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It has been some years since the last time I cracked a bottle and at 22 years of age, it would be fair to say that this has reached its apogee with a really lovely and fully mature nose redolent of fully mature secondary aromas that do not yet evidence any notes of sous-bois. There is excellent richness to the delicious, sappy and still solidly well-concentrated flavors that possess excellent depth and fine length. This is not an especially refined effort but one that is most satisfying and while there is no further upside development to be had, neither is there any rush to drink up. In a word, lovely.Burghound | 91 BHA firm wine that offers generous, clear black cherry, raspberry and spice aromas and flavors. Solid, with pure, focused flavors balanced by enough acidity and tannin. Drinkable now to 1998. 375 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Balanced and very spicy, with almond paste and apricot. Full-bodied, medium sweet, with a long, fruity, tangy finish. Layered and stylish.Wine Spectator | 93-96 WSBright, pale yellow-gold. Aromas of very ripe peach, honey and vanilla are a bit youthfully disjointed. Sweet, supple and fat, currently showing more spice than fruit. Finishes broad and spicy, with a suggestion of minerality.Vinous Media | 90-93 VMThe 2007 Rieussec is a blend of 87% Semillon, 4.5% Muscadelle and 8.5% Sauvignon Blanc picked between 13 September and 31 October. It has an almost Barsac-like bouquet with barley sugar joining the ginger and honeyed notes, quite powerful although I feel this is just going through a sullen patch at the moment. The palate is very pure and balanced with a wonderful seam of acidity that slices through the viscous botrytis fruit, quite spicy on the finish, although it does not possess the persistence of the 2005 or 2009, just cutting away swiftly. Tasted April 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NM

I love the botrytis spice character to this wine with dried apricots and tropical fruits. It’s full bodied, medium sweet with a long intense finish. It’s very layered. Sweet wine of the vintage.James Suckling | 95-96 JSStructured firm, very spicy, while also showing fresh pineapple acidity. Concentrated and packed with botrytis.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA muscular version, with dacquoise and marzipan notes leading the way for creamed orange, white peach, ginger, mirabelle compote and tangerine accents that pump through the piecrust-filled finish. Has the vintage’s raw oomph, as well as range and cut for balance. Best from 2018 through 2035. 6,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2010 Rieussec is similar to the previous bottle a couple of years ago. It has since opened with saffron-tinged honeyed fruit, dried honey and almond shavings. This example is more vanillary and oaky than previous ones, and that actually distracts from the terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied; again, the new oak feels more prominent than previous bottles, prompting me to lower my score. It’s utterly seductive but articulates more of the winemaking than I would like...Neal Martin, Vinous Media | 93 VM(Château Rieussec (Sauternes)) Château Rieussec has turned out one of the most elegant and refined examples of the 2010 vintage and this wine is an unqualified success. The nose is a bit less obviously botrytized than many of its neighbors this year, as the wine offers up scents of tangerine, pineapple, bee pollen, lovely, chalky soil tones and a very suave base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and dancing, with fine mid-palate intensity, excellent focus and a really impressive lightness of step on the long, complex and tangy finish. In a vintage prone to heavy-handedness, the ethereal quality of the 2010 Château Rieussec is most impressive. (Drink between 2015-2035).John Gilman | 93 JGPale to medium lemon-gold in color, the 2010 Rieussec is evolving at a good clip, boasting roasted nuts, toffee apples and dried apricots scents with hints of beurre blanc, manuka honey and candle wax. The palate is a powerhouse of sweetness, with soft acidity and loads of savory/nutty layers, finishing on a praline note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

The Château Rieussec 2014 is a blend of 93% Semillon, 5% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle, picked from 15 to 29 October through seven tries, the yield half the normal crop at 13 hectoliters per hectare. Charles Chevalier, how lest we forget started here and not chez Lafite, told me that the beginning of September had overripe grapes with passerillage – the second part had very good levels of botrytis. The blend is from these two parts. The bouquet is very well defined with crystal clear honeysuckle and white peach scents. The palate is beautifully balanced with nigh on perfect acidity that makes this seem just so…effortless. I would like to see a little more persistence on the finish, but otherwise this is classic Rieussec that might...and I stress might...just give that Sauternes beginning with the 25th letter of the alphabet, a run for its money.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95-97 RP-NMA powerful, juicy and engaging style, with lots of ginger, orange peel, mango and peach flavors that are unctuous and forward in feel. Vibrant twinges of green fig and bitter almond extend the finish.Wine Spectator | 93-96 WSVery refined nose of nectarine, peach, crystallised ginger and sweet spices. Layered, intense and suave, with extremely long-lasting flavours of ginger, sweet spices and tropical fruits. Very harmonious wine: a standout Rieussec.Decanter | 95 DECThe aromas of botrytis are all there. Very spicy mushroom-powder and flower character. Dried-lemon undertones. Full-bodied, medium sweet, dense and flavorful with so much fruit intensity and bright acidity. Vibrant. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2014 Rieussec is rich, creamy and ample. Orange peel, mint, apricot jam and tropical fruits grace the palate in a sensual, rich Sauternes that exudes class. Already showing slightly forward notes in its bouquet, the 2014 will enter its prime drinking window sooner than other recent vintages (the 2013 comes to mind). This is a very pretty and complete Sauternes with all of its elements in the right place.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGLayered botrytis that gives the wine both its richness and dense texture. It is sweet but with a dry core and crisp acidity, it will age well. It is going to be a beautiful wine, with tropical fruits, apricots and wonderful final acidity. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

A step up over the Carmes de Rieussec, the beautiful 2016 Château Rieussec has remarkable purity and freshness while still packing beautiful depth of fruit. Honeyed peach, apricot, flower oil, and even a hint of wet stone all emerge from this full-bodied, thick, opulent effort. I love it. It has a rounded, sexy style ideal for drinking any time over the coming 15-20 years. The 2016 is a final blend of 83% Sémillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDSo much botrytis on the nose with spice, dried mushrooms and nutmeg. Dried lemons and mangoes. Full-bodied and medium sweet with density and, at the same time, lightness. I like that it is full of botrytis on the palate at the beginning and then turns fruity and very pretty at the end with citrus and fruit. Balanced, creamy and rich. Try after 2024, but already gorgeous.James Suckling | 97 JSPale lemon colored, the 2016 Rieussec comes sashaying out of the glass with a beautiful floral and citrus perfume of orange blossom, pink grapefruit, yuzu, lime leaves, lemongrass and fallen leaves with hints of nutmeg and candied ginger. Having shed a lot of the puppy fat from when I last tasted this from barrel, the palate reveals loads of elegant, tightly wound layers and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPA great Sauternes with a wonderful brightness and freshness, this gathers speed through the palate, developing flavours of cinnamon, caramel, white pepper, clove and smoked pineapple, all wrapped in an extremely silky texture. It’s still in barrel, and will be for another few months. Around 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECMade by the Lafite-Rothschild team, this is a powerfully dense wine. It has intense botrytis and fine acidity, as well as sumptuous ripe marmalade and apricot flavors. This is certainly for long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2016 Rieussec has plenty of botrytis on the nose, along with scents of honey, white peach, saffron, lanolin and walnut that gain intensity with aeration. The very well balanced palate presents a viscous opening and a fine bead of acidity. Generous and poised, with hints of marzipan and Turkish Delight decorating the finish. Excellent. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 94 VMQuite fresh, with acacia and honeysuckle notes out front, followed by a stream of mirabelle plum, yellow apple, pineapple and white peach flavors. Offers an unctuous feel on the finish while staying on the brighter side. Among the top efforts in the vintage. Best from 2022 through 2035. 500 cases made. — JMWine Spectator | 93 WS

Combe Aux Moines is something of a signature wine from Fourrier alongside his Clos-St-Jacques. Reflecting its elevated position, this is a bright, aromatic, wonderfully refreshing style with some ferrous notes and a smooth, balanced finish.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe Aux Moines is also showing beautifully from bottle, revealing aromas of cherries, raspberries and cassis complemented by suggestions of rose petals and sweet forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, supple and succulent, it’s broad shouldered and attractively complete, but it also exemplifies the weightless charm that typifies the vintage at its best.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPFrom 0.87ha planted in 1928 in an old quarry. Glowing lively red purple. Supple red fruit, offering the succulence of Cherbaudes but with a touch more tension too. Darker edges to this, good acid balance, long and fine as well. A beautiful all round wine. Tasted: December 2018.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMThe 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Combe Aux Moines 1er Cru is tasted from the regular blend matured in oak, although readers should note that Fourrier is trialing some of this cuvée aged in amphora that may or may not be added. It has an attractive bouquet with vivacious Morello cherries, wild strawberry and orange rind aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy ripe fruit, quite spicy with white pepper and touches of sage and oregano livening up the finish. It is already a very promising Gevrey, so I am fascinated to see whether the amphora component ends up being used.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMThe 2017 Combes aux Moines had not yet been assembled in tank, as the malo was later here for this wine. The wine was showing very well on the nose, wafting from the glass in a fine blend of red and black cherries, grilled meats, dark soil tones, woodsmoke, mustard seed and cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and promising, but still a bit grumpy and not yet precise, with fine-grained tannins and very good backend energy. This still needs some elevage to snap into place, but will do so with a bit more time and should prove to be excellent. (Drink between 2027 - 2065)John Gilman | 92-93 JGA brooding nose consists of essence of plum and black cherry scents that are cut with notes of warm earth and the sauvage. The rich, medium-bodied and reasonably concentrated flavors possess good power and muscle on the mouth coating and serious finale. This well made and youthfully austere effort will need at least 5 to 7 years first and potentially reward up to 15.Burghound | 91-94 BH

Here too there is plenty of petrol character to the cool and nicely layered nose of ripe yellow orchard fruit, resin and rosemary oil. The attractively textured, rich and solidly concentrated medium weight flavors exude a subtle minerality while offering outstanding complexity on the sappy, balanced and sneaky long finish. If you allow this to warm up a touch of warmth slowly emerges but it’s a non-issue if the proper serving temperature is maintained.Burghound | 93 BH

Muscular and powerful, the 2019 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes wafts from the glass with notes of pear, orange oil, peach, nutmeg and spices. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, it’s a rich, broad-shouldered Ruchottes that’s quite demonstrative out of the gates.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

Smoky aromas include those of essence of pear, lemon-lime and rosemary oil. The utterly delicious and unusually refined middle weight flavors possess a positively gorgeous mouthfeel that carries over to the focused, youthfully austere and impeccably well-balanced finale. This beauty is sufficiently tightly wound to repay up to a decade of cellaring yet it’s not so backward as to be unapproachable young if that’s your preference.Burghound | 93 BHVery pale colour, the nose is rather more elegant than the village Chassagne. Picked on the first day. This is beautifully juicy with a classy ripe white fruit and some ripe citrus notes, long finish. Racy and ripe at the same time. 13% alcohol.Jasper Morris | 93 JMAromas of orange oil, pear, beeswax, bread dough and anise introduce the 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes, a medium to full-bodied, taut but fleshy wine that’s bright and charming. This is a gourmand but controlled Chenevottes that will offer a broad drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

A rich version, featuring peach, apple, lemon curd and baking spice flavors. Almost creamy in texture, with good cut and a lingering, mouthwatering finish of citrus and spices. Drink now through 2029. 75 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis is cooler and not as ripe as either the Morgeot or the Clos St. Jean with more nuanced aromas of red and dark berries, spice and a suggestion of warm earth. The supple and rounded medium weight flavors are not as concentrated as either of the foregoing wines though there is a certain sophistication to the texture that the others lack, all wrapped in a lingering, dusty, youthfully austere and more complex finish that displays an equally discreet touch of warmth. This is lovely and while it’s certainly ripe, it’s not as marked by the excesses of the 2020 vintage. I would note that while this too could be approached on the younger side, it should easily repay up to a decade of keeping. Well worth checking out.Burghound | 92 BH

The 2020 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru is perhaps the one cuvée from this appellation that showed just a little sur-maturité, very slight touches of prune filtering though the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins, quite firm in the mouth with a slightly short finish.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

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 WSThe 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 RPSmoky 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 BH

Didier Seguier says that this is from a sunny terroir but in a cold vintage. It is certainly very attractive with the acidity balancing, and complimenting, the generosity of the fruit. White flowers and a touch of pear/white peach on the palate. Very precise and nice mineral undertow. A really fine example, mostly from the Vaillon sector within the wider Vaillon Premier Cru. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2028Decanter | 93 DECThe 2021 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru, which comes from around 12 parcels, 3.5-hectares, two-thirds within the "Vaillons" climats in the heart of the appellation. This has a slightly yeasty nose at the moment, not a million miles away from the Montmains in style. The palate is slightly different with a little more frisson and tension, just a touch more length on the finish. This should develop nicely in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

A stunning example, with finesse allied to power. Real tension and energy here. Will be approachable quite young, but really should be aged for over five years for the best result. Fèvre has 2.24ha within Montée de Tonnerre. Plots are located in Pied d’Aloup (facing east) with profound Kimmeridgian soils bringing freshness, Chapelot facing south on deep soil adding richness, and Côte de Brechain facing west on top of the hill with the oldest plots dating back to 1936.Decanter | 95 DECFrom multiple plots: east facing kimmeridgian marl in Pied d’Aloue (0.50ha), one hectare in Chapelot, (more soil here, fatter wine), then the rest in Bréchain, where vines dating back to 1936, give tension. What a beautiful bouquet. This has the sensual aspect of a delightful sunny summer, yet with an entrancing freshness behind. This is quintessential right bank, yet with balance Drink from 2027-2037. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMAn elegant, pure and wonderfully airy nose more freely reflects its aromas of white flowers, prominent mineral reduction and plenty of seashore elements. There is at once more volume but, somewhat surprisingly, even better refinement to the medium weight plus flavors that retain excellent detail while also flashing an almost pungent stoniness on the driving, firm and impeccably well-balanced finale. One to look for as this is very impressive.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2022 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru is more reticent on the nose and perhaps doesn’t quite engage as the 2021 did last year. A bit bashful at the moment. The palate is well-balanced with a saline entry, though it feels strict and contained, without the flair demonstrated by the Les Lys at the moment. Has this got something up its sleeve? It’s a bit too austere and reticent for my liking.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

Fèvre has 3.65ha of Vaulorent. Situated on the grand cru hill rather than the Fourchaume slope, the soils here are characterised by lots of Kimmeridgian marl. Tight and tense, lots of energy here, powerful and precise and compensates with concentration and density more akin to Chablis Grand Cru. GIve this five years and it will be stunning.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has another tightly wound nose like the Montée de Tonnerre, a subtle marine element emerging with time, a touch of wild fennel. The palate has much more body and depth than the aforementioned Premier Cru, with good density, a crisp line of acidity and a welcome touch of spice enhancing the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMSome of the Vaulorent may be taken out to make a separate Fourchaumes bottling, that decision has not yet been made. More lime than lemon in colour, the nose is so stylish yet with obvious concentration beneath. I love the texture of this wine, which has taken on a little bit of the cashmere qualities of this sector, while nonetheless retaining its mineral core. Very stylish once again. Drink from 2027-2037. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JMSlightly more evident wood influence can be found on the less elegant but beautifully layered nose of citrus confit, acacia blossom and wet stone scents. The rich, very generous and solidly powerful larger-bodied flavors are not quite as mineral-driven though they are even more concentrated, all wrapped in a beautifully balanced, long and complex finale. This is also impressive even though I have a slight preference for the MdT at this early stage.Burghound | 91-94 BH

Deliciously lush, showing ripe apple, quince and spice aromas with a hint of hawthorn. The texture is buttery and rich but not heavy, with plenty of acidity to keep everything in check. The grapes come from 60-year-old vines. Although some plant Pinot here, the elegance and finesse of this wine suggests that either colour can succeed. Wait a few years for this to open up and you will be in for a treat.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2022 Meursault Clos Richemont 1er Cru is a dense, opulent white built on texture more than anything else. It is one of the most overt wines in the Boillot range. Orange jam, spice, vanillin, lemon confit and baked apple tart infuse the 2022 with tons of textural intensity. This is such a distinctive wine. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 93-95 VMAn all but imperceptible application of wood can be detected on the more floral-suffused aromas of acacia, lilac and citrus confit nose. The vibrant and super-sleek middleweight flavors possess a sophisticated mouthfeel and excellent concentration before concluding in a stony, bitter lemon-inflected and beautifully persistent finish. This doesn’t have the sheer size and weight of the Goutte d’Or but it is noticeably finer.Burghound | 93 BHMid lemon yellow with a lime streak. The bouquet is sultry. Straight on the rocks – “when you plough, it really makes a noise”. The wine on the palate is much more clean cut yet with significant opulence as well. All in white fruit, quite oaky for the moment but all in harmony. The saline finish keeps the freshness. Drink from 2029-2036. Tasted: December 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JM

Cool and airy but ripe aromas are comprised by notes of citrus rind, white flower and plenty of mineral reduction character. There is excellent volume to the mouthcoating and punchy yet refined larger-bodied flavors that possess impressive concentration and power on the clean, dry and well-balanced finish. This is a wine that has excellent development potential yet is not so backward that it couldn’t be enjoyed after only four to five years of keeping. One to consider.Burghound | 93 BHJust bottled. A pretty, light lemon colour. A pleasing fragrance with spring flowers and the lighter side of plum fruit. Generous on the palate with a graphite touch which is probably the oak speaking, a wealth of fruit through the middle and enough flesh to cover the final point of acidity. Fine length as ever.Jasper Morris | 93 JMThe 2022 Meursault Goutte d’Or 1er Cru is airy and delicate in its first impression, but there’s plenty of depth below its lifted, expansive bouquet. Ripe pear, mint, white pepper, baked apple tart and a hint of new oak all grace this wonderfully expressive, nuanced Meursault. Lovely. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 91-93 VM

Fresh clear pale colour. The nose has less character than my favourites in the line-up. Takes a little time, then more emerges. There is something of a steely backbone, this is nicely made but I pine for pinot in this vineyard. Well balanced. Drink from 2027-2032. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

Guillaume Boillot continues to work his nearly four hectares of old vines in the Clos de la Mouchère in several parcels; we tasted each section separately. The vines near the wood surrounding Clos de la Garenne have bright citrus notes with hints of flint and mineral. Those near Clavoillon have more of a ripe pear and marzipan aroma; they are less focused but have more density, elegance and depth. The combination makes a superb wine that is one of the delights of Boillot’s cellar.Decanter | 95 DECMid yellow, with a biscuity touch. Seems unsubtle until you get to the palate which is super powerful but also with subtlety. This Monopole vineyard comprises four distinct terroirs though they are always assembled. An electric backbone stops the power overturning the balance. Yellow fruit, and then an extraordinary, indeed grand cru, weight. Incisive white fruit finish. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted: December 2023.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JMThe 2022 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchère 1er Cru is one of the most shut down of the whites in this vast range. Mineral and savory notes abound, but fruit is decidedly pushed into the background. Citrus confit, crushed rocks, mint and white pepper all race across the palate. There’s quite a bit of youthful austerity at this stage, but this should come together in time. A whole range of complex floral and tropical nuances linger. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 93-95 VM