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This exotic wine boasts aromas of passion fruit, pomelo and ripe yellow plums, touched with oyster shell and a hint of smoky reduction. There is rewarding richness here, but there is also plenty of fresh acidity and energy on the palate. The grapes are from the white marl soils of the well-protected, south-facing slopes in the village of Fleys, not far from the Mont de Milieu; it is one of the warmest premier cru sites on the right bank of the Serein. Open this wine in five years and drink it over the next 20.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECExotic floral notes, passion fruit, nashi pear and gooseberry introduce the bottled 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Les Fourneaux, a medium- to full-bodied wine that is elegantly fleshy yet taut and vibrant, concluding with a persistent, grapefruit-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2023 Chablis Les Fourneaux 1er Cru has an airy, crushed stone- and flint-tinged bouquet that seems to have veered toward a more classical and sapid style since bottling. The palate is bright, well balanced and taut, with lime on the entry and a dash of white pepper toward the finish. Give this 18 to 24 months in bottle to show what it is capable of.Vinous Media | 92 VMA little lemon touch to the nose. Retains a cool clarity, then riper lemon scented fruit on the palate and a nicely balanced finish. Attractive stony rather than saline notes to finish. Drink from 2027-2032. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

The recently bottled 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is another success for Samuel Billaud, unfurling aromas of nashi pear, iodine, gooseberry and grapefruit. Full-bodied, ample and satiny, it offers a layered mid-palate framed by tangy acids and concludes with a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPThe 2023 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has a vivacious bouquet that’s more complex than the Montmains. It’s delineated and focused with wonderful mineralité, scents of lime flower, citrus peel and orange blossom. The palate is very well balanced with a quicksilver line of acidity, fine depth and a harmonious, saline finish. The 2023 is beautiful.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis lively, fresh expression of Montée de Tonnerre features aromas of gooseberry and cream with a suggestion of oyster shell; a salty, mineral tang arrives at the end on the palate. The texture is silky and very fine. The grapes are from several parcels totaling 2.15ha in the lieux-dits of Pied d’Aloup and Côte de Bréchain. In 2023, they were gently pressed and fermented exclusively in tank to preserve the freshness of the fruit.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECJust bottled. A clear lightly lemony nose. A sense of considerable weight behind. This has a grander structure than the Mont de Milieu while retaining an even more mineral central backbone. Strikingly long finish. But keep this for years! Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 93 JMAn elegant, pure and airy and more floral-suffused nose possesses more obvious Chablis character with its wet stone, shellfish, brine and iodine-suffused aromas. There is more refinement, if less volume and power, to the beautifully textured middle weight flavors that conclude in a sneaky long, balanced and altogether classy finale. Lovely stuff.Burghound | 92 BH

The 2023 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru has a detailed and mineral-driven bouquet that evokes images of the dark and stormy sea. This has wonderful salinity—it really benefits from no wood contact. The palate is old-school Chablis, with green apple and pear scents. It’s a little strict, yet there is real depth and grip here. The 2023 is very complex and long on the finish, but it’s 100% Chablis in style. Outstanding.Vinous Media | 94 VMJust bottled, after 18 months in tank. Not too dry and stony, though savoury in the best sense. Samuel’s Séchet is one of the great expressions of Left Bank Chablis, with its tightly wound finish and controlled salinity. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Jun 2025. | 94 JMRestrained aromas of citrus confit, iodine, spice and apple give way to strikingly textured and slightly denser medium-bodied flavors that flash evident power that builds on the bitter lemon-inflected finish that is markedly dry, sleek and balanced. The Billaud Séchet is virtually always excellent and the 2023 vintage should be no exception. (Drink starting 2031)Burghound | 93 BH

Top notes of lanolin and vanilla are backed by honeysuckle, peach and lemon tart flavors in this youthful white. With air, this gains freshness and elegance, leaving a salty, mineral element to mingle with the oak spice on the finish. Best from 2027 through 2038. 60 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThere is a lovely, opulent balance between the richness of this wine and the elegance of its acid structure. The initial attack is redolent of grapefruit and quince with hints of hawthorn flowers and chalk. The texture is tightly wound and powerful, yet the wine is silky and very fine, even at this stage. The grapes are from the heart of the Vaillon lieu-dit and were planted in 1933 by Fabien Moreau’s grandfather Guy. One third was fermented in cask, two-thirds in tank; aged for a total of 18 months before bottling.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECThe 2023 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau, which comes from 90-year-old vines, did not finish its fermentation until the following June. It is a little broader on the nose compared to the regular cuvée and this displays a touch more depth. The palate is well balanced and fresh with a bead of acidity and hints of toffee apple and white peach toward the finish. This is very fine.Vinous Media | 91 VMHere too a whiff of the exotic can be found on the slightly riper and lightly oaky aromas of pear, apple and citrus confit plus just enough Chablis typicity to be interesting. As is usually the case, the old vines are in evidence on the middle weight plus flavors thanks to the abundance of sappy dry extract that coats the palate on the seductively textured finish. This does however need better depth so at least some patience is recommended.Burghound | 91 BHLively lemon and lime. The oak ageing means that the bouquet is more hidden in youth. There is a suggestion of greater depth of fruit, along with a little biscuity touch. Some decent acidity, but soft white fruit and flesh dominates the palate. Fair length, not so much tension. Hovering on 13% alcohol. Drink from 2026-2032. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 90 JM

Broad and densely textured, with flavors of peach and apple, but mostly vanilla and lanolin from the oak. This is less expressive and focused than its peers yet shows staying power, echoing the oak spice on the finish. Best from 2027 through 2037. 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WSPale in colour with a green tint. The Vaillons has kept its fresh kimmeridgian nose, though the palate is softer and fleshier, in white fruit, than a Chablis of the past. A little lick of iodine on the stones to finish. This wine has retained some tension, without recourse to acidification, because the malolactic was partially blocked. Drink from 2026-2032. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 91 JMThe 2023 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru, which did not complete malolactic fermentation to retain acidity, has a vivacious, flinty nose that leaps from the glass. The palate is well balanced with a steely opening. Seductive lemon thyme and orange pith notes come through on the mid-palate, with a dab of ginger that enlivens the finish. The 2023 is very fine.Vinous Media | 90 VMVague whiffs of the exotic and a phenolic hint lurk in the background of the aromas of pear, citrus rind and discreet spice nuances. There is both more volume and refinement to the nicely concentrated medium-bodied flavors that possess better depth on the equally lightly austere finish that offers a bit more persistence.Burghound | 90 BH

The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Fairendes is showing especially well, revealing aromas of pear and crisp white peach mingled with hints of matchstick, toasted nuts and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, it’s unctuous and elegant, with terrific purity and a penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP5 barrels are kept separate from the Morgeot blend. Pale colour, attractive energy to this, more upper slope class than the Morgeot mix. A wealth of fruit across the palate, generous and charming together, with energy behind. A complete white fruit wine that is worth taking time over. Drink from 2028-2034. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 93 JMThis is even more floral-suffused with notes of acacia, white rose and gardenia adding breadth to the ripe yet cool aromas of pear, apple and crushed fennel. The rich, generously proportioned and solidly powerful larger-bodied flavors manage to remain nicely refined on the sappy and palate staining finish. This is also worth checking out.Burghound | 92 BH

Always the last plot to be picked of any vintage, the 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Clos des Murées 1er Cru has more reduction on the nose at the moment. The palate is well balanced and quite powerful with a fine bead of acidity, slightly honeyed fruit notes and a little viscosity toward the finish. This will be attractive in its youth, though I believe other cuvées will have more longevity.Vinous Media | 90 VMA cool and airy nose is very fresh with its aromas of just sliced apple, pear and floral nuances. The medium weight flavors are not quite as dense but they’re finer with more evident minerality on the lingering and balanced finale that could also use more depth. I would add that the Clos des Murées is often mildly exotic but such is not the case in 2023.Burghound | 90 BH

The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet “Boudriotte” from Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard is not quite as buttoned up behind its structure as the lovely la Grande Montagne, but it too is going to need a couple of years in the cellar before drinking in earnest. The wine offers up a lovely bouquet of apple, lime, wet stone minerality, a touch of almond, vanillin oak and a Ramonet-like hint of peppermint in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep. full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with a fine core, lovely acids and grip and a long, well balanced and zesty finish. Fine juice. (Drink between 2029-2060)John Gilman | 93 JGThe 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet La Boudriotte 1er Cru comes from lower down the slope. It has a taut and fresh bouquet—a little austere at first—but gradually reveals its energy. The palate is well balanced with a brisk, edgy opening and citrus-fresh orange zest notes toward the penetrating finish. This has great potential. I can imagine it marrying perfectly with fruits de mer.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMThis is also quite firmly reduced though here too there is both good freshness and vibrancy to the slightly bigger-bodied and more powerful, if less mineral-driven, flavors that also offer acceptable depth and persistence though here, the finish isn’t as awkward. Again, I attribute the slight lack of harmony to the very recent bottling.Burghound | 91 BH

I drink Chassagne “Caillerets” so seldom these days, but there was a time when I was a wine merchant that I probably drank wines from this beautiful premier cru more often than any other in the Côte de Beaune. So, I am always delighted to taste a great example, as is the 2023 from the Fontaine family. The wine is young and still a touch reductive on the nose, but with swirling reveals a beautiful bouquet of lime, pear, apple, a gorgeously complex base of chalky minerality, a hint of fresh almond, spring flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, pure, full-bodied and mineral-driven, with a great core of fruit, superb girdle of acidity, laser-like focus and a very long, complex and racy finish. This wine has perfect balance. (Drink between 2030-2070)John Gilman | 95 JGThe 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru has a very harmonious bouquet, fine mineralité and terroir expression and touches of oyster shell infusing the citrus fruit. The palate is well balanced with a rounded texture. There’s a fine silver bead of acidity here, a little richer in style, fanning out marvelously on the finish. This is excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMSmoky and vaguely exotic aromas include those of white peach, passion fruit, citrus confit and a hint of wet stone. There is evident minerality to the delicious middle weight flavors that possess a lovely texture before delivering excellent length on the balanced finale that, once again, could use better depth. One to consider. (Drink starting 2030)Burghound | 92 BH

The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Vergers 1er Cru has a bright nose with yellow plum, white peach and light sea spray scents that opens beautifully in the glass. The palate is very well balanced and quite intense with a bit more body than other cuvées. It’s a little honeyed toward the finish but the acidity keeps everything in check. This is a charming Chassagne.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeots 1er Cru has a little more mineralité on the nose than the Vergers. Its bouquet contains light hints of clementine and beeswax aromas. The palate is well balanced, fresh and concentrated with a slightly viscous opening. It just needs a little more terroir to shape the finish.Vinous Media | 90 VM

This is even cooler and more restrained as the nose only grudgingly reveals its aromas of mineral reduction, green apple, spice, acacia blossom and a deft touch of wood. The gorgeously textured medium weight flavors brim with both minerality and sappy dry extract that buffers the youthfully austere and even more persistent finish. This too is very classy and a classic Clos de la Mouchère of grace and poise. If you can find it, buy it.Burghound | 95 BHA fuller yellow here, and an extra degree of completeness, more weight and almost all the class. The oak is still at 50% new and is very well integrated. Gorgeously rich, with little fruits dancing through a meadow. Once again, I do see the magic of this. Henri was strongly advised by his father to look after “Madame de la Mouchère”. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMThe 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchère 1er Cru is another very classy wine. Vertical in feel, the 2023 is super-bright from the outset. White pepper, flowers, mint, sage and pear reinforce that impression. Readers will find an airy, deceptively mid-weight Puligny that possesses remarkable depth.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM

High-toned, perfumed pomegranate and cranberry fruit with an edge of peony and ginger spice. The texture is silkier than this producer’s Baudes, but it does not have the same depth. The tannins are very fine and Laurent Lignier feels that he will bottle this before spring 2025 to avoid issues with volatility tied to the lower pH this year – he has been buying the fruit for this since 2010 and has noted this tendency in the past.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECMade from purchased grapes, a contract since 2010. Paler colour, raspberry and strawberry, lots of energy, then fractionally earthy in texture but not in taste. Otherwise, the attractive fruit continues on through. Drink from 2030-2035. Tasted Dec 2024.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JMOnce again there is enough wood to merit pointing out framing the pretty and airy essence of spicy red berry scents. The beautifully textured and very supple medium weight flavors flash a subtle bead of minerality on the dusty, balanced and sneaky long finish. This does need better depth so plan on holding it for at least a few years first.Burghound | 90-91 BH

The 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrées comes from vines planted by Laurent Lignier’s grandfather just after the war. Dark berry fruit mixes with iris flower and rooibos on the nose. It is well defined yet understated. The palate is medium-bodied with cranberry and raspberry notes. Touches of rose water come through with time, with fine concentration toward the finish. It’s not quite up there with the 2022 but it comes close.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Opens with just a bit of reduction, but this will disappear at bottling. The aromas are compellingly attractive, with ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit and a slightly floral edge. The texture has density, grip and a marvellously lingering finish. The grapes are from a half-hectare on a gentle slope exposed to the south. This should mature fairly quickly but is also suited to mid-term ageing.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThe 2023 Monthélie Sous la Velle 1er Cru comes from a 0.35-hectare parcel. It has an airy bouquet with dark berry fruit mixed with mandarin and light sous-bois scents. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and much more structure than the Village Cru, with a bright and sorbet-fresh finish. This is recommended.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

Premier cru La Riotte has delivered a wine with ripe, lush aromas of sweet mulberry fruit aromas with a hint of earth and spice. The texture is rich yet still structured, and the density pull the wine through to a pleasantly lingering finish. Laurent explains that the parcel is just below the Clos Saint-Denis, in the stony, sandy soils of the dejection cone from the combe, which helps the grapes ripen well but does not bring a lot of limestone.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThe 2023 Morey-Saint-Denis La Riotte 1er Cru has a clean, precise bouquet with perfumed redcurrant and raspberry fruit tones. As usual, it’s one of the most open aromatics from Lignier, brimming with joie-de-vivre. This is more floral compared to the Les Chaffots. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, pleasant salinity and what you might call a transparent finish that lingers in the mouth.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMThe elegant, airy and very pretty nose features the softly spicy and earthy essence of red pinot fruit. The refined and vibrant flavors are not particularly dense but they are lilting and seductive while displaying a subtle bead of minerality on the lightly austere, balanced and firm finale. Lovely and understated in style.Burghound | 91-93 BHMid crimson with some crushed strawberry on the nose. Some crunchiness at the back, this is agreeable but less energetic than some, not quite kicking on. Drink from 2030-2035. Tasted Dec 2024.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JM

Lignier’s premier cru Chaffots was a spectacular success in 2023, with bright forward pomegranate and wild strawberry fruit and hints of violets, liquorice, and flinty minerals. The texture is lively and fresh, with plenty of tannin but no lack of depth. The 0.45 hectares of vines were planted in 1968 in the thin soils above grand cru Clos Saint-Denis, with a prominent influence from the cool winds of the combe.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECBright purple. The nose is subtle and supple, with less immediate sweet fruit than Sorbè, a little more depth than Riotte. The class of the wine shows in the fruit on the palate, a darker red berry, with a seamless long finish, covering the tannins. Precision. Drink from 2032-2038. Tasted Dec 2024.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMThe 2023 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Chaffots 1er Cru comes from limestone soils, which translate onto the nose. It’s quite strict and linear, with touches of black cherry and sea spray scents. The palate is medium-bodied, with a pastille-like purity on the entry. It is very supple in the mouth, but it just needs a little more grip on the finish. Otherwise, this is a refined Morey-Saint-Denis from one of its best Premier Crus.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMA more reserved and more deeply pitched nose is comprised more from the darker side of the fruit spectrum with more floral and earth nuances as well. Once again there is only average density to the fresh, punchy and solidly powerful flavors that are at once succulent yet with a youthfully austere finish that exhibits outstanding length. Like the Baudes, this virtually always ages well and it is one to look for.Burghound | 91-94 BH

This delicious wine is perennially among the most concentrated and nuanced in Lignier’s cellar—just don’t refer to it as ‘the blended premier cru’. He is at pains to point out that the rows start out in Faconnières and end up in Cheneverey, but that it is one single parcel. The wine boasts aromas of ripe plums with notes of violets, pepper, and a hint of dark chocolate. The texture is dense and rich but without any heaviness. The grapes are from 0.66 hectares of vines. The oldest were planted in 1936, and the youngest in 1962.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2023 Morey-Saint-Denis Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru comes from the usual three lieux-dits. It has an intense bouquet with cool but focused blackberry, briar and light flinty scents. The palate is medium-bodied and very well balanced, with finely sculpted tannins and seductive creaminess to the texture in the finish. Frequently one of Laurent Lignier’s finest cuvées, this is just wonderful.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMMostly Faconnières. Rich dark crimson with the most fruit to date, fully ripe. The palate offers a balanced headiness, with a fruit dark enough to include some plums. This is the more hedonistic of the two but I think my preference comes down narrowly on the more cerebral Chaffots. Drink from 2032-2038. Tasted Dec 2024.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JMA restrained but beautifully layered nose grudgingly offers up its aromas of black cherry, crushed anise and newly turned earth. There is slightly better density to the overtly powerful and more obviously mineral-driven medium-bodied flavors that culminate in a firm, serious and compact finale. This too virtually always ages well and the 2023 version should be no exception.Burghound | 91-94 BH

Complex aromas of sliced apples and dried flowers, as well as lemon grass. Some honeysuckle and white peaches, too. Full-bodied and dense, with lively acidity that adds energy. Spicy and tangy. Dense and structured, yet weightless in so many ways. Give it time to come together. Best after 2027.James Suckling | 97 JSAn exuberantly floral-suffused nose speaks mostly of pear, lychee, citrus confit and an admirably subtle application of oak. The rich and generous yet solidly punchy and beautifully refined middle weight flavors tighten up noticeably on the firm, youthfully austere and impeccably well-balanced finale. This does need better depth but that should simply be a matter of exercising some patience.Burghound | 90-93 BH

This lovely, powerful wine offers aromas of greengage plum, Williams pear and apple. The texture is rich, but the wine is still elegant and not at all hard to love. This vintage is the first bottling of a white Boudriotte, as far as I can tell – it used to get blended into the broader Morgeot appellation. Like Morgeot, Boudriotte can be a blend of several different lieux-dits; for this wine, a new 0.26ha vineyard in Chaumes is blended with 0.11ha of Champs Jeandreau .Decanter Magazine | 94 DECFrom Champ Jeandreau and a more recent planting in Chaumes. Clean fresh fruit, not too powerful. Quite lean and tense, a little bit more citrus. A suggestion of some light peach behind, but adding a dimension rather than denaturing.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

Displays a bright lemon peel and green apple fruit, with a bottom note of flinty minerality and just a hint of smoky reduction. The texture, however, is richer than the aromas would lead one to think – it is supple and approachable, with a hint of hazelnut on the agreeable finish. The domaine farms slightly more than a quarter-hectare near the base of the slope.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECPale colour, a softer white orchard fruit on the nose, there being more clay in the soil here. The mouth retains a certain juiciness, with the apples expanding towards the back of the palate. Clean and correct. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 90 JM

Because it is blocked by the peak known as the Roche Dumay, this south-facing slope overlooking the hamlet of Gamay does not get the sun until after 10am, but it has light into the evening, lending the fruit a slightly exotic passion fruit character. The texture is not heavy, however, and winemaker Sébastien Caillat manages both elegance and finesse, although he notes that the ripeness can jump quickly at the end of the season.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECIn the hail corridor. .En Créot does not see the sun until 10am so harder to do the treatments when there is still dew. Pale in colour with a light white fruit. Some ripe apples, middleweight, a little more mineral tension than the village wine, with good length. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 90 JM

The Maltroie red has a deep ruby colour and an admirable concentration of red and black fruit with hints of earth, smoke and violets. The texture is silky, but there is also depth and enough structure to draw this out to a lingering finish. The grapes are from 0.44ha of the Clos de la Maltroie, not to be confused with Clos du Château de la Maltroye.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Clos de la Maltroie 1er Cru is clean and precise on the nose, with touches of lemon rind and crushed stone. The palate is taut and fresh, with plenty of lime and citrus fruit and more stony notes developing on the finish. The 2023 is a level up from 2022.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMA more floral-suffused nose offers up vaguely exotic aromas of white peach, lychee and passion fruit along with just sliced citrus hints. I very much like the sense of underlying tension and caressing mouthfeel the barely middle weight flavors display before culminating in a balanced, long and agreeably dry finale. This too could use better depth but the development potential seems clear.Burghound | 90 BHNot much deeper in colour than the village wine but with significantly more fruit weight, still strawberry up front underpinned by a little raspberry, and here also the evidence of some new wood. One new barrel out of four. Drink from 2028-2032. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 89-92 JM

A beautifully layered nose subtly blends notes of poached pear, just sliced apple, spice and a touch of citrus confit. There is an equally beautiful texture to the seductive and caressing medium weight flavors that possess sneaky good length on the balanced finale. This is lovely and while it’s not particularly intense, it remains refreshing and inviting as well as a wine that could be enjoyed on the younger side if desired.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Chenevottes 1er Cru has a lovely bouquet with citrus peel and light floral scents. It’s a little more reductive than other cuvées, but that’s no bad thing. The palate is well-balanced with a fine bead of acidity, building nicely in the mouth with just a hint of peach skin on the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMPale lemon and lime. There is a touch of citrus with the minor reduction. Firm at the finish which is no bad thing as there is a considerable volume of white orchard fruit which needs to be kept in place. Easy of access once again. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 91 JM