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The 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru is magnificent. It displays stunning definition on the nose; there’s no messing about as it ladles out captivating raspberry, wild strawberry and light oyster shell notes. Though opulent and reflective of the growing season, the bouquet oozes class. The palate has a sorbet-like freshness and so much vitality after 31 years, building toward a perfectly symmetrical finish featuring vivacious morello cherries and raspberry coulis and hints of bay leaf. This is simply Rousseau in full flight. How do you follow that pair?Vinous Media | 97 VMThis was a wine that I was quite curious to try because while I had the good fortune to have enjoyed it several times in the 1990s, it had not come my way since 2001. I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint with its ripe yet airy aromas of sous-bois, spice, earth, game and beautifully well-layered secondary fruit. There is fine richness as well as very good power to the delicious and attractively textured medium-bodied flavors that exhibit equally good layering on the impressively persistent finale. This is not a particularly elegant vintage for the Rousseau CSJ and there remains enough tannin to notice on the slightly warm finish but overall, I found this to have aged out extremely well.Burghound | 93 BHThe outstanding Gevrey-Chambertin-Clos St.-Jacques possesses a saturated deep ruby color, and an explosive nose of black fruits, spicy new oak, flowers, and truffles. In the mouth, the wine is dense, seductive, and ripe, with low acidity, glycerin, and alcohol in the finish, making it a voluptuous, opulent mouthful of chewy Pinot Noir. Drink it over the next decade.Robert Parker | 90 RPA supple 1990, with a firm core of solid tannins and enough fruit to compensate for the tannic backbone. A well-integrated wine, with lots of raspberry, mushroom and wet earth flavors. Best after 1996.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 1998 Chateau Yquem was released several months ago. This estate does not allow tasting from cask (where the wine spends 42 months), and it is not released until five years after the vintage. The 1998 Yquem (95 points) is a great success. Made in an elegant style, it is not a blockbuster such as 1990, 1989, and 1988. It is well-delineated, with wonderfully sweet aromas of creme brulee, pineapples, apricots, and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, it is not as sweet as the biggest/richest Yquem vintages, but it is gorgeously pure, precise, and strikingly complex. Already approachable, it should evolve for 30-50 years ... without a doubt.Robert Parker | 95 RPPale gold. Knockout aromas of creme brulee, coconut, vanilla bean, honey and orange peel. Lush and seductively silky in the mouth; its creamy, seamless texture makes it seem deceptively accessible today but sound acid structure should keep it going for 20 years or more. Not hugely sweet or tropical but very complex and fine. Firm, hazelnutty finish offers great length, if not quite the grip of the ’89.Vinous Media | 95 VM

(Domaine Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin, 1er Cru Clos-St-Jacques, Burgundy, France, Red) Medium-full colour. Rich, concentrated, high quality nose with a touch of new oak. Fullish body. Profound. Youthful. Excellent grip. Very impressive finish. Splendid quality as usual. Will still improve. (Drink between 2003-2025)Decanter | 96 DEC(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos St. Jacques" 1er Cru Red) Knockout aromas of wonderfully intense black and red cherry fruit loaded with cassis and a touch of new oak introduce medium-bodied, sweet, harmonious, very expressive and long flavors all underpinned by racy minerality and firm structure. The tannins are prominent but ripe and the density of extract is impressive and this both coats and stains the palate. As it always does, this delivers finesse with real mid-palate punch with near perfect grace. For my taste, I would hold this for another 1 to 3 years but it would be no vinous crime to be drinking this now. Note to be sure to serve this cool as the alcohol becomes noticeable if it becomes a bit too warm. (Drink starting 2013)Burghound | 93 BHRousseau’s 2001 Grevey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques is a very pretty wine, bursting from the glass with a projected bouquet of rose petal, cassis, red cherry, cedary new oak and sweet forest floor. On the palate, the wine is youthful but expressive, with a sweet, almost candied core of succulent fruit, framed by supple tannins. At first glance, this seems to epitomize Rousseau’s elegant style, but by the time the bottle was finished, the wine had begun to seem just a touch facile and diffuse, missing the intensity and concentration that this bottling can attain.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPGood medium red. Strawberry, coffee, rose petal and smoky oak on the nose. Sweet, ripe and plump, with aromatic flavors of plum and spicy oak. Here the nearly 100% new oak percentage (the foregoing wines get little or no new oak) adds considerable sex appeal and nicely frames the wine’s rather delicate fruit. Finishes long, subtle and aromatic, with an impression of finer tannins.Vinous Media | 90 VM

No written review provided. | 97 RPThe 2005 Climens has an intense nose, dried honey and a touch of glycerine, tangerine and barley sugar. The palate is well balanced with a viscous opening, tangy marmalade mixed with white peach and white pepper, gaining momentum towards the finish that has real depth and penetration. This is a fabulous Climens with great complexity. Tasted at the Climens vertical at the château in April 2022.Vinous Media | 95 VMToffee, dried lemon rind and tropical fruit on the nose. Full-bodied and very sweet, with a dense palate of candied fruit and a long, sweet finish. Very concentrated. The botrytis spice creeps up on the finish. Best after 2013. 2,300 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSOpulent apricot nose. Plump and robust, with rich mandarin fruit. A long, spicy finish. Drinking Window 2012 - 2030.Decanter | 95 DECThe deep color implies how richly draped this wine is in botrytis; its exotic scents and complex flavors bear the stamp as well. Honey, more honey and a little hazelnut in the end. Voluptuous now, this wine’s complexity will gain prominence with age.Wine & Spirits | 93 W&SIntensely rich, very perfumed wine, full of apples and honey flavors. There is also fresh fruit, but the richness dominates, showing some dry botrytis flavors to finish.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The pale to medium lemon-gold colored 2005 d’Yquem opens with a provocative, mineral and earth-tinged nose of chalk dust, wet pebbles and dried wild mushrooms over a core of warm apricots, green mango, honeyed toast, ginger and pink grapefruit plus wafts of honeycomb, orange blossoms and saffron. The palate confirms the wine is still a little closed and shut down, offering achingly gorgeous glimpses at the tightly wound, intricate layers structured with a racy acid line and wonderfully creamy texture, finishing incredibly long and perfumed. This decadent flavor bomb still needs a good five to seven years in bottle before it is set to go off, but oh what a spectacle it will give then!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis has a deliciously pure feel, with juicy, inviting green plum, ginger, heather, creamed pineapple and Jonagold apple flavors all melded together and gliding through the lengthy finish, which echoes with lilting flowers and dried citrus notes. Best from 2015 through 2045. 12,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis isn’t sweet, but just so wonderfully rich. It’s the concentration of botrytis that makes the wine. The texture is velvet, but with a spicy bite to it. Apricot, honey and marzipan all contribute to a wine that will age over decades.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2005 Yquem is limpid golden in hue. The bouquet is gorgeous, finely-tuned and precise with clear honey, vanilla pod and saffron, less of the almond that I have noticed previously. The palate is built around its exquisite poise, the acidity keeping this Yquem on its tip-toes. As I have noted before, it appears to be gaining in concentration and viscosity with age, lovely fig and tangerine notes combining with a slight nuttiness on the finish. Tasted at 67 Pall Mall in London.Vinous Media | 96 VMWhat an incredible nose of flowers, honey, spices such as clove, and sandalwood. With time, decadent aromas of apple tart and crumble develop. Full and very round on the palate, this is medium sweet with a velvety texture. Flavors of honey, apple and pear tart appear on the long finish. This is so beautiful, hard not to drink now but will greatly improve with more time. 140 grams of RS.James Suckling | 95 JSThe summer heat that led to such outstanding wines from Bordeaux in 2005 was not ideal for Sauternes, as the onset of botrytis was fairly late and sporadic. Also the hot conditions kept acidity on the low side. Nonetheless d’Yquem made a finely balanced wine, with discreet apple and apricot aromas that are still reticent. It’s suave, textured and very concentrated, with elegant oak and no overbearing viscosity or heaviness. Very long, it will keep well, but may not be among the very greatest Yquems. Drinking Window 2019 - 2035Decanter | 94 DEC

Pale gold, the 2009 Climens offers up a fabulously fragrant nose of green tea, chamomile, powdered ginger, lemon marmalade and fallen leaves with suggestions of spice cake and preserved mandarin peel. The palate is super intense with vibrant, energetic fruit and layer upon layer of perfume and spice nuances, finishing very long and incredibly youthful.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPRich and opulent, but the Barsac terroir keeps it reined in. Exotic fruit notes, baked apple and confit fruit. Pure, velvety and unctuous but with a bite of citrus zest freshness coming in behind. Biodynamic estate. Drinking Window 2019 - 2050Decanter | 97 DECThe 2009 Climens has a clean and pure bouquet with honey and brioche aromas, like pure sunlight! The palate is fresh and crisp with superb botrytised fruit. Great tension and a dash of ginger and lemongrass spice up the detailed finish. This is a Climens that is only just beginning to demonstrate what is capable of. Bon vin! Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe superb palate boasts richness, with honey and orange zest notes. It shows fine balance between the flavors of orange jelly and the intense botrytis-driven notes. It has a light, delicate texture and acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WERounded and broad in feel for now, with richly layered toasted almond, ginger cream, brioche and glazed apple notes that all glide through the viscous finish, where a flash of green tea can be found. This has the buried zip for the long haul, which it will need to assimilate fully. There’s lots in reserve. Best from 2015 through 2034. 4,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Attractive nose with hazelnuts, vanilla and apricot. Lots of dried orange peel and honey in this excellent sweet wine. Dense and very sweet on the palate with bright acidity and wonderful purity of fruit. Soft, well-balanced and very elegant long finish. Medium sweetness. Intense botrytis spice on finish. Better in 2016.James Suckling | 96 JSPale lemon-gold colored, the 2010 Climens reveals a seriously intense nose of mango pudding, warm pineapples and pink grapefruit with hints of exotic spices, toasted almonds and brioche plus a waft of honeycomb. Powerfully flavored and packed with layers of tropical fruits, spices and earthy notes, it finishes epically long and honeyed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPDense and lush now, offering tangerine, apricot, honey-roasted almond and dacquoise notes, with a long, powerful, honeyed finish that lets toasted coconut and mango cruise through. The lovely dried pineapple and honeysuckle accents flitter through the background. Shows stunning length and depth. This will become dreamy with age. Best from 2018 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 96 WSFull and very rich, this is an opulent style of wine. It has a ripe, tropical fruit feel to it, offering power as well as fresh acidity. Pineapples and lychees give fruitiness, perfume and spice. The aftertaste, with its liquorous character, is gloriously warm and concentated. Drink from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2010 Climens is a little different to several previous encounters with dried honey, tangerine, melted candle wax and a touch of barley sugar, perhaps even more delineated than previous bottles. It almost shimmers with energy. The palate is medium-bodied with viscous honeyed fruit, very harmonious although you can tell that this is just a "young pup". Give it another decade in bottle. Courtesy of a bottle proffered by Bill Blatch at Trinity restaurant in London.Vinous Media | 94 VM(Château Climens (Barsac)) I had not tasted the final blended version of the 2010 Climens, as the last time I saw this wine was in its constituent components at the château back in the spring of 2011. As readers may recall, I was not wild about this vintage in the Sauternes and Barsac region, finding that the torrid heat and drought conditions of the summer of 2010 were not ideal for great Sauternes production. The 2010 Climens had shown promise back in the spring of 2011, but was also a bit atypically broad-shouldered and powerful in style and likely to lack some of the charm and elegance that makes this property many people’s absolute favorite in the region. The finished wine has turned out quite well, offering up fine depth and refinement as well, with the bouquet a blend of orange blossoms, pineapple, tangerine, honey, chalky soil tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, complex and very elegant for the vintage, with a fine core, bright acids and very good length and grip on the powerful finish. This is still slightly “blunt” in profile, which may be a reflection of its adolescence, or it may end up always being part of the calling card of the 2010 vintage, but this is a very, very successful example of this difficult year. (Drink between 2025-2075).John Gilman | 93 JG

The 2014 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots has a really quite lovely bouquet with bright red berry fruit, a touch of violet and a hint of wet gravel. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, quite saline in the mouth with a subtle marine influence, a touch of spice with a long, slightly earthy finish. It delivers on the promise that it demonstrated from barrel and will be drinking beautifully for 15-20 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPSuchots is another Vosne premier cru that is usually very black fruity out of the blocks, and interestingly, this is absolutely the case with this classic 2014 version from Charles van Canneyt. The bouquet soars from the glass in a very elegant blend of dark berries, black cherries, raw cocoa, a superb base of dark soil tones, gamebirds, cardamom, cedar and a bit of fresh herbs in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and again, very much defined by its beautiful minerality at the outset, with a sappy core of black fruit, fine-grained tannins and a long, tangy and impeccably balanced finish. I love the tension here between the fruit, soil and acids. (Drink between 2021 - 2055)John Gilman | 93 JGBright medium red. Sexy, inviting aromas of sweet raspberry, cocoa powder and soil. Plush, broad and seamless but with good medicinal reserve to its dark fruit, licorice, spice and earth flavors. Most impressive today on the very long, spicy, rising finish, where the ripe tannins saturate the entire mouth. Conveys an impression of density without weight, like the better examples of the vintage.Vinous Media | 92+ VMThis is closed to the point of being all but mute as the grudging nose is composed by a collection of plum, violet, earth and sandalwood aromas. There is good richness, volume and concentration to the velvety middle weight flavors that terminate in a suave and seductive finale where the supporting tannins appear to be slightly riper.Burghound | 92 BH

The 2016 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru has a slightly meaty/feral bouquet, just a hint of gaminess that might become more conspicuous with bottle age. Otherwise I find this well defined and with flattering red cherry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin. There is a fine bead of acidity here, a pleasant fleshy mouthfeel towards the finish and a residual salinity that beckons you back for the next sip. This represents another impressive wine from Charles Van Canneyt. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2016 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts has an enticing and yet understated bouquet with Morello cherries, wild strawberry and rose petal scents, quite complex if not intense. There is something almost nonchalant here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp and focused, the chalkiness of the terroir coming through and lending energy on the long and tensile finish. Excellent.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPA gorgeous 2016 that readers should snatch up is the 2016 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts, which comes from a vineyard just to the north of Richebourg. It was destemmed and brought up in a mix of new, once-, and twice-used barrels. It shows a ripe, rounded, softer style that still carries plenty of structure, offering beautiful darker fruits, flowery incense, spice, and forest, earthy notes as well as a touch of orange rind. Beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, this gorgeous Vosne- Romanée is ideal for drinking any time over the coming 10-15 years. It’s not one to hide away for two decades, but a few years of bottle age certainly won’t hurt.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDHere the aromatic profile is markedly different with its dense dark berry fruit, tea, spice and violet aromas that are trimmed in just enough wood to notice. Like the Petits Vougeots the positively gorgeous mouthfeel of the medium weight flavors is satiny and delivers outstanding persistence on the balanced and intensely mineral-driven finale. This is sufficiently supple that it could be approached young or held up to a decade first.Burghound | 91-94 BHClear bright fresh purple, fresh and racy fruit, purity and intensity. An interesting mix of different dark fruits, raspberry, blueberry and black cherry. There is good concentration across the palate. I would not have liked to see this picked any later but it works very well as it is, with a touch of salinity at the back. Jasper Morris | 94 JMCharles Van Canneyt’s vines are in the upper part of Beaux Monts where the soils are thinner, so although this is never the most opulent example of this climat, the 2016 is lovely. Aromas of ripe, dark fruits, smoked duck and rich spice precede a cool, medium-full wine, its ample core of cool fruit underpinned by a tense, chalky chassis of tannin.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2016 Beaumonts from Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat is a fine wine in the making. The bouquet delivers a fine, youthful constellation of dark berries, black cherries, bitter chocolate, dark soil tones, venison, woodsmoke and a deft touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and already nicely velvety on the attack, with a fine core, lovely soil inflection and a long, ripely tannic and seamless finish. This will be lovely, as it starts to show some fine upper register Vosne spice tones with air. (Drink between 2024 - 2065)John Gilman | 92 JG

Making the most of owning a total of 1.5ha divided between the upper and lower parts of this premier cru, the Seysses always seem to make a particularly well-balanced Malconsorts. This is typically floral and appealing, with spicy notes coming from 85% whole-bunch fruit, along with textured berry flavours and supporting minerality. Drinking Window 2023 - 2030.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2017 Dujac Malconsorts is a superb wine, offering up glorious complexity, intensity of flavor and soil signature in a medium-full format that will be the epitome of elegance when it is fully mature. The bouquet jumps from the glass in a blaze of raspberries, red plums, smoked duck, a complex base of soil tones, roses, cocoa powder and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and vibrant, with a sappy core of red fruit, beautiful transparency, seamless tannins, tangy acids and a very long, complex and dancing finish. There is a weightlessness to the palate impression here that is utterly charming. (Drink between 2027-2065)John Gilman | 94+ JGBoth more concentrated and more introverted than the preceding Beaux Monts, Dujac's 2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts opens in the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, plums, orange rind, smoked duck and peonies. On the palate, it's full-bodied, supple and elegantly muscular, with fine depth at the core, powdery tannins and mouthwatering acids, concluding with a perfumed finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2017 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts 1er Cru has a little more intensity on the nose compared to the Les Beaux Monts at the moment, while the fruit is a tad darker. The palate is compact on the entry, linear and strict, with blackberry, raspberry and touches of brine on the sturdy finish. This demonstrates the spine I look for in a Malconsorts. Give it three or four years once in bottle, because it punches at Grand Cru weight.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM(Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée "Les Malconsorts" 1er Cru Red) There is a seductive sweetness to the intensely floral-scented nose of various red berry fruit that are trimmed in a beautiful array of spice elements. The intense and well-detailed middle weight plus flavors culminate in firm, muscular and very serious finish that is dusty, austere and compact. This too will need to flesh out though it appears to have the necessary stuffing to do so if given time. (Drink starting 2032).Burghound | 91 BH

Among the most iconic Ramonet vineyards, this site on the slopes above Les Fairendes still has some of the vines planted by Pierre in the thirties. This old-vine fruit delivers a wine of impressive concentration. There is still a floral elegance typical of Ramonet, but there are also hints of ripe pear and white nectarine on the nose. The texture is firmly wound but not acerbic, the tension balanced by the ripe heft and extract of 2018. The superb balance carries this to a very satisfying finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2041.Decanter | 96 DEC(Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet "Les Ruchottes" 1er Cru White) Smoky and nicely fresh aromas speak mainly of petrol, citrus blossom, spice and a discreet hint of wood influence. There is fine energy to the fluid, round and delicious middle weight flavors that possess average density but excellent punch and power before terminating in a markedly bitter lemon rind and noticeably warm finale. This is very 2018 in style as one can "feel" the sunshine and a wine that is going to need at least some bottle age to better harmonize as it seems somewhat awkward at present. With that said, the track record of this wine is so good that I wouldn't care to bet against it rounding into form with a few years of keeping. (Drink starting 2026)Burghound | 93 BH

A rich and generous Meursault with plenty of ripe-apricot and melon character, which is very neatly underlined by the vanilla oak. Full body with quite some creaminess, then comes the long finish with excellent mineral freshness. Everything fits extremely neatly! Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSOffering up notes of pear, white flowers, toasted almonds and beeswax, Bouchard’s 2019 Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières is medium to full-bodied, satiny and chiseled, with a more tightly wound, introverted profile than the Charmes that preceded it. Built to age, this is a serious Genevrières that I look forward to tasting from bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPA blend of two parcels, the 2019 Meursault Les Genevrières 1er Cru was the first to be picked by Bouchard in this appellation. The well-defined bouquet features touches of lemon thyme, walnut and smoke. The palate is balanced with fine acidity, fresh and focused. The pretty, apricot-tinged finish fans out wonderfully and leaves residues of grilled almond and sesame on the aftertaste. Excellent. Vinous Media | 92-94 VMTwo plots in the upper part, picked separately. Pale yellow. The bouquet is very striking with its verbena and juniper nose, plenty of energy here. Big shoulders, some warmth, but it holds it in, with excellent length. Ripe pear notes on the palate. This will all come together.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JMModerately firm reduction overshadows the underlying fruit at present. Otherwise there is very good volume to the nicely concentrated and more finely textured middle weight flavors that brim with minerality on the youthfully austere and lemon zest-inflected finale that isn’t quite as structured.Burghound | 91-93 BHFrom two domaine-owned parcels totaling 2.65ha, one near the bottom, one near the top. The grapes are gently pressed, settled and fermented in cask (15% new). The result has a high-toned citrusy fruit, with a pleasantly floral edge to it. On the palate, there is weight and breadth, but no heaviness. Really quite lovely.Decanter | 92 DEC

The 2019 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru was bottled in June and July ‘21. Very perfumed and floral scents on the nose, dark cherries, bergamot, damp earth and touches of clove, later hints of violet and blood orange (traits that I observed out of barrel). This is nicely detailed. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, fine acidity, lightly spiced with a classy espresso-tinged finish that lingers in the mouth. Excellent. (Drink between 2025-2050)Vinous Media | 95 VMZanetti divides the Clos des Epéneaux in four sections, which are all fermented and matured separately and then assembled. The assemblage of the three is the most compelling, with a mix of violet notes and expressive cherry fruit aromas on the attack, plus mineral, spice and saline notes that develop with time. There is plenty of body, but little of the tannic, slightly rustic character for which Pommard can be known. Drinking Window 2024 - 2034.Decanter | 94 DECA very ripe nose is comprised by notes of both red and dark currant along with a background hint of a kind of reduction that the Burgundians refer to as bourgeon de cassis. There is fine freshness and verve to the moderately dense, powerful, and muscular larger-scaled flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract before concluding in a dusty, austere, and firm finale. This is also relatively supple and opulent that will need to develop depth over the course of its aging curve. (Drink starting 2029)Burghound | 92 BH

The 2019 Meursault Les Porusots 1er Cru has one of the feistier aromatics from Dominique Lafon, featuring vibrant yellow plum, marmalade and orange pith aromas, very well defined and wonderfully assimilated with the oak. The palate is balanced with a crisp bead of acidity that offsets the richness; elegant and refined, leading to a silky-smooth hazelnut and spice-infused finish. This represents a superb followup to the impressive 2018 but might not surpass it. We will find out. Vinous Media | 93-95 VMThe gently-pressed bunches from Porusots are fermented and aged in cask, with a good proportion of new wood, yet this does nothing to obscure the purity of the lemony fruit on the nose, while the texture on the elegant palate is well balanced, with fresh acidity. The Porusots is a stand-out bottling from this domaine, it being a wine of lovely intensity and structure. (Drink between 2024-2039)Decanter | 95 DECCool and decidedly restrained aromas only grudgingly reveal the notes of green fruit, essence of spiced pear and plenty of citrus elements. The powerful yet quite sleek larger-scaled flavors are tautly muscular before culminating in a strikingly persistence finish that also has a slightly chewy quality to it. Note that this is very firmly structured and a wine that is clearly built to repay long-term keeping. In a word, excellent. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 93-95 BHThe 2019 Meursault 1er Cru Porusots opens in the glass with notes of citrus oil, almond paste, white flowers and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, bright and precise, its satiny attack segues into a tightly wound mid-palate and a mouthwateringly chalky finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP

The 2019 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest is the deepest and most complete of Dauvissat's premiers crus, delivering a complex bouquet of orange oil, pear and fresh bread complemented by top notes of iodine, dried white flowers and beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it's layered and concentrated, with superb mid-palate volume, lively acids and a long, electric finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP(Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis "La Forest" 1er Cru White) A less elegant but more complex nose reflects plenty of Chablis typicity with its nose of spiced apple, sea breeze, tidal pool, ripe citrus and a touch of the exotic. There is excellent volume to the intense and muscular flavors that brim with both dry extract and minerality before concluding in a bitter lemon and anise-suffused finish that offers just a bit more depth. Like the Montée de Tonnerre, this very powerful effort should be capable of rewarding up to a decade of cellaring. (Drink starting 2029).Burghound | 93 BHThe 2019 Chablis Forêts 1er Cru has one of the most marine-influenced aromatics from Dauvissat, well-defined sea spray and oyster shell notes emerging with time. The palate is beautifully focused and powerful, offering dried honey and light spice notes, and gradually building toward the stem-ginger-tinged finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

I’m inclined to nominate the 2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes as Leflaive’s finest premier cru this year. Wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, citrus oil, fresh peach, toasted nuts and smoke, it’s full-bodied, rich and satiny, with an immensely concentrated and incisive profile. Taut and chiseled despite its mid-palate plenitude, it’s built to cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru is a step up in terms of mineralité and terroir expression from the preceeding Folatières. There is more precision, greater expression of place. The palate sports a very small reduction on the entry, then it segues into a very concentrated mid-palate that seems to fill the mouth. Great depth and spiciness towards the finish, this is an outstanding Combettes from Leflaive. Closure: Diam 30Vinous Media | 96 VMModerate reduction is sufficient to mask the underlying fruit today. More interesting are the wonderfully fine and delicate yet punchy flavors that possess a highly sophisticated mouthfeel before culminating in a sappy saline and strikingly persistent finish. I very much like the balance and this beauty may well prove to be a great Combettes in time.Burghound | 93-95 BHThis white offers lemon cake, lime blossom and citronella flavors allied to a lean frame, giving it intensity. Starts out velvety, but it remains precise and mouthwatering on the long citrusy, minerally aftertaste. Fine symmetry overall. Best from 2023 through 2029. 58 cases made, 11 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThis wine split the room, most rating it very high though I joined the minority in worrying about the balance between seemingly high alcohol and high acidity. But we may be wrong because this wine did show grand cru weight. I have stuck with the score and tasting note which I originally made, however. Mid primrose in colour, with a beefy, high alcohol bouquet than also contains a wealth of fruit. Super powerful, high acidity, a little bit too much going on? Not sure about the balance here. The wine will find favour with those comfortable with higher alcohol levels, though how well the rather powerful acidity balances that is uncertain. Slightly overtoasted wood. Feels like grand cru weight. DIAM D closure. Drink from 2027-2033. Tasted: May 2023.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru is more timid on the nose following on from the Les Combettes and this needed more encouragement from the glass. Cold stone, granite and flint aromas are the order of the day, very well defined and precise. The palate is very concentrated with a lot of grip, the volume of this Les Pucelles towards the finish, energetic and very persistent in the mouth. This is another electrifying Puligny ‘19 from Leflaive. Closure: Diam 30Vinous Media | 95+ VMThrilling wine. Leflaive owns three parcels in Les Pucelles at the northern tip of Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet at the center of the vineyard. The mature vines deliver a perfumed, almost exotic fruit character with notes of spice and hazelnut. Still, there is also a bright lemony freshness to the wine and a lovely salty mineral finish that lift it to another plane and will allow it to continue improving for decades. The most compelling of the premiers crus from Leflaive. (Drink between 2021-2040)Decanter | 95 DECFiner boned and less concentrated than the extraordinary Combettes, the 2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles offers up aromas of peach, orange zest, white flowers, freshly baked bread and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, saline and chiseled, this might just be a little shy after bottling, but on first encounter, it doesn't dominate Leflaive's range of premiers crus to the extent that it usually does.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPProminent notes of honeysuckle and passion fruit are laced with a variety of spice and citrus elements. There is good richness and an abundance of dry extract to the strikingly refined flavors that possess a gorgeous mouthfeel while delivering flat out superb length on the balanced finale. This is very classy juice that should basically age for as long as anyone would reasonably like. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 93-96 BH

Fine pale lemon and lime. What a beautifully gracious nose, this is sheer class. All in white fruit with an engaging ripeness, more detail than Combettes, perhaps more weight than Folatières. Quite muscular for Pucelles. An explosion of fruit on the palate, almost too much to take in but there is nothing vulgar here, just the quintessence of Pucelles. Very long indeed, this is really just a babe in arms. Tasted: May 2022.Jasper Morris | 96-97 JMProminent notes of honeysuckle, Granny Smith apples, spice and a plenitude of spice elements are similarly wonderfully fresh and bright. The rich, delicious and succulent medium-bodied flavors also possess a highly sophisticated mouthfeel along with ample punch on the finely detailed, focused and hugely long finish. This too is a wine of class and grace that should age effortlessly over the next 12 to 15 years. A stunner of a Pucelles.Burghound | 93-96 BHA smooth white, bordering on creamy but with bright acidity, featuring lemon cake, apple tart, mineral, vanilla and clove flavors. Features a fillip of bitterness, like grapefruit peel, on the spicy finish. Youthful and exuberant. Best from 2025 through 2032. 985 cases made, 197 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles unwinds in the glass with aromas of pear, peach and green apple mingled with white flowers, freshly baked bread and baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, with a layered, charming mid-palate and a precise finish, it’s a charming, seamless wine in the making.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2020 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru conveys the imprimatur of the growing season more than Leflaive’s other cuvées, the ripest and perhaps more exotic with candied orange peel, quince and light peppermint scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine acidity, ripe and quite bold in style, though it clams up towards its slightly reductive finish. Give this four to five years in bottle.Vinous Media | 93 VM

A striking young wine, Dauvissat’s brilliant 2020 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest unfurls in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, orange oil, pear, oyster shell, freshly baked bread and smoke, framed by a deft touch of reduction. Medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it’s taut and concentrated, with racy acids, chalky structuring and a long, searingly mineral finish. Recent years have delivered so many brilliant renditions of La Forest that it’s hard to pick a favorite between the likes of 2008, 2014, 2017 and 2019, but the 2020 is certainly a worthy entrant into the competition, and it’s worth a special effort to seek out.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP(Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis "La Forest" 1er Cru White) A highly complex nose combines notes of citrus rind, sea breeze, petrol and shellfish. There is excellent size, weight and intensity to the more robust and muscular if less refined flavors that brim with dry extract before terminating in a mineral-driven and bone-dry but not really austere finale. I very much like the balance, and this should also age gracefully yet it’s not so structured that it couldn’t be approached after 5-ish years if desired. (Drink starting 2030)Burghound | 92-94 BH(Chablis “la Forest”- Domaine Vincent Dauvissat) The 2020 la Forest from Vincent Dauvissat is truly outstanding this year and reminds me very much of the great potential I saw when I first tasted vintages like 1985 and 1990 here, which also were so classically-cut out of the blocks. The superb aromatic constellation delivers scents of apple, pear, lemon, a beautiful base of chalky minerality, paraffin, vanillin oak and a lovely floral topnote that shares a mix of white lilies and lime blossoms. On the palate the wine is pure, precise and full-bodied, with impeccable focus and grip, a lovely core of fruit, outstanding soil undertow and a long, zesty and finish that closes with snappy acids and a complex, seamless finish. A classic in the making. (Drink between 2026-2065)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe 2020 Chablis Fôrets 1er Cru is backward on the nose, the most stubborn and recalcitrant of Dauvissat’s Premier Crus despite rigorous coaxing. The powerful palate is linear, like the Montée de Tonnerre, but displays a little more puissance toward the finish. But, maybe, the Montée has more charm. We will see.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The primacy of the citrus and green apple fruit is dramatic, but there is depth and nuance here as well, not to mention fresh acidity and enough extract to make the finish linger enticingly on the palate. Boillot’s Clos de la Mouchère is a monopole of nearly 4ha in the lieu-dit Les Perrières. The vines are more than 80 years of age, and each section is vinified and matured separately in cask (70% new). This wine has surprising volume, concentration and length – assuredly close to grand cru in quality. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DEC

The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques (Domaine Louis Jadot) is shaping up brilliantly, wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries and plums mingled with sweet spices, orange rind and peonies. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated, it’s bright and precise, with a layered core of fruit and a long, penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet with crisp blackberry, briary, crushed stone and light eucalyptus aromas that blossom with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fine acidity, fleshy and harmonious with a touch of spice towards its very cohesive and sustained finish. Classy.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMAt this stage of its evolution, this demonstrates lush dark plum and cassis fruit, with floral notes plus hints of smoke and spice. The texture is tannic and firm, with an impressive level of extract and a lingering, beautiful persistence on the finish. Jadot’s hectare of the Clos St-Jacques, acquired in 1985 from the Clair-Daü family, has long been one of the jewels of its estate. It is located at the centre of the Clos, producing a wine of tremendous refinement and elegance. Jadot destems the grapes and ferments gently before ageing in cask (30% new). Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DEC(Maison Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos St. Jacques" 1er Cru Red) Perfumed aromas of lavender, rose petal and red and dark berry coulis scents are trimmed in admirably discreet wood influence. The notably finer is a bit less powerful medium-bodied flavors brim with both minerality and sappy dry extract that buffers the balanced and strikingly persistent finish. This appears to have excellent development potential and is a wine that should drink well after only 7 to 8 years yet should richly reward 12+. (Drink starting 2032)Burghound | 92-94 BH

This is also distinctly earthy with humus nuances adding breadth to the aromas of violet, plum and red currant. The succulent, round and equally sappy medium weight flavors possess a highly appealing mouthfeel while the youthfully austere finish is also shaped by firm but fine-grained tannins. This silky effort could use better depth but it’s already quite pretty and should prove to be admirably ageworthy. (Drink starting 2031)Burghound | 90-93 BHMid crimson colour. Not one of the more ebullient noses at first, on its reserve. Plenty of weight of fresh fruit a little bit of fresh orange, otherwise raspberry and redcurrant, no great weight at the back but good length. This needs and will get a longer elevage. Drink from 2027-2033.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JM

One of the Dauvissat specialities, the La Forest is a triumph in 2021. From seven small parcels, the total site is less than 1ha with average vine age more than 40 years. Intriguing, slightly smoky nose, highly distinctive and different to others in the range. Plenty of power, ripe stone fruit flavours, zesty citrus acidity with a herbaceous edge adding an extra dimension. Definitely of grand cru quality.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest is a young classic, mingling scents of sweet citrus oil and peach with notions of white flowers, struck match, bee pollen and youthful reduction in an incipiently complex bouquet. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and textural, it’s concentrated, taut and incisive, with a long, mineral finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThere is a hint of phenolic character on the aromas of crushed leaf, mineral reduction, lemon-lime and seaweed. The denser, succulent and powerful larger-scaled flavors are supported by a firm acid spine on the stony, youthfully austere and bitter citrus rind finale. This is quite dry and I very much like the balance though I would note that at least some patience is strongly suggested as this is quite tightly wound today. In a word, terrific.Burghound | 94 BHI always think of Vincent Dauvissat’s la Forest as his baby les Clos, as with ten years or more of bottle age, the two often resemble each other a bit aromatically and flavor-wise. The 2021 version of la Forest chez Dauvissat is going to be stellar. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a complex mix of pear, fresh lime, flinty minerality, citrus blossoms, discreet vanillin oak and a topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and full, with a superb core of fruit, excellent complexity and cut, fine focus, bright acids and a long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. This is superb. (Drink between 2026 - 2060)John Gilman | 94 JGAlso a fine clear colour, though without a green tint. The Forest 2021 has a solid full fruit on the nose, perhaps less intense at the edges. Very pure white fruit, good acidity, not the volume which the 2022 will have but it is coming out very well even so. Drink from 2026-2033. Tasted: May 2023.Jasper Morris | 93 JM

Fevre’s Vaulorent is just a little more precise on the nose. Seguier says it is always elegant, always fresh. Fevre’s take on this renowned premier cru has an understated nose yet you can feel the power within. Lovely ripeness of fruit, but all in a very compact package at the moment. Although this is disarmingly approachable now, this will be a wine to cellar carefully, allowing all the perfectly formed components to blossom.Decanter | 95 DECA much less expressive nose, indeed it is all but mute, requires aggressive swirling to eventually coax aromas of white orchard fruit, citrus blossom and seawater. The richer and slightly more powerful flavors also possess a sophisticated mouthfeel along with excellent depth and persistence on the balanced finale where a touch of youthful austerity slowly emerges. In a word, terrific.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2021 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru comes from 3.60-hectares, of course, the only Premier Cru on the same incline as the Grand Crus. The soils here are very marn. It has an energetic petrichor, slightly fumé bouquet that is very well focused. The palate is well balanced, taut and fresh with fine acidity, lemon verbena and citrus peel emerging towards the finish. Delightful, though the Montée de Tonnerre has just a little more harmony.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM