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The lightly chewy tannins are caressing in this wine and give a cement-like character. Medium-bodied with flavors of chocolate, spices and stones. Delicious and crunchy. A tiny amount of sulfur at bottling. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JS

Laurent Lignier has crafted a delicious wine from his holdings in Clos de la Roche, with dark plummy fruit and notes of ground coffee, earth and spice. The texture is serious, dense with tannin and extract, with enough acidity to draw the flavours out on the palate. Yields were tiny – just five barrels instead of the customary 15-20. This wine will begin to open in three to five years and will drink well for decades after that.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECLaurent has not made the special cuvée in 2024. Here there are 5 barrels from 0.90ha, two thirds Monts Luisants, one third Fremières. A fine mid crimson with a slightly weaker rim. The nose is very high class though, with just a little savoury edge to the mineral red fruit, good tension at the finish, maybe a little blueberry, classic Clos de la Roche with quite some staying power. Drink from 2032-2040. Tasted Nov 2025.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JMThe 2024 Clos-de-la-Roche Grand Cru has an exquisite bouquet that is easily the best that Laurent Lignier conjured this vintage: wonderful redcurrant and raspberry scents, freshly picked roses and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with finely honed tannins, a silver thread of acidity and silky texture that instantly seduces. There is just a tingle of white pepper on the finish that completes a lovely Clos de la Roche. Divine.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMModerate wood influence sets off overtly floral-suffused aromas of wild red berries, spice and a suggestion of wet stone. The succulent, round and utterly delicious medium-bodied flavors possess a lovely sense of underlying tension that adds to the appeal of the powerful, impressively long and well-balanced finale. This is though compact and very firmly structured so at least mid-term patience is recommended.Burghound | 91-94 BH

A new wine in this range, the 2024 Pinot Noir Pacific Rock emerges from McDougall, a well-known site in Fort Ross-Seaview. Bold and explosive, the 2024 possesses tremendous textural depth and intensity. Dark-toned fruit, new leather, cedar, cloves, menthol and licorice fill out the layers. This imposing, broad-scaled Pinot has a lot to offer. There’s a bit of toughness in the tannin that needs to be addressed, but this is nevertheless a very fine debut. I expect the Pacific Rock will continue to improve now that the vineyard is being transitioned to organic farming, a process that takes 7-10 years to show full results.Vinous Media | 95 VM

The 2024 Pinot Noir Sea Field is powerful and tightly wound. Dark-toned fruit, leather, cedar, spice, incense and dried rose petal infuse the 2024 with tons of complexity. This potent, deep Pinot Noir packs a tremendous punch. There’s a lot of wine here, but this needs time to soften and for the mid-palate to emerge. There’s a striking, crystalline purity here.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Spellbinding aromas of rose petals, strawberries, citrus and bark, with hints of lemongrass. Medium-bodied, tight and structured, this offers a captivating combination of linear intensity and calmness, so classy and sophisticated. A continued benchmark for American pinot noir. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2024 Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert is fabulous. Deeply pitched spice notes, blood orange, new leather, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco meld into a core of sweet red cherry fruit, mint, spice and cedar. This is one of the finest vintages of the Royal St. Robert I have ever tasted, going all the way back to Raen’s early days.Vinous Media | 94 VM

A Blanc de Noir with zero dosage, this has plenty of blue fruits and violets on the nose. It really speaks of pinot and there’s good punch on the palate but it remains really smooth and creamy. The tannins are most definitely a feature and they hold assertive blueberry and pastry flavors, cassis, nectarines and even plums to close. Drink now or hold for 2-3 years.James Suckling | 91 JS

Year after year, Egly’s NV Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayères remains one of the most compelling and reliable wines from the Montagne de Reims. Sourced from a south-facing lieu-dit in Ambonnay that was planted between 1946 and 1947 on shallow chalk soils with just 30 centimeters of topsoil, it was disgorged in October 2024 with a dosage of one gram per liter. This release blends the richer 2017 vintage with the taut, incisive character of 2016. Notably, prior to 2000, Francis Egly produced this cuvée as a single-vintage expression, only later opting for a two-vintage blend to buffer against the variability of any given season. The wine ascends from the glass with a bouquet of remarkable complexity—aromas of acacia, ripe pear, orange zest, toasted nuts and patisserie elements unfurl. Full-bodied, concentrated and layered, with ample chalky structuring extract and mouthwatering acidity, it concludes with a long, saline finish. While I often vacillate between Les Crayères and the Millésime as to which I favor, this year, Les Crayères stands as the most captivating wine in the cellar. It offers immense youthful appeal yet promises to evolve beautifully with age. Readers would be wise not to hesitate—it fully lives up to its reputation, and I’d gladly secure bottles for my own cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP