Wine Producing Countries

wines

Aromas of sliced apples and lime zest with citrus blossom and crushed stones. Polished and round-textured on the palate with a full body and tangy acidity. Creamy finish. 60% sauvignon blanc and 40% semillon. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSZesty and creamy and softly mouthwatering, a combination of lemon juice and orange rind giving a touch of bitterness with clear fragrance and oaky tones adding to the density on the palate but just detracting from some of the bright energy. Feels a touch heavy, though will be nice with food. I do like the weighty creaminess and this delivers a lot of flavour.Decanter | 92 DECWood aged, this balanced wine is poised between ripe citrus and spice. It offers a hint of pineapple along with lively acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe 2020 Cuvee Caroline leaps from the glass with notes of lemon drops, fresh grapefruit and lime cordial, plus wafts of yuzu and honeysuckle. Medium-bodied, the palate has a seriously racy backbone cutting through the intense citrus and savory layers, finishing with great length and a skip in its step.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RPThe 2020 Chantegrive Cuvée Caroline has a perfumed nose with pressed white flowers, jasmine, chai and light pear scents, quite complex and full of vigor. The palate has a citric edge on the entry, taut and fresh, not a powerful dry white Graves yet with energy and tension. The sliced pear notes come through nicely on the finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Matured with 20% new oak the 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet Village has a high-toned and expressive bouquet with white flowers and a touch of tangerine. The palate is well balanced with a finely tuned opening, lemon verbena and apricot, with a pretty, quite floral finish. This is quite classy for a Chassagne Village.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 2020 Meursault Le Tesson wafts from the glass with aromas of white currants, ginger, lime, spring flowers and nutmeg, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and tensile palate that’s taut and racy, concluding with a bright, precise finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RPAn exuberantly floral-suffused nose is more elegant still with its aromas of poached pear, spiced apple and citrus confit. There is excellent punch to the beautifully delineated medium-bodied flavors that display outstanding length on the sneaky long finish that is both stylish and very classy. Meursault villages wines rarely get much better than this and it too is strongly recommended.Burghound | 91-93 BH

The 2020 Meursault Les Narvaux opens in the glass with aromas of pear, orange oil, nutmeg, freshly baked bread and beeswax. Medium-bodied, racy and chiseled, with good concentration, tangy acids and a long, precise finish, it’s a lovely wine from this underrated producer.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThere is a phenolic note to the aromas of apple, pear, acacia blossom and just sliced fennel. I like the sense of underlying tension suffusing the density, tautly muscular and stony medium weight flavors that are both clean and dry while delivering outstanding length for a villages-level wine. Year in and year out this is one of the domaine’s best performers and so it is again in 2020. Recommended.Burghound | 89-92 BH

The 2020 Meursault Les Tillets opens with notes of crisp green apple, freshly baked bread, white flowers and crushed mint. Medium-bodied, satiny and elegant, it’s lively and precise, with a pretty core of fruit and a mouthwatering finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPThis too is quite firmly reduced and unreadable today. More interesting are the delicate but punchy flavors that evidence plenty of minerality on the vibrant, focused and beautifully well-balanced finale. Once again, more depth would be beneficial, but this wine has an excellent track record in that regard. Worth checking out.Burghound | 89-91 BH

This is distinctly floral, with peach, lime blossom, citronella and mineral aromas and flavors. Sleek and elegant, offering intensity through the lingering aftertaste of lemon and orchard fruits. Shows terrific length and harmony. Best from 2026 through 2036. 30 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSA suggestion of the exotic is present on the aromas of citrus confit, white peach, passion fruit and pretty floral nuances. While the larger-scaled flavors possess a bit more size and weight, they’re actually slightly finer, though not denser, than those of the BBM while delivering outstanding length on the bone-dry, youthfully austere and decidedly built-to-age finale that exhibits first-rate length. This is a Ramonet Bâtard of relative finesse though to be sure, it does not lack for punch or potential longevity. I quite like this as it’s stylish and even classy, which isn’t an adjective always applied to Bâtard.Burghound | 96 BH

The 2020 Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru has a more powerful bouquet than its peers with scents of orange blossom, Nashi pear and an underlying gunflint note trying to surface. The palate is well balanced with orange rind and a touch of peach skin on the entry. Very poised and harmonious with impressive volume, I admire its tension and persistence on the saline finish. This will not require much bottle maturation, yet it has the substance to last 15-20 years. Excellent. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 2020 Muscadet “la Louvetrie” from Jo Landron is crafted mostly from vines that are thirty to forty years of age, with some younger vine fruit also included. The wine delivers a lovely bouquet of breadfruit, lemongrass, briny maritime scents, wet stone minerality and a nice touch of leesiness. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and complex, with a good core and mineral drive, zesty acids and a good long finish that is just a touch pinched today on the backend from its screwcap. Fifteen minutes in decanter unlocks the wine completely on the finish, but the early signs of reduction issues would lead me to drink this wine in the next year or two, rather than tucking it away in the cellar. Once it opens up on the backend, it is very good. (Drink between 2022 - 2024)John Gilman | 92 JG

Here there is less citrus and more floral influence on the white pepper and mineral reduction-inflected nose. The sleek, intense and attractively textured medium-weight flavors possess a bracing salinity on the agreeably dry, chiseled and well-focused finale that is just a bit firmer. Lovely.Burghound | 91 BHThe 2020 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has a flinty, focused, energetic nose that feels more harmonious than the preceding Côte de Léchet. The palate is taut, fresh and saline in the mouth, showing great depth and concentration toward the finish. This will be worth looking out for.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

One of the whites of the vintage, the 2020 Château Pape Clément Blanc is based on 62% Sauvignon Blanc, 33% Semillon, 4% Sauvignon Gris, and the remaining 1% Muscadelle, all of which was raised in a mix of new and used oak. This beauty stopped me in my tracks and offers a massive nose of honeyed limes, white flowers, tropical fruit, crushed stone, and orange marmalade. With the vintage’s vibrant sense of freshness, full-bodied richness, a stacked mid-palate, and a fabulous mouthfeel, this truly sensational white is an incredible achievement, and hats off to the team at Pape Clement! Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy over the following two decades or so.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDI like the richness and focus to this with sliced cooked apple, lemon and light toffee character. Candied pineapple. Hints of meringue. Full-bodied and layered. Really delicious and flavorful now with a solid balance of phenolic structure. Classy. Agile. Drink after 2025 but hard to stay away.James Suckling | 97 JSThis is a step up, as it’s larger in scale, brighter and more defined than most of its brethren, featuring long tarragon and thyme threads that pull gooseberry, star fruit and white peach notes along. Offers lots of energy through the finish, which ripples with sel gris and oyster shell echoes offset by a hint of salted butter. Really gorgeous. Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris. Best from 2024 through 2032.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 2020 Pape Clément Blanc has a bright nose with scents of orchard fruit, orange pith and lime cordial scents, well defined and focused. The palate is fresh and mineral-driven, quite taut, much less oaky than other vintages and displaying more terroir towards the finish. One of the best whites from this estate that I have tasted. Tasted three times with consistent notes.Vinous Media | 94 VMA delicious Pape Clément blanc, this has flesh, power, depth, character and a ton of juicy minerality with white pear, peach, and a slate-filled texture that adds grip and saline freshness. Well balanced and easy to recommend. Tasted three times.Decanter | 94 DEC

This classic white wine reveals impressive potential as it unfolds. Along with its enveloping white fruits and crisp citrus it also has a wrought texture that will push it forward for the long term. Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEA dense, creamy DC white with lots of rich cooked-apple, mineral, cream and praline character. It’s full and very layered with chewy intensity and a long, bitter-lemon and almost honey finish. Pretty phenolic tension, too.James Suckling | 96-97 JSAnother terrific vintage for this wine, the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc unwinds in the glass with aromas of nectarine, pear, nutmeg, passionflower and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and seamless, with racy acids and a bright, pure profile, it nips at the heels of the brilliant and somewhat racier, more refined 2019.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc marries power and tension so well. Lemon confit marzipan, chamomile, dried orchard fruit and crushed flowers all build effortlessly into the expansive, beautifully resonant finish. Above all else, the Blanc is a wine of savory/mineral complexity and structure. I wouldn’t dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 95 VMA very young, powerful, coiled-up white, with verbena, mirabelle plum, quinine, gooseberry gelée and fleur de sel notes weaving together. The long finish has a flash of bitter almond but keeps a nice nervy feel, with an underlying mineral hint. One to cellar a bit and let unwind. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Best from 2024 through 2029.Wine Spectator | 95 WSRipe melon, honeyed mint, and dried herb notes all emerge from the 2020 Domaine De Chevalier Blanc, a medium-bodied, rich, concentrated, yet tight and backward white built for the cellar. Mostly Sauvignon yet with a good chunk of Semillon, this balanced, focused, incredibly impressive dry white needs 3-5 years of bottle age and, I suspect, will evolve for 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDRound with a soft medicinal, herbal element and toasted spice framing the lemon, lime, elderflower, pear and peach fruit with a core of salty, wet stones. Bitter, sweet and acidic - all the elements melding together harmoniously with an appealing weight. I like the overall sleek and crisp expression, feels well worked and well structured. A great buy.Decanter | 95 DEC

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

This estate makes a brilliant white, and their 2020 Château Couhins Blanc is pure gold, offering a bright citrus and lemon zest core as well as lots of white flowers and honeyed mineral-like nuances. Medium-bodied, bright, racy, yet also concentrated, it’s going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDFreshly shelled peas on the nose with green apple aromas. Zingy and full of life straight away, vibrant yet so well controlled. A beautiful glass of wine with excellent acidity, weight and texture. It has a lovely salty, iodine tang to the lemon, lime, orange rind, pineapple, grapefruit pith and green apple. Thrilling and vibrant but clean and crisp. So well worked, focused so give this a year or two for it to settle and expand but this is a great white from 2020. A wine to buy, and more importantly drink and enjoy.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2020 Couhins Blanc, 100% Sauvignon Blanc, is bright, crisp and super-expressive. White pepper, sage, mint and tomato leaf play off a core of citrus-infused fruit. I very much like the energy here.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe insider’s choice among dry white Bordeaux, the 2020 Couhins Blanc unwinds in the glass with aromas of nectarine, mint, white flowers, lemongrass and pastry cream, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive palate, with racy acids and a chalky, passion fruit-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPExtremely perfumed and vivid with sliced lime, lemon and hints of grapefruit. Full-bodied, yet linear and racy. Always nicely done.James Suckling | 92-93 JS

While I loved the red from this château, their white might be even better! Based on 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon, the 2020 Château De Fieuzal Blanc has a riveting bouquet of bright citrus, subtle grapefruit, leafy herbs, and obvious minerality. Beautifully textured, pure, medium-bodied, and flawlessly balanced on the palate, it’s a no-brainer purchase to enjoy over the coming two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDAlways a signature white wine for this appellation, the wine is tightly delineated with citrus and taut, mineral acidity. Its texture and freshness contrast with ripe white fruits and spicy acidity at the end.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEGooseberry and basil on the nose with grapefruit, sandalwood, nutmeg and salted almonds. Creamy and bright with vibrant acidity. Delicious marriage of fresh herb and pretty oak spice. Bitter lemon. Needs time to open and come more together. Better after 2025.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2020 Blanc from de Fieuzal is performing very well in bottle, exhibiting aromas of peach and nectarine mingled with hints of mint, pastry cream and citrus zest. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, it’s a bright, elegantly fleshy wine that’s a touch finer-boned than the glossier, more textural 2019. Bottled under Diam 30, this cuvée continues to prove itself as one of the more interesting dry whites produced in contemporary Bordeaux.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPStone fruit aromas and flavours on the palate - peach, pear, green apple and gentle pineapple. Nicely balanced and textured with an appealing weight on the mid palate. Loses a touch of energy towards the finish, it’s not as bright and freshly acidic as some but this has appeal with bitter, zesty, lively and sharp nuances that all combine to give interest.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2020 Château de Fieuzal Blanc has a fresh nose with orange blossom, grapefruit and lime flower scents that are well-defined and energetic. The palate is quite concentrated on the opening, with fine depth and purity, white peach mixed with chamomile and vervain tea, leading to a pithy finish. This is a thoroughly enjoyable de Fieuzal that will be difficult to resist young.Vinous Media | 91 VM

A tight, phenolic white with light tannins that give the wine form and balance. It’s full-bodied and lightly chewy with dried apple, lemon and peach. Minerally and chewy. Flavorful. From organic grapes. 90 sauvignon blanc, 5% sauvignon gris and 5% semillon.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDButterscotch, vanilla, a soft honeyed caramel, lemon and orange notes with green apple. Quite bitter straight away, the lemon and orange rind and grapefruit juice elements all to the fore alongside a hit of bright, lemon juice acidity. Then it settles, almost closes, or narrows into a funnel, quite tight and sleek, definite tension there, but there’s power and structure still with elegance. It’s not giving, generous and approachable right now but this has been well made - really focused and polished. Body, freshness and structure with lovely hints of minerality and such a wide aerial, aerated finish. It’s serious - this is bold but with something so special about it. Ageing 50% new oak, 50% one year old barrels, 12 months with three months in vats before bottling.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2020 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is superb. Élevage has done wonders in lending energy and brilliance. The 2020 shows the soft curves of the warm vintage, but it has tons of energy, too. That makes for an absolutely brilliant, compelling white that delivers on so many levels. The 2020 offers enough approachability to drink well now, but also the energy to develop well in bottle for many years to come.Vinous Media | 95 VMSuave and caressing in feel, this drapes beautifully, with creamed yellow apple, gooseberry and lemon curd notes on the flattering side, offset by hints of tarragon, blanched almond and salted butter on the racier side. The finish is enhanced with paraffin and smoke hints. Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris. Drink now through 2030. 2,400 cases made, 250 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA tight, phenolic white with light tannins that give the wine form and balance. It’s full-bodied and lightly chewy with dried apple, lemon and peach. Minerally and chewy. Flavorful. From organic grapes. 90 sauvignon blanc, 5% sauvignon gris and 5% semillon.James Suckling | 95-96 JSA strong effort, the 2020 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc wafts from the glass with aromas of nectarine, pear, lemongrass, Sauvignon botanicals, toasted bread and baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, it’s rich and concentrated, with ripe acids and chalky structuring extract. It’s not quite as vibrant and precise as the 2019, but it’s a success nonetheless.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

The 2020 Meursault Les Narvaux has a perfumed, floral bouquet with touches of white flowers infusing the citrus peel and orange pith aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a slightly waxier texture than Chavy-Chouet’s other cuvées, with fine persistence on the finish. Very good length here.Vinous Media | 92 VMHere too there is a hint of mineral reduction to the equally cool and airy aromas of green apple, citrus peel and crushed anise. Once again, the medium-bodied flavors possess a highly attractive texture and solid power if not quite the same refinement on the bone-dry and youthfully austere finale. This too is a very good villages and worth a look.Burghound | 90 BH

The 2020 Meursault Les Vireuils has a perfumed nose with white flowers, jasmine and light hazelnut aromas gently unfolding in the glass. The palate is well balanced with subtle tropical notes on the entry: wild peach and apricot, fine weight with a very pretty finish. This will be difficult to resist in its youth.Vinous Media | 91 VMA cool, pure and airy nose offers up notes of mineral reduction, apple, pear and exotic tea. There is terrific intensity to the attractively textured and overtly mineral-driven flavors that culminate in a sneaky long and well-balanced finale. This is a very good Meursault villages and worth considering.Burghound | 90 BH

The 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux Vieilles Vignes will be bottled later than usual, as Michel was still waiting on the delivery of glass bottles when I visited—but extra time on the fine lees certainly won’t do it any harm. Exhibiting aromas of pear, white flowers, freshly baked bread, confit citrus and iodine, it’s medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, with terrific depth and tension. It’s a close race between this and Michel’s Vaulorent this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPBack in the fleshier style so for once I may have a preference for the regular. But then I love it on the palate with just a little bit of fresh red fruit mixing in. This has been racked a second time and sulphured which may explain the nose. The finish is excellent and very well poised.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JM

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 BHale to mid lemon yellow. Bouquet hidden at first, stones and light white fruit, more body behind, a little bit of oak. The oyster shells appear further back on the palate, elegance without heat.Jasper Morris | 92 JM

The 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 VMA 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 WSDiscreet 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 Château Valandraud Blanc is both deeper and richer, with a more concentrated, medium to full-bodied style as well as incredible aromatics of ripe melon, white fits, lemon, minty herbs, and chalky minerality. With integrated acidity, an almost red wine-like structured mouthfeel, and a great finish, this easily belongs up with the greatest whites in the vintage. It will evolve for two decades if you’re so inclined.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe 2020 Valandraud Blanc, centered upon 60% Sauvignon Gris, an underrated variety, has a nicely focused bouquet with apple blossom, lemon verbena, chamomile and light pear aromas. The 80% new oak is neatly enmeshed. The palate is well balanced with a fine thread of acidity, quite complex with a modicum of spice and stem ginger. There is something different about this white Bordeaux emanating from the grape varieties, a wine with character and sufficient salinity to tempt you back for another sip. Just 3,000 bottles made.Vinous Media | 94 VMHerbal lemon, caramelised patisserie, baked lemon tart with some apple flecks. Round, unctuous, strong and bold, but clean and clear with a honeyed, caramel pastry tang on the palate balanced by a shot of zesty lemon, lime, orange and peach - the citrus fruits holding the backbone with high acidity and freshness. Richly layered and powerful but also friendly, generous and lively. It’s serious but with elements of fun!Decanter | 94 DECDense, complex white with sliced fennel, grapefruit, clove, burnt vanilla pod, green pineapple and herbs on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, textured and phenolic, with slightly bitter herbal and spice character. Better after 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2020 Valandraud Blanc opens with the most gorgeous perfume of orange blossoms, honeycomb and allspice, leading to a core of pink grapefruit, lemon tart and lime cordial, with a waft of aniseed. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with layer upon layer of tropical and citrus fruits, supported by a crisp backbone and satiny texture, finishing with epic length and perfume. Stunning.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPJuicy and fresh, with lots of deliciously bouncy gooseberry gelée and lemon peel flavors streaking through. Laced with quinine and fleur de sel notes on the finish. Sauvignon Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2024. 350 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThis is a powerfully rich wine, with ripe citrus and yellow fruit flavors. Acidity is balanced by the dense texture and spicy undercurrent. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Quite a shy, flinty nose that develops attractive orange-blossom character with some aeration. But this has plenty of depth and a serious tannin structure that gives it quite some weight. Long, chalky finish that is just a touch on the austere side. From 2.7 hectares. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JS