of ripe fruit, very firm, but well-integrated tannins and a long, slightly blurry finish. The harmony of acids, ripe fruit and firm tannins here are much better than in any of the other wines in the Mouton stable this year, but 2010 is a vintage where the strident ripeness has been very hard to harness and provide a wine with the customary focus and delineation that is almost taken for granted at Mouton-Rothschild. This is a good wine, but decidedly not a great vintage for Mouton. It may improve over the course of its elevage and eventually place at the higher end of this scoring range, but it is hardly a legend in the making. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 87-91+ JG

The 2010 Palmer is one of the superstars of the vintage, a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, which is just slightly different than what I indicated two years ago. The alcohol level hit 14.5%, and the wine comes across like a more stacked-and-packed version of their 2000. It is tannic and backward, but has a sensational black/purple color and a gorgeous nose of camphor, barbecue smoke, blackberry and cassis. Full-bodied, with oodles of glycerin but a relatively healthy pH, this wine has a precision and freshness that belie its lofty alcohol and extravagant concentration. This is a sensationally rich, full-throttle Palmer that could well end up being one of the all-time great wines made at this estate. It needs a good 7-10 years of cellaring and should keep for 50 or more years.There’s no question that Thomas Duroux and the staff at Palmer are producing wines of first-growth quality, and have been for nearly a decade.Robert Parker | 98+ RPOne of the great years of Bordeaux now at 10 years old and showing why this is such an unusual vintage in terms of the depth of structure and muscular concentration that was achieved. In fact, I am upping the drinking window from the last time I tasted this, as there is such a pulse of life and grip that shows no signs of going anywhere. The initial layers are starting to be peeled back, but this retains primary black and blue fruits that are still full of flesh alongside baked earth, tons of liquorice and black chocolate with a grippy tannic structure, fresh acidities and a serious attitude. Brilliant stuff, that is clearly going to power on for decades. Harvest September 22 to October 20. Drinking Window 2022 - 2048.Decanter | 98 DECA purity of fruit here with plum and dark chocolate undertones. Spices and treacle tart as well. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a long, long finish. Very fine indeed. Fit, fruity and reserved. Superb. Try in 2020.James Suckling | 98 JSWhile outwardly this wine is generous and opulent with great juicy sweetness, the core is structured and powerful. The wine is concentrated and complex, with dark tannins and a brooding, dense texture. This is a wine with a long-lived future.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2010 Palmer has an outgoing, intense and multifaceted bouquet with black cherries, boysenberry, crushed violets and hints of cassis - your quintessential Margaux turned up to eleven. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Headier than its Margaux peers, it builds in the mouth with a complex, marine-tinged finish with cracked black pepper lingering on the aftertaste. This is an outstanding Palmer but it needs more time in bottle. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMThis is riveting, with terrific tarry grip coursing underneath layers of smoldering bay leaf, warm plum confiture, freshly brewed espresso, dark cassis and well-steeped black tea. The charcoal and tobacco backdrop is gorgeous and should move forward through the core of fruit over time. Be patient though, as the structure is ironclad. This will really be electric once mature. Best from 2017 through 2040. 8,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS(Château Palmer) The 2010 Château Palmer is a quite powerful rendition of this fine estate, but without any signs of the ripeness here obscuring any of the potential purity that makes this great estate so beloved by claret fans the world over. My notes do not include the alcohol level on the grand vin this year (which was also absent from the technical sheet handed out by the estate), but the literature from Palmer this year does observe that “although the alcoholic degree is very high, like in 2009, the acidity and tannic concentration are greater (than 2009), making for wines with an extremely solid foundation.” Given a cépage in 2010 that is comprised of fifty-four percent merlot, forty percent cabernet sauvignon and six percent petit verdot, one has to assume that the alcohol level is in the range of 14.5 percent in this vintage. But the wine shows no ill effects from this level of ripeness, as it offers up a superb nose of black cherries, blackberries, coffee bean, tobacco smoke, gravel and a suave base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite powerful for Palmer, with a rock solid core of fruit, very good focus and balance, substantial, but well-integrated tannins and excellent length and grip on the tangy finish. Stylistically, this will probably never be my favorite vintage at Palmer, as I tend to prefer this wine when it is at its most elegant, but there is no denying that the 2010 is beautifully-made and does show extraordinary purity and focus for such a broad-shouldered wine. (Drink between 2025-2100)John Gilman | 95 JG

The harvest at Petrus took place between September 27 and October 12, and the 2010 finished at 14.1% natural alcohol, which is slightly lower than the 2009’s 14.5%. The 2010 reminds me somewhat of the pre-1975 vintages of Petrus, a monster-in-the-making, with loads of mulberry, coffee, licorice and black cherry notes with an overlay of enormous amounts of glycerin and depth. Stunningly rich, full-bodied and more tannic and classic than the 2009, this is an awesome Petrus, but probably needs to be forgotten for 8-10 years. It should last at least another 50 or more.Someone told me recently that Petrus had a second wine, so I asked Olivier Berrouet, their young, talented administrator, whether that was true, and he flatly denied it, so if any Asian wine buyers are running across second wines of Petrus in Hong Kong or on mainland China, be warned – they are not genuine. Proprietor Jean Moueix, who I believe is in his late twenties, has taken over for his father, Jean-Francois, who has largely retired, and the younger Moueix has really pushed quality even higher at this renowned estate. Anyone visiting Pomerol would have undoubtedly noticed the renovations at Petrus, as it was once one of the most modest and humble buildings in the appellation. Moreover, I suspect that multi-millionaire/billionaire collectors will have about 50 years to debate over which vintage of Petrus turns out better, the 2009 or 2010. In a perfect world, most people would love to have a few bottles of each, or at least the opportunity to taste them once in a while, as they have become more of a myth than something real, but these wines do, in fact, exist!Robert Parker | 100 RPThis a Petrus with extraordinary balance and depth. It shows such elegance in the nose with complexity of black olives, dark fruits, and flowers. The palate is full and ultra-velvety yet there is a cashmere quality to the texture. It takes your breath away. There’s almost a Burgundian quality in the mouthfeel meaning it takes you deep into the soil and captivates your attention. Greatest modern vintage of Petrus ever? Try after 2018.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 2010 Petrus has an extraordinary bouquet, ineffably complex with brambly red fruit, sous-bois, dried blood and wild mint aromas that unfurl magically from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fleshy and generous, yet amazingly controlled with such tension and grace on the silky smooth finish. This is a fantastic Petrus, one of the greatest in recent years. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 98 VMMaybe surprising to see a Pomerol that is so well-built that it is not anywhere near ready even at 10 years old, but this is Pétrus, a place that writes its own rules. The brushed silk exuberance is there, but hidden underneath a still-pulsating wall of tannins. You expect this level of concentration in Pauillac, so it is more of a surprise on the Right Bank, but here you are in no doubt that 2010 is an intellectual, demanding vintage that needs to be given time. You need to look to 2009 Pétrus to begin enjoying any time soon - this is structured, full of dark fruits, structured, savagely built, out to impress. Drinking Window 2025 - 2050Decanter | 98 DECThis feels dense and unyielding now, with loads of grip supporting a dark, muscular and very backward core of bay leaf, tobacco, plum, blackberry and fig notes. Powerful, fresh and racy, with a tarry edge adding vivacity and drive to the lengthy, raspberry-dominated finish. The raspberry spine seems destined to win out after extended cellaring. Best from 2017 through 2035. 2,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSHugely full-bodied wine, with the ripest fruit, black plum juice and spice. The tannins are very dense, balanced of course with acidity. The end is beautiful, structured.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE(Château Pétrus) The 2010 Château Pétrus is one of the two top wines of the vintage on the Right Bank, but it is not quite in the same celestial league as the magical 2009 vintage here. The wine is very ripe at 14.5 percent, but shows no signs of overripeness in its powerful aromatic blend of black cherries, plums, tobacco smoke, a touch of black olive, lovely soil tones and a discreet base of new oak. The team at Château Pétrus once again used only fifty percent new wood for the 2010- an example that I wish more of the top estates would follow. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and powerful, with ripe, substantial tannins, a rock solid core of fruit, great focus and superb length and grip on the very well-balanced and pure finish. Given the octane level here, it is rather amazing how well this wine has retained its precision, but I have little doubt that Monsieur Berrouet would like nothing better than to always end up with a Pétrus under fourteen percent in alcohol. A very, very good result that underscores just how difficult it was this year on the Right Bank to manage alcohol levels. (Drink between 2025-2100)John Gilman | 95+ JG

The 2011 Richebourg from Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat is another absolutely stellar example of the vintage, and this wine too has really benefited to my palate from the diminution of its new wood percentage. The reserved and very classy nose wafts from the glass in a blend of red plums, cherries, gamebirds, a touch of nutskin, a beautiful base of soil, citrus zest and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and again, very pure, with a superb core, ripe, suave tannins, very fine acidity and excellent focus and grip on the soil-driven, very long and perfectly balanced finish. A young Richebourg fully worthy of the exalted reputation of this cru. (Drink between 2025 - 2075)John Gilman | 96 JGHere the equally broad ranging nose is actually similar to that of the Romanée St. Vivant but it’s both cooler and even more restrained with a bit more floral influence as well. The intensely mineral-driven broad-shouldered flavors are an exercise in refinement with tremendous depth of material that pushes the very firm tannic spine to the background on the palate staining, explosive and stunningly precise finish. This is perhaps on the lighter side in the context of the appellation but the laser-like focus and persistence is easily of grand cru caliber.Burghound | 94 BH(totally destemmed): Bright medium red. Pure but subdued aromas of strawberry and crushed stone lifted by an exotic floral note; like a number of these 2011s, this shows some very ripe notes. Sappy, dense and saline, showing surprising energy for its level of ripeness. Finishes very long, with noble tannins and more spine than the RSV. Charles van Canneyt, who prefers the estate’s 2012s to the 2011s, noted that he has been changing his style by vinifying with a portion of whole clusters, which he thinks contributes more life and verve. He started doing some vendange entier in 2011 but moved more seriously in that direction in 2012.Vinous Media | 93 VM

I have always been a very big fan of the Romanée-St.-Vivant from Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat, but now that the new wood here has been reduced to fifty percent, the expression of the underlying, magical terroir of this great grand cru has really jumped to the fore. I wish other owners of RSV could take their cue from this domaine, as it seems to me if there was ever a terroir in Vosne-Romanée that begged for smaller percentages of new wood, it is RSV. The 2011 version from Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat is stunning, offering up a beautiful nose of sappy raspberries and cherries, Vosne spice tones, a touch of woodsmoke, great minerality, cedar and a pungent topnote of roses. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, strikingly pure and rock solid at the core, with a lovely sappiness and transparency, ripe tannins and a very long, tangy and still quite primary finish. This will be a great, great wine in the fullness of time. (Drink between 2024 - 2075)John Gilman | 96 JGThe 2011 Romanée Saint-Vivant Grand Cru was just about to enter its drinking plateau. Gentle and leafy on the nose, there is a sense of rusticity here that complements the broody red berry fruit, almost Richebourg-like after five to ten minutes in the glass. The palate is finely balanced with tart red cherry fruit infused with sous-bois. I like the bitter edge that comes through on the finish, an approachable grand cru that is probably not going to be the longest lasting of the domaine’s wines but will give much pleasure over the next 12-15 years. Tasted November 2016.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPMedium red. Very ripe, slightly exotic aromas of raspberry, mocha and underbrush. Highly concentrated and deep; opulent and lightly saline but a bit sullen today. Most impressive right now on the very long, slowly mounting finish, which really camps out on the palate. Vinified with 20% whole clusters but I never would have guessed it from this sample.Vinous Media | 92+ VMAn appealingly fresh nose combines various spice elements that include a prominent herbal tea character along with hoisin, red currant, plum and violet scents. There is a fleshy yet precise character to the brilliantly detailed and lilting flavors that are akin to pure silk on the palate, all wrapped in a gorgeously persistent finish. This is certainly very pretty yet it hasn’t developed the depth that I originally imagined that it would and I have lowered my score accordingly. To be fair, this has not yet peaked yet it’s not so far away from its apex that I have difficulty seeing quite that much improvement in such a short period of time. I would further note that there is noticeable gas on the finish so I would suggest giving this a thorough aeration first. Tasted twice in the last year with consistent notes.Burghound | 91 BH

The 2011 Ermitage l’Ermite is a killer Hermitage that offers a huge bouquet of thick crème de cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as the classic minerality, graphite, and licorice notes this cuvée always shows. Full-bodied, dense, and concentrated on the palate, it’s a glorious effort that’s still moderately backward and tannic yet is just now starting to round the corner. It’s going to be very long lived, especially for a 2011.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe opaque black/purple-tinged 2011 Ermitage l’Ermite offers a combination of crushed stones, creme de cassis, blackberry liqueur, barbecue smoke and roasted meats. It is a powerful, slightly austere, backward effort that will need 5-6 years of bottle age after its release next year. It may turn out to be a 30-50-year wine in a vintage that made relatively forward wines. In that sense, it is an outlier in this vintage.Robert Parker | 95-98 RPOpaque ruby. An explosively perfumed bouquet features blackberry, cassis, cola, potpourri and smoky Indian spices. Broad, concentrated and alluringly sweet, with pliant dark fruit and violet pastille flavors showing wonderful depth as well as purity and vivacity. Bright mineral and spice notes accent the long, penetrating finish, which is firmed by silky, harmonious tannins.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2012 Richebourg was just a touch reduced at the time of my visit, but underneath is another legend in the making. The bouquet is a blend of cherries, red plums, cocoa, gamebirds, a very minerally signature of soil, woodsmoke, fresh nutmeg and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very sappy at the core, with stunning depth, fine-grained tannins, superb precision and a very, very long and tangy finish. This is a very elegant and refined vintage of the Hudelot Richebourg and it will be one of the greatest wines ever produced in the long history of this illustrious domaine. (Drink between 2025 - 2075)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2012 Richebourg Grand Cru, which comes from a 0.28-hectare parcel planted in 1950, this year contains 20% whole bunches and the domaine were graced with five barrels. It has a very refined and distinctly aristocratic bouquet adorned with beautifully defined black and red fruits, perhaps leaning towards the former with aeration. Touches of seaweed and tilled earth emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins. It does not have the charm of the RSV at the moment, but there is beguiling structure and symmetry with a long mineral laden finish. Superb.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPBright medium red. Darker and more primary on the nose than the RSV, showing lovely lift to the aromas of dark berries, violet and minerals. Quite tight and high-pitched in the mouth, with strong, ripe acidity accentuating the impression of density. The crop level here was a bit higher than that of the RSV, at 30 hectoliters per hectare, but the wine is still wonderfully sappy, taut and concentrated, not to mention beautifully balanced. Lovely lurking saline minerality here. Lay this one down for a decade.Vinous Media | 94+ VMThere is a whiff of reduction lurking in the background of the otherwise pretty and spicy red and dark berry fruit aromas that include hints of Asian-style tea, cinnamon and sandalwood. The middle weight flavors possess a sleek and nicely intense mouth feel along with good detail on the lightly stony, delicious and sneaky long finale. For my taste, while this solidly powerful effort could certainly be enjoyed now, there remains enough upside development potential to warrant holding it for another 5 to 8 years. Lovely and fashioned in an understated style.Burghound | 94 BH

There are three barrels of the 2012 Romanee-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru from 75-year old vines. It has a fragrant bouquet that offers a smorgasbord of red berry fruits and minerals to the point where the new wood in imperceptible. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent, ripe tannins and very well judged acidity. The finish is more linear that other vintages that I have tried from barrel, nicely focused with a touch of spice popping up on the extraordinary long aftertaste.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP(these vines are 75 years old, according to Cathiard): Bright, dark red. Subtle aromas of crushed cherry, minerals and smoke verge on liqueur-like. Then creamy-sweet and superrich in the mouth, delivering outstanding plushness and a seamless texture. This very large-scaled wine boasts terrific volume. Finishes with substantial but firm tannins and lingering notes of sweet raspberry and spicy oak. I wanted a bit more complexity and grip for an even higher score: am I underrating this grand cru today?Vinous Media | 93+ VMA strikingly spicy nose offers up notes composed of essence of red pinot fruit, black currant, violets and sandalwood. In much the same fashion as the En Orveaux this possesses an ultra-refined mouth feel as the shaping tannins are quite fine-grained that could not be more different compared to that of the Malconsorts yet this is perhaps even longer. Even at such a young state of development this is a remarkably harmonious wine of understated grace. Wow.Burghound | 93-96 BH

Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru les Amoureuses from Christophe Roumier was showing just a touch of TCA on the nose. Yet the quality of this Amoureuses was not obscured, particularly on the beautifully structured palate that feels so long and tender. Damn those corks that try to ruin what is a fantastic wine clearly visible underneath.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPBright dark red. Pungent, high-pitched aromas and flavors of crushed raspberry, blood orange, white pepper and smoky minerals; this one has those ineffable high notes only a dog can hear. At once dense and bracing, showing razor-sharp definition and outstanding savory sappiness. This wonderfully taut, fine-grained Amoureueses finishes with almost painful rising length and chewy, utterly palate-staining intensity. Should be a cellar classic.Vinous Media | 96 VMAn exuberantly spicy nose combines both red and black pinot liqueur-like fruit, sandalwood, anise, violets and plum scents. There is a beguiling sense of freshness and energy to the very firmly mineral-inflected medium-bodied flavors that exhibit terrific delineation and outstanding depth on the strikingly long finish. This is the picture of refinement from tip to toe and should also age impressively well. In a word, terrific.Burghound | 96 BHThere are only four barrels this year of this magical elixir, so starting pleading with your Roumier merchant right now! The brilliant, pure and sappy nose delivers an exhilarating blend of black cherries, damsons, cocoa, gamebirds, kaleidoscopic soil tones, violets, a hint of nutskin and just a whisper of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very, very deep and transparent, with a sappy core, supreme elegance, fine-grained tannins and brilliant length and grip on the laser-like finish. A great wine. (Drink between 2025 - 2065)John Gilman | 96+ JGA dense version, marked by black cherry, earth and mint flavors. This features a nice beam of acidity and a tensile frame, ending with a stony accent. Shows a fine sense of place. Racy, firm and long, this gets better with air. Best from 2018 through 2032. 15 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru les Amoureuses from Domaine Robert Groffier was perhaps the biggest, and I should add, pleasant surprise of this marathon tasting. Whereas once I felt the wines could be over-extracted and too alcoholic, here was a wine that exuded elegance, finesse and terroir. It has a well-defined bouquet, raspberry and black berry fruit intermingling with black truffle and sous-bois scents. The palate is very "serious" on the entry, saline on the entry with touches of bitter cherry, brambly black fruit and a little tar. There is certainly very fine structure here and superb balance, although patience will be needed. What a fabulous example of the vintage. Bravo Nicolas Groffier!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP(25% whole clusters): Bright medium red. Deep but reticent aromas of wild red berries, red cherry, cocoa powder and mint. Sweet and plush on entry, then savory and perfumed in the middle, with slightly high-toned raspberry and spice flavors lifted by notes of crushed stone, red licorice and flowers. Boasts considerable volume and density but finishes with a firm edge of acidity and a suggestion of peppery tannins. I would not be surprised if this wine evolved relatively quickly.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky minerality as well as awesome notes of white cherries, orange blossom, caramelized apples, and toasted bread. It shows the ripe, rounded richness of the 2012 vintage yet has bright, racy acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It opens up nicely with air and will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age, and it should evolve for 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThis is a great vintage for Cristal Rosé. The pinot noir finds a band of power and expressiveness. The power here is impressive, very assertive and rich, really mouth-filling and super deep. This is exceptional and has intense, chalky and fresh, white-peach and nectarine aromas, underpinning red flowers and pink fruit. The palate has a scintillating blend of flesh and mineral cut, packed with such sweet, pristine, white-strawberry flavor and texture. This has such incredible potential. So exciting. Will take another two or threw years to resolve. Look out for this! Drink from 2025.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2012 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with a beautiful bouquet of fresh peach, bergamot, strawberries, tangerine and blanched almonds that’s still quite reserved. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and strikingly complete, its vinous attack segueing into a multidimensional core that exemplifies the ideal of power without weight, built around a racy but integrated spine of animating acidity and complemented by an exquisitely refined mousse. All the concentration of the 2012 vintage is on display, but it’s rendered with terrific finesse. Decidedly youthful and introverted—indeed, I spent several hours with a bottle to compose this note—the 2012 will really come into its own with five or six years in the cellar and displays all the attributes necessary for considerable longevity. It’s a blend of 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay that saw no malolactic fermentation, and it was disgorged with eight grams per liter dosage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2012 Cristal Rosé is magnificent. When Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon started to move Roederer towards organically farmed fruit, he started with Cristal Rosé, Roederer’s smallest production cuveé. Because of that, Cristal Rosé is the wine in this range that shows the current Roederer style in its fullest expression. Rich, vivid and crystalline in the glass, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a Champagne of tremendous gravitas. Chalk, white flowers, sweet red berry fruit, mint and blood orange are all beautifully delineated. The 2012 is 55% Pinot from Ay and 45% Chardonnay from Mesnil and Avize. The Pinot fruit gets a 7-10 day cold soak an is the infused into the fermenting Chardonnay musts. Readers who can find the 2012 should not hesitate, as it is truly magical. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.Antonio Galloni | 98+ AG(Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rosé Millésime (Reims)) The 2012 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rosé is a magical wine in the making. It is composed this year of a blend of fifty-six percent pinot noir and forty-four percent chardonnay, with fifteen percent of the vins clairs having been barrel-fermented in this vintage. None of the vins clairs underwent malo this year and the finishing dosage for the 2012 is eight grams per liter. The wine is superb and just a bit more accessible out of the blocks than the regular 2012 Cristal, wafting from the glass in a very refined constellation of apple, white peach, gentle smokiness, chalky soil tones, a nice touch of fresh-baked bread, caraway seed, incipient smokiness and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, racy and bottomless at the core, with lovely mineral drive, refined mousse, impeccable focus and grip and a very, very long, very pure and nascently complex finish. This is not quite as buttoned up behind its girdle of acidity as the regular 2012 Cristal, but it is by no means ready for primetime drinking and still needs a minimum of eight to ten years in the cellar to really unfold. Great juice. (Drink between 2027-2080).John Gilman | 98 JGNo written review provided. | 98 W&SYears in the making, this is the first fully biodynamic Cristal rosé. The very fine 2012 vintage is a good starting point for this new era. The Champagne is just right, beautifully rich and showing some maturity while also having tension and crispness from the golden-apple and spice flavors. The wine could be drunk now but its future is assured. Organic and biodynamic. Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEAn elegant rosé Champagne, starting quietly with a subtle range of white cherry, Marcona almond, pink grapefruit zest and saffron flavors that gain momentum and volume as they expand, gliding across the palate’s fine, raw silk–like texture. This is mouthwatering and minerally, the symphony concluding with accents of oyster shell and chalk that echo on the finish. Drink now through 2032.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Tasted blind at the 2012 Southwold tasting, the 2012 Château Margaux has a taut, linear, pencil lead-infused bouquet with pure blackberry and boysenberry scents, an undercurrent of tobacco that surfaces after five minutes in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, a life-affirming sense of balance with well-integrated new oak towards the finish. I concur with Robert Parker that his has become more structured and masculine in bottle, yet there is pedigree here from start to finish, a sense of effortlessness that is seductive. This is a top-class wine from the late Paul Pontallier and his team. Tasted January 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 96 RP-NMBy Margaux standards not a big wine, but beautifully perfumed. Finesse and length on the palate that’s unmatched by any other property in the Médoc in 2012. Making 34% grand vin of a small crop with 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, the team at Margaux read this vintage right, doing something they can do better than anyone else.Decanter | 96 DECBay leaf and menthol hints lift a core of crushed plum and warm cherry confiture notes while the background fills steadily with black tea, singed alder and iron elements. Turns a little darker on the finish, with a coating of bittersweet cocoa powder and roasted vanilla bean accents, while the minerality stays buried for now. Remarkably dense and packed, yet refined. Needs some time to unwind. Best from 2018 through 2030. 10,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThis elegant wine is very much in the classic style of Margaux. Although the wood is still showing, the wine has fresh black currant fruits along with an underlying firm, long-lived tannic structure. The aftertaste with its dryness and acidity confirms that. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEWonderful aromas of flowers such as roses, violets, strawberries and a hints of wet earth. Wet stones as well. Full to medium body, very firm tannins and a long, racy finish. Minerals and chalk on the aftertaste. Needs three to five years to soften. Better in 2020.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2012 Château Margaux has a refined bouquet with blackberry, briary, light cedar scents and a touch of leather. Not quite as well-defined as its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, though not amazingly complex, and at this level, I would have expected more weight on the finish. This is a fine Château Margaux and yet it deprived the concentration and complexity of a top vintage and is challenged by its peers. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index’s Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 92 VM(Château Margaux) The 2012 Château Margaux was made up of only thirty-four percent of the crop this year, with fully eighty-seven percent of the blend comprised of cabernet sauvignon, and the balance a mix of ten percent merlot, two percent cabernet franc and one percent petit verdot for good measure. The yields here were thirty-nine hectoliters per hectare and the wine tips the scales at an utterly classic thirteen percent alcohol. So why is this wine so unmoving? Paul Pontallier waxed eloquently for quite some time about how much he likes the 2012 Margaux, but I was left with the impression that this is a wine which is very much crafted in the cellar, rather than born in the vineyards, and I long for something more here these days. The cool and reserved nose offers up scents of mulberry, cassis, tobacco leaf, cigar smoke, lovely gravelly soil tones, cigar smoke and a suave base of spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and tightly-knit, with a polished attack, a fine core and a fair bit of chewy tannin perking up the long and beautifully focused finish. All of the constituent components here tell my brain I should like this wine a lot more than I do, but it just seems to be missing that spark and the whole does not seem greater than the sum of its parts in 2012. This is a very well-made wine that is just a bit overly slick for me. (Drink between 2023-2055).John Gilman | 91+ JG

The 2013 Romanée Saint Vivant Grand Cru has a gorgeous bouquet with vibrant red berry fruit, wilted rose petals, a touch of lavender coming through with time. There is real vigor and generosity here. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a firm structure. There is wonderful depth and body that forms the foundation of this wine, coming across a little more masculine than the 2014, exerting a firm grip with a slightly curmudgeonly finish that just needs time to mellow. This is excellent.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2013 Romanée-St.-Vivant from Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat was another late malo finisher and the wine was still on the grumpy side at the time of my visit, with a fairly expressive nose currently coupled to an out of sorts palate impression, but this will clearly be outstanding. The bouquet offers up a fabulous constellation of raspberries, cherries, blood orange, beautiful spice tones, lavender, complex soil nuances, fresh nutmeg and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and quite poised (despite its grumpy nature at the time of my visit), with fine mid-palate depth, nascently complexity, ripe tannins and superb length and grip on the tangy finish. This is going to be very, very special when it reaches its zenith. (Drink between 2025 - 2075)John Gilman | 95-97 JGDeep red with ruby highlights. Sexy aromas and flavors of primary dark berries, black raspberry and cocoa powder complicated by spicy oak tones. Thick yet lively on entry; a youthfully imploded but utterly seamless wine with outstanding energy and depth. For all its density, this tactile, saline wine shows a magically light touch. Really builds and lingers on the superb rising finish, which features noble tannins. Still a baby, this grand cru has a great future.Vinous Media | 94+ VMRelative to the expressive example that I originally reviewed, this has begun to shut down and the nose is now brooding and only grudgingly gives up its spiced aromas of plum, dark currant and violets that are trimmed in hints of Asian-style tea and sandalwood. The sleek and ultra-refined mouth feel adds substantially to the sense of elegance though the balance is slightly impaired due to a tangy finish that is mildly lean and drying. This is without question quite classy but it’s not without a nit or two.Burghound | 91 BH

The 2013 Clos de Bèze is a magical young wine in the making. The stunning bouquet is a brilliant blend of red and black cherries, black raspberries, exotic spice tones, raw cocoa, lovely meatiness, black minerality, a touch of fresh nutmeg and a very discreet base of cedary new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and almost racy in its tanginess, with a sappy core of black fruit, magnificent complexity, extremely refined tannins, laser-like focus and a very, very long, svelte and intensely flavored finish. Today, this wine is a profound middleweight in profile, but I suspect it is in the process of putting on weight and will be plenty full-bodied when it reaches its summit of brilliance. (Drink between 2025 - 2075)John Gilman | 98 JGA bright and beautiful colour, clear and bright, with a riotously stylish nose. It is not massive in this vintage but all the class is there. Indeed, Rousseau’s Clos de Bèze was hard to spit as the balance is nigh on perfect. Glossy without being vulgar, showing waves of detailed fruit, with admirable precision at the finish. Drink from 2023-2035. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 96 JMSubtle if not invisible wood serves as a backdrop for the mildly reduced nose so again do yourself a favor and decant this if you’re going to crack one before 2020 or so. There is knock-out intensity to the gorgeously textured and mineral-inflected flavors that are imposingly scaled yet there is not even a hint of heaviness on the restrained, delineated and explosively long and mouth coating finale. This is a breathtakingly robust and powerful Bèze that is going to require all of 20 years to reach it zenith.Burghound | 95 BHGood dark red. More closed today than the Clos Saint-Jacques, showing a stronger oak presence to its reticent aromas of dark raspberry, strawberry and blood orange. Then hugely rich, opulent and pliant on the palate if still youthfully reserved. Completely different in shape from the Clos Saint-Jacques, conveying a strong impression of solidity and saline minerality. Finishes with big but ripe, thoroughly integrated tannins. This may not have quite the fruit intensity or verve of the 2014 but it still leaves the salivary glands humming.Vinous Media | 94+ VM

Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru was showing some quality new oak on the nose that still needs to be subsumed. It is tightly coiled but it just needs time because there is freshness, definition and beguiling complexity locked in here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very well judged acidity and clever use of new oak lending body without compromising terroir expression. The finish feels focused and satisfying and the texture leaves you totally seduced. Class, class, class. Tasted September 2016.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPIt has been six years since I last tasted the 2013 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru, when I wrote "Class. Class. Class." I have no need to alter that assessment. With fragrant raspberry, wild strawberry, crushed limestone and flint on the nose, this has a transparency that is a wonder to behold. The palate is beautifully balanced, poised with a fine line of acidity, full of tension with vivid red fruit on the finish that belies the structure underneath. Magnificent. Tasted at a private dinner in Beaune.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe 2013 Ruchottes-Chambertin from Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg is another great example of the vintage. The bouquet delivers and outstanding aromatic constellation of sweet dark berries, cassis, grilled meats, complex soil tones, espresso, woodsmoke, mustard seed and nutty new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very suave and refined on the palate, with a rock solid core, fine-grained tannins and superb backend energy on the very long and utterly classic finish. Great juice. (Drink between 2023 - 2075)John Gilman | 95+ JGA markedly ripe nose presents notes of cassis, plum liqueur, earth, spice and a hint of the sauvage. As it virtually always is this is notably bigger, richer and more powerful than the Feusselottes with its sleekly muscular and equally mineral-driven flavors that possess excellent mid-palate concentration along with impressive depth and length on the youthfully austere finale. This is really lovely juice but note that patience will definitely be required.Burghound | 93 BH

Full, dark red. Captivating rose petal lift to the aromas of red fruits, iron and minerals; less earthy and more ethereal than the Clos de la Roche. Also juicier and tighter in the mouth, showing less early sweetness but terrific acid spine and lift to the sappy flavors of raspberry and salty minerals. This wine has really put on weight since its bottling, noted Diane Snowden. But it still boasts terrific cut and inner-mouth tension. Lay this one down.Vinous Media | 94+ VM(Clos St. Denis- Domaine Dujac) When we started to taste the quite reserved 2013 Clos St. Denis, Jeremy Seysses chuckled, as he observed that “this wine was wide open yesterday and it was the Clos de la Roche that was shut down, and now today, it is the inverse.” In any case, this closed and grumpy wine is clearly going to be just fine in the fullness of time, as with some coaxing it reluctantly reveals an aromatic constellation of cherries, red plums, cloves, herb tones, woodsmoke, gamebirds, superb soil nuances and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and tightly-knit, with a great soil signature, ripe tannins, bright acids and fine length and grip on the closed, but intensely flavored finish. All this needs is time. (Drink between 2023-2060)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe 2013 Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru has a slight reduction on the nose, but underneath that there is a floral note and what appears to be fine minerality. The palate is medium-bodied and takes time to coalesce in the glass, but it eventually finds good structure and an intriguing coconut note on the finish. Quite dense in the mouth, there is an appealing salinity within this Grand Cru, but I would give it 4 or 5 years before broaching a bottle.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93-95 RP-NM(Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis Grand Cru Red) This is both more aromatically restrained and more elegant than the Clos de la Roche with its reluctant nose of rose petal, spiced tea and red and dark berry fruit aromas. There is a really lovely mouth feel to the refined middle weight flavors that exude a discreet bead of minerality that adds a bit of lift to the intense, balanced, focused and beautifully balanced finish. Textbook Clos St. Denis. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 92-95 BH

(13.3% alcohol; picked late): Pale straw-yellow. Aromas of clove, iodine and white flowers are lifted by a note of lemon oil. Hugely concentrated, dense and utterly backward; not showing nearly the detail of the Chevalier-Montrachet in the early going but this is sweeter. Montrachet in the outsized Chassagne body-builder style. Really amazingly rich and massively structured for the vintage, but needs to lose some of its baby fat before it can be properly appreciated.Vinous Media | 94+ VMThe 2013 Montrachet Grand Cru, which comes from the Chassagne side, possesses a very precise bouquet that seems understated when compared to the more hedonistic Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles. This is much more demure, laid-back...nonchalant even. The palate is very precise - there is real detail here with delicate spicy notes furnishing the back end of this Montrachet that just expands toward the finish. I think this is keeping everything up its sleeve at the moment, but you cannot deny the balance and focus here.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93-95 RP-NM(Maison Louis Jadot Montrachet Grand Cru White) This is restrained to the point of being almost mute and only aggressive swirling coaxes aromas of white flowers, freshly sliced citrus, pear, green apple and discreet spice elements to grudgingly emerge. There is seriously good size, weight and punch to the beautifully detailed and notably mineral-driven big-bodied flavors that, like the Corton-Charlemagne, possess a chiseled and explosively long finish that really fans out as it sits on the palate. I very much like the balance and upside development potential here and about the only nit worth mentioning is just a hint of finishing warmth. Still, this should abundantly reward 12 to 15 years of cellaring. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 93-95 BH

The 2014 Richebourg from Charles van Canneyt is stunning, with the elegance and transparency of the vintage finding a perfect dance partner in the depth and succulence of this cru. The superb bouquet wafts from the glass in a blend of red and black plums, cocoa powder, duck, a very complex base of soil tones, woodsmoke, violets and a lovely framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very refined out of the blocks, with a sappy core of fruit, great mineral drive, suave tannins and stunning backend energy on the precise and very, very long and complex finish. A great young example of Richebourg. (Drink between 2025 - 2075)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2014 Richebourg Grand Cru has a fabulous bouquet: complex and profound, quite floral in style with wonderful intensity. The palate is medium-bodied, more masculine than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant and perhaps without quite the same riveting tension and detail. That said, it comes across as extraordinarily fresh and vibrant, with hints of undergrowth and smoke towards the structured and masculine finish. It will need a few years to really settle into its groove, but it will surely evolve into a tremendous Richebourg.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPPerfumed with subtle aromas of raspberry and wild strawberry coupled with nuances of cured meat. A very racy wine with a velvety texture and some sweet spices on the finish.Decanter | 95 DECMedium red Distinctly darker on the nose than the RSV, offering scents of blackberry, boysenberry, violet, smoky minerals and spicy oak Sappy, saline, broad and classically dry; distinctly thicker and more backward than the RSV, with its soil character currently dominating its primary fruits Superb volume here but rather uncompromising today; this wine will need a long time to emerge from its shell Finishes with hints of chocolate and mint The RSV shows more oaky sweetness but this wine is more profound (Incidentally, when I tasted the 2014s from bottle at Hudelot-Noëllat in late 2015, this wine showed more high-toned lift and early personality than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but then Charles van Canneyt has been telling me for years that these two grand crus are constantly "changing their position in the cellar" during their élevageVinous Media | 93+ VMDiscreet but not invisible wood frames the less expressive but similarly spicy nose of fresh and ripe plum, cassis and violet scents that also display a hint of herbal tea. There is outstanding volume and intensity to the lightly mineral-inflected big-bodied flavors that possess very fine depth and length on the well-balanced finale. This is very firmly structured and is going to require at least a decade of cellaring before it will be approachable.Burghound | 93 BH

A rich style, until the firm structure of vibrant acidity and dusty tannins reveals itself, supporting plenty of cherry, black currant, tobacco and mineral flavors. The essence of black currant lingers on an ethereal frame. Best from 2023 through 2042. 56 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WS(Mazy-Chambertin- Domaine Armand Rousseau) The 2014 Rousseau version of Mazy-Chambertin is an absolutely quintessential expression of this fine terroir, wafting from the glass in a black fruity blend of sweet dark berries, black cherries, coffee bean, black minerality, a touch of currant leaf, roasted game and a discreet topnote of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very, very pure on the attack, with great transparency, a lovely core of fruit, ripe tannins and a very, very long, tangy and laser-like finish. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 93 JGThe 2014 Mazy Chambertin Grand Cru saw 10% new oak and a touch of reduction appeared to accentuate that. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. I like the weight here. There is more body and density than the Charmes-Chambertin, though with the same finesse on the lightly spiced finish. Once the aromatics sort themselves out, this will be a very fine Mazy-Chambertin, though the Charmes has more charm.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92-94 RP-NMModerate reduction renders the nose unreadable. On the plus side there is really lovely freshness and energy to the tautly muscular and slightly more concentrated medium weight flavors that culminate in an overtly austere and powerful yet not hard finale that goes on and on. This is really quite serious and note well that it’s not an especially good candidate for early drink.Burghound | 91-94 BH(aged in 10% new oak, but most of the rest of the wine was racked into very young barrels in June): Healthy medium red. Sexy oak notes of coffee, mocha and spices complement dark cherry, berries, red licorice and wild herbs on the nose. Juicy and perfumed in the mouth, conveying an enticing hint of sweetness to the tangy black raspberry, spice, licorice and saline flavors. Finishes with firm, fine-grained tannins and noteworthy aromatic persistence, as well as a touch of roundness from the bit of new oak used for the first time for this cuvée. Previously, this wine has typically been more austere at this stage.Vinous Media | 90-93 VM

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

A restrained, indeed almost mute nose only grudgingly offers up notes of various red berries along with hints of plum, lilac and spice. There is a beguiling mouth feel to the generous yet sleek middle weight flavors that are again shaped by refined tannins before culminating in a youthfully austere finish that is firm, balanced and solidly persistent. This is a first-rate Vosne villages and is also worth considering.Burghound | 90 BHThe 2014 la Colombière had also been racked three weeks before our tasting and this was a bit more reticent in personality after its recent racking. With a little coaxing, the nose eventually offers up quite a complex blend of red plums, raspberries, cocoa, a touch of nuttiness, a good base of soil, duck and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and adolescent, with a good sappy core, fine transparency, ripe, moderate tannins and very good length and grip on the finish. This will be very good. (Drink between 2020 - 2045)John Gilman | 90-91 JGThe 2014 Vosne Romanée les Colombières is blessed with lovely pure fruit on the nose, fuller than some premier crus Vosne-Romanées with impressive fruité. The palate is medium-bodied with a succulent entry, nicely judged acidity and good mineralité. This is a stylish and suave les Colombières with a pleasing saline tang right on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RP

The 2014 Musigny from Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier is going to be one of the wines of the vintage this year. It does not possess the surreal creaminess of the Rousseau Chambertin or Clos de Bèze out of the blocks, but it shares that same bottomless intensity of flavor and magical complexity and it will be a brilliant wine in the fullness of time. The beautiful bouquet offers up scents of red and black cherries, raw cocoa, mustard seed, incipient notes of gamebird, a magically complex base of soil, woodsmoke, roses and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deeper and fuller than the Amoureuses, but every bit as elegant, with a sappy core, stunning transparency, fine-grained tannins and absolutely perfect balance on the very, very long finish. A great bottle of Musigny in the making, but do not go wasting bottles before it has had at least a dozen years’ worth of bottle age. (Drink between 2028 - 2090)John Gilman | 98 JGThe 2014 Musigny Grand Cru is just being released. Wafting from the glass with aromas of rose petals, Egyptian musk, orange rind, peonies, warm spices and red berries, it’s full-bodied, velvety and perfumed, with superb concentration, lively acids and fine, powdery tannins that still assert themselves on the long, penetrating and gently chalky finish. This is a brilliant Musigny, but while Mugnier has done some of the work for his clients by aging the wine at the domaine for seven or eight years, it still demands a decade of additional patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPBright medium red. More expressive on the nose today than the Amoureuses, offering ineffable scents of black raspberry, lavender and flinty, smoky minerality. By far the plushest and deepest of these 2014s but still with outstanding definition and verve. This wonderfully fine-grained, classically dry Musigny boasts bulletproof fruit and finishes with impressive medicinal reserve. Beginning with the 2013 Musigny, Mugnier will be delaying the release of his top bottling for a minimum of two years--and possibly several years more than that--as he finds this wine especially hard to read in its extreme youth.Vinous Media | 96+ VMNot the deepest of colours and showing signs of maturing at the rim. Super elegant nose though, now really open for business. Could smell this for hours. First touch of forest floor but with all of Musigny behind. Sweetly beautiful at the end with a return of all the red fruit, wonderfully aromatic at the finish. Tasted: November 2021.Jasper Morris | 94 JMThis is aromatically quite discreet with its subtly perfumed nose that is composed of plum, dark cherry, violet, lavender and orange pekoe tea plus the first hints of secondary development. This is at once silky but powerful with plenty of minerality characterizing the velvet-textured big-bodied flavors that coat the mouth with dry extract that also serves to buffer the markedly firm tannic spine on the balanced and hugely long but presently compact finish. This classy and very stylish effort is still sufficiently backward to need close to another decade in a cool cellar though with that said, it’s not so tightly wound as to be completely impenetrable if decanted for an hour first. I would add that I will want to see how the fruit evolves relative to the structure because based on this bottle, the nose is a bit more evolved.Burghound | 93 BH

The 2014 Latour is one of the very finest wines of a vintage that favored the northern Médoc. Mingling aromas of wild berries and cassis with hints of cigar wrapper, loamy soil, black truffles and classy new oak, it’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, its broad attack segueing into a deep, tightly wound mid-palate that’s framed by powdery, chalky tannins and bright acids, concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. This classically balanced, youthfully structured young wine looks set to enjoy prodigious longevity. It’s reminiscent of a modern-day version of a cooler vintage such as 1996, though of course these days maturity is more complete and selection even more rigorous than was the case two decades ago.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThis shows terrific cut and drive from the start, with mouthwatering acidity and a chiseled graphite note leading the way, backed by a core of pure cassis and blackberry preserves. Licorice snap and sweet tobacco details flitter through the finish, where the graphite edge reemerges and sails on and on. Best from 2022 through 2040. 7,632 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis has aromas of black fruit, olives, wet earth, dried lavender, cloves and bark. Bitter chocolate and walnuts, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Structured, with great freshness and length. Cedar notes on the lighter mid-palate. Still a little tight and chewy. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 97 JSThe tannins in this fine vintage of Latour are still enormous, dominating the black currant fruit. It has spice, tannins, impressive fruit and a pure, cool character. To be released in the mid-2020s, the wine is likely to age for many years. Enjoy from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2014 Latour captures the personality of the year in its linear, lithe construction. It’s a decidedly understated Latour that is more about finesse than brawn. Bright red cherry/plum fruit, spice, mint and sweet tobacco open over time, but at this level, wines are more about a feel, an expression of place and a vintage. The 2014 Latour embodies all the best this cool, late-ripening growing season had to offer. I loved the 2014 when it was first shown, about five years ago, and I love it today. It is a super-classic Pauillac.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGThe 2014 Château Latour is still a baby and relatively closed and backward, offering darker, meaty black fruits, tobacco, truffly earth, and graphite on the nose. It’s much more dense and structured than I would have imagined from tasting on release and offers full-bodied richness, a beautiful mid-palate, fabulous overall balance, and no shortage of tannins on the finish. This vintage was terrific for the Médoc, particularly the northern Médoc, and this beauty warrants another 7-8 years of bottle age, after which I suspect it will have well over 3 decades of overall longevity. The blend is 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.2% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that hit 12.8% alcohol.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDReddish purple rim. Expressive on the nose; cocoa powder, truffle, soft spices, blackcurrant pastilles, black cherries and mint - the best Cabernet aromatics. Great delicacy here, this is so poised and elegant, a touch of soft sweetness to the red and black fruits. Tannins fill the mouth but this is well handled, less plump and round, more direct and linear but with a beautiful fragrance, delicacy and texture that fills the mouth but gently. Still so much juice and freshness as well as softly cooling mint tones. The fresh, vibrant flavour makes you think you could drink it now but it’s only the tannins that suggest it needs longer. Still, it’s lovely, with such well placed fruit flavours that hits all sides of the mouth and lingers long after the finish. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2049Decanter | 96 DEC

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