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Dark red with ruby tones. Deeply pitched aromas of currant, dark cherry, licorice and leather. Dense, sweet, slightly leathery wine with noteworthy depth of texture. Not showing the light mineral touch it displayed from barrel a year ago but this is quite ripe and broad--even a bit chocolatey--for the vintage. Finishes with slightly tough tannins.Vinous Media | 90 VMWhile not as pretty as the Chaumes this is notably complex with its subtly wooded nose of earth black currant, game, smoke and lovely floral hints. There is markedly better concentration to the delicious and suave middle weight flavors that possess excellent intensity and volume as well as impeccable balance. This isn’t as refined as the Chaumes but the additional concentration and complexity make this the more interesting wine.Burghound | 90-93 BH

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

The 2014 Vosne-Romanée Villages has impressive volume on the nose with wild strawberry and a slight confit note that is nicely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, elegant and pure, and there is a fine line of acidity with quite a dense finish. This is very fine.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 88-90 RP

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

Laurent Ponsot makes one of the most beautiful examples of this very, very underrated Gevrey grand cru and the 2014 Chapelle looks likely to be one of his finest vintages ever from this terroir. The stunning nose delivers a sappy constellation of red and black cherries, raw cocoa, a touch of meatiness, mustard seed, dark soil tones and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and already quite velvety on the attack, with a sappy core, great soil inflection, suave, ripe tannins and stunning backend energy on the focused and very, very pure long finish. (Drink between 2025 - 2075)John Gilman | 95 JGThe 2014 Chapelle Chambertin Grand Cru behaved like the Griotte-Chambertin in that it needed a prerequisite two or three minutes to fire up its engines. When it did, it sprung a gorgeous floral bouquet with red roses, kirsch and blood orange, all struck through with wonderful mineralité and tension. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, supple tannin. It resorts back to its broody nature. There is appreciable density here, quite tangy and spicy in the mouth with layers of red berry fruit on the very saline finish. It will require 4-5 years in bottle, but the class is here.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPA super elegant nose is composed of an ultra-pure essence of red berries, violet, plum, spice and discreet floral nuances. There is excellent volume and serious punch to the delicious and tension-filled middle weight plus flavors that possess a caressing mouth feel on the lightly mineral-inflected finish. This is a beautifully complex and seamlessly well-balanced wine that should drink well young and old.Burghound | 92-95 BH

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 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

Here the kaleidoscopically spicy nose is slightly riper with its beautifully layered range of both red and blue pinot fruit, sandalwood, anise, hoisin and rose petal. The rich, classy and ultra-refined medium weight flavors possess a caressing mouthfeel before terminating in a marvelously complex, driving and explosively long finish. This almost thick effort is quite firm but not at all austere though I have a sneaking feeling that this is going to shut down significantly once it is in bottle and thereafter, plenty of patience will be requisite.Burghound | 96 BHThe 2015 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru is lovely, revealing a beautifully pure bouquet of cassis, plum, clove, violets, rose petal and spice. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and complete, with supple, fine-grained tannins and excellent depth and dimension, with the most flesh on its bones of all the domaine’s grands crus. The inherent elegance of Romanée-Saint-Vivant really plays into Charles Lachaux’s hands.Robert Parker wine Advocate | 95 RPFull dark red. Musky, wild scents of raspberry, espresso and mocha quickly shut down in the glass. Plump, sweet and quite powerful, with its very ripe, almost liqueur-like dark fruit flavors a bit blurred today by the wine’s significant baby fat. Finishes broad, dry and very long but downright inscrutable. Today I don’t find the sappy minerality or lift this wine displayed from barrel a year ago but it’s stubbornly backward today and will need at least six or seven more years of cellaring.Vinous Media | 93+ VM

The 2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots, matured in two-thirds new oak, has a bewitching bouquet that is very pure and intense, layers of dark cherry and wild strawberry fruit tinged with iodine that seems to blossom in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannin and structured, underneath those intense dark berry fruit, a touch of salinity towards the finish that keeps the senses searching and eager for the next sip. Typical of Cathiard’s style of winemaking, this is just a brilliant Les Suchots from one of its finest exponents.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP(August malo): Full, bright red. Showy aromas of black raspberry, licorice and violet convey excellent cut and mineral lift. Savory, penetrating wine with strong early personality to its deep flavors of black fruits, salty minerality and spices. Has the old-vines density of texture to carry its ripe tannins effortlessly.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMJuicy raspberry nose packed with fruit. Good attack, with vibrant fruit and fine-grained tannins. Taut and concentrated with a piquant complexity and good depth of flavour.Decanter | 92 DECA brilliantly spicy nose is comprised by notes of violet, plum, lavender, soy, Asian-style tea and black cherry. There is more volume and richness if less precision and delineation to the velvety and seductive-textured medium weight plus flavors that coat the palate on the beautifully well-balanced, persistent and equally classy finish that is quite firmly structured. The sheer level of dry extract buffering the ripe and dense tannins is impressive and as such this terrific effort should age effortlessly.Burghound | 92-94 BH

(Chambertin “Clos de Bèze”- Domaine Armand Rousseau) The 2017 Clos de Bèze from Domaine Rousseau is an equally compelling wine in the making, but it is a bit the inverse right now of the Chambertin, as it is a bit more reserved on its youthful nose, but more open and flamboyant on the palate. The bouquet is very, very pure, precise and promising, offering up scents of red and black raspberries, cherries, raw cocoa, a very complex base of minerality, lovely spice tones and a very well-done framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and sappy at the core, with superb transparency and grip, ripe, seamless tannins and a very long, very energetic and vibrant finish. The wine is already suave and caressing on the attack, with all of this sappy reserve at the core and yet, it finishes completely defined by its complex minerality. A great wine. (Drink between 2030-2100).John Gilman | 98 JGSumptuously oaked and always poured last in any tasting at Domaine Rousseau, this is riper and plusher than the straight Chambertin bottling, with the power and density to age well, framed by 100% new wood and showing a bloody, ferrous undertone. Drinking Window 2027 - 2035.Decanter | 96 DEC(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Red) While the wood treatment is certainly evident it remains reasonably subtle on the overtly cool and restrained nose that is markedly spicy with its broad-ranging combination of exuberantly fresh aromas of dark cherry, raspberry, rose petal, violet, plum and a suggestion of earth. There is excellent power and punch to the large-scaled flavors that are a combination of power and refinement while being blessed with an abundance of sappy dry extract that imparts a seductive quality to the mouthcoating, hugely long and firmly structured and chiseled finish. While the Chambertin appears to have a slight edge at this very early juncture due to having slightly better complexity, it’s going to be interesting in 20 to 25 years’ time to see which is the better wine! (Drink starting 2027).Burghound | 96 BHThe 2017 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has quite a high-toned bouquet, a touch of boot polish coming through and then receding to reveal very complex floral aromas. The elegant palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, perfect acidity and fine proportion. Maybe it is missing a little weight on the back end, but it is still a refined Clos-de-Bèze that will age with grace. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe 2017 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru bursts from the glass with extroverted aromas of dark, plummy fruits that mingle with notes of chocolate, licorice, sweet oak spice, grilled meats and espresso. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, rich and ample with broad shoulders, a generous core of fruit and more mid-palate amplitude and tannic bite than the Chambertin.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RP

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

Light in colour, with a certain attractive evolution in the bouquet, very sensual, lifted raspberry and alpine strawberry. This is a Vosne-Romanée which is all about the delicacy, perfumed and succulent up front, lighter behind. Perhaps just a little soft at the finish but with a heavenly fruit quality. Just the style that Charles Lachaux is trying to achieve. Tasted: October 2020.Jasper Morris | 91 JMAromatically the nose possesses a similar fruit profile but it’s notably spicier. There is also a bit more concentration to the medium-bodied flavors that possess a more refined mouthfeel before terminating in a saline and lingering finish. The refinement is mostly due to the dense but fine tannins and this should age well for its level.Burghound | 89-91 BH

The 2017 Chapelle-Chambertin from Madame Tremblay is also a stunning wine, but it is a bit more reserved out of the blocks than the flamboyant and supremely elegant Echézeaux and will need a few more years to blossom. The youthful nose is pure and sappy, offering up scents of plums, black cherries, raw cocoa, violets, gamebird, a hint of hazelnut, woodsmoke, a wisp of orange zest and a lovely base of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full and sappy at the core, with a beautiful structural chassis, lovely soil signature, ripe, fine-grained tannins and stunning length and grip on the perfectly balanced and youthful finish. All this great wine needs is time in the cellar to fully blossom. (Drink between 2030 - 2085)John Gilman | 97 JGCécile Tremblay’s top wine is made with grapes from a very old 0.35ha block in this small Gevrey grand cru. Exotic yet refreshing, it’s supple and appealing but has good underlying tannins, acidity and minerality, joined by intense red cherry and strawberry fruit.Decanter | 95 DECLike many wines from this charming, demonstrative vintage, Tremblay’s 2017 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru can already be drunk with pleasure. Exhibiting aromas of red berries and plums mingled with notions of orange rind, warm spices and vanilla pod, it’s full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a round, giving core of fruit framed by supple tannins and lively acids. Expect it to put on additional depth with further bottle age, much like its 2007 counterpart.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThis is also quite floral with its cool and strikingly pretty aromas of softly spiced red and dark berry and earth scents that are trimmed in gentle wood nuances. The mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is quite simply gorgeous as it’s at once caressing and lacy yet potent and powerful, all wrapped in an intensely mineral-driven finish that goes on and on. This is a superb Chapelle.Burghound | 93-96 BHNotably deeper colour, this has much darker fruit on the nose, some black fruit notes, powerful though on the palate and with great energy. Fresh finish, with good, even weight throughout. Her holding is in the Gemeaux part of the appellation which resist dry conditions, especially as these are old vines. Very good finale I must say. Tasted: November 2018.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMThe 2017 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru has around 80% whole bunches this year. It has a very perfumed bouquet of raspberry, crushed strawberry, vanilla pod and a touch of iodine, all very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black and red fruit, perhaps not as complex as the Echézeaux, and a touch of brown spice surfaces toward the finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

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

This remarkable 0.35ha parcel used to belong to Domaine Newman but is now an established part of the Mortet range. All located on white soils on the larger Chambolle-side of Bonnes Mares, this is showing its 70% new wood at the moment but has the structure and concentration to soak it up. It’s sappy, savoury and fine, with a palate-pleasing red fruit sweetness and underlying minerality.Decanter | 96 DECFine full mid purple. Gorgeous rich fruit leavened by some whole bunch effect. Dark raspberry fruit. Spicy notes, and not picked too late. The fruit swells beautifully on the palate, though still in the fine-boned style of the vintage. This has a most beautiful finish which really stretches the fruit out beyond the light tannins. Tasted: December 2018.Jasper Morris | 93-97 JMFrom a parcel with white soils, the 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is very pretty, wafting from the glass with notes of rose petal, blood orange, wild berries and savory bass notes. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, satiny and fine-boned, with chalky structuring tannins, juicy acids and a vibrant core of fruit. The style here is exquisite, and if Mortet can coax a little more depth and concentration from these vines in future vintages while retaining its elegant profile, he will soon number among this grand cru’s greatest exponents.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPA deft application of oak easily allows the earthy aromas of plum, red and dark berries and game to be appreciated. Once again there is very good volume to the powerful and solidly concentrated middle weight plus flavors that culminate in a refreshing and chalky finish that is slightly firmer as well as a bit longer too. This beauty possesses impressive development potential.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru includes around 30 to 40% whole bunches with around 70% new oak. At the moment, the new wood is quite vocal on the nose and slightly occludes the fruit underneath. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh, sorbet-like entry, notes of blood orange suffusing the red fruit, though I would like a little more depth to evolve on the finish, perhaps a touch more blue fruit too. Needs time to develop its personality.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

From Lavières and Bas de Combe plus two vineyards nearer to Nuits. Again there is no especial depth of colour, yet with this sublime fragrance. The whole bunches are a bit firmer but the fragrance comes behind. Tasted: November 2018.Jasper Morris | 90 JMThe 2017 Nuits Saint-Georges Village is a blend of several vineyards that offer homogeneous ripeness but on different soils. It has quite an earthy, sous-bois tinged bouquet that is very well defined, the 60% whole bunches nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with a tart opening, and the 10% new oak lends discreet lift toward a persistent finish spiced with a dash of black pepper. Excellent.Vinous Media | 89-91 VMAn exuberantly expressive nose jumps from the glass to reveal a lovely array of earth, red currant, spice and a whiff of lavender. There is once again an appealing sense of energy to the lighter weight flavors that deliver solid punch and persistence on the balanced finish. This is a relatively elegant Nuits villages.Burghound | 88-90 BH

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 Vosne V.V. shares the same beautiful fruit tones with the Chambolle AC in this vintage, but is perhaps even a hair more transparent in its expression of its underlying terroir. The nose wafts from the glass in a complex blend of raspberries, red and black plums, cocoa powder, duck, lovely soil tones, woodsmoke and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very soil-driven, with a sappy core, excellent focus and grip, suave tannins, vibrant acids and a very long, elegant and precise finish. This is a gorgeous village wine in the making! (Drink between 2022 - 2055)John Gilman | 91+ JGThe 2017 Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes, matured in 50% new oak with 25% whole bunches, has an aromatic, very floral bouquet, scents of pressed violets intermingling with the black plum and bilberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, finely judged acidity and good balance and matière toward the almost citrus-like finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMBursting from the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, exotic spices and smoked duck, the 2017 Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes is the broadest and most satiny of Tremblay’s village wines, with a medium to full-bodied, fleshy profile that was still digesting some structuring tannin when I tasted it.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RPA markedly spicier and more deeply pitched nose grudgingly reveals notes of dark cherry, plum, violet and sandalwood. The velvety, delicious and caressing medium-bodied flavors possess fine concentration for the vintage, all wrapped in a highly seductive, sappy and sneaky long finish. I like the balance and overall this is too a really quite good plus it’s very Vosne.Burghound | 89-91 BHThis shows the typical deepish red colour of Cécile’s 2017s. The wood shows a little on the nose, in its toasty style but here it is just an inflection, then a really pure fine concentrated fruit on the palate, more red than black, fills out the mid palate. Tasted: November 2018.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JM

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

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

The 2017 la Dominode is the most structured young Savigny premier cru in the cellars, but its potential is enormous. The youthful nose was still in the process of absorbing its serving of new oak, but will do so seamlessly with a bit more age, and offers up a fine blend of black plums, red and black cherries, pigeon, dark soil tones, raw cocoa, a bit of bonfire, cedar and an exotic topnote of licorice. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely reserved out of the blocks, with an excellent core of fruit, fine-grained tannins and a long, soil-driven and complex finish. This is serious juice. (Drink between 2026-2065)John Gilman | 94+ JGHere too a generous dollop of wood frames the very spicy aromas of plum liqueur, dark raspberry and subtle humus and underbrush scents. The sleek and impressively intense medium weight flavors brim with minerality while offering the best complexity and persistence in the range on the balanced, firm and serious finish. This too should amply reward mid to even longer-term cellaring potential.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru has another promising bouquet of pure blackberry, bilberry, crushed stone and light loamy scents that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, offering plenty of crunchy black fruit. Slightly tarry toward the finish but perhaps offers the most persistency amongst Pavelot’s impressive range. Cellar this for three years if you can.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

There isn’t much of this grand cru to go around, alas, as the Cathiard parcel is a mere 0.17ha. But what a wine it is: plush yet refined, with scented oak, plenty of depth and spice, subtle reduction and layered bramble and black cherry fruit. Fresh and alluring.Decanter | 96 DECOne of the wines of the vintage, the 2017 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru unfurls in the glass with a stunning bouquet of plums, raspberries, dark chocolate, Asian spice, rose petals and rich soil tones. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, enveloping and multidimensional, with stunning concentration and depth at the core, its ample chassis of fine, satiny tannins entirely cloaked in succulent fruit, its finish long and delineated. This is a stunning wine that entirely transcends the limitation of the year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2017 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, two new barrels out of three in total, has a very refined, supremely focused bouquet of perfumed scents of black cherries, strawberry pastilles and subtle orange blossom aromas. The medium-bodied palate is extremely precise and detailed, with very fine tannin and transparent mineralité toward the finish (as if you can feel the "bones" of this R.S.V.). Sensual and intellectual to boot.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMTwo new barrels out of three. Rich dense black core with an intense purple rim. The nose suggests a wealth of fruit to come but not ready to deliver yet., The front of the mouth fills up very nicely but the back delivers even more. Proper tension at the finish, this time more black fruit than red. At the moment the wine is more about intensity than elegance but this will certainly follow. Tasted: November 2018.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JMAn exuberantly fresh if restrained nose offers up a panoply of spice elements to the primarily red berry fruit aromas that display additional breadth with hints of orange pekoe tea, lavender and a whisper of sandalwood. The lacy yet concentrated middle weight flavors possess a highly refined mouthfeel and first-rate complexity on the balanced and wonderfully persistent if youthfully austere finish. Like the Malconsorts, this is gorgeous but it is also very clearly built for long-term cellaring.Burghound | 93-96 BH

This cuvée, sourced from a 0.75ha parcel of 46-year-old vines completed its malolactic fermentation late, so was a little more backward than the other releases when I tasted it. It may need more time in barrel and bottle, but this is a superb expression of the premier cru, located at the fresher, more scented end of the spectrum. It has fruit intensity from the small berries (millerands) and a chiselled finish.Decanter | 96 DECNoble imperial purple. There is a such a wealth of vibrant heady fruit, which defies simple categorisation, so much more than just dark cherry, too concentrated for floral descriptors though some peony notes are lurking. There is an explosion of fruit at the back of the palate, a little more red than black, an excellent fresh acidity, a very complete wine with as much concentration as one could hope for in 2017. Tasted: November 2018.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JMCathiard’s emblematic cuvée, the 2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts is also a great success, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cherries, licorice, spices, dark berries, grilled game and an elegant framing of new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and fleshy, with a broad-shouldered chassis of velvety structuring tannin, considerable concentration and a long, expansive finish. Due to a late malolactic, this was one of the more primary wines in the cellar, but its immense potential is impossible to miss.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2017 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts 1er Cru is matured in 62% new oak and underwent a slightly later malolactic fermentation than the other cuvées. It has a very pure, detailed bouquet of precise blackberry, briar and crushed stone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red and black fruit, displaying more grip and backbone than the Les Suchots, and the bold finish perhaps offering less charm. It will certainly require several years in bottle.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM Firm reduction renders this impossible to fairly assess today. Otherwise there is more size, weight and muscle to the big-bodied and more evidently mineral-driven flavors that are almost painfully intense, all wrapped in a gorgeously long finish that really fans out as it sits on the palate. However, it is pointless to buy this without the express intention to cellar it as it is very structured.Burghound | 92-95 BH