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The 2023 Rully “Montmorin” from Domaine Chartron has also been bottled prior to my mid-January visit to the estate. The wine is really refined this year, offering up a lovely aromatic constellation of apple, wet stone minerality, dried flowers, a nicely discreet framing of new oak and a topnote of limepeel. On the palate the wine is pure, precise, full-bodied and shows off lovely depth of fruit at the core, with good mineral undertow, excellent acids and grip, fine balance and a long, complex and seamlessly balanced finish. Fine juice. (Drink between 2025 - 2040)John Gilman | 92 JG

With the 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos Hommage à Louis, the Droins have regained the right to designate Les Clos on the label from the INAO, but they’re also continuing with the Hommage à Louis moniker. Whatever its name, the wine is lovely, opening in the glass with notes of green apple, peach and lemon mingled with iodine and toasted nuts, followed by a full-bodied, layered and concentrated palate that’s deep, dense and muscular.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2023 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru Hommage à Louis has the best bouquet amongst the Grand Crus from Droin. Very vibrant and intense, with crushed limestone and flint. The palate is well balanced with melon, grapefruit, orange rind and quince on the entry, building nicely towards a slightly oily-textured finish. I can see this aging well in bottle - more complexity on the finish compared to say, the Valmur or Grenouilles.Vinous Media | 94 VMI believe that the authorities have now confirmed that all of Benoît Droin’s plots are properly within the boundaries of Les Clos, though Benoît will continue to use the Hommage epithet alongside the vineyard name. the 2023 Hommage à Louis has a clear and classic nose after the pale lemon colour. Brilliant balanced juice, the Clos transcends the vintage. All white fruit of course but some crunch to the white apple fruit. Juicy and generous but still with a fine firm classic core. Fabulous finish. Drink from 2028-2040. Tasted Jun 2024.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMSmoke and light wood nuances set off cool floral and spicy aromas of freshly grated citrus, white peach, honeysuckle and tidal pool wisps. There is again fine intensity to the dense and stony broad-shouldered flavors that flash fine length on the ever-so-mildly warm finale where a touch of youthful austerity slowly emerges. This refreshing effort is so rich that it should drink reasonably well young but the better choice would be to allow it to age for at least a few years as it could also use more overall depth.Burghound | 93 BH

Aromas of honeyed orchard fruits, peach and butter pastry introduce the 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles, a full-bodied, layered and unctuous wine that’s generous and enveloping. As usual, it’s one of the more gourmand, textural wines in the range.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPOvertly spicy, fresh and elegant white flower and citrus-infused aromas display good Chablis typicity. The textured and extremely rich large-scaled flavors are plush, even lush, with an abundance of sappy dry extract that stains the palate on the powerful and firm if mildly warm finale that also could use better depth. The Droin Grenouilles always ages well and the 2023 version should be no exception.Burghound | 93 BHThe 2023 Chablis Grenouilles Grand Cru has a backward nose, stoic and saying very little at the moment. Touches of powdered chalk and granite. The palate has more going on–very good body, again, slightly honeyed in texture, and gentle grip. It just misses a bit of bite on the finish, but there is impressive purity. Give it two or three years in bottle.Vinous Media | 92 VMVinified with 50% wood which marries with the spicy qualities of Grenouille. White clay gives the muscle, along with the age of the vines which were mostly planted in 1947. There are sweeter notes to the fruit, slightly reminiscent of Roussanne. The rich white fruit avoids the tropical and there is a commendably long finish. Never a shellfish wine, Grenouille can be enjoyed with seafood in a creamy sauce or indeed meat dishes. Drink from 2027-2036. Tasted Jun 2024.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JM

The 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Les Chalumeaux 1er Cru is more understated but more complex than the Hameau, with fine delineation and crushed stone infusing malic scents. The palate is well balanced with a twist of sour lemon on the entry, tensile and focused with a precise and quite persistent finish. This is a well-crafted Puligny that will give a decade’s drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2023 Saint-Véran from Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon is a lovely example of this fine vintage. The bouquet offers up a nicely ripe and vibrant blend of peach, apple, chalky soil tones, a hint of hazelnut, apple blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with a good core, fine soil undertow and grip, bouncy acids and a long, balanced and classy finish. Good juice. (Drink between 2025 - 2037)John Gilman | 92 JGThe 2023 Saint-Véran has a winsome bouquet, very pure with lemon curd and apricot notes that blossom in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with a peppery opening, fine weight and depth and a touch of Szechuan pepper on the finish. Recommended.Vinous Media | 90 VMFrom the communes of Prissé and Davayé. Pale lemon with a green streak, not quite clear. Quite pronounced ripe fruit with some generosity but there is a good backbone too, you can see the ripeness of the fruit though just 12% in alcohol. Drink from 2025-2028. Tasted Mar 2024.Jasper Morris | 88-90 JM

Beautiful nose of pear, tangerine, minerals, spices and anise. The palate is dense, supple, and focused blending salty minerality with sweet citrus and orchard fruit flavors. The mouthfeel is lush and full, culminating in a finish with clarity and mineral-driven length. Sokolin Tasting Panel | 92+ SP

The 2023 Langhe Bianco Dragon is mostly Chardonnay, with touches of Sauvignon Blanc, Nascetta and Riesling. Pear, white flowers and tangerine oil inflections grace this expressive, mid-weight Bianco. Creamy, silky contours wrap it all together. Baudana’s Dragon has come a long, long way in recent years.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2023 Grüner Veltliner is a vivid blend of crushed yellow apples, fresh apricots, chamomile and raw almond that wafts up from the glass. It presents a pretty inner sweetness offset by salty mineral tones as an air of custard swirls across the palate and tart orchard fruits slowly saturate. The 2023 tapers off with a sensation of liquid rocks offset by a minty freshness, finishing long and loaded with youthful tension. This is gorgeous today, yet with years of positive development in store for patient collectors.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2023 Grechetto entices with a savory bouquet of crushed stones, salty sea air lime zest and green apples. It is nearly oily in texture, with zesty acidity to balance and ripe tropical fruits swirling throughout. It finishes structured and with a lemony concentration, leaving hints of sour melon and spice to linger on. Wow, this Grechetto packs a serious punch. The complexity within can be better understood when considering that it hails from 78-year-old vines.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Like the 2023 les Minots, the la Forêt chez Piuze is nicely expressive and generous right out of the blocks this year and will drink beautifully from the moment of release. The beautiful bouquet wafts from the glass in a mix of lemon, pear, chalky minerality, fruit blossoms, beeswax and a topnote of citrus peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and succulent at the core, with lovely mineral drive and grip, bouncy acids and a long, seamlessly balanced and zesty finish. Fine juice. 2025-2055.John Gilman | 93 JGThe more giving, fruit-forward 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts offers a lovely contrast to the pronouncedly mineral Séchet. “It comes from the bottom of the valley, where the soils are deeper,” observes Piuze, and it’s evident in the glass, as the wine wafts with a deep bouquet of beeswax, peach skin and pear mingling with savory tones. Flamboyant, elegantly muscular and enveloping, it’s fleshy yet laden with lively acidity, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

From a site within the climat of Les Vaillons, where the vines are planted east to west and the grape skins are never kissed by the sun, Patrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Les Roncières has turned out very well. Opening in the glass to reveal a bouquet of beeswax, peach and lemon zest, it is medium-bodied, textural yet racy, with lovely tension and a long, mineral finish. It retains a classically Chablisien profile even in this warm year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPI have never seen another vigneron who bottled their Chablis “Les Roncières” on its own. As this premier cru can also be bottled as Vaillons, most producers choose this direction for labeling of this wine. As I have mentioned before, Pat’s parcel in the les Minots section of Vaillons has a completely different exposition than his vines in Roncières, so the two are bottled separately for a very good reason. The 2023 version is lovely, offering up a complex nose of lemon, pear, a complex base of chalky soil, paraffin, orange peel, a touch of anise and a topnote of lemon zest. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and impeccably balanced, with a very good core of fruit, fine transparency and grip, zesty acids and lovely nervosité on the long and precise finish. Fine juice. 2027-2055.John Gilman | 92+ JG

Derived from over 60-year-old vines growing in very shallow soil, with limestone bedrock close to the surface, Patrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet is one of the highlights of the broad 28-bottle tasting across many different climats and appellations. Opening in the glass to reveal a bouquet of oyster shell, green apple and lemon zest mingling with beeswax and iodine, it’s medium-bodied, bright and precise, with mouthwatering acidity and ample structuring extract, concluding with a searingly chalky finish. If one wants to pick a bottle that’s unmistakably (even when tasted blind) Chablisien, look no further than this beautifully defined and incisive interpretation of Séchet.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPThe 2023 Chablis “les Séchets” from Domaine Piuze is also a fine example of the vintage. The wine’s aromatic constellation delivers scents of apple, pear, lemon blossoms, a lovely base of limestone soils, beeswax and a nice touch of Chablisienne straw in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely structured out of the blocks this year, with a fine core offruit, excellent mineral undertow and grip, bright acids and a long, complex and very well balanced finish. This will want a few years in the cellar before drinking with abandon. 2028-2055.John Gilman | 92+ JG

The 2023 Montmains is one of my favorite premier crus in the Piuze cellars this year. The wine’s bouquet is pure, precise and complex, offering up notes of lemon, pear, a touch of tangerine, beeswax, spring flowers, lemon peel and a beautiful foundation of chalky minerality. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and deep at the core, with great soil signature and grip, a fine spine of acidity, lovely balance and a long, focused and complex finish. Most impressive. 2028-2055+.John Gilman | 93 JGPatrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains has turned out well, opening from the glass with notes of acacia, pear, peach and youthful reduction. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and tensile, built around a chalky core, it’s laden with bright acidity and concludes with a long, saline finish. It’s produced from a parcel just next to Raveneau’s.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

The 2023 vintage of “Vaillons” Les Minots from Patrick Piuze is excellent. The wine’s aromatic constellation offers up a superb blend of fresh lemon, pear, tart orange, chalky soil tones, anise, spring flowers and a topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is deep, zesty, complex and full-bodied, with a succulent core of fruit, superb mineral undertow, bouncy acids and lovely balance on the long and vibrant finish. This will drink beautifully upon release and has the balance to age gracefully for several decades. 2025-2055.John Gilman | 92+ JGDerived from one of the warmest places in the valley, Patrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots is flamboyant and demonstrative, soaring from the glass with a bouquet of marzipan, peach and dried white flowers mingling with passion fruit. Enveloping and underpinned by racy acids, it’s full-bodied, rich and gourmand and, unsurprisingly, in the context of the warmer site, is among the first that is harvested. While it offers immediate appeal, it has proven to be an age-worthy bottling.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

Pretty peach and honey scents seduce. Really briney with peach juice, lovely richness: a great example of Albariño. Puts you on assured footing of place. The palate is steely – classically so. Lemon purity and salty stoniness are very appetising and tangy. Nominated by Fiona Beckett.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2022 Albariño is from granite soils in the Salnés Valley. It shows varietal character, freshly cut grass, white flowers and fruit and the roundness of the year, with 13.5% alcohol and balancing acidity. This is bottled after four to five months with lees. It has the Señorans signature. 192,000 bottles were produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

The 2023 Chablis Vosgros 1er Cru shows a small reduction when taken directly from vat. It eventually offers shucked oyster shell on the nose, quite strict and focused. The palate is very smooth, a little creamier in texture compared to the Vaucoupin. Touches of lemongrass and Vervane flowers lend intrigue on the finish. Real panache here and it may have its nose in front come bottling.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMAn expressive and airy nose reflects an abundance of Chablis typicity that include just sliced lemon, iodine, shellfish and quinine. The rich and generously proportioned medium-bodied flavors possess fine mid-palate density and a lovely texture while delivering excellent persistence on the balanced and refreshingly dry finish. This too is very good and a wine that should also amply repay mid-term keeping.Burghound | 92 BHBottled in March 2025. Pale lemon and lime, fresh for 2023. A vinous nose, touch of coconut quite generous. Not too fleshy but in a style heading in that direction. Some minerality but less precision than 2024. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

The young, balsamic and still faintly medicinal entry-level white 2023 Louro is dense, ripe and powerful at 13.9% alcohol, pungent and intense with a bitter twist in the finish. It’s very tasty, almost salty, with cleanliness and precision, combining power with freshness and elegance. This is quite impressive and a preview of the rest of the 2023s to come. 215,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2024.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

A pleasing balance of rich flavor, mouthwatering acidity, and verve deliver. This Chardonnay captures combine the aromatic lift of citrus blossoms, with flavors of crisp nectarine, spice and a hint of guava. Delicious. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2023 Chardonnay Karia is a delicate, nuanced wine. Citrus peel, white flowers, chalk, mint and floral overtones are beautifully delineated. This classy, polished Chardonnay is a delight.Vinous Media | 92 VMA creamy and flavorful chardonnay, offering white peaches, raw walnuts, lemon rind and melon. Rich but clean and textured, with medium to full body and delicious stone fruit in the middle. Tense, juicy finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

This wine showcases enticing aromas of ripe stone fruit, summer berries and delicate rose. On the palate, vibrant notes of raspberry and ripe cherry bring warm, sun-kissed flavors, complemented by balanced acidity and a satisfying weight. Best enjoyed between 2025 and 2028.Sokolin Tasting Panel | 92+ SP

A super-vibrant white with aromas of broom flowers, lime zest and a touch of stone fruit. Medium-bodied, it shows a silky texture, tingling acidity and an impressive, savory finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 94 JS

This Rosé is a rich earthy expression with lots of peach aroma to back up its stoniness. The full bodied palate has fantastic minerality and an everlasting white pepper finish.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA poised, tangy and charming rosé with aromas of nectarines, almond powder and sweet spices. Medium-bodied with a delicious mid-palate. Juicy fruit mingles with the spices and onto the tangy, mouthwatering finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JS

A well-rounded, focused and delicious rosé showing dried raspberries, frozen strawberries and mild spices on the nose. Medium-bodied with bright acidity. Balanced and driven, with a lively center palate and a persistent, flavorful finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS

Meet the summer’s next showstopper! This bone-dry beauty in the iconic blue bottle is bursting with a rush of sea-breeze minerality, keeping things edgy, crisp and oh-so refreshing. You will be swept away by the lively bouquet of sun ripened strawberries, juicy nectarines, honeydew melon, and a zing of orange zest-all lifted by a bright, mineral sparkle that only gets bolder as you swirl. An impressively long, silky finish that lingers with a wave of mineral freshness and just a whisper of lavender. Sokolin Tasting Panel | 93+ SP

This has quite some power and concentration for a regular Sancerre. Medium- to full-bodied thanks to the pronounced tannins, but this is still bright and refreshing thanks to the animating wet-stone freshness in the long, compact finish. Plenty of yellow grapefruit aromas and flavors, with a touch of yellow bell peppers. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

The 2024 Bandol Rosé from Domaine Tempier is utter class. Flaunting its trademark perfume of grapefruit peel, savory herbs, white flowers and sea spray, the Tempier Rosé shines in a league of its own. The mineral intensity and concentration through the mid-palate is really on another level in 2024. Supreme balance and textural finesse are the orders of the day. This is wine I consider a must-buy every year, but the 2024 is easily the best edition of Tempier Rosé in recent memory. Best of all, it will easily age for years. (Drink between 2025 - 2034)Vinous Media | 94 VMThe 2024 Bandol Rose from Domaine Tempier reveals an elegant, lively bouquet of pomegranate, grapefruit, ripe orchard fruits and guava subtly accented by delicate spicy notes. On the palate, it’s bright and medium- to full-bodied, with bright acids and a juicy core of fruit that culminates in a saline, ethereal finish. As always, this is one of France’s most meticulously crafted and benchmark rosés, combining precision, charm and age-worthy depth.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPConcentrated and beautifully sculpted, with peach, persimmon and light red berry notes sharing the stage with sea salt, flint and fresh herbs. Shows density as details emerge on the creamy palate, revved up with citrusy acidity. Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault. Drink now through 2030. 2,500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS