Red Wines

wines

From the same winemaking team as Château d’Issan in Margaux, this wine has a sophisticated character. Ripe tannins and structure from Cabernet Sauvignon are perfumed with wood aging. The wine is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA plummy and juicy red with a medium body, medium-round tannins and pleasing redcurrant and cedar undertones. Just opening now. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JS

A beautiful St.-Julien that’s got everything you expect from this appellation, from the elegant, moderately dry tannins to the ripe red fruit and the lively acidity. Second wine of Château Lagrange. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2016 Les Fiefs de Lagrange offers blackberry, raspberry and light cedar scents on a nose that gradually unfurls in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fine acidity, a velvety-smooth texture and some quality new oak evident on the finish, fortunately neatly integrated and simpatico with the fruit. Excellent. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 91 VMThis is a sexy, well polished wine, deep and rich with blackcurrant fruit and a ripple of freshness. There is nice balance, making for an easy drinking yet impactful wine. Effortless. Drinking Window 2027 - 2050.Decanter | 90 DECThe second wine of Château Lagrange, this has firm tannins and an elegant, ripe structure. The tannins and rich black-currant fruit are generously integrated, offering a rich wine that will develop well over the next few years. Drink from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WEAn open-knit style, with bright anise and açai notes out front, backed by cassis and crushed cherry fruit flavors. Shows a dusting of vanilla on the finish.Wine Spectator | 88-91 WS

The blueberry and blackberry aromas are certainly attractive here. Full-bodied and dense with a very velvety texture and a long, generous finish of ripe fruit and spice. Drink from 2022.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2016 Lilian Ladouys is opulent and vivacious on a nose of red currant and raspberry fruit, well integrated oak and lovely rose petal aromas. The medium-bodied palate delivers supple tannins, well-judged acidity, good body and a grippy but detailed finish with veins of blue fruit. This is a joy to drink, but it needs a couple of years. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 92 VMA perennial overachiever, the 2016 Château Lilian Ladouys brings the goods in 2016 and has a complex, medium to full-bodied, character-filled style to go with loads of blue fruits, incense, dried herbs, and a hint of violets. A blend of 62% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Petit Verdot all raised in 30% new barrels, this charming, front end-loaded effort is well worth seeking out. It should keep for 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDMade by the same team as at Château Pedesclaux, this Cru Bourgeois was promoted to Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in 2020, reflecting all the improvements at the property. The 2016 and the 2018 are on par for quality, but the blend for 2016 emphasises Merlot (62%), along with 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, while 2018 is Cabernet dominant. The 2016 was harvested from Oct 3 to 17, and the wine spent 15 months in barrels, 30% new. It’s generous and even opulent, with expansive aromas of cassis, sensuous red fruit tones to the flavour, silky textures, and really a lush, lifted finish. The character shifts slightly with the 2018, after the Lorenzetti family incorporated vineyards from two neighbouring estates with similar gravelly soils. Drinking Window 2022 - 2037.Decanter | 92 DECNow under the same ownership as vastly improved Château Pedesclaux in Pauillac, this estate is also on the upward quality curve. This wine has the structure and tannins of a classic Saint-Estèphe as well as juicy, rich black fruits. With aging potential, the wine should be ready to drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe 2016 Lilian Ladouys is a blend of 62% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot aged in 30% new French oak for 15 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it sings of baked plums, crème de cassis and Black Forest cake with bay leaves, pencil lead and menthol. Medium-bodied, elegant and packed with vibrant flavor layers, it finishes long.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPVery lively, featuring a fun mix of cassis, plum paste and cherry preserve flavors, framed with floral and mineral notes. The light-handed toast lets the fruit shine through the finish, with persistent chalky minerality. Best from 2021 through 2031. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The beauty of this wine with elegant fruits and warm tannins shouldn’t entirely mislead. Those tannins also have a bite that promises aging potential. This ripe, full wine packed with black-cherry flavors and acidity will not be ready to drink before 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées (Domaine Louis Jadot) opens in the glass with a pretty bouquet of pomegranate, raspberries, blood orange and toasty new oak. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and muscular, with excellent concentration, tangy acids and a fine-grained but firm chassis of structuring tannin that asserts itself on the youthfully chewy finish. This will demand some patience but it’s promising.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe Chambolle Fuées is a highlight in the Jadot range in 2016, wafting from the glass with a pure bouquet of cherry, raspberry and a top note of peony, with a classy framing of new oak. The wine is full-bodied, multidimensional and deep at the core, with excellent concentration, its fine tannins cloaked in a crystalline core of fruit. This will develop beautifully in the cellar.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECThe 2019 Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées 1er Cru is quite perfumed on the nose, offering small red cherries mixed with blueberry and light seawater aromas. This opens nicely in the glass and reveals hidden facets. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fleshy and generous. Perhaps the most elegant of Jadot’s Chambolles, it will vie with the Feusselottes as their best from this appellation. Vinous Media | 92-94 VMBright mid purple. Clear crisp mid purple with a very classy fruit. This has real density to it, dark red fruit, good freshness, much more backward than Les Baudes, but the class and persistence are there. Tasted Oct 2017.Jasper Morris | 92 JMThere is plenty of wood/menthol influence to the notably more elegant nose that exhibits notes of plum, dark currant, orange pekoe tea and ample spice wisps. The rich and mouth coating flavors are finer and much more mineral-driven with a lovely sense of underlying tension adding lift to the beautifully persistent and complex finale where a touch of pit fruit bitterness appears. This is really lovely stuff and very Fuées in character.Burghound | 91-93 BH

Impressive aromas of fresh summer berries, slate and toasty oak. This has a very succulent array of ripe red plums and berries and delivers a smooth, long and appealingly grainy edge of very plush, flavorful tannins. A lot to like here. A blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot. Try from 2021.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2016 Marquis de Terme, picked from September 29 to October 14, is pure on the nose with lifted blackberry and iodine scents, wonderful delineation, and seamlessly integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip, but there is real backbone in this Margaux, and it feels more backward than the preceding vintage, with a dash of white pepper on the aftertaste. Excellent, but more classically in style. Tasted at the Marquis de Terme vertical.Vinous Media | 93 VMFresh and racy in feel, with a zip of acidity driving through the middle, lending support to the mix of blackberry, plum and cassis flavors. Dried anise, alder and lilac accents add range on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2034. 12,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSMedium to deep garnet-purple colored, the nose of the 2016 Marquis de Terme is earthy with damp soil and forest floor over a core of black and red currants, tobacco and bay leaves plus a waft of garrigue. The palate is medium-bodied, refreshing and softly textured with juicy fruit.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThis relatively little-known estate is now performing well. In this vintage the wine has gained weight as well as blackberry fruits and rich tannins. Its balance is already there and the wine should develop to be drunk by 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe outstanding 2016 Château Marquis de Terme is an attractive, elegant wine that has classic Margaux character. Black cherry and blackberry fruits, hints of graphite and smoke earth, and plenty of tobacco leaf all emerge from this medium-bodied effort, which has some firm tannins and a great finish. Give bottles 3-4 years to let these tannins chill out, and it should drink beautifully for 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDA signature Bordeaux year - a ton of concentration but also balance - the magic combination that has built Bordeaux’s reputation over the centuries. This is a finely tuned wine, great tannic frame that holds the blackberry and bilberry fruit, laced through with grilled turmeric and smoke. 90% new vats at this point, as the winery was pretty much finished.Decanter | 91 DECThe 2016 Marquis de Terme has a deep garnet color. It charges out of the gate with exuberant scents of warm cassis, baked plum, and boysenberries, plus suggestions of camphor, cumin seed, and vanilla pod. Medium-bodied, soft and juicy in the mouth, it has elegant black fruit and spicy flavors, with a soft-spoken finish.The Wine Independent | 91 TWI

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a fruit-focused and high-energy effort, lifting up with a spicy and slightly exotic display, showing sour cherry, wild strawberry, savory herbs and hints of animal musk. It’s silky in texture with fleshy red berries further excited by juicy acids, giving way to salty minerals and pretty inner florals. Tannins saturate through the finish, yet this remains balanced throughout with a resonating note of black licorice. The 2016 Piancornello is very impressive. Well done!Vinous Media | 94 VMA firm, linear red with cherry, plum and hints of chocolate, as well as bark. Some fruit-tea leaves as well. It’s full-bodied and layered, chewy and intense. Fine tannins. Drink after 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSThe aromas recall dark-skinned fruit, underbrush and cooking spice. The concentrated palate offers dried black cherry, clove and licorice alongside dusty tannins. Drink 2023–2030.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The 2016 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza was surprising, spectacular, elegant, clean and fresh like few vintages before. It was a superb year, with quality, quantity and freshness. It’s quite the opposite from the previous 2015, which was a much warmer and riper year. The 2016s have moderate alcohol and especially the perception of less ripeness (even though the alcohol is very similar). It feels very young, still quite primary. Mercedes explained, "Cubillas, a 24-hectare plot, is a vineyard that could produce Gran Reserva wines. It’s a very good vineyard, but we would miss the Crianza in our range". In fact, the comment was that this vintage is even a challenge for the Viña Tondonia red "because of its price." It is indeed a bargain. "But it doesn’t have the finesse of Tondonia," concluded María José. Anyway, it’s super tasty. 92,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

An enticing mix of incense, black tea, cracked pepper and red wild berries emanate from the 2016 Valpolicella Superiore. This is undeniably elegant, with its silky textures that seem to coat the entire palate in a seductive layer of violet-tinged fruits and suave lavender and chocolate notes. That said, this is not sweet nor overly rich; in fact, the 2016 is truly harmonious and poised, boasting tremendous concentration that‘s lifted by saline-infused acids. It leaves the palate completely saturated with cloves and allspice, as it tapers off structured and long. This is next-level Valpolicella Superiore, and it may even one day warrant a higher score. Marco Sartori uses 30% appassimento grapes in his Valpolicella, which are dried for twenty days. The wine is refined in a 50% - 50% mix of large oak cask and barrique, of which only about 20% are new.Vinous Media | 94+ VMThe oak-aged Roccolo Grassi 2016 Valpolicella Superiore is a sharp and tight red wine with candied aromas of cherry and plum. The wine is dark and rich at its core with big fruit weight that wraps over the palate. Mild tannins and balanced acidity give the wine immediate drinking appeal. There is some dusty spice on the close. Production is 33,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPEarthy and peppery nose with very ripe red and black cherry nuances. Cedary on the palate, soft, with a crisp acidity.Decanter | 91 DEC

This special steak wine bears the signature of company founder Giovanni Folonari on the front label. The Folonari family is a historic presence in modern Tuscan wine. Their 2016 Tenuta di Nozzole Chianti Classico Gran Selezione comes from a classic vintage that is known for the balance and power displayed in its elegant wines. This bottle opens to dark cherry and blackberry with rich nuances of spice and dried flowers at the back. This is a terrific effort from a winery with a big presence across the region.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPWhat immediately strikes you about this wine is its richness and density, showing lots of cherry, chocolate and bark character. Full-bodied, layered and flavorful. Lots of fruit. One for the cellar, but delicious now.James Suckling | 93 JSDeveloped nose showing mushroomy notes, oak nuances, and crushed rocks. Smooth and full on the palate, savoury finish.Drinking Window 2022 - 2030Decanter | 91 DEC

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is plush and super-expressive right out of the gate. Inky dark fruit, gravel, spice and juniper berries. There is a ton of character here. Black cherry, game, smoke, licorice, tobacco and incense all build in a potent, savory Cabernet that delivers the goods. This is one of the most distinctive Howell Mountain Cabernet wines I have tasted in some time.Antonio Galloni | 94 AG

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

This is a large grand cru and quality is not uniform, but the domaine’s 0.8ha parcel is well situated on the mid-slope. The rich, cherry-scented nose is clearly ripe but also ethereal and heady, and there’s a touch of mint to give a cool edge. Firm and concentrated on the palate, this has generous fruit and firm but elegant tannins. There’s a silky texture and an intense, stylish finish with fine acidity. Poised and long.Decanter | 94 DECVery pretty deepish purple, this has precisely the chiselled, racy detailed, lacy aspect which I want in Echezeaux. A wonderful volume of fruit, cashmere texture yet in a soft smooth comforting basket of red fruits, and great length. This is ‘strict in its boots’ says Charles, but I may have missed something in translation there!Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMThe 2017 Echezeaux Grand Cru is also showing beautifully, unwinding in the glass with scents of plums, peonies, exotic spices, orange rind and grilled squab. Medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, it’s lively and complete, with fine depth at the core, powdery tannins and a long, rose-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPA still youthfully fresh and very pretty nose reflects an abundance of floral characters along with plenty of spice influence to the dark currant and cool cherry scents. The sleek and tautly muscular medium weight flavors possess very good if not exceptional concentration where the copious sap imparts a beguiling texture on the still firm, balanced and sneaky long finale. At only 7 years of age, and in magnum format, it’s no surprise that this should still be decidedly compact and backward and the ’17 Ech is going to need most of the next decade to arrive at its peak.Burghound | 93 BHThe 2017 Echézeaux Grand Cru comes from a 1.09-hectare parcel in the lieu-dit of Rouge de Bas; this cru includes 100% whole bunches. It has a tightly wound bouquet at first, gradually unfurling to reveal quite intense dark berry fruit laced with tea leaves and bay leaf. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, crisp acidity, quite a masculine style and a stoic, rather aloof finish that might just require more flesh to counter the influence of the whole bunch stems. Let’s see how this matures in bottle.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

This rich, wood-aged wine comes from 40- to 50-year-old vines on an estate at the southern limit of the Madiran appellation. It brings together dense tannins and old-vine concentration. The acidity, black-plum flavors and tannins will keep this wine developing for many years. Drink from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

The 2017 Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux has gained in depth and dimension with élevage and showed very well from bottle, unfurling in the glass with an expressive, youthfully fruit-driven bouquet of raspberries, cherries, candied peel and rose petals, framed by a subtle touch of new oak. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, velvety and fleshy, with succulent acids and elegant tannins. While this isn’t as rich, muscular or gourmand as the 2018, it’s an immensely seductive wine that will drink well comparatively young—though readers should still plan on exercising at least a decade’s patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPPaul Zanetti tends to make two different cuvées from the Clos des Epeneaux, one from younger vines and one from the older, left side of the premier cru, planted between 65 and 98 years ago. The combination in bottle is definitely more than the sum of its parts. This is not a blockbuster vintage for what can be an ageworthy wine, but it’s still appealing in a lighter, more approachable mode, with some tannic grip but lots of perfume, finesse and succulent berry sweetness. Drinking Window 2024 - 2029Decanter | 94 DEC(Domaine Comte Armand/Clos des Epeneaux Pommard "Clos des Epeneaux" 1er Cru Red) There is still just enough wood present to merit mentioning as it frames the herbal tea-inflected blend of both red and dark currant scents that are cut with leather and underbrush nuances. The supple medium-bodied flavors possess reasonable though not distinguished mid-palate concentration before terminating in a lingering if slightly attenuated finish. The supporting tannins are sufficiently firm that this youthfully austere effort will need at least a few more years of keeping first. A Clos des Epeneaux of relative finesse. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 91 BH

The 2017 Croatina delivers all the intensity this indigenous variety is known for. Dark cherry, blackberry, dried herbs, lavender, tobacco and licorice infuse the 2017 with richness and brooding power, all wrapped into a classic frame. I would give the 2017 a bit of time in bottle, although it is pretty compelling today. Bright acids and a good bit of tannin make it a fabulous wine for the dinner table, especially alongside hearty fare.Antonio Galloni | 92 AG

The 2017 Beaumonts from Cécile Tremblay is also outstanding, showing off the inherent elegance of the vintage on both its nose and palate. The bouquet is a refined blend of plums, red and black cherries, dark soil tones, Vosne spices, a touch of sweet stems again, fresh nutmeg and nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, soil-driven and very complex, with a superb core of fruit, fine-grained tannins, bright acids and excellent length and grip on the poised and very, very promising finish. (Drink between 2027 - 2065)John Gilman | 94 JGThe 2017 Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux Monts 1er Cru, matured in 60% new oak, has one of the most sensual bouquets from Cécile Tremblay this year, with plenty of crushed strawberry, rose petals and flecks of dark chocolate. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, the new oak more conspicuous than in other crus at the moment, so give this at least two or three years to subsume the wood; there is plenty of substance to soak it up. Should drink well for 12 to 18 years.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMFirm reduction dominates the nose. Otherwise there is excellent tension to the almost painfully intense and wonderfully refined mineral-driven flavors that are impressively long, complex and notably better balanced. However the finish is also notably firmer so at least some patience advised.Jasper Morris | 92-96 JMAromas of smoked duck, cassis and smoky plums introduce the 2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts, a satiny, medium to full-bodied wine with a characteristically generous, ample profile, framed by velvety structuring tannins. It’s one of the more gourmand wines in the cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPFirm reduction dominates the nose. Otherwise there is excellent tension to the almost painfully intense and wonderfully refined mineral-driven flavors that are impressively long, complex and notably better balanced. However the finish is also notably firmer so at least some patience advised.Burghound | 91-94 BH

The 2017 Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Cras 1er Cru is delineated and focused on the taut, fresh nose, quite linear and classic in style – very classy. The palate is pure, with silky-smooth, very fine tannins, piquant red cherries and strawberry fruit. Generous and fleshy toward the finish, which lingers wonderfully in the mouth. One of the most sensual offerings from the appellation. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.Vinous Media | 94 VMHistorically, Aux Cras was part of Les Boudots, but it’s now a very good premier cru in its own right on the Vosne side of Nuits-St-Georges. This is a serious, concentrated red from Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, showing good depth and concentration framed by 100% new wood. Spicy blueberry and plum flavours fill the palate.Decanter | 94 DECA restrained, cool and pure nose features notes of herbal tea, spice, earth, red currant and a whiff of the sauvage. The focused, detailed and punchy middle weight flavors possess a fleshy mid-palate yet the stunningly long finish is youthfully austere, compact and linear. As such this delicious but tightly wound effort will also need at least some bottle age. In a word, excellent.Burghound | 93 BHTo this point in the lineup, the Nuits “aux Cras” showed the best mid-palate stuffing and just a bit more emphatic structural elements of any of the wines. The bouquet is excellent, wafting from the glass in a blend of black plums, black cherries, dark chocolate, gamebird, woodsmoke, dark soil, a touch of nutskin and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and sappy, with a lovely signature of soil, ripe, suave tannins and lovely length and grip on the long and complex finish. This is going to last longer than the Brûlées. (Drink between 2024 - 2065)John Gilman | 93 JGThis offering of Aux Cras shows a clean pure nose, with some more floral top notes, a certain fresh stem quality, good acidity, medium length, attractive. This is a wine of middling intensity with very pleasing vibrancy.Jasper Morris | 93 JMAromas of cassis, wild berries and rich soil mingle with savory nuances of grilled game bird, dark chocolate spices and smoky new oak in a complex bouquet, introducing the 2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Cras, a medium to full-bodied wine with good depth and concentration at the core, structured around a firm chassis of chewy tannin that will likely resolve considerably by the time is bottled. The raw materials are present and the balance is excellent, but the wine’s structure was hard to read when I tasted it.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

Aux Echézeaux is a very well-sited 0.47ha village parcel just to the south of the Mazoyères grand cru on the border with Morey-St-Denis. Planted in the 1930s, this old vine cuvée is aromatic, refined and detailed, with chalky acidity adding extra bite to the summer berry flavours.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECFrom 0.47ha planted in 1930. Fresh full purple, an immediate hit of wealthy fruit on the nose. Floral and lively, there is too much fruit to describe this wine as savoury until the red fruit finish, which offers concentrated cherry and strawberry flavours, and good length. Tasted Dec 2018.Jasper Morris | 92 JMThe 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Echézeaux has a gorgeous bouquet with red cherry and cranberry fruit mixed with subtle sous-bois notes, becoming more floral with continued aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit on the entry, a light marine influence emerging to the finish that needs a little more cohesion. That should come with bottle age.Vinous Media | 89-91 VMOnce again there is a highly attractive freshness to the softly spicy if distinctly earthy nose that features mostly notes of dark currant and forest floor. There is good underlying tension to the well-detailed medium weight flavors that are shaped by relatively fine-grained tannins on the chiseled and sneaky long finish. This is a very good Gevrey villages and worth your interest.Burghound | 89-91 BHFrom the southern side of Gevrey-Chambertin, the 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Echézeaux reveals aromas of cassis, wild plums, dark chocolate, loamy soils and warm spices. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, supple and nicely balanced, with fine, powdery structuring tannins and juicy acids.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 88-90 RP

Ripe, exuding blackberry and blueberry fruit, this red is dense, with a slightly dusty quality to the tannins. Earth and iron accents add depth as this stays defined and extends on the fresh, mouthwatering finish. Best from 2022 through 2036.Wine Spectator | 94 WSPurchased by Christophe Roumier’s father in 1953, this 2.59ha clos is a monopole holding. Made with 35% whole bunches and aged in 25% new wood, it has the brightness, balance and freshness of the domaine’s Chambolle village, but with a bit more tannin and weight. Sappy, sweet and refreshing.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2017 Clos de la Bussière from Christophe Roumier is another bottling that has really benefited from the refined elegance of this vintage, as it offers up uncharacteristically early polish in its aromatic constellation of sweet dark berries, black cherries, pigeon, bitter chocolate, woodsmoke, dark soil tones and a touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still properly reserved in personality, with a fine core of fruit, lovely transparency and a long, ripely tannic and very well balanced finish. This will be an excellent vintage of Clos de la Bussière in the fullness of time, but it is still close to a decade away from starting to blossom. (Drink between 2030 - 2070)John Gilman | 92 JGDeep core of fresh purple, with much charm to the dark raspberry fruit. This is a concentrated wine, quite firm at the finish, a question of time because the fruit will certainly win through. Tasted: September 2021.Jasper Morris | 92 JMThe 2017 Morey-Saint-Denis Clos de la Bussière 1er Cru has quite a straightforward bouquet of raspberry and cranberry fruit, pleasant sous-bois aromas percolating through with time. This gains complexity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine acidity and chiseled tannins, but it feels a little attenuated on the finish. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.Vinous Media | 91 VMAn unusually spicy nose reflects notes of earth and a whiff of game on the black raspberry and violet scents. There is a fleshy, even velvety, mouthfeel to the nicely voluminous medium-bodied flavors that flash focused power on the ever-so-mildly rustic and beautifully complex finale that delivers sneaky good length. This youthfully austere effort is finer than it usually is and should reward extended keeping.Burghound | 91 BHThe 2017 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos de la Bussière is a real success, and decidedly reminiscent of the domaine’s excellent 2007. Offering up aromas of sweet red berries, warm spices, peony and subtle soil tones, the wine is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a fine core of fruit that cloaks its rich but fine-grained tannic chassis. While it’s an elegant rendition of the Clos de la Bussière, this always needs bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

This 1.6ha parcel is in the middle of the slope, two metres above the Clos des Angles on poor, stony soils over a limestone base. Crunchy, elegant and refined, it has lovely texture, raspberry sweetness and fine-boned tannins, finishing with a saline, mineral bite.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThe 2017 Volnay Fremiet 1er Cru has an expressive bouquet with veins of blue fruit that strafe the vibrant raspberry and crushed strawberry. Here there is fine mineralité tucked just underneath. The palate is vibrant, almost effervescent on the entry with blood orange infusing the red fruit, great tension and quite pointed tannin, a Fremiet that is bursting with life. Superb.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMA slightly more deeply pitched nose displays an evident spiciness to the plum, dark raspberry and violet-scented aromas. The highly energetic and intense medium weight flavors offer even more minerality on the well-detailed flavors that possess more depth and a bit more length as well on the firmer finish. This is very Frémiets in character and a wine that should amply reward extended keeping.Burghound | 91-93 BHThe 2017 Volnay 1er Cru Fremiets offers up aromas of plums, cassis, wood smoke, dark chocolate and rich soil tones, followed by a medium to full-bodied, chalk and structured palate that’s firmer and more muscular than the supple, giving Clos des Angles. The soils here are thinner and the wine inherently less gourmand, but it will reward the patient with lovely purity and transparency.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

Showing a deeper colour than the other wines in his cellar, as it always seems to do, this serious, well-structured Nuits from Emmanuel Rouget shows bramble and black cherry fruits, some subtle oak spice, vivacious acidity and good underlying grip.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2017 Nuits Saint-Georges Village, matured in 30% new oak in order to preserve freshness, according to Rouget, has quite a generous bouquet of blueberry and black cherry fruit, the oak nicely integrated. The palate is bright and fresh with violet-tinged blue fruit, almost Vosne-like in style, leading to a silky-smooth, very classy finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMThe 2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges Village exhibits aromas of sweet Morello cherries, cassis, violets and rose petals. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, satiny and expressive, with a layered core and fine stony tannins, combining richness of structure, with lightness of touch.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RPThis is at once more deeply colored and more deeply pitched with its fresh and restrained nose of plum, dark currant, violet and newly turned earth. There is notably better concentration to the muscular and punchy medium-bodied flavors that flash a mild rusticity on the mouth coating though not particularly austere finale. This well-made effort is very Nuits in character and should age well over the mid-term.Burghound | 89-91 BH

The 2017 Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées 1er Cru has a wonderful bouquet of joyful red fruit laced with wild hedgerow and pressed rose petals, very elegant and crystalline in quality. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, good structure and impressive tension on the classic, traditional-style finish. Difficult to resist!Vinous Media | 94 VMThe 2017 les Fuées from Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier is a lovely bottle in the making. It is still young, but the suave personality of the 2017 vintage also makes this quite easy to drink today, as it offers up a bright and complex nose of red and black cherries, beetroot, a lovely base of soil, woodsmoke, a touch of mustard seed and a whisper of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and full, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil undertow, suave, fine-grained tannins and a long, nascently complex and very well balanced finish. Though this is quite accessible in its youthful guise, I would try to leave my hands off of it for another seven or eight years and really let it come into its own. Lovely juice. (Drink between 2028 - 2060)John Gilman | 93 JGThe 2017 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées is superb, wafting from the glass with aromas of rose petal, raspberries, sweet forest floor and cherries. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied with excellent concentration and depth at the core, balanced by juicy acids and displaying an elegant but reserved profile that will demand and reward some bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPMedium depth of colour, a slightly charred note on otherwise attractive fruit, a little touch of bacon. Some tannins behind, the quality of the fruit is really lovely apart from the hint of something medicinal, which may clear later. Tasted: September 2021.Jasper Morris | 92 JMThere is enough reduction present to dominate the underlying fruit along with a similar note of herbal tea so if you’re going to try a bottle young, I would advise decanting it first. There is a lilting, indeed almost delicate mouthfeel to the more mineral-driven and slightly denser medium-bodied flavors that possess a silky mouthfeel, all wrapped in a sneaky long finish that is shaped by admirably fine-grained tannins. My rating assumes that the nose will clear up with a few years of bottle age.Burghound | 91 BH

The 2017 Chianti Classico is a gorgeous, inviting wine. Pliant fruit and soft contours give the 2017 so much immediacy and appeal. Silky tannins wrap around a core of dark red cherry while spice, new leather and sweet pipe tobacco infuse the 2017 with tremendous character. The 2017 is such a beautiful and inviting wine. It was fermented in concrete and aged in oak for 18 months. Wow!Antonio Galloni | 93 AGRich cherries and berries on the nose with hints of fresh oak and sage-like herbs, following through to a fullish palate with plump fruit, quite firm tannins and a bright mineral finish. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but best after 2022.James Suckling | 91 JSLe Cinciole’s latest release, the 2017 offers tremendous freshness with beautiful restraint. After ageing for one year in 20hL French oak, this refines for a further 12 months in cement before bottling. It is slightly wilder and decidedly darker in its nuances than the 2016, with enticing lavender, black cherry, liquorice and a touch of leather. The palate is fairly dense, with appropriately grippy tannins lending support. It leaves the mouth clean, refreshed and satisfied. Drinking Window 2021 - 2026.Decanter | 90 DECMade with organically farmed Sangiovese, this opens with subtle aromas of black-skinned berry, scorched earth and cooking spice. The savory palate offers black cherry, clove and tobacco alongside fine-grained tannins. Drink through 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

New leather, truffle and camphor aromas mingle with a whiff of wild berry on this earthy red. The ripe, accessible palate doles out fleshy black cherry, crushed raspberry, culinary spice and game alongside taut, fine-grained tannins. Drink 2022–2027. Kerin O’Keefe | 93 KONew leather, truffle and camphor aromas mingle with a whiff of wild berries on this earthy red. The ripe, accessible palate doles out fleshy black cherry, crushed raspberry, culinary spice and game alongside taut, fine-grained tannins. Drink 2022–2027. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA mix of macerated cherry, plum and balsamic notes of mint, wild thyme and eucalyptus highlight this balanced red, with a light viscosity and fine length. Best from 2023 through 2036. 5,000 cases made, 3,760 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2017 Nizza LaCourt is soft, supple, rich and open but not at all heavy. Raspberry jam, mocha, spice, new leather all build as this succulent forward Nizza shows off its considerable appeal. The 2017 hits all the right notes. It is a terrific effort from the Chiarlo family.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGDark-skinned fruit, cedar and scorched earth aromas lead the nose. The structured, balanced palate offers Marasca cherry, blackberry jam and licorice alongside polished tannins. Drink 2023–2029.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe Michele Chiarlo 2017 Nizza Riserva La Court is a beautifully enriched and generous wine that gives ample volume and depth to the Barbera grape. This food-friendly option shows the dark fruit (blackberry and plum) to pair with most pasta or meat dishes. It also offers just enough acidity to cut through any recipe that is heavy on cheese or cream. This bottle is ready to drink now.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPBright blueberry and boysenberry aromas and flavors highlight this vibrant red, with flashes of earth and toasty oak spice. It’s very discreet in the end, where light oak tannins come into play. Drink now through 2024. 1,000 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS