White Wines

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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

The 2020 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru is another precise, steely classic Chablis from Benoît Droin. The palate is beautifully balanced and poised, showing good concentration and wonderful cohesion and salinity toward the finish. I cannot wait to taste the final version.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMUnwinding in the glass with aromas of green apple, white flowers, mint and bee pollen, the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains is medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with a textural attack and a long, saline finish. From a site characterized by white marls, it has performed well in this sunny vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPPale light colour with a juicy fruit nose, a wealth of joyous white fruit, very lightly peachy, not reductive this year. Benoît thinks will tighten up and refine its toastier character Jasper Morris | 90-92 JMn initial touch of reduction slowly gives way to very pretty and quite cool aromas timidly offer up notes of lemon-lime, white-fleshed fruit, sea breeze and a touch of algae character. There is good vibrancy and detail to the delicious and appealingly textured flavors that possess fine depth on the balanced finish that exhibits a touch of wood as it sits on the palate.Burghound | 91 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

A succulent, open-knit white marked by an alluring mix of peach fruit and stony mineral flavors, with yellow plum and citrus notes adding depth as this lingers on the finish. A fresh and focused, sunny version. Drink now through 2028. 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

A classically structured wine for this appellation with the weight and round generosity that we expect from it, but with plenty of bright citrus and pear fruit, something these wines can lack a bit of. Good depth with an excellent integration of chalky minerality and healthy acidity at the long and delicate finish. With aeration a touch of vanilla bean develops on the nose. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSA subtle but easily perceptible dollop of wood sets off the pretty and layered aromas of hazelnut, pear compote and citrus confit. The rich and very generously proportion medium-bodied flavors exhibit both good density and energy on the saline-inflected, very dry and impressively long finale. Lovely and worth considering.Burghound | 89-91 BH(Meursault- Maison Joseph Drouhin) The villages level bottlings of both white and red wines at Maison Drouhin have been getting better and better with each passing vintage, and the 2020 Meursault is no exception. This is a lovely wine, offering up a ripe and very refined bouquet of apple, tangerine, hazelnuts, fruit blossoms, a fine base of chalky soil and a nice base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full, complex and succulent at the core, with a lovely girdle of acidity, impeccable balance and a long, vibrant and quite classic finish. Fine juice. (Drink between 2022 - 2040)John Gilman | 91 JG

Drouhin’s Meursault En Luraule is done in the classic style, with profuse aromas of ripe apples, acacia flowers, spice and a hint of toasted almonds. The texture is dense and compact, with plenty of substance and breadth, yet enough acidity to balance. Véronique has given the wine extended lees ageing to obtain a slight hint of ‘beaux amers’ – the complexity of a slightly bitter note. The result is exquisitely stylish.Decanter | 92 DEC

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

A rich and powerful Chassagne-Montrachet with some pineapple character, due to the very ripe vintage, next to the citrus that we expect. Built on quite an imposing scale, but with lovely lemon-zest freshness and fine tannins that support the flamboyant body. Long, quite stony finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe last vintage of this wine chez Jadot as the vineyard has been sold. Medium yellow in colour. There is a little less overt power and perhaps a touch more terroir in this wine. Then the full weight kicks in, nicely married with its wood, and a sense of managed opulence behind infiltrated by good acidity.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JMThe swan song for this cuvée is the 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle (Duc de Magenta), a muscular, concentrated wine that exhibits aromas of orange oil, peach, buttery pastry and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and textural, with a fleshy core of ripe fruit and bright balancing acids, it offers a classic expression of Morgeot in all its exuberance.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThe 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle 1er Cru has a taut, fresh, vibrant bouquet with yellow flowers intermixed with light citrus scents, gravel and jasmine. The palate is smooth and harmonious, tangerine and nectarine on the entry, moderate weight with a slightly pithy finish. I am intrigued to see how this will develop. Closure: DiamVinous Media | 91-93 VMA slightly more elegant if otherwise similar nose introduces succulent, round and highly seductive flavors that are blessed with an abundance of dry extract that imparts a sappy texture to the powerful, long and less citrusy finale. This is worth checking out.Burghound | 91-93 BHA juicy white introduced by aromas of resin and toasty oak. Offers peach, apple and citrus flavors that hold court, while a mineral accent lurks beneath the surface. Features fine balance and length. Drink now through 2028. 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe grapes are lightly crushed and fermented in cask (one-quarter new), to give this wine with aromas of ripe apricots and quince. The texture is broad and rich, with a density that probably needs a bit of age. At present is seems luxurious, but a bit heavy. The Clos de la Chapelle (Morgeot) is a monopole of the Duc de Magenta that Jadot has traditionally rented. It is just downslope from lieu-dit Morgeot, and is planted to both Pinot and Chardonnay (this section of 1.79ha is planted to the latter).Decanter | 92 DEC

Here’s a very typical Meursault that combines the generosity and textural complexity we expect from this appellation, with liveliness that makes it very satisfying. Good concentration. A ton of flinty character at the substantial finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSLuscious and well-delineated, too, this white offers lemon oil, sliced apple and clove flavors, with an underlying mineral element. Long and will benefit from an additional year in bottle. Best from 2023 through 2029. 2,500 cases made, 750 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSSmoky reduction dominates the underlying fruit today. By contrast, there is good freshness and verve to the notably rich, round and rather plump medium-bodied flavors that display reasonably good length if only average depth on the bitter lemon-inflected and youthfully austere finale.Burghound | 89-91 BHThe 2020 Meursault 1er Cru Château de Blagny offers up aromas of crisp Anjou pear, white flowers, green apple and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, round and rich, it’s a gourmand, textural white from this higher-altitude site.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

A more floral-suffused nose features very bright and fresh aromas of Granny Smith apples, essence of pear and a variety of citrus influences. There is again excellent volume and richness along with even more apparent minerality on the complex and beautifully persistent finale that flashes focused power. This too offers first-rate quality for a villages-level wine.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2020 Meursault Cuvée Tête de Murger has a well-defined nose, although I was expecting a little more presence and energy compared to previous vintages that I have tasted over the years. The palate is well balanced and shows more gumption, fine acidity with a touch of ginger, well-defined with red apple, nectarine and orange pith on the finish. Just give it some time for the aromatics to open.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

Patrick’s 2020 Butteaux is utterly classic in personality and superb in potential quality. The nose jumps from the glass in a refined blend of apple, pear, a complex base of chalky soil tones, paraffin, fruit blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and shows of gorgeous fruit at the core, with excellent soil undertow, bright, zesty acids, fine focus and grip and a long, perfectly balanced and complex finish. Great juice. 2025-2060.John Gilman, A View from the Cellar | 94 JGThe 2020 Chablis Les Butteaux 1er Cru had received a bit of SO2 a couple of days before my visit. For that reason, it is a little muted on the nose, opening gradually to reveal yellow flower scents. The well-balanced palate offers grapefruit and melon notes, a fine bead of acidity and good weight on the finish. It does need to cohere in the glass, but this has good potential.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM(Maison Patrick Piuze Chablis "Butteaux" 1er Cru White) A very Chablis-like nose features notes of mineral reduction, pear, apple, shellfish and a plethora of citrus elements. The succulent and round yet decidedly powerful medium-bodied flavors exhibit borderline painful intensity before culminating in a very dry, firm and austere finale. Patience strongly suggested. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 90-92 BHDelivers peach, apple and citrus flavors tinged by mineral and the slightest hint of vanilla. Balanced, remaining long and present on the pastry-inflected finish. Drink now through 2026. 392 cases made, 127 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2020 Chablis “les Séchets” from Domaine Piuze is a superb wine in the making. The bouquet is pure, focused and detailed, offering up scents of tart orange, lemon, pear, chalky minerality, citrus peel, vanillin oak and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with great cut and grip, impressive focus and a long, racy and complex finish up impressive structural integrity. A beautiful wine in the making. (Drink between 2026 - 2060)John Gilman | 94 JGThe 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet is a beauty, bursting with aromas of Meyer lemon, white flowers, crisp green apple, pastry cream and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with racy acids and chalky grip, it’s a long and penetrating wine that’s quintessentially Chablisien in profile.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2020 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet, quite focused but a little tighter than the Les Roncières at the moment. The palate is vibrant on the entry thanks to a citric bead of acidity. Linear and quite strict for the vintage, this is perhaps one of Piuze’s most classically styled Chablis in 2020, and it should age well.Vinous Media | 91-93 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 WSRipe aromas display the hallmark ripe citrus confit notes of a fine Séchets along with notes of oyster shell, spice and cool white-fleshed fruit. The rich and relatively full-bodied flavors possess fine mid-palate density before terminating in a dry and exceptionally lemony finish that is presently tart and tightly wound. While I would expect that the intense citrus character would progressively diminish, it’s unlikely to be for everyone young.Burghound | 89-91 BH

One of the highlights of the range is the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent, a medium to full-bodied, taut and concentrated wine evocative of pear, citrus oil, smoke, oyster shell and freshly baked bread. Chiseled and incisive, it concludes with a long, penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP(Chablis “Vaulorent”- Domaine Patrick Piuze) The 2020 Vaulorent from Patrick Piuze is outstanding. The bouquet is pure, precise and complex, wafting from the glass in a suave mix of apple, pear, chalky minerality, a touch of raw almond, white lilies, beeswax and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, precise and nicely reserved in personality, with a full-bodied format, a lovely core of fruit, excellent soil signature and a long, nascently complex and vibrant finish. This wine has beautiful grip and purity and all it needs is some time in the cellar to properly blossom. (Drink between 2028-2070)John Gilman | 94 JG(Maison Patrick Piuze Chablis "Vaulorent" 1er Cru White) An expressive nose combines aromas of white flowers, anise, tea, oyster shell and whiffs of ocean breeze. There is better volume if not quite the same degree of refinement on the punchy, saline and sneaky long finale. This firm effort is lovely with a Zen-like sense of poise. (Drink starting 2028)Burghound | 90-93 BHThe 2020 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru was showing a bit of reduction on the nose when I tasted it directly from barrel. Moving straight on to the palate, there is crisp citrus fruit, lemon curd, touches of frangipane and plenty of spice toward the back end. A tang of stem ginger lingers on the aftertaste. This is a fine Vaulorent but it will need time in bottle.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMThis supple white is highlighted by apple, melon and green plum flavors, with accents of mineral and vanilla adding detail. Balanced and crisp, finishing on the bracing side. Drink now through 2026. 248 cases made, 73 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 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

The 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet Chaumées Clos de la Truffières 1er Cru has a crisp, granite and jasmine-scented bouquet that blossoms nicely with aeration. The palate is well-balanced with a fine bead of acidity, lightly-spiced, peachy with hints of guava towards the finish. Fine length, this is a delicious, what you might call "mouth-filling" Chassagne-Montrachet.Vinous Media | 92 VM

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

Pale lemon in colour. There is a significant weight of fruit on the nose, just a little riper than the Genevrières. Plenty of fruit weight, some ripe lemons too on top of the white fruit, a fine texture, light acidity and good length. Drink from 2026-2032.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JM

The 2021 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau comprises just five used barrels this year. The fine bouquet is a little more mineral-driven than the regular cuvée with touches of wet pavement and citrus lemon. The palate is well-balanced, fresh and taut, with a fine bead of acidity, growing a little more compact towards the finish but with slightly more salinity to get the tastebuds going. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92 VMHere too there is a vaguely exotic note to the pretty and very floral aromas of spice, pear, apple and quinine that are trimmed in subtle wood. The old vines are very much in evidence on the concentrated, palate coating and rich bigger-bodied flavors that possess focused power on the saline and intensely bitter zest-suffused finish. This should be excellent in time.Burghound | 92 BHThis white packs a mix of peach, melon, lime and pastry flavors, which pick up light smoke and mineral accents as this builds to the finish. Firm, crisp and long. Drink now through 2026. 20 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThis and the Grands Crus were made entirely in wood so as to keep the existing stock of barrels full of wine. Pale yellow, with a little butteriness from the wood. This slightly dominates the palate with a note of acidity to finish. Will sort itself out in due course. Drink from 2025-2028. Tasted: June 2022.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JM

The 2021 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru was taken from tank rather than barrel. This was primal on the nose and difficult to read. The palate is more expressive: finely tuned with a fine bead of acidity, tensile and saline, it does not possess the complexity of Raveneau’s Les Clos tasted an hour or two before, but it has great penetration and a compelling flinty finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMHere too the nose is presently dominated by reduction and wood toast. More interesting are the sleek, intense and ultra-fresh middleweight plus flavors that possess excellent size, richness and power where the latter suffuses the sappy, muscular and saliva-inducing, moderately dry and compact finale. This very promising effort is going to need at least a decade to realize its full potential. Impressive.Burghound | 92-95 BH

The one-hectare parcel that constitutes the 2021 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru yielded five barrels this year. This also has a heavy reduction and is quite yeasty at the moment. The palate is well balanced with a marine-influenced entry, flecks of white chocolate complementing the citrus fruit with a longer finish than the Blanchot. Fine sour lemon mixed with orange rind on the aftertaste. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

Bright and inviting, the 2021 Chardonnay Drouhin Oregon Roserock has high-toned aromatics including loads of lime zest, honeyed apple, and a lifted note of gunflint that is well-managed. Medium-bodied and energetic, with balanced ripeness as well as loads of fresh citrus and a long finish, it has more reductive and bright-toned energy that lasts for ages through the finish. Drink 2023-2030.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDNotes of dried apples, glazed lemons, orange curd, roasted almonds and crushed stones. Hints of dried lemon peel, too. Full-bodied and broad yet it is delicate with impressive fresh acidity. Incredible minerality here with a touch of zestiness at the end. Lingering finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSFrom the Eola-Amity Hills, fast becoming Oregon’s best Chardonnay sub-appellation, given its windy conditions and volcanic soils. The Roserock shows flinty aromatics and laser-focused brightness with hints of cut early-season pears, white flowers and smoky minerality. The palate is balanced, bright and savoury, with minerality written all over it. Notes of crushed granite and green peppercorn complement grilled lemon peel, briny seaspray and smoky flint.Decanter | 93 DECDriven by electrifying acidity and a texture as crisp as a new dollar bill, this is a wine for fans of the lean, but hardly mean, style of Chardonnay. Pineapple and chamomile aromas are complemented by bits of fresh-cut grass and thyme. Flavors of chilled orange segments, lemon verbena and toasted filberts go on forever. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEBrisk and fresh, with pear and grapefruit flavors accented by spice and white blossom aromatics as this glides on the steely finish. Drink now. 2,405 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Firm reduction and a whiff of oak dominate the nose at present. Much more interesting are the beautifully textured, racy and detailed medium weight flavors that also possess a highly sophisticated mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the bitter zest-inflected finish that goes on and on. This is terrific and easily delivers grand cru quality.Burghound | 94-96 BHMid lemon colour. As always, the bouquet rises above the others. I feel the need to keep on sniffing this! Brings a smile to the face. The 2021 Domaine Leflaive Pucelles offers such a complex mix of fruits, fresh apricot along with a mix of quality citrus, good density but above all a stylishness that expresses itself in a hugely long finish. Perfect balance with a lifted fresh elegance at the finish. This may yet earn a fifth star later in life. Drink from 2027-2035.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JMThe 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru has a crisp, petrichor and green apple-scented bouquet, tight at first but opening up nicely with aeration. The palate is fresh and crisp with a subtle reduction at play, fine depth, lightly spiced with stem ginger and a dab of lemongrass towards the finish. This should drink nicely over the next decade.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

The 2021 Meursault Le Limozin, matured in a prudent 20% new oak, has a wonderful and expressive nose with just a soupçon of reduction (Parigot was prudent with the SO2 addition). The palate has exquisite balance, beautifully integrated oak, grilled walnut and litchi, superb salinity towards the extended finish - the wine of the vintage from this address.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

The 2021 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru comes from 2.5-hectares from parcels located from the bottom to the top of the slope, 20% fermented in new oak and aged entirely in wood. It has quite a powerful bouquet; although, I think it would have been a little more sharp with some proportion raised in stainless steel. The palate is well balanced with good weight, a subtle nuttiness on the entry, notes of orange rind and citrus peel; the 2021 is quite linear on the finish and lingers nicely in the mouth. I think this will gain complexity by the time it is bottled next year.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM