Wine Ratings

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The older vines in de Vogüé’s extensive 7.2ha in Musigny date back to 1953 and make a wine that’s considerably weightier than the young-vine cuvée. This is very deep and intense in colour, exhibiting layers of dark bramble and black cherry flavours and a backbone of precise, chalky, mouthwatering acidity. A wine that needs time to digest its 35% new wood. Drinking Window 2026 - 2037Decanter | 96 DECThe 2017 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is showing very well indeed, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cherries, rose petal, warm spices and orange rind, framed by creamy new wood. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and velvety, with the greatest depth and dimension of any wine in the cellar, displaying excellent energy and completeness, and distinguished above all by striking length on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2017 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is complex and well defined on the nose, where touches of iodine and wild heather infuse the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly grainy texture; notes of black truffle and fresh fig complement a fruit profile that welcomes more red fruit toward the finish. Hints of white pepper and sage linger on the aftertaste. This is certainly beginning to close up in bottle, so allow a decade if you can for this Musigny to show what it is capable of.Vinous Media | 95 VM(Musigny “Vieilles Vignes”- Domaine de Comte de Georges de Vogüé) The 2017 Musigny old vine bottling was quite hunkered down after its recent racking, but though it was not as expressive as the Bonnes-Mares on this particular day, it showed good underlying soil signature and seemed to only be in need of more time out from the racking for everything to snap back into proper place. The wine certainly has lovely fruit elements in its mix of sappy black cherries and plums, complex soil tones, woodsmoke, gamebird, violets and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with a good sappy core of black fruit, fine-grained tannins and lovely length and grip on the refined and quite soil-driven finish. This wine is not as precise as is customary (and which has to be a reflection of the post-racking period in which I tasted it), but there are really good elements here and if they all fall back into place properly, it will be a lovely wine. (Drink between 2030-2080)John Gilman | 93-95 JGAn openly exotic nose offers glimpses of black cherry liqueur, ginger, Asian-style tea, sandalwood and orange peel. The tighter and much more mineral-driven big-bodied flavors also possess evident muscle on the powerful and dense yet beautifully refined finish that goes on and on. This is also a bit less structured though with that said, this is going to need at least 15 years to reach its apogee. In a word, terrific.Burghound | 94 BH

(Chambertin- Domaine Trapet Père et Fils) Like the Latricières, the Trapets’ 2017 Chambertin was showing brilliantly at the time of my visit. This is a stunning example of this great terroir, offering up a pure and aristocratic aromatic constellation of red and black cherries, bitter chocolate, black plums, grilled meats, a very complex base of soil, mustard seed, a touch of anise and a fine base of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, structured and very, very complex, with a great core of fruit, stunning transparency, ripe, seamless tannins and great grip and focus on the very, very long, magical finish. One of the wines of the vintage! (Drink between 2030-2100)John Gilman | 97+ JGThe 2017 Chambertin Grand Cru wafts from the glass with a beautifully complex bouquet of sweet wild berries, cherries, grilled meats, raw cocoa and cedary new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and reserved, with a layered, multidimensional core, tangy acids and velvety tannins, concluding with a long, pure finish. This is a lovely Chambertin in the making that displays excellent focus and tension for the vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2017 Chambertin Grand Cru has an open, expressive, beautifully defined bouquet of brambly red fruit, rose petal and subtle sous-bois scents; a star anise/menthol scent emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins, dense and sappy. The finish does not convey the terroir as well as others in this flight, though it meliorates in the glass and develops more intellect with aeration. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMA background application of wood surrounds the cool and airy aromas of dark cherry, plum, earth and a whisper of the sauvage. There is terrific intensity to the beautifully delineated mineral-driven flavors that possess a refined mouthfeel before culminating in a saline, focused and strikingly persistent finish. This is almost a hypothetical combination of the Chapelle and the Latricières with the richness and volume of the former allied with the minerality, finesse and power of the latter. Patience advised.Burghound | 93 BH

Deeper ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir De Villiers Vineyard reveals more black raspberry, sassafras, tea, and spicy notes. It’s medium-bodied, with a juicy, elegant style and a great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDA juicy and powerful red with blackberries, dried strawberries, walnuts and spice undertone. Full-bodied and chewy with layers of tannins and a flavorful finish. Hints of bark and spice. Needs time to soften, but impressive. Drink after 2025, but already beautiful.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2017 Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard is fabulous. Rich, exotic and bold, the 2017 offers striking immediacy. Inky dark fruit, spice, lavender and menthol open up first, followed by a range of more savory, mineral notes that are typical of Mt. Harlan. The interplay of fruit intensity and structure makes for a compelling Pinot.Vinous Media | 94 VMPale to medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir deVilliers Vineyard, aged 17 months in 30% new French oak, gives up broody cherry coulis, underbrush, crushed stone, dried redcurrants and cranberries aromas with notions of blood orange, tea leaves and cured meats. Medium-bodied, intense and layered, it’s well framed and juicy with a long and pleasantly restrained finish. 1,382 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPDe Villiers is an east-facing site more or less in the middle of Calera’s Mt. Harlan vineyards, planted in 1997. In 2017, it produced a wine considerably more savory than most of its counterparts, with a wild berry scent and tealike accents. The fruit flavors are light and attenuated, more about perfume than flavor, marked by the tangy, mildly mineral grip of the mountain’s chalk soils.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 93 W&SWell-sculpted, with alluring sandalwood and allspice notes to the dried cherry and plum tart flavors. Savory richness emerges midpalate, leading to an extended finish that offers brioche and cream details. Drink now through 2024. 1,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSRoasted boysenberry, crushed stone, baked earth and a slight plum-skin tang show on the nose of this bottling from vines planted in 1996. There’s a warm-weather sense on the palate, where cooked berry flavors dominate, yet the acid and rocky tension keep it complex and intenseWine Enthusiast | 92 WE

This parcel has some soil diversity and is planted exclusively to Dijon clones. The nose has leafy aromas with blue fruit and darker cherries, as well as earthy, deep-set spices. The palate has bold tannins, fuller and rounder style and the finish is deep and plush. Quite supple and quite dense. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JS

This has such deep, red-fruit aromas and a beautifully sappy edge, too. The vibrant fruit here is so striking and so deep with a glossy feel and very fine, silky tannins. This is so full of pleasure. So supple and silky. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSVibrant, offering concentrated cherry flavors that feature rich pastry notes, backed by firm tannins and powerful acidity. Mineral and spice details show on the restrained, pure-tasting finish. Drink now through 2025. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2017 Pinot Noir Cerise Vineyard aged 19 months in 47% new French oak. It has a medium ruby color and nose of pomegranate, spiced cranberry sauce, crushed blackberries and lavender with black tea, earth and dried leaves plus graphite nuances. The palate is medium to full-bodied, intense, earthy and firmly framed, with just enough freshness on the long finish. 2,000 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

This has an earthy edge with red and blue fruit and leafy nuances on offer. There’s a brambly, sous-bois edge, too. The palate has impressive depth and weight with a succulent, smoothly fleshy feel. The tannins are very polished and supple with a glossy texture and a juicy, deep finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSClean and elegant aromas of black-raspberry sorbet are enhanced by light dashes of cardamom on the intense and dark nose of this single-vineyard expression. The palate is immensely complex and pleasurable, offering cranberry, orange-rind, jasmine and carnation flavors.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEAged in 46% new French oak for 19 months, the medium ruby colored 2017 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard opens with a touch of alcoholic heat and balsamic, very slowly giving up fresh strawberries, raspberries, crushed stone and pomegranate with notions of tree bark and spices. Medium-bodied, silky and with youthfully energetic red fruits, it has a soft frame and lip-smacking acidity, finishing long and still coiled. Give this another 2-3 years in bottle at least. 350 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPWith scents of mulled berries, plums and graphite, this wine has a confident richness, with grape-skin tannins contributing to the formidable structure.Wine and Spirits | 92 W&SLively raspberry tart and dark cherry flavors mesh easily in this fruity, savory style. Rooibos tea, dark chocolate and Asian spice notes emerge on the complex finish, turning creamy and rich. Drink now through 2024. 371 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Moving to the two reds, the appellation 2017 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast reveals a ruby/purple, translucent color as well as a stunning perfume of black raspberries, cassis, crushed violets, spice box, sweet earth. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, has beautiful depth, a kiss of background oak, and a great finish. Mostly destemmed and aged 17 months in 40% new French oak, it's a brilliant wine to drink over the coming decade or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDLots of the blue fruits and dried flowers on the nose. Oyster shell too. Medium to full body, linear and vibrant. Energetic. Clean and intense finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSSourced from a slew of outstanding vineyards, including Kanzler and Gap's Crown, this coastal wine is smooth, seductive and earthy, with focused acidity and tension. Orange, blackberry and strawberry are seasoned in cardamom and dried herb.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2017 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast was aged for 10-17 months in 40% new French oak, 15% wood tanks and 6% concrete tanks. Medium ruby, it's broodily scented with black cherries, underbrush, pencil shavings and dried tobacco leaves with notions of spice and red berry sparks. Light to medium-bodied and earthy in the mouth, it has a pleasantly chalky frame and great juicy freshness, finishing long. 7,550 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

A very complex wine on the nose with flowers, earth and spiced blue and red cherries on offer, as well as sappy notes. The palate has plenty of up-front fruit and such intense, deeply layered tannins that carry red-cherry flavors so long and so deep. Long and impressive. Dry-farmed. This will cellar for up to ten years.James Suckling | 95 JS