White Wines

wines

This is marvellous. Blain crushes the grapes lightly and avoids sulphur until after malo. His way of working produces this subtle, elegant wine with notes of ripe pear touched with acacia blossom, a touch of smoke and his trademark minerality. The texture is dense but never heavy, and the wine lingers elegantly on the finish. Blain explains the difference between Bâtard and Criot, just across the street: Bâtard has deep clay, while Criots has a stonier soil and one always senses the minerality.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2020 Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru comprised just three barrels in this vintage, which is three more than most growers. It was picked on 21 August. There is wonderful tension on the nose with scents of lanolin and fern, beautifully defined and vibrant. The palate is very complex with touches of ginger complementing the citrus fruit, building all the time in the glass and fanning out on the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis is relatively firmly reduced so if you’re tempted to try a bottle young, be sure to give it some air first. Otherwise, there is good power and underlying tension to the medium weight plus flavors that retain solid delineation on the impressively long finish. This will need to add depth with time in bottle, but the material is present for that to occur.Burghound | 93 BH

A blend from Le Charlemagne and Mourottes, picked and pressed together. There is a lovely pale green thread running through the lemon colour. The nose is agreeably chiselled, with a real wealth of fruit backed by the stony minerals. It is showing a bit of oak at the moment. Pierre-François is hoping in future to be able to age this for longer. A very good example.Jasper Morris | 95 JM

Ex Laleure Piot. Pale lemon and lime. This is very different from the Pierre Meurgey label Corton-Charlemagne, though the plots are next door and picked on the same day. This version is much less exotic in aromatics, much more chiselled, and is actually very fine with youthful mineral bitters. Long salient steely finish. A Corton-Charlemagne success this year, with the wood perfectly integrated. Tasted: October 2021.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMA dense and lively white, evoking lemon and apple core flavors wrapped in toasty oak. Smooth, picking up generous baking spices as this winds down on the long citrus- and oak spice-inflected aftertaste. Best from 2025 through 2035. 104 cases made, 40 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSDomaine Clos de la Chapelle’s Corton-Charlemagne has become one of my favorites on the hill of Corton. The 2020 vintage here is exceptional, offering up a deep and youthful nose of apple, pear, raw almond, a hint of crème patissière, a beautiful base of chalky soil tones, apple blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and pure, with a superb core, great mineral drive and cut, lovely acids and a long, focused and perfectly balanced finish. This comes in listed at 13.5 percent octane and is a fairly ripe example of this bottling, in the style of the vintage, but with impeccable typicité and potential for long-term cellaring. Fine, fine juice. (Drink between 2022 - 2055)John Gilman | 94+ JGA subtle but not invisible application of wood surrounds the aromas of just sliced green apple, mineral reduction and a similar array of citrus elements. There is first-rate intensity to the broad-shouldered and powerful flavors that deliver excellent length on the stony, clean and very dry but not especially austere finale. Like the Sous Frétille, this could use better depth but in this case, more will also certainly develop in time.Burghound | 93 BH

A distinctly cool and very restrained nose only grudgingly reveals its aromas of green apple, mineral reduction, lemon zest and elegant floral wisps. There is first-rate volume and almost painful intensity to the big-bodied and muscular yet refined flavors that exude plenty of minerality on the austere and cuts-like-a-knife finish. This massively long effort is beautifully balanced and a wine that should easily reward 10 to 15 years of keeping. If you can find it, buy it.Burghound | 93-96 BHPale colour, and I am not really picking the nose here. Fairly good mineral intensity on the palate, with white fruit around, a little citrus at the finish, medium nobility. Tasted: October 2021.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JM

Mid lemon yellow. The bouquet also takes time to emerge, then shows a little more power than the Bienvenues. The oak is a fraction more present but still superbly integrated. The taffeta texture could not possibly have more tensile strength, with an exemplary purity of fruit. To have so much power (not in an alcoholic sense) and yet so much grape. Little light fresh apple notes to finish. Tasted: May 2022.Jasper Morris | 96-98 JMA wonderfully floral-suffused nose reflects additional notes of petrol, citrus, white orchard and a hint of oak toast. The bigger and richer flavors also possess a gorgeous mouthfeel that is almost delicate yet racy with excellent delineation on the youthfully austere and beautifully balanced finish that just goes on and on. This is potentially a magnificent Bâtard and it’s going to be interesting to compare this with the Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet in a decade’s or so time. In sum, I would offer the same advice - if you can find it, buy it.Burghound | 95-97 BHThe 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is more powerful, unwinding in the glass with aromas of pear, ripe citrus fruit, peach, buttery pastry and baking spices. Full-bodied, satiny and multidimensional, it’s a broad, muscular wine with racy acids and a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is more backward on the nose compared to the Bienvenue at the moment despite rigorous coaxing. The palate has impressive weight and density, perhaps less finesse than the more approachable Bienvenue at the moment but with more aging potential. It feels long on the saline finish, but it’s surly at this early stage.Vinous Media | 96 VMA sleek, lemon-infused version, with a linear profile and racy structure delineating the lemon, peach, green apple, mineral and spice flavors. Remains lean and steely, with a long, spicy finish. Best from 2026 through 2037. 500 cases made, 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The 2020 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru is aged 75% in stainless steel and 25% in oak for nine months, followed by five months all in stainless steel. It has a relatively light bouquet, quite airy in style, gaining intensity with aeration, touches of white peach, smoke and granite. The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity, citrus fruit, orange rind and a touch of stem ginger towards the finish that fans out nicely. This meliorates with aeration and is worth decanting if you decide to crack open a bottle in its youth. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VMA deftly balanced white highlighted by apple, yellow plum, floral and stone aromas and flavors. Offers a rich and supple texture, making this almost seamless from start to the finish, where a stony element emerges. Drink now through 2028. 304 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSModerate wood surrounds the overtly floral-suffused nose of softly exotic white peach, sea breeze and pretty spice whiffs. The succulent, round and plump flavors exude a refreshing salinity on the very dry and sneaky long finish. Like several wines in the range, this needs to develop more depth, but the underlying material appears to be present for that to occur.Burghound | 92 BH

A mellow white, with a light touch of vanilla and clove accenting peach, apple tart and honey flavors. Well-delineated and balanced, with honey, spice and mineral accents on the finish. Best from 2024 through 2030. 131 cases made, 70 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2020 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru delivers the intensity one seeks in this cru, offering scent of chalk dust, lemon thyme and light loamy aromas. It builds nicely in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with a fine thread of acidity, compact on the entry yet it fans out nicely whilst retaining admirable tension from start to finish. I would have just liked a little more residual spiciness, but this will do nicely. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VMDiscreet though certainly perceptible wood sets off the ripe aromas of citrus confit, spring flowers, iodine and shellfish. The mouthfeel of the medium weight plus flavors is nothing short of gorgeous as it’s at once caressing but punchy on the sappy and strikingly long finish. This too would benefit from having better depth, but the density of material is such that more will almost certainly develop if allowed a few years first.Burghound | 93 BH

The 2020 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru opens in the glass with aromas of confit citrus, pear, freshly baked bread, hazelnuts, pastry cream and white flowers. Full-bodied, ample and seamless, it’s layered and concentrated, with lively acids and a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP

I generally have a slight preference for Dauvissat’s Les Preuses, a preference I suspect Vincent Dauvissat shares, but the 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, at least at this early stage, gets my nod as the king of the cellar—and the wine of the vintage. Wafting from the glass with aromas of citrus oil, fresh bread, oyster shell, white flowers and wet stones, it’s full-bodied, layered and textural, with huge concentration, racy acids and a long, resonant finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP(Chablis “les Clos”- Domaine Vincent Dauvissat) The 2020 les Clos from Monsieur Dauvissat is every bit as brilliant as the les Preuses. The nose soars from the glass in a blend of apple, pear, lime zest, a stunning base of flinty, chalky, wet stone minerality and oyster shell, vanillin oak and a topnote of fruit blossoms. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and shows off a gorgeous core of fruit, but the real beauty here is in the stunningly complex base of minerality, coupled with vibrant acids, impeccable focus and grip and a very, very long, dancing and seamlessly balanced finish. A stunning wine in the making. (Drink between 2032-2085)John Gilman | 98 JGThe 2020 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru displays a little more depth and complexity than the Les Preuses. Touches of yellow plum, orange blossom, flint and light white tea scents percolate through with aeration. The palate is very intense on the entry and a bit richer than the Les Preuses. The harmonious, intense, well-defined finish lingers long in the mouth, leaving a spicy, peppery residue on the aftertaste. Excellent.Vinous Media | 95-97 VM(Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis - Les Clos Grand Cru White) While not quite as elegant, the restrained nose is even more floral and a bit spicier as well with its array of anise, smoke, tea, oyster shell and iodine-scented aromas. There is more size, weight and power if not the same refinement to the more evidently mineral-driven big-bodied flavors that coat the palate on the driving, balanced and youthfully austere finish. This terrific effort is also a legitimate candidate for wine of the vintage honors. (Drink starting 2032)Burghound | 93-96 BH

This is produced from a 0.32ha parcel that lies right on the border between Puligny and Chassagne. The wine also seems to be a balance between the two, with a bit of the power and depth of the Chassagne side, opposite some of the silky finesse and elegance of Puligny. Fermented and aged in 50% new wood, this is a wine that has a seamless integration of citrus and orchard fruit, floral notes, and a richer, creamy, buttery side that will age spectacularly well over time. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DEC

The 2020 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru is quite backward on the nose, unfolding to display touches of cold wet limestone and shucked oysters, yet always discreet; this a Grand Cru that does not want to brag. The palate is well balanced with a tangy, quite concentrated entry, fine weight, and good density toward the finish, even if I am not convinced that it will become Droin’s most complex 2020 in the end. We’ll see.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMAn overtly floral nose is comprised by vaguely exotic aromas of lychee, citrus blossom, iodine and ocean breeze. There is outstanding intensity to the beautifully well-detailed larger-scaled flavors that brim with both minerality and dry extract that buffers the moderately firm acid spine shaping the slightly more complex and impressively persistent finish. Very sold quality here.Burghound | 92-94 BHA little more of a lemon tint to the colour. Concentrated white flowers on the nose but too sunny to be edelweiss, and the fruit rapidly takes over. A faint suggestion of banana, we feel the heat behind, but it all retains its balance. Not quite coherent yet, but with time to establish its balance.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JS

The 2020 Chablis Hommage a Louis Grand Cru has an already irresistible bouquet of beautifully defined yellow fruit, limestone, red apple and white peachy aromas. The palate is very harmonious, distinctly saline and quite powerful. The intense, spicy finish lingers in the mouth. This will surely vie with the Valmur for supremacy come bottling. Outstanding.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMAs a result of an ongoing dispute with the INAO—who contend that part of the Droin family’s historic parcel of Les Clos, named as such on the cadastre and always labeled accordingly, is in fact Valmur—the domaine’s Clos is appearing this year as the 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Hommage à Louis. Exhibiting aromas of fresh orchard fruit, peach, honeycomb, toasted nuts and bee pollen, it’s full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with a seamless, multidimensional profile and a long, expansive finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPHere too the fresh, cool and restrained nose is largely dominated by notes of smoky mineral reduction, acacia blossom, citrus rind and soft wood. There is excellent intensity to the admirably pure middleweight plus flavors that exude an inviting salinity on the detailed and hugely long finish that also displays a hint of bitter lemon character. This is also mouthcoating and dense and a wine that should reward extended keeping.Burghound | 94 BH

The 2020 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru has an almost clinical bouquet, wonderfully defined, with superb salinity and mineralité. The focused palate is citric and tensile, and the salinity gets the saliva flowing. Classic Chablis through and through. This will be an exceptional Vaudésir.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMBright clean fresh colour, the bouquet is concentrated but chiselled and backward. Crisp, concentrated pure white fruit, very Vaudésir, with excellent persistence. Finesse and class to finish Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir is charming and enveloping, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp peach, pear, hazelnut, clear honey, white flowers and beeswax. Full-bodied, layered and satiny, with racy acids and a sensual, charming profile, it concludes with a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThis is also aromatically cool and very pretty with its vaguely exotic array of white and yellow fruit, broad range of spice elements and good Chablis typicity, all trimmed in oak hints. The wood influence also is present on the caressing and refined but decidedly intense flavors that culminate in a bone-dry finale. This is a somewhat atypical Vaudésir in that it’s less refined and more powerful than usual even though it’s still very promising.Burghound | 93 BH

Ripe green fruit aromas are laced with hints of spice, wood and oyster shell. There is excellent volume and mid-palate density to the tension-filled big-bodied flavors that evident a taut muscularity on the balanced, long, compact and lemony finale. This is a quality Bougros that is built to reward mid-term cellaring.Burghound | 92-94 BH

The 2020 Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche Grand Cru is consistent with my previous tasting in January. Exquisite definition on the nose, real mineralité here. The palate is intense and penetrating, touches of orange zest and spice building wonderfully towards the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 97 VM

Bright and expressive, this white sports apple, lemon, spring meadow and gravel dust flavors. The vibrant structure holds court on the lingering finish. Drink now through 2028. 500 cases made, 75 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Pale lemon colour. Very little nose as yet, too early perhaps for a wine of this potential power – which it certainly has on the palate, and very good acidity as well. The immense square of fruit in the mouth doesn’t yet show specific flavours but everything hangs together impressively for what will be an imposing Bâtard. Tasted: November 2021.Jasper Morris | 97-99 JMAromas of buttery orchard fruit, citrus zest and stone fruit mingle with hints of white flowers and freshly baked bread to introduce the 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru (Maison Louis Jadot), a full-bodied, ample and layered wine that’s taut and structured, with racy acids and fine depth at the core. This, too, shows plenty of promise.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPHere too there is a subtle application of wood framing the beautifully layered nose of white peach, carnation, citrus confit and a plethora of spice wisps. There is a bit more size, weight and volume to the solid concentrated flavors that brim with dry extract on the palate staining, powerful and impressively persistent finish. This is also quite tightly wound and packed with development potential. (Drink starting 2032)Burghound | 92-95 BHIt is classic Bâtard, rich and almost honeyed. The wine avoids heaviness, however, and simply tends toward the richer side of the spectrum. This is made from fruit purchased from the Puligny side, most of it from very old vines. It is done in large, double-sized casks to reduce the influence of the wood.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has more attack and penetration compared to the Bienvenue, greater mineralité and terroir expression. The palate is finely balanced with plenty of ripe citrus fruit laced with stem ginger and dried orange rind. Perhaps it just cuts away a little swiftly on the finish, but otherwise this is a decent 2020 white. Closure: DiamVinous Media | 91-93 VM

Patrick joked that “I should have served the Blanchots in front of the Quatre Chemin”, meaning no disrespect to the excellent Blanchots in the cellar, but underscoring just how special the new bottling from Vaulorent is this year. But, the 2020 Blanchots needs no apology, as the wine is lovely, offering up a deep and complex nose of apple, pear, orange peel, a fine base of limestone minerality, white flowers, paraffin and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and cock solid at the core, with fine complexity and cut, impeccable balance and a long, classic finish. The wine is already very refined on the attack, but still fairly closed on the backend and will demand a good decade in the cellar to truly hit on all cylinders. Fine wine. (Drink between 2030 - 2080)John Gilman | 95 JGOffering up aromas of orange oil, confit lemon and peach mingled with notions of nutmeg, freshly baked bread and iodine, Piuze’s 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots is full-bodied, concentrated and enveloping, with a satiny attack that segues into a layered mid-palate girdled by racy acids, concluding with a long, expansive finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPMore elegant aromas are comprised by mineral reduction, cool floral, white orchard fruit, quinine and saltwater. The delicious middle weight flavors somewhat surprisingly possess better volume if less power on the sappy, lingering and well-balanced finale. The intrinsic class of a fine Blanchots is on display here.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2020 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru has a much more expressive nose than the Bougros at this stage, offering lifted lime flower and orange blossom scents, though perhaps there is less mineralité at the moment. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, showing just a little creaminess. Almond and chamomile notes appear toward the finish. Give this 3–4 years in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMOffers apple, yellow plum, flowers and a touch of vanilla packed into a sleek frame. Harmonious and lively, winding down gracefully with a hint of mineral. Drink now through 2025. 156 cases made, 43 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

(Chablis “Bougros”- Domaine Patrick Piuze) Bougros can sometimes be a bit more fruit-driven in personality out of the blocks than most other grand crus, but this is most emphatically not the case with Patrick Piuze’s version in 2020. The aromatic constellation is precise and minerally in personality, offering up scents of apple, pear, beeswax, a hint of crème patissière, citrus peel, oyster hell minerality, vanillin oak and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and defined by its underlying soil, with a lovely core of perfectly ripe fruit, a fine girdle of acidity, lovely focus and grip and a long, nascently complex and beautifully balanced finish. (Drink between 2028-2080)John Gilman | 95 JGThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros is ample and generous, wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, honeycomb, beeswax, white flowers and freshly baked bread. Full-bodied, satiny and layered, it's fleshy and enveloping, with a racy spine of acidity and a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2020 Chablis Bougros Grand Cru has a well defined bouquet that offers fine mineralité and terroir expression, wet limestone and light smoky scents coming through. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, veins of desiccated orange peel and mandarin, a little pepper and even a hint of rhubarb toward the finish. A wonderful Bougros.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMA rich, open-knit white, hallmarked by floral, yellow plum and peach aromas and flavors. Glides across the palate, ending with peach, spice and stony length. Drink now through 2027.Wine Spectator | 91 WS(Maison Patrick Piuze Chablis - Bougros Grand Cru White) Restrained if dense aromas are composed by notes of green fruit, oyster shell and lemon zest. The sleek, intense and delicious middle weight flavors are not quite as concentrated nor are they are refined but they do offer fine depth and persistence. This built-to-age effort should be approachable after only 4 to 5 years but reward a decade plus of cellaring. (Drink starting 2030)Burghound | 91-93 BH

The 2020 les Clos from Domaine Piuze is simply stunning. The nose delivers a kaleidoscopic blend of lemon, tart orange, pear, oyster shell, limestone minerality, paraffin, white flowers and a touch of new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and again, shows stunning depth at the core, with great focus and grip, snappy acids, stunning backend mineral drive and a long, complex and perfectly balanced finish. Simply brilliant juice! (Drink between 2030 - 2080)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is a deep and powerful wine, evocative of orange oil, ripe pear, white flowers, freshly baked bread and nutmeg. Full-bodied, layered and muscular, it’s broad-shouldered and concentrated, with lively acids and a long, mandarin-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPHere too there is a citrus confit character to the more floral suffused aromas of oyster shell, quinine and brine. There is again very good volume to the sappy and powerful larger-scaled flavors that terminate in a lemony, austere and highly persistent finish that isn’t quite as complex, at least not yet.Burghound | 91-94 BHThe 2020 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru is very reduced on the nose, although there seems to be good concentration here and Piuze commented that this is nothing unusual. The palate is well balanced, quite primal, rich and slightly honeyed, leading to a powerful finish where I am just seeking a little more delineation. Let’s see how this turns out in bottle.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMRich, featuring peach, melon, earth and stone flavors. Shows an underlying steeliness, despite the generous profile, with fine balance and length. Drink now through 2025. 94 cases made, 25 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Patrick Piuze’s 2020 les Preuses is every bit as beautiful as the les Clos in this vintage and I would like nothing more than to have the chance to compare the two side by side ten or twenty years down the road! The bouquet here is utterly classical in profile, delivering scents of lemon, pear, beeswax, a multi-faceted foundation of limestone minerality, spring flowers, vanillin oak and a bit of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and precise, with a great core, a stunning mineral bath on the backend, zesty acids and laser-like focus on the very, very long, complex and seamless finish. Pure magic. (Drink between 2030 - 2080)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses wafts from the glass with aromas of oyster shell, citrus oil, crisp green apple, white currants and freshly baked bread, framed by a deft touch of reduction. Medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, it’s taut and incisive, with a layered core of fruit, racy acids and a long, intensely mineral finish. It’s worth a special effort to seek out.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPAn elegant, pure and quite airy nose freely reveals its combination of white flowers, essence of poached pear, anise, mineral reduction and shellfish. The delicious and more refined if less powerful flavors possess a Zen-like sense of harmony on the mineral-driven, balanced and beautifully long finale. This will need to develop more depth with time in bottle but that is one of the strong points of a fine Preuses - it almost always develops well.Burghound | 92-95 BHThe 2020 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru is a little more expressive and delineated on the nose compared to the Les Clos at this stage, offering yellow plums mixed with light spicy scents and a touch of smoke. The palate is well balanced, wonderfully defined and powerful, but much more elegant than the Les Clos, with a gorgeous apricot-tinged finish and a peppery aftertaste. Superb.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMOpen in feel, yet there’s an inner tension that emerges as this builds to a long, mouthwatering finish. Balanced and lengthy, featuring prevalent apple, lemon, herb and stone flavors. Drink now through 2026. 110 cases made, 34 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

With close to 6.5 acres in this grand cru, Arnaud Lavantureux treats most of this wine to barrel fermentation, then aging in used oak barrels; a small portion rests in new oak. The barrel time has amped up the wine’s power, its viscosity and smoky scents. But it never goes dark, sustaining a stark contrast of white on white. Complex, feather-light in the end, it keeps coming after you with detail, the way wildflower honey might, only this is completely dry.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 94 W&S

A markedly more floral-suffused and slightly cooler nose reflects notes of both white and yellow peach, citrus confit and a plenitude of spice elements. Here too the palate impression is seductive thanks to the superb concentration of the powerful and almost painfully intense broad-shouldered flavors that also display superb length on the balanced and equally tightly coiled finish. If you can find it, buy it.Burghound | 95 BHThis superb rendition of Bâtard has surprisingly ripe notes of quince and melon de Cavaillon, acacia flower, and spice. The texture is dense and rich but kept lively by the fresh acidity of 2021. The grapes come from three parcels totaling nearly a half hectare. Two are planted with vines more than fifty years of age, and all three are in Chassagne near the border with Puligny. This year Blain stirred the lees (not always done) to give the wine a bit more density and depth.Decanter | 94 DEC