Shop Wine

wines

Aromas of coffee bean, dried flowers and blackberry follow through to a full body, with very sweet and ripe fruit. Long and flavorful, with dark chocolate, tobacco and plum. Complex and fascinating. Will improve for many years.—'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Drink now. — JSWine Spectator | 93 WS(Château Trotanoy) The 1988 Château Trotanoy is a really lovely example of the vintage, with decidedly “cooler” fruit tones that are on the black fruity side of the ledger, as well as the notes of fresh herbs and gravel of less ripe vintages at this estate. The super bouquet is a blend of dark berries, black cherries, cigar ash, gravel, coffee, tobacco leaf, fresh herbs and a deft framing of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still a bit on the young side, with a superb core of fruit, moderate tannins, good acids and excellent focus and complexity on the long and black fruity finish. Not a classic vintage of Trotanoy, but a classic example of Trotanoy from a cooler year. (Drink between 2016-2040)John Gilman | 92+ JG

(Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay "Champans" 1er Cru Red) Remarkably this has changed relatively little since my initial in-bottle review amost 10 years ago as the ripe raspberry liqueur-like nose evidences hints of spice, violets, earth and underbrush. The vibrant, pure, round and naturally sweet medium-bodied flavors possess excellent intensity on the precise, powerful and mineral-driven finish. There is a beautiful tension to this wine and while there is a serious tannic backbone, this seems supple on the mid-palate because the structure is so well-buffered. This is still very much on the way up and should easily see its 50th birthday (and many more) in superb condition. As such I would strongly advise letting this beauty continue to slumber. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 94 BHOne of the three batches that will be blended to make up d ‘Angerville’s 2005 Volnay Champans was still in malo, so I base my assessment on the other two. Scented with cherry and cassis, flowers and fungus, smoke and chalk dust, this displays richness and depth, fine tannins and emerging silkiness, and a youthfully firm but long finish loaded with savory subtleties. Just give it 6-8 years before revisiting. (The outstanding d’Angerville 2004s were also very late to finish malo, and the Champans is especially memorable for its vivid sauteed champignons, alluring ginger spice, marrowy richness, and flattering mouth feel, indeed comparable in quality though lacking the developmental potential of this 2005. As a striking example of mercantile bipolar disorder, I purchased this outstanding 2004 for $49.99 from a merchant whose price on the 2005 thus represented a 350% premium!)Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPGood full red. Reticent nose suggests cherry, licorice, flowers and truffle. Displays the copious sweetness of the vintage but with terrific focus and underlying spine. A stony, minerally pinot with real delicacy and cut. The long, noble finish offers a lovely combination of silk and stone and enticing lingering perfume. An archetypical Volnay that combines structure and charm: I wouldn’t be surprised if this merited an even higher score eight or ten years from now.Vinous Media | 93 VMRigid now, with cherry, mineral and smoke notes backed by burly tannins. Yet, it’s elegant in stature, concentrated and built for the long haul. Closed up already, but be patient. Best from 2014 through 2028. 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(Marquis d’Angerville Volnay “Champans”) By all indications, this will be a great vintage for the Champans chez d’Angerville. This can often be one of the more recalcitrant young wines in the cellar, but it is showing remarkable refinement out of the blocks. The bouquet offers up notes of cherries, red berries, coffee, lovely minerality and a touch of spicy oak. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and intensely flavored, with again simply striking purity, excellent focus and balance, and a long, moderately tannic and tangy finish. Fine juice. (Drink between 2012-2035)John Gilman | 92-93 JG

A superbly fresh and beautifully layered nose of cool red berry fruit, floral notes and wet stone, the latter of which is present in abundance on the rich yet beautifully detailed middle weight flavors brimming with minerality and energy, all wrapped in a focused, linear and precise finish of huge length, which remains at present youthfully austere. A classic Ducster that will require 10 to 12 years to be at its peak and readers should note that unlike some ’08s, this will not be especially approachable young.Burghound | 94 BHGame, leather, forest floor and black tea and peat smokiness are prominent in the nose of d’Angerville’s 2008 Volnay Clos Des Ducs in a way not approached by any of its siblings. Similarly, bittersweet, iris-like inner-mouth floral perfume lends a dimension dear to lovers of Volnay that was not in evidence in other d’Angerville 2008s, at least at this stage. These distinctions noted, there is red berry profusion here, too, and a sappy, energetic overall impression, encompassing a gripping finish, and with mineral diversity – chalk, salt, iodine, alkali, and I-don’t-know-what – that helps guarantee that this firmly and finely structured Volnay will remain dazzlingly complex, if handsomely lean, for the next 15 or more years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPYoung and unevolved, this red delivers a core of pure cherry, raspberry and mineral notes that are buoyed by a lively structure. The tannins are there, yet they’re ripe, and the finish goes on and on, with a spicy aftertaste. Best from 2013 through 2024. 110 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2008 Volnay Clos des Ducs 1er Cru is much more complex on the nose than the Champans, with brambly red fruit, a touch of loam developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, taut and crisp, tightly wound red fruit, still quite austere towards the finish, but it gains a little more flesh in the glass. Serious though, and I can see it continuing to age in bottle.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 2019 Beaune 1er Cru Grèves has turned out beautifully, bursting from the glass with aromas of plums, sweet berries, spices, woodsmoke and orange rind. Medium to full-bodied, ample and velvety, it’s a charming, lively wine that’s open and expressive out of the gates.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

The 2019 Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Boudots 1er Cru, aged in 50% new oak, has an intense bouquet of floral and violet aromas joined by dark berry fruit and a touch of tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied and quite mineral-driven, with gentle grip and a savory, earthy, quite broody finish. This should be fascinating to watch evolve in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM(Domaine Georges Noëllat Nuits St. Georges "Les Boudots" 1er Cru Red) This is also notably ripe with its blend of plum, dark raspberry, range of spice elements and an exotic tea nuance. There is very good freshness and vibrancy to the delicious medium weight plus flavors that exude a discreet minerality on the dusty, moderately austere and firm but not rigid finale. This will need at least a few years to develop better depth and shed some of its tannic spine. (Drink starting 2029)Burghound | 89-92 BH

The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques (Domaine Louis Jadot) is shaping up brilliantly, wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries and plums mingled with sweet spices, orange rind and peonies. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated, it’s bright and precise, with a layered core of fruit and a long, penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet with crisp blackberry, briary, crushed stone and light eucalyptus aromas that blossom with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fine acidity, fleshy and harmonious with a touch of spice towards its very cohesive and sustained finish. Classy.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMAt this stage of its evolution, this demonstrates lush dark plum and cassis fruit, with floral notes plus hints of smoke and spice. The texture is tannic and firm, with an impressive level of extract and a lingering, beautiful persistence on the finish. Jadot’s hectare of the Clos St-Jacques, acquired in 1985 from the Clair-Daü family, has long been one of the jewels of its estate. It is located at the centre of the Clos, producing a wine of tremendous refinement and elegance. Jadot destems the grapes and ferments gently before ageing in cask (30% new). Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DEC(Maison Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos St. Jacques" 1er Cru Red) Perfumed aromas of lavender, rose petal and red and dark berry coulis scents are trimmed in admirably discreet wood influence. The notably finer is a bit less powerful medium-bodied flavors brim with both minerality and sappy dry extract that buffers the balanced and strikingly persistent finish. This appears to have excellent development potential and is a wine that should drink well after only 7 to 8 years yet should richly reward 12+. (Drink starting 2032)Burghound | 92-94 BH