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An extremely subtle application of wood can be found on the cool if decidedly reluctant nose of spiced green apple, beeswax and citrus zest aromas. The palate impression of the medium weight plus flavors is quite interesting in that there is excellent concentration and power yet they are not massively scaled while maintaining impeccable balance on the palate etching and stunningly long finish, indeed I could still taste this 3 hours later. This is one extremely classy Montrachet and one of the jewels of the 2021 vintage.Burghound | 97 BHThere’s only one 228-liter barrel of the 2021 Montrachet Grand Cru, so Boillot asked his favored cooper to assemble a special barrel, with alternating new and used staves. Delivering aromas of pear, honeycomb, freshly baked bread, spices and toasted nuts, it’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with a fleshy core of fruit and a long, nutmeg-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2021 Montrachet Grand Cru is incredibly airy and nuanced. Candied lemon peel, mint, tangerine oil and white flowers show effortless grace. This is an especially restrained, super-elegant Montrachet that shows Puligny’s finesse. The 2021 is absolutely exquisite. I doubt I will ever taste it again, though. Bright saline notes punctuate the super-expressive finish. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 93-95 VMBeeswax and lime blossom, especially the latter, which Guillaume finds typical of Montrachet. The Montrachet shows both class and intensity over and above the Bâtard as indeed should be the case. Brilliantly racy despite the intensity. This year there is one 228 litre barrel instead of the usual 350, and made up in zebra fashion, half new wood with alternate dowels. Drink from 2030-2040.Jasper Morris | 95 JM

Made from two plots, one each in Pernand and Ladoix, but just two barrels this year instead of eight. Pale lemon and lime. A more reductive nose with a little oaky note, one new barrel in the two. Will take some time for the fruit to push past that. Plenty of fruit volume though and the style is typical of the appellation. White fruit, lemons, a little banana note, and a stony finish. Indeed plenty of weight at the finish. Drink from 2026-2032.Jasper Morris | 93 JM

(Drink date 2022 - 2032) “The Diatom 2021 Chardonnay has inviting poached pears, quince and lemongrass aromas with touches of baker’s yeast, honeycomb and acacia. The medium-bodied palate balances generous, exotic fruits and a touch of textural grip with bright waves of acidity, finishing long and flavorful. This Chardonnay is dynamic and so delicious.”Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe Diatom 2021 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) is another home run from Greg Brewer. Stunning in its depth and overall intensity, the 2021 is bright and mineral, with plenty of citrus and floral character, but also a good amount of textural depth to keep things in balance. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s layers and overall pedigree. As always, the style here favors cold fermentation, no malolactic fermentation and very short aging in steel prior to bottling. In 2021, all of the fruit is from Los Alamos. Best of all, the 2021 is a fabulous value.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGVery crisp on the nose, this bottling by Greg Brewer pops with tropical flowers and fruits of jasmine, plumeria and guava on the nose, with a crushed seashell minerality. The tropical character rides through the palate, offering more plumeria and guava flavors in a balanced approach.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

This has aromas of flint, toast, jasmine, dried pineapples, lemons and sea shells. Some cardamom and salted butter. Classy and driven, with a medium to full body and tight, sleek layers. Perfumed and bright. Everything in balance. Drink or hold. Screw cap.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2021 Chardonnay Hunting Hill is its usually sinewy, taut and lightly floral self. Often in the shadow of Maté’s Vineyard, Hunting Hill seems to be becoming more and more serious as the vines age - they’re around 20 years old. Expect a muscular, unyielding wine that has lemon and lime bitter notes, nectarine and even a whiff of seaside - all salty and briny.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Jazz hands at the ready, the Kumeu River Chardonnay Coddington is always ready to welcome you in with its full, svelte figure and no hard edges, and the 2021 is no different. However, this year there’s an additional touch of purpose that keeps it fresh and full of intention. Good depth and weight here, perhaps due to the lower crop after frost made for small yields. There’s a sense of feel, a sense of wanting to chew on the finish. Savory characters, festive spices and nutty notes, likely derived from its 25% new oak and time on lees in barrel, join the restrained white stone fruit.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Tasted at the beginning of 2023, a reductive quality was still obscuring bright, penetrating green apple and kiwi flavours with a smoky, earthen veil. Still, it’s a gorgeously sleek, richly textured wine with a pulsating core of acidity and salty mineral intensity.Decanter | 95 DECLovely texture and density, showing dried apple, fresh ginger and pastry dough. Layered, with phenolic tension. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2021 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills has alluring aromas of white peach, freshly baked bread, panna cotta and matchstick with savory undertones. The medium-bodied palate has dynamic flavors that range from ripe fruit to matchstick and saline. It has a focused spine of acidity, a pleasing touch of textural grip and a very long, layered finish. It’s complex yet delicious straight from the bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2021 Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills) is terrific. Citrus confit, white flowers, almond, chamomile and dried herbs all run through this super-expressive Chardonnay. There’s a touch of phenolic intensity, along with a kiss of reduction, that add character. Almost all of this fruit is now estate.Vinous Media | 92 VMComplex and seamless, there’s plenty to admire in this white wine. Shows spiced, poached pear, dried apple, grilled lemon and fresh tangerine flavors that are juicy and generous, with details of sage, white pepper and toasted sesame seed on the finish. Drink now. 4,536 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThere’s a strong streak of tarry minerality to the nose of this bottling, which shows brisk lemon peel and even petrol on the tightly wound nose. The palate is stony as well, with a potent acidity slicing through lemon-peel flavors. Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

The 2021 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is one of the more powerful wines in the range, mingling aromas of sweet orchard fruit and confit citrus with hints of toasted nuts, white flowers and new oak. Full-bodied, ample and layered, it’s rich and expansive, but it also maintains good tension.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP

The textural component to this wine, and all of those from Rhys, is worth the price alone. The nose starts with aromas of lemon curd, baked orange and a light nutty tone before the palate’s chalky texture engages the entire mouth as citrus flavors abound.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2021 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains is a peek at the stellar produce of Rhys’s 2021 single-vineyard white wines. The nose opens with fresh, racy aromas of sea spray, lemon curd and Granny Smith apple. The mid-palate displays a level of creamy richness that takes substantial cellaring to unlock in the rest of the lineup. The signature tension and angularity of the Rhys style are present, albeit with a welcomed softness and generosity of texture. Readers holding this admirable array of wines should start here and hold off on the single-site wines for at least a few more years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPI love the nose on the 2021 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains, which feels lifted and briny with aromas of wildflowers, white peaches, honeycomb, and candle smoke. A blend of three vineyards, it’s medium-bodied to full-bodied and rounded through the midpalate, with a silky mouthfeel and a long, savory finish. As with the Anderson Valley Chard, this is going to drink well now or over the coming 6-7 years, and it’s a great value.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDThe 2021 Chardonnay (Santa Cruz Mountains) is a gorgeous appellation level wine, and also a wine that will drink well with minimal cellaring, unlike most of the 2021s. Lemon confit, marzipan, dried flowers and chamomile all grace this soft, open-knit Chardonnay from Rhys. Bright saline notes extend the super-expressive finish. Terrific.Vinous Media | 92 VMBright and distinctive, with notes of tangerine, orange blossoms and lemon curd that show a hint of toasted sesame. Offers aromatic details of fennel, nutmeg and dried ginger, with a note of sea spray and a long, expressive finish. Drink now. 1,200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS