Wine Ratings

wines

Aromas of nashi pear, orange peel, vanilla pod and flint preface the 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, a medium- to full-bodied, taut and racy wine that is considerably concentrated for the vintage, culminating in a long, oak-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPProminent petrol nuances are present on the ripe and smoky mix of mineral reduction, acacia blossom, lemon-lime and ocean breeze are trimmed in subtle but not invisible wood. There is both better volume and a bit more punch as well to the utterly delicious flavors that deliver fine length on the balanced, dry and sleek finale. While this could use better depth, it’s very stylish, indeed the word classy comes to mind.Burghound | 90-93 BH30% oak component. A lively fresh lemon. Immediate personality without the super-succulence of the hotter years. A little smoky reduction. White orchard fruit with good energy behind, attractive kimmeridgian texture behind. Fine persistence. Drink from 2028-2033. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JMThe 2024 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru takes its time to open in the glass. Eventually, there’s more green fruit here, with touches of gooseberry, Conference pear and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with a more delicate style. It’s quite strict, though a little spice emerges toward the finish. This is understated for a Montée de Tonnerre.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

Delivering aromas of pear, almond paste and orange peel, the 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains is medium- to full-bodied and bright yet giving, concluding with a saline finish. It derives from a clay-rich site that is typically harvested a week later than Vaillons, 40% of which is vinified in wood. This year, it appears less successful when tasted alongside Vaillons.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP40% oak. Glowing pale lemon and lime in colour. The Droin holding in Montmains is in a cooler spot than Vaillons, so picked a week later. Some flesh but matched by a little tension at the back. Attractive in its balance. Drink from 2027-2031. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 90-91 JMThe 2024 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru offers lilting apricot and clementine scents on the pretty nose, which is perhaps what I was expecting from the Vaillons! The palate is very well balanced with more body and slightly less tension than the Vaillons. This is more approachable with its open-armed, tropical-tinged finish. The 2024 will be difficult to resist!Vinous Media | 89-91 VMHere the wood treatment is no longer subtle though it stops short of being intrusive on the more floral-suffused nose that offers enough Chablis typicity to be convincing. The sleek and delicious, if less concentrated, medium-bodied flavors that possess a lovely texture that is also true of the clean and dry finale. This could also use better depth so again, a few years of forbearance are advised.Burghound | 89-91 BH

The 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons, 30% of which is vinified in wood, wafts from the glass with aromas of orange zest, pastry and honeysuckle, followed by a medium- to full-bodied palate with a crisp yet demonstrative core of pure, open-knit fruit. Sourced from a warm site of higher maturity—where Droin typically begins the harvest—it has, unsurprisingly, turned out very well this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThe 2024 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has a comparatively strict and correct nose for this vineyard. It’s stonier than I expected. The palate is more generous with hints of fresh apricot and peach. This is well balanced, pretty and quite persistent. Give it 18 months in bottle for the aromatics to open up.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMModerate wood serves as the backdrop for the more floral-suffused aromas of sea breeze, white orchard fruit and a touch of citrus confit. The caressing but punchy middle weight flavors possess a succulent mid-palate texture before concluding in a youthfully austere and attractively dry finale. This could use better depth so a few years of keeping are recommended.Burghound | 89-91 BH30% oak in the blend. A little more yellow in the colour, and a softer more opulent yellow fruit on the nose. Power up front, lighter behind, with lemon notes to finish. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JM

The 2024 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a delectable nose not dissimilar to the Criots this year, beautifully defined with hints of oyster shell surfacing with time, quite Zen-like but paradoxically conveying real presence. The palate is very well balanced with wonderful poise. Impressive depth and concentration considering the growing season with a sprightly finish that fans out in a cool, calm and collected fashion. This is an excellent Bâtard-Montrachet that has its nose in front of the Criots.Vinous Media | 95-97 VM

The 2024 Chassagne-Montrachet Maltroye 1er Cru has a clean, fresh bouquet with simmering mineralité that comes through with time, a little Puligny-like in style. The palate is well balanced, the one-third new oak neatly integrated, not a powerful Chassagne but there is a sense of nervosité that runs through this wine that I appreciate.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2024 Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a delightful bouquet with crushed stone infusing the bright citrus fruit, tightly coiled but opening with time in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite saline in the mouth with oyster shell on the weighty finish. There is real weight and presence here. No wonder it has the highest sugar level among all the Domaine’s cuvées - the power is palpable in this Criots.Vinous Media | 94-96 VM

The Alto Adige produces arguably the finest Pinot Bianco in the world, and this scintillating example is a perfect introduction to the local style. Fermentation and lees ageing in stainless steel only produces a white displaying jasmine inflections to as yet closed pear and yellow peach aromas and a light waxiness. Balanced and with lovely acidity, it’s quite fleshy but not fully open yet, showing some nectarine and flowers for now. Really good length, with that classic stony, salty finish.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECThis is mountain Pinot Grigio that reminds you why Alto Adige is special - crystalline purity from those porphyry soils meets the variety’s natural generosity. There’s that signature Terlano tension between richness and precision, like Alpine sunshine caught in a glass. The texture says "serious wine" while the energy keeps you coming back for another sip.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe 2024 Pinot Bianco Tradition mixes vivid notes of crushed yellow apple with wildflowers and spice to form its inviting bouquet. This blends a pretty inner sweetness with juicy acidity and ripe orchard fruits to create a seductive impression on the palate. A subtle saline tinge remains, as the 2024 finishes incredibly fresh with a twang of sour lime.Vinous Media | 91 VMWell-balanced and fresh, with flavors of ripe nectarine, green almond, passion fruit and white blossom, plus a stony base note that chimes in on the finish. Drink now. 14,160 cases made, 3,100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2024 Chassagne-Montrachet Village is Niellon’s largest cuvée, around 20,000 bottles, representing the entire appellation—10 different climats from 15 parcels. This is quite forward on the nose, with perfumed fresh lime scents intermixed with a touch of apricot. It is very… giving. The palate is actually more complex than the nose: fresh and quite edgy, well-integrated oak, nicely focused with a touch of pepperiness towards the finish. Well worth seeking out.Vinous Media | 90 VM

They were thinking about pulling this plot out but it has come through the wetter conditions of 2024 very well, so they may keep it going. Clean pale lemon. The bouquet is quite reticent. Concnetrated white fruit, plenty of energy here, the fruit well married with the oak, fair length. A little extra here in 2024. Drink from 2029-2033. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

One of the few 2024s in bottle was the 2024 Cíes, a village Albariño from different soils and expositions fermented in neutral barrels of different sizes, where it matured for eight months. The year is characterized by good ripeness; this has 13.3% alcohol and notable balancing acidity and freshness. It’s clean, expressive and serious, with a salty twist and a faint bitter twist in the finish. 15,000 bottles produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2024 Albariño Cíes is from Meaño in Rías Baixas. This is from old vineyards and it fermented in used barrels. Expressive and floral, this opens with intense aromas of pear and white flowers, followed by hints of blossom and pear over time. The palate delivers freshness, sapidity and a subtle saline note. This was recently bottled.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis has notes of white peaches and citrus zest. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, angular and precise, with great fruit volume yet an equally austere, mineral finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JS

Lemon sorbet and orange sherbet, plus details of lemongrass, lemon verbena, and both fresh and dried ginger notes, show touches of saline and white tea on the long and detailed finish, with plenty of intensity and sleek, mouthwatering acidity that give this precision. Drink now through 2036. 23,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2024 Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast) is a terrific introduction to the range. Apricot, white flowers, mint, white pepper and tangerine oil are nicely pushed forward. The warmer season yielded an especially forward, open-knit Chardonnay. It’s a style that works quite well at this level.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Offers tension and grip, a slow unroll, reserved at first but as it opens you get luscious white peach and pear fruits, along with elderflower and apple blossom florals. Great stuff from this lovely structure-driven white wine. 50% new oak. 3.12 pH.Jane Anson | 94 JAJust bottled, the 2024 Blanc de Lynch Bages is a gorgeous, refreshing dry white to drink now and over the next handful of years. Lemon peel, white pepper, mint and chalky undertones are beautifully delineated. There’s a bit more Muscadelle in this year’s blend, but that is not especially apparent. Instead, Sauvignon Blanc drives the feel here.Vinous Media | 93 VMGreat aromatics. Quite varietal on the nose, green apple, peas, elderflower, white peach and some bitter orange rind. Bright and forward, this is crisp with a shot of lemon acidity at first before settling and becoming a bit more creamy with gentle bitter edges. Jasmine, white flowers, some white stone fruit and soft creamy citrus elements. A touch waxy too. Light, elegant, nothing too much here but super easy to drink with hints of interest. Ageing 50% new oak for 6 months in barrels on lees. 3.12pH.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECQuite a fresh, lively white with aromas of bright gooseberries, green guavas, fresh mangoes and creamy stone fruit. Crisp and bright, with very good acidity and a long,linear, refreshing finish. There’s a touch of salinity at the end. 77% sauvignon blanc, 12% muscadelle and 11% semillon. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSShoots from the glass with vivacious notes of green apples, white peaches, and fresh pears, leading to hints of lime leaves and sea spray. The light-bodied palate is crisp and refreshing with loads of chalk-laced orchard fruit flavors and a zesty finish.The Wine Palate | 91 TWPShoots from the glass with vivacious notes of green apples, white peaches, and fresh pears, leading to hints of lime leaves and sea spray. The light-bodied palate is crisp and refreshing with loads of chalk-laced orchard fruit flavors and a zesty finish.The Wine Independent | 91 TWIThe 2024 Château Lynch-Bages Blanc should certainly be outstanding. It plays in the fresh, focused, medium-bodied style of the vintage while bringing ripe melon, pink grapefruit, and floral aromas and flavors. It has nicely integrated, juicy acidity, and a balanced, lengthy mouthfeel.Jeb Dunnuck | 90-92 JD

Creamy, rich and delicious, the Bâtard-Montrachet from Niellon’s replanted parcel is in good form, with expressive ripe pear and apricot fruit aromas and hints of fresh flowers, butter and spice. The wine has typical Bâtard opulence, but it also has lovely freshness. The length is impressive for young vines, and there is undoubtedly a promising future ahead for this – ideally, cellar for at least 10 years before opening.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2024 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru comes from a single plot, a "baby wine" according to Coutoux, since it is the second vintage from five-year-old vines after the parcel was replanted. This takes time to unfold on the nose, perhaps not quite mustering the mineralité that you find elsewhere due to the youth of the vines. Yet it is well defined and the oak is well integrated. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry, a little chalky in texture, a keen thread of acidity that lends edginess with a twist of sour lemon on the finish. Fine, but there will be better to come once the vines mature.Vinous Media | 91 VMA little more colour, slightly biscuity with hidden fruit on the nose. Some tension behind, a little sandalwood, young vines so the lesser concentration is to be expected. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

The 2024 Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Saint-Jean 1er Cru is very aromatic and generous on the nose, with scents of white flowers, mirabelle and light beeswax aromas that blossom in the glass. The palate is very well balanced, with more body and depth than the Maltroie. Really good mineralité in this Clos Saint-Jean, very persistent in the mouth; this is exactly where the vintage excels in the Côte d’Or. Recommended.Vinous Media | 94 VMPale lemon colour. More biscuit than fruit at first on the nose, though ripe enough. First year for Rebichets replanting. A softer style of white fruit than Chenevottes. A little more depth to the colour, medium length, a little touch of acidity. Drink from 2028-2032. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

Pale lemon colour. The bouquet has a little extra concentration, firm footed fruit. The white fruit blossoms rather more on the palate, delivering an attracting middle weight Chassagne, extending further at the finish. The Chenevottes was a little riper at the harvest, coming in at 12% before chaptalisation.Jasper Morris | 92 JM

The 2024 Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc leads with juniper and cassis, green apples and lemon zest. In the mouth, the wine has a quinine-like freshness and intensity, shaped by pliable phenolics through the middle palate and finish. This is a really classy wine here. It’s sophisticated. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPCut grass, passion fruit and river stones on the nose. The palate is light-bodied with focused acidity, giving notes of orange blossoms, jasmine and lemon peel. Polished and tightly wound. Drink now. Screw cap.James Suckling | 91 JS

The 2024 Chardonnay Willamette Valley is a bright yellow color and offers notes of honeyed citrus, poached apples, and pretty spice. Full-bodied yet carrying a medium-bodied, fruity elegance, this vintage includes fruit from Freedom Hill and Durant. Aged in neutral French oak and concrete amphora, it has a great texture and a long-lasting finish. Drink now or over the next 7-8 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2024 Chardonnay Willamette Valley wafts up with minty freshness, blending white flowers with nuances of ginger, flint and slate. The palate is soothingly round, with a pretty inner sweetness and supreme balance as lemon mingles with apricot and a saline mineral tinge. Lively tension puckers the cheeks while mouthwatering acidity and a salty flourish linger. The value here is unparalleled.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 2024 Cheverny Blanc from François Cazin is made from grapes that are organicallyfarmed and hand-harvested. The 2024 version is crafted from its customary blend of eighty percentsauvignon blanc and twenty percent chardonnay, with the two grapes fermented together and agedin stainless steel and older oak foudres. The wine comes in at twelve percent octane and deliversa vibrant and lovely bouquet of gooseberry, fresh lime, green apple, chalky soil tones, fresh-cutgrass and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is deep, bright and full-bodied, with asucculent core of fruit, beautiful soil signature and grip, zesty acids and seamless balance on thelong, complex and very precise finish. This may well be the best Cheverny Blanc I have evertasted! Shocking quality for such a difficult growing season! 2025-2035+.John Gilman | 93+ JG

Patrick Piuze’s 2024 Butteaux is a bit more structured and reserved out of the blocks than the lovely Montmains and will demand a couple years more in the cellar before it blossoms, but it may well be every bit as fine as the Montmains once it is ready to drink. The wine’s aromatic constellation is composed of scents of tart orange, lemon, apple, a fine base of limestone soil, paraffin, citrus blossoms and a deft touch of oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and youthful, with a fine core of pure fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, lovely acids and a long, well balanced and very promising finish. 2032-2065.John Gilman | 93+ JG

The 2024 Chablis “les Séchets” from Patrick Piuze is also an outstanding wine in the making. The bouquet is very expressive already and is flat out stunning, soaring from the glass in a mix of lemon, pear, beeswax, a complex foundation of chalky minerality, white lilies, apple blossoms, citrus peel and just a whisper of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full, pure and succulent at the core, with fine soil signature, a lovely spine of acidity, great focus and grip and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. Fine, fine juice. 2030-2065.John Gilman | 93+ JG

Opening in the glass with aromas of spring flowers, Granny Smith apple, lemon oil and nashi pear, the 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains is medium-bodied and taut, bright and chalky, with mouthwatering acidity and a long, precise finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

The 2024 Caneco, which has a new colorful label, screams Albariño from Salnés with that mixture of sea breeze, flowers and freshly cut grass. It’s clean and expressive, and even though it’s still a little young and faintly reductive, it shows great balance and harmony. It has an austere and serious mouthfeel. 16,666 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2025.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The 2024 Chardonnay Lady Marjorie is elegant, delicate and wonderfully nuanced. Lemon oil, crushed rocks, mint, slate and sage are finely delineated in a transparent, crystalline Chardonnay that is so impressive. The Lady Marjorie is a blend of sites in the Sonoma Coast. It’s such a pure, nuanced Chardonnay.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Beautifully balanced and refined in texture, this displays exotic ground spice and floral accents to the flavors of poached white peach, Meyer lemon and candied ginger, with hints of pastry and honey. Offers a lasting, mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2023. 2,917 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(full malo; 9 g/l dosage; LAH9T): Light yellow-gold. Smoky citrus and orchard fruits on the deeply perfumed, mineral-tinged nose. Offers broad, toasty orange and pear skin flavors with an undercurrent of dusty minerals. Picks up floral and ginger nuances with air, along with hints of iodine and tarragon. Rich yet lively blanc de blancs with powerful back-end lift and finishing grip.Vinous Media | 92 VMWith its 100% Chardonnay, this Champagne is finely textured, elegant with minerality and the freshest crispest apple flavors. It does have some weight and certainly has intensity—a satisfying, textured wine that is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEIf chardonnay could be a red wine, it might have the red fruit flavors of this blanc de blancs. Perhaps it’s the floral aspects that turn its chamomile and yellow flower notes toward violets, or the deep earth tones adding color to the flavor. The fruit is persistent, sunny in the middle, then shaded by an almost tannic character to the lees that places the wine with food, particularly roast veal. Moët Hennessy USA, NYWine & Spirits | 92 W&SThis blanc de blancs (100% Chardonnay) is sourced mostly from the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, including a portion of premier cru vineyards. It has a lean, lemon and apple bite backed up by some smooth creaminess. It’s fuller in body than stablemate Veuve Clicquot, displaying good acidity and power. Dosage 9g/l.Decanter | 91 DECSuper curated reduction here, heading into slightly meaty territory with grapefruit, toasted lemon peel and hazelnuts. The palate is delivered in a smooth, sweet-fruited style with approachable peach flesh. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JS(NV Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut NV (Reims)) The current release of Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs non-vintage Brut is fermented in stainless steel, goes through full malolactic and was finished off with a dosage of nine grams per liter. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a bright blend of lemon, apple, warm bread, a touch of smokiness, dried flowers and a lovely base of soil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and focused, with brisk acids, frothy mousse, good cut and grip and a long, still fairly youthful finish. This has plenty of acidity, so its dosage comes across as lower than its nine grams. This will have no difficulty aging gracefully, but is already quite tasty. (Drink between 2016-2035)John Gilman | 91+ JGThis is a fabulous version of Ruinart’s NV Brut Blanc de Blancs. The wine seems fresher, more vibrant and less obviously sweet than in the past, all of which makes this a far more interesting wine. The trademark profile of lemon, jasmine and green apples is very much in the forefront while the wine’s textural finesse and length are both first-class. This release of the NV Brut makes a great introduction to the wines of Ruinart, Champagne’s oldest house. This is Lot LAGJSAF. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

Bollinger’s NV Special Cuvée knocks it out of the park. Made from 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and the rest Pinot Meunier, with 30% of the blend brought up in barrels, it boasts a rich, deep, medium to full-bodied style as well as terrific notes of lemon curd, crème brûlée, caramelized stone fruits, and hints of toasty nuttiness that develop with time in the glass. It’s a big, rich Champagne that stays balanced and pure. Beautiful stuff.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDRestrained and very pretty aromas include those of yeast, Meyer lemon, petrol and green apple where the latter element is picked up by the utterly delicious, vibrant and detailed flavors that possess fine complexity on the agreeably dry but not austere finish. The supporting mousse is dense but fine and overall, this is a wine that could be enjoyed now or held for up to a decade. Excellent. (Drink starting 2024)Burghound | 93 BHOne of Bollinger’s great assets is a massive stock of reserve wine, including 600,000 magnums held under cork. Gilles Descôtes tends those reserves, working with the blending team to subsume the variations of the current vintage into Bollinger’s Special Cuvée by using a majority of reserve wines in the blend. The result is a rich and harmonious Champagne with deep reserves of flavor. Its substantial, formal structure feels polished, its flavors balancing the cool earthiness of a limestone cave and the sunnier, bright floral notes of fresh cream. Built for food, whether emphasizing the freshness with lobster bisque, or the depth with beef Wellington and chanterelles.Terlato Wines Int’l., Lake Bluff, ILWine & Spirits | 93 W&S Like its rosé counterpart, the latest release of Bollinger’s NV Brut Special Cuvée is showing especially well, bursting from the glass with aromas of honeyed apples, crisp stone fruit, buttery pastry, ripe lemons and fresh walnuts. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and vinous, with a deep core of beautifully ripe fruit, racy acids and a pillowy mousse, it’s a charming, characterful wine that proves that Special Cuvée is firmly back where it belongs.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThere’s a pleasing, snappy quality to the acidity framing this elegant Champagne, enlivening accessible flavors of currant, Marcona almond and orchard blossom, with a minerally touch of saline-laced oyster shell that lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2022. 11,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSLots of biscuit aromas and a wide spectrum of fresh-citrus, candied-citrus, red-apple and red-berry notes. Mouth-filling creaminess, plus quite an imposing presence and powerful structure for an NV Brut. Long, citrus and chalky finish that’s very clean and properly dry. 60% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay, 10% pinot meunier. Almost 20% barrel fermented and 62% reserve wines. Based on the 2017 vintage and disgorged July 2021. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSDominated, as always, by Pinot Noir and with wood fermentation and aging, this Champagne has a great poise between freshness and richness. It is intense and ripe, with apple and minerality coming together. The bottling is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE (60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier; 8 g/l dosage; L1403801): Pale yellow. Toasty aromas of apple and pear nectar are complemented by hints of toffee, honey and orange zest. Full and expansive on the palate, offering ripe orchard and pit fruit flavors and an undercurrent of smoky minerals and buttered toast. Smooth and gently spicy on the clinging, nicely focusd finish.Antonio Galloni | 91 AG(NV Bollinger “Special Cuvée” Brut NV (Aÿ)) The current release of Bollinger “Special Cuvée” is composed of its customary blend of sixty percent pinot noir, twenty-five percent chardonnay and fifteen percent pinot meunier. It was finished with a dosage of eight grams per liter and offers up is classic pinot-shaded bouquet of white peach, apple, bread dough, a beautiful base of soil tones, a touch of hazelnut and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a fine core of fruit, a good spine of acidity, elegant mousse and a long, well-balanced and classy finish. This is still a young wine and I would tuck it away in the cellar for at least a few years and let its acids relax a bit and its secondary layers of complexity emerge. (Drink between 2020-2040).John Gilman | 91+ JGNotes of flowery beeswax, white fruit, and quince on the nose. The palate has a flinty austerity with Braeburn, white pepper and subtle spice followed by yeasty richness and brisk finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025.Decanter | 90 DEC