Wine Producing Countries

wines

Here too there is subtle if perceptible wood framing the ripe citrus confit and white orchard fruit-scented nose. The delicious and energetic medium-bodied flavors that possess a caressing mouthfeel while exuding a bead of minerality that adds a sense of lift to the balanced, firmer and slightly longer finale. Lovely and understated in style.Burghound | 91 BHBottled in early August. Clear colour, a softer white fruit here, open and delicious. Seems more generous but less precise compared to Chenevottes but there is certainly plenty of wine here. Drink from 2028-2034. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

Grandfather Fernand Coffinet, who planted the almond tree on the edge of this plot, died at the start of the year, so this wine is something of a homage to him. Clear bright pale colour. The nose shows the muscle in a harmonious way. Almost lean at the front then with a growing flesh behind. Huge potential here, less charming than Dent de Chien but a fabulous finish as well, stretching out even further than does the Dent de Chien. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JM

The 2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Vide Bourse shows considerable promise, unwinding in the glass with aromas of pear and orange oil mingled with notes of white flowers, mint and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and structured, with lively acids, chalky grip and a resonant finish, it will only be bottled after a second winter on the lees.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPLike the Vergers, the wood treatment is prominent but not invasive as it permits the ripe and again vaguely exotic aromas of white and yellow peach, passion fruit and citrus confit to be appreciated. The wood also appears on the caressing and plush medium weight plus flavors that are also blessed with an abundance of sappy dry extract that coats the palate on the powerful and serious but well-balanced and refreshing finale. While this could be approached young, I would advise holding it for at least a few years first so that the wood treatment can more completely integrate.Burghound | 92 BHPale lemon. Powerful character. Stands up like a limestone menhir. Too concentrated to see all the detail yet, with also a little salinity. Mostly white fruit but with some riper yellow tints to it. Clean at the finish, not too oaky, and of course persistent. Drink from 2028-2036. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JM

Racked to tank. A glowing pale primrose. Not very much reduction. Good weight, a light lemon acidity behind a fine depth of concentrated fruit. With time I think more personality will emerge. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Dec 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

This beautiful Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru has a subtle nose of bergamot and orange zest with notes of wild herbs. Excellent tension on the generous but focused palate, driving the very long, structured finish, which has a serious stony minerality. From a high-altitude site that may well become better known due to climate change. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThis white is creamy, with ample baking spice, butterscotch, peach and lemon cake flavors. Shows latent power yet remains fresh and long on the complex finish, where the fruit and spice elements echo. Drink now through 2030. 1,250 cases made, 350 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA discreet application of wood frames the pretty aromas of the essence of pear and apple compote, carnation and crushed fennel. The sleek and intense middleweight flavors possess both good richness and a subtle minerality that adds a sense of lift to the markedly zest-inflected finale that exhibits solid length. Once again there is enough gas to notice so a few minutes in a decanter would be helpful.Burghound | 91 BH

Very cool and and focused, this mouthwatering Saint Romain has an extreme chalky minerality. Only medium-bodied, but really concentrated. Super-fresh and focused finish with so much fresh herb complexity (think sage and thyme). Very long and polished finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2022 Saint-Romain Sous Le Velle is comparatively more backward on the nose, a little chalky in style with light Golden Delicious and orange pith scents. There is fine delineation with neatly integrated oak. The palate is well-balanced, with a tang of orange zest on the entry. This has a silver beard of acidity, lending real tension and matching the impressive depth towards the vibrant finish. Sous Le Velle is often one of the go-to vineyards in Saint-Romain, and this proves exactly why.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMPalish lemon and lime. A fine and classy bouquet, floral but still with the racy freshness of St-Romain. Fresh apples on the palate, with an intensity that will demand a little bottle age. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

The ripe mulberry and black cherry fruit aromas here have hints of leather, earth and spice that carry through to the palate. The structure has admirable grip and focus, leading the wine to a pleasantly persistent finish. The grapes are from a half-hectare recently purchased; he extracts very carefully, with a pre-soak but no more punching down. The result is elegant and should be ready to drink shortly after release.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECA pretty purple with good depth, on a steady slope well exposed to the south. Attractive juicy red fruit, more strawberries, with good energy all the way through. As with the village wine, this is more about the fruit than the structure. Drink from 2028-2033. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JMThe 2022 Monthélie 1er Cru Sur la Velle is seamless and charming, offering up notes of plums, sweet berries, smoke and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, supple and charming palate. This will offer expressive drinking on release.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 88-90 RPFirm reduction blocks an assessment of the nose though there is good freshness and verve to the succulent, delicious and velvet-textured medium-bodied flavors that deliver reasonably good length on the firm, dusty and mildly chewy finish that is rustic but not hard.Burghound | 88-90 BHThe 2022 Monthélie Sous la Velle 1er Cru has a crisp, well-defined bouquet, the 20% whole bunches neatly integrated, offering hints of raspberry and blackcurrant leaf. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins and well-balanced, though it needs a little more depth toward the finish. But I appreciate the white pepper notes on the conclusion. An admirable Monthélie.Vinous Media | 87-90 VM

The 2022 Meursault Village, a blend of Jobard’s lieux-dits, which has been the case for three vintages now, has a classic nose of orchard fruit, walnut and a touch of crushed stone. The palate is very well-balanced with a lime and citrus peel opening, crisp acidity and a little fatness towards the finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMMid lemon and lime. The bouquet is not overtly weighty. The hillside vineyards and those below complement each other. There is certainly excellent energy beneath here, a fine thread to freshen the weight of white orchard fruit. Impeccable village Meursault. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 90-92 JMA very Meursault nose of white fleshed fruit, acacia blossom, hazelnut and a whiff of citrus character introduces rich and seductively textured medium weight flavors that flash a lovely minerality that adds a sense of lift to the bitter lemon-tined finale. This is also an excellent villages and worth considering.Burghound | 89-92 BH

Cool and herbal nose with excellent freshness and a hint of smoke. Clean and rather crisp for this appellation. From three parcels of vineyards on the Volnay side of Meursault’s vineyards, the oldest of which was planted in the early 1960s. Matured in small oak barrels, of which 20% were new. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JSPretty fresh green tint. The nose is quite strict, not demonstrative, while the white fruit fleshes out quite nicely on the palate. Medium bodied and some length. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JMThe 2022 Meursault Les Corbins has a well-defined, quite minerally bouquet that opens nicely in the glass, even though it is not the definition of complexity. The palate is well-balanced with a texturally waxy opening. Quite a pithy Meursault with good extract, though it just needs a little more persistence on the finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

The iodine, blackberry and rose-stem character comes through clearly. Plenty of fruit and depth. Medium-bodied with fine tannins that caress the palate and provide endless flavors of Indian spices, flint, nutmeg and light crust. Such refinement and integrity. Drinkable now, but better in three or four years.James Suckling | 98 JSLovely cherry fruit with hints of lavender and rosemary. The texture is silky and dense, almost fat. There is more clay here, and less limestone than in Les Cras, and the tannic structure is not as firm. The grapes are from Drouhin’s massive 6.75ha here, not far from Pommard; they are partially destemmed and fermented on native yeasts before ageing in cask (25% new) for 14–18 months.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECThe 2023 Clos des Mouches Rouge seems just a touch riper in personality than the les Cras this year, thus having just a bit more mid-palate amplitude of sappy black fruit and just a bit more length on the lovely finish. The bouquet is excellent, offering up notes of black plums, black cherries, coffee bean, woodsmoke, gamebird, dark soil tones, a hint of graphite and cedary oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very sappy at the core, with a good foundation of soil tones, ripe, buried tannins, lovely focus and grip and a long, nascently complex and very promising finish. (Drink between 2036 - 2080)John Gilman | 93+ JGThe 2023 Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches (Domaine) is showing nicely, bursting with aromas of sweet berries, spices, orange zest and new oak. Medium to full-bodied, succulent and lively, with chalky grip on the finish, it will offer a broad drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThe 2023 Beaune Clos des Mouches Rouge 1er Cru comes from 35 separate plots with different geology. It’s comprised of ten different lots picked over a week. This opens with dark chocolate and white pepper scents. It has slightly darker fruit on the nose and is a little more introspective at first. The palate is medium-bodied and quite sapid with a firm structure on the entry and a touch of licorice on the finish. This should be very fine once in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMDeep purple, with a fresh energy. Intense fresh dark raspberry, with just the right structure, tannins present but refined, adequate acidity, a touch of velvet and very persistent. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMAn exuberantly floral nose presents ripe aromas of spice, black cherry and a top note of kirsch. The notably finer, though not denser, middle weight flavors are shaped by remarkably fine-grained tannins on the lightly stony bitter pit fruit-inflected finale. This balanced effort could use more depth so at least a few years of cellaring should prove beneficial.Burghound | 90-92 BH

The density and balance are so attractive here, with sliced apples, white pineapple and crushed stones. Hints of dried flowers, too, such as white roses and lilacs, as well as almonds. Medium-bodied with focus and subtle strength. Seemingly endless, with a bitter-lemon edge and nice reduction in the aftertaste of gun metal. Drink and enjoy.James Suckling | 96 JSDrouhin’s Clos des Mouches 2023 exemplifies the vintage’s potential for delicious whites. The wine has lush, forward aromas of Mirabelle plums and quince with hints of marzipan, butter and a suggestion of stylishly smoky reduction. The texture is supple and dense, but the richness is kept in balance and the extract carries the wine to a lingering finish. Parts of the 7ha vineyard have been replanted; the old vines that produce this bottling have delivered a wine of great character.Decanter Magazine | 94 DEC The 2023 vintage of Clos des Mouches Blanc is an absolute classic in the making, but it will demand a few years in the cellar to properly blossom before it will start hitting on all cylinders. The bouquet is deep, nascently complex and beautifully detailed, delivering scents of apple, lemon, beeswax, chalky soil tones, a nice touch of sweet butter, dried flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and a bit reserved in profile at the present time, with a superb core of fruit, fine soil signature and grip, very good acidity and a long, poised and impeccably balanced finish. This really has grand cru weight and authority on the palate, but also a bit of a structural chassis that will want to be waited out before starting to drink the wine with abandon. (Drink between 2029 - 2060)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe 2023 Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc (Domaine) is another strong performance, delivering aromas of sweet pear, peach and mandarin mingled with buttered toast and mint. Full-bodied, rich and ample, it’s layered and unctuous, with a seamless, satiny, textural profile and a long, lusty finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-94 RPThe 2023 Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc 1er Cru has more intensity on the nose than expected, with lovely lilting yellow fruit, quince and crushed stone scents. The palate is very well balanced and generous, with a slightly oily texture, great depth, fine acidity and a judicious touch of lemongrass toward the finish that feels long and intense. This may well surpass the 2022.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMMid lemon, with the somewhat more sumptuous bouquet of Clos des Mouches, always more flesh right from the outset. This is a powerful fleshy wine, with a good oak support, probably higher in alcohol. Lower than expected yield here in white. May well be around 14% I suspect but that goes with this territory. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 92-95A vague suggestion of the exotic is present in the form of jasmine tea, orange peel, white peach and a background hint of passion fruit. The medium-bodied flavors are rich to the point of opulence yet retain a relatively sleek mouthfeel that carries over to the balanced and nicely dry finale. This attractively persistent effort could use better depth so at least a few years of cellaring should prove to be beneficial.Burghound | 90-92 BH

The 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Les Chalumeaux 1er Cru is more understated but more complex than the Hameau, with fine delineation and crushed stone infusing malic scents. The palate is well balanced with a twist of sour lemon on the entry, tensile and focused with a precise and quite persistent finish. This is a well-crafted Puligny that will give a decade’s drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The nose opens gracefully with aromas of pear, white peach and Meyer lemon, evolving toward acacia blossom, hazelnut and a touch of flint. The wine shows both nerve and richness - sleek citrus and stone fruit framed by a precise mineral backbone. Hints of brioche and vanilla without overshadowing the vineyards signature purity. A long, lingering finish with saline tension and whisper of almond and chalk dust.Sokolin Tasting Panel | 95 SP

The 2023 Meursault 1er Cru Charmes is the richest, broadest wine in the range, bursting with aromas of honeyed pears, white flowers, freshly baked bread and beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it’s layered and textural, with a sweet core of fruit that’s balanced by good energy and grip.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The 2023 Meursault 1er Cru Les Cras is pretty, wafting from the glass with notes of pear, confit lemon, orange zest and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, mineral and chalky, with a sweet core of fruit girdled by bright acids, it’s pure and precise.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPHere too there is a suggestion of the exotic to the aromas of white peach, tangerine, mineral reduction and once again, a hint of phenolic character. This medium weight flavors aren’t quite as dense though they are just a bit finer while offering fine length and an almost palpable sense of minerality on the balanced and youthfully austere finish that, interestingly enough given that this is a premier cru, isn’t quite as structured.Burghound | 91 BH

Old vines directly on the mother rock. Mid lemon yellow, a bouquet which is more about ripe citrus and maybe some herbal notes, verbena. Striking linear energy on the palate, the ripe citrus continuing through to the finish. All the Chassagne-Montrachet 1ers crus are quite different, which is a very positive point in favour of the vintage (and Adrien’s skills!) Drink from 2028-2034. Jasper Morris | 93 JMAromas of pear, pastry cream and white flowers introduce the 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers, a medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless wine that’s pure and racy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RPA slightly cooler and airier nose is comprised by notes of just sliced citrus and apple along with pretty floral nuances. The middle weight flavors aren’t not as rich or powerful though they are finer with a subtle minerality adding a sense of lift to the vibrant, balanced and long finale that isn’t quite as complex. While this isn’t quite as interesting as the Fairendes, it still merits interest.Burghound | 91 BH

Mid lemon and lime. A richer soil here than most Puligny, explains the weight. Several layers to this, a fine thread of acidity running through the middle alongside fresh peaches and more classical orchard fruits. Purchased 50 years ago by grandfather Jean because nobody else wanted it! How times have changed.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

The 2023 Puligny-Montrachet from Domaine Chartron is another very fine village wine. It delivers a refined bouquet of white peach, apple, chalky soil tones, spring flowers, a nice touch of fresh almond and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, racy and sports a fine core of fruit, with a good soil foundation, seamless balance and a long, complex and nicely precise finish. Good juice. (Drink between 2025 - 2045)John Gilman | 91+ JGThe 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Village is a combination of Chartron’s own vineyard plus exchanges with other growers. This has commendable vivacity and focus, with Granny Smith and fresh Anjou pears on the nose. The palate is well defined with orchard fruit tones intermixed with touches of orange rind and spice. This has fine length and admirable precision for its class. It is recommended.Vinous Media | 89-91 VMMade from Les Benoîtes and young vine Caillerets. A lime tint to the colour, with some flesh on the nose, and a little well-judged oak. This is very prettily balanced, no more than medium depth, with a good fruit-acid balance. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 89-90 JMA more elegant and markedly more floral-suffused nose speaks of various white orchard fruit and quinine that is again trimmed in enough wood to notice. It can also be found on the rich and solidly voluminous flavors that possess a more sophisticated texture before concluding in a vaguely off dry finish. This is pretty but the off dry style appeals somewhat less to me than other wines in the range.Burghound | 88-91 BH

Flint and spice come through clearly, showing a higher level of reduction in the winemaking and providing intensity and intrigue to the wine. It’s medium-bodied, linear and very racy with a bright, lightly phenolic finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSA slightly more elegant nose proffers a more pronounced floral influence along with cool essence of pear, apple and lemon zest nuances. The succulent, vibrant and utterly delicious medium weight flavors terminate in a dry, clean and balanced finale. This too could use better depth so at least a few years of cellaring should prove to be beneficial.Burghound | 89-91 BHA blend from all the plots of Puligny except Charmes and Trézin. A pretty bouquet with some fresh citrus blossom on the nose, pure white fruit on the palate, which is on the broader side but with enough concentration to kick on nicely to a tasty finish. Very correct and quite accessible. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JM

The 2023 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru has an attractive bouquet that seems to "expand" in the glass: apricot and peach skin meet a touch of melted candle wax, all nicely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine mineralité, fresh and focused, gaining weight towards the finish, which actually reminds me of the Perrières from Ballot-Millot. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93 VM

A wine to seek out. Racy and very fine, the grapes come from the very top of the slope, and offer forward aromas of lime peel and gooseberry with a flinty, mineral edge. Marvellous acidity and great depth of flavour on the palate, along with a pleasantly silky texture. Although this will be attractive when bottled, it can also be aged.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECGrapes from less vigorous plants, situated on the limestone upper hillside. Very pale, stones in whitewash on the nose. Classy and classical, with an extra kick of fresh white fruit and lemon acidity at the finish. Persistent, more my style of wine. More nuanced at the finish. Drink from 2027-2031. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

Offers a lovely lemon peel and mineral-inflected aroma, with hints of linden flowers and orange blossom. The texture is silky but not light; there is plenty of acidity to carry the weight of the extract. The grapes are from nearly 1ha of east-facing vines overlooking En Remilly; they are lightly crushed and gently pressed before fermentation in cask, 20% new. Give this two or three years in the cellar before opening and enjoy it over the next decade.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThe 2023 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Charmois has turned out beautifully this year, offering up notes of citrus zest, lime leaf, nutmeg and hazelnuts. Medium- to full-bodied, satiny and precise, with good cut, density and persistence, it’s worth seeking out.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPMid lemon yellow. A touch of sandalwood, but otherwise quite chiselled. A substantial volume of white fruit on the palate, more flesh than Champlots, fine acidity, a little grapefruit behind, and very persistent. Picked at the perfect moment. Iodine from the rock. Drink from 2027-2031. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMThe 2023 Saint-Aubin Le Charmois 1er Cru has a more neutral bouquet despite coaxing. It was a bit reticent at the time of my visit. The palate is crisp with a slightly shrill entry. This is quite sharp and "pointed" for a Saint-Aubin with a dab of ginger lingering on the finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Saint-Jean 1er Cru was picked a couple of days earlier than the Clos des Murées. Despite being opened the evening before my visit, there is still some reduction on the nose. The palate is taut, fresh, quite nutty and Meursault-like in style with an energetic, persistent finish. Give this a year or two in bottle—it is very promising.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Maltroye 1er Cru has a "buttoned-down" nose that demands coaxing to reveal its yellow fruit, hazelnut and light orange rind scents. The palate is well balanced and opens up wonderfully with aeration, displaying a touch of orange rind, spice and smokiness on the finish. It’s quite mercurial and, to my senses, fascinating.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeots 1er Cru has a little more mineralité on the nose than the Vergers. Its bouquet contains light hints of clementine and beeswax aromas. The palate is well balanced, fresh and concentrated with a slightly viscous opening. It just needs a little more terroir to shape the finish.Vinous Media | 90 VM