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Unusually, the 1990 vintage produced grapes with high sugars and high acidity, which has led to this legendary Cristal which is so ripe, rich, limpid, and dazzlingly delicious on the nose and palate. Nearly thirty years of bottle age have mellowed and condensed the flavour spectrum to a beautiful melange of citrus, candied fruit, almond, pear, truffle and gingerbread. There’s also a lovely creamy, soft, silky texture which belies the length, depth and reach of this classically elegant and vibrant champagne. Beautifully mature and ready now, but no hurry to drink up because of the vein of life-giving acidity which gently cradles it. Pure nectar. Drinking Window 2017 - 2030.Decanter | 99 DECThe Louis Roederer 1990 Cristal is awesome! A classic of power and finesse, richness and delicacy, it may be the greatest Cristal I have ever tasted!Robert Parker | 97 RPThe 1990 Cristal is remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class. Citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes are wonderfully lifted throughout. A slight reductive note adds character on the finely knit finish. I can’t think of a better way to start this tasting. Simply put, the 1990 is a total rock star. Moreover, it is much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage. Amazingly, the 1990 tastes like it is still not ready! “Nineteen ninety was my second vintage here,” says Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. “It was ideal. The fruit was just perfect. We blocked the malolactic fermentation completely and only fermented 6-7% of our lots in oak, as opposed to the more typical 20%, in order to preserve as much freshness as possible. The wine was made by my predecessor, Michel Pansu, but I was learning. This was the first year I started working with oxygen by reducing sulfites in vinification to pre-oxidize the Chardonnay musts, as I do know, which allows me to get rid of all the unstable, oxidative compounds. With Pinot, on the other hand, you need a little bit of sulfur at crush or you lose the brilliant fruit.Antonio Galloni | 97 AG(Louis Roederer Cristal Brut) I had not crossed paths with a bottle of the 1990 Cristal since all the way back in 2006, so I was absolutely delighted to see that Jean-Baptiste has selected this vintage to be included in our vertical at the maison in the spring of 2018. Having tasted this wine last in a large tasting of the 1990 vintage of Champagne in 2006, I was curious to see how the wine had evolved over the last dozen years and I was delighted to see that it had continued to blossom beautifully and that I had quite underrated it back in ’06. Today, the wine is into its apogee of peak maturity and is absolutely lovely, offering up a deep and complex nose of baked pears and peaches, a touch of white truffle, a beautiful blend of almond and walnut, limestone soil nuances, gentle smokiness and incipient notes in the upper register of the honey to come with further aging. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and utterly refined in profile, with a lovely core, still vibrant mousse, excellent complexity and grip, precise focus and a very long, poised and seamlessly balanced finish. When I last tasted this wine, the muscular nature of the 1990 vintage was quite evident in this wine, but the additional twelve years of bottle age has allowed the inherent elegance of Cristal to come to the fore and this wine is now quite classical in profile and an absolute joy to drink today. (Drink between 2018-2035).John Gilman | 95 JGYou won’t soon forget this vivid and expressive Champagne. It packs in compound layers of citrus, vanilla, pear and nutmeg that harmonize and linger on the finish. Bright acidity makes it extra refreshing and layered. It has really opened up since last year. Best from 2000 through 2010. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

This is showing incredible complexity with notes of preserved lemons, beeswax, chamomile, quince and porcini mushrooms. Salted caramel also. It’s full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with rich and salty layers. Fantastic freshness, too. Powerful and keeps going. This was disgorged in 2012. Ten years on the lees and ten years in bottle. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSTaittinger’s 2002 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is off the charts. I have tasted the 2002 now many times, and it has never been less than thrilling. A vivid kaleidoscope of pure Chardonnay aromas and flavors opens up in the glass. The 2002 is at once incredibly rich yet also totally weightless and impeccable in its balance. All the classic Comtes notes are there, but with a level of detail and nuance I don’t think I have ever seen before. The 2002 is breathtakingly beautiful today, but also appears to have the stuffing to age for decades. Personally, I would be looking to buy the 2002 in magnums if at all possible. Sadly, there is little wine to go around as 2002 was a very short crop. Readers who can track down the 2002 are in store for something truly great. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2042.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPTaittinger’s 2002 Comtes de Champagne (magnum) is one of the greatest Champagnes ever made. In magnum, it is especially explosive and heady, not to mention superb alongside Daniel Humm’s hors d’oeuvres, where the brilliance of the wine plays off the flavors and textures of the food brilliantly. What a great way to start this dinner.Vinous Media | 98 VM(Taittinger Comte de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut) The 2002 Comtes has been a legend in the making since its first release, and at age twelve, the wine is starting to really stretch its wings and aim for the stars. The utterly brilliant nose is still a tad on the reticent side, but as the wine warms up in the glass, it offers up a stellar constellation of pear, delicious apples, complex chalkiness, brioche, apple blossoms, incipient notes of pastry cream, plenty of smokiness and a topnote of lemon peel. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and utterly seamless, with stunning focus and balance, unrepentant refinement, elegant mousse, zesty acids and stunning cut and grip on the endless and dancing finish. I am hard-pressed to think of a finer young vintage of Comtes de Champagne that has ever crossed my path! It seems to me that it is still infanticide to be drinking this wine today, as there is so much more to unfold with more bottle age, and I would not touch a bottle until it starts to close in on its twentieth birthday. Chapeau! (Drink between 2020-2075)John Gilman | 98 JGA rich base of toasted brioche and briny mineral supports flavors of poached quince, white peach puree, fleur de sel, pastry and smoked almond. There’s a quiet verve to this wine, with a fine, silky texture throughout. Drink now through 2025. 150 cases imported. — ANWine Spectator | 94 WS(Taittinger Brut - Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Red) A beautifully elegant and ultra-pure nose serves up attractively layered and mature aromas of spiced pear, white rose, citrus, brioche and hints of green apple. There is very good if not stunning complexity to the moderately vibrant flavors that are supported by an impressively refined effervescence before terminating in a balanced, dry, clean and lingering finish. For my taste this has arrived at its apogee though it should have no trouble holding for at least another decade. (Drink starting 2020)Burghound | 94 BHThe latest release of the legendary Comtes de Champagne comes from a great vintage. It has full, toasty bottle-age notes that give the wine depth of flavor, with a ripe, rounded mouthfeel and taut acidity. An almond note combines with the citrus-driven acidity on the finish.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE(Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, Champagne, France, White) From a warmer year, which is also transcribed into the glass. It’s richer and more concentrated, with some dried apricot and brioche aromas. It’s complex on the palate, with intensity and focus, showing a hint of vanilla alongside generous brioche and leesy characters. It has power and concentration, with some fruit development apparent, and a long-lasting finish. It was one of the favourites at the tasting, but I favoured the more elegant styles. (Drink between 2018-2030)Decanter | 93 DE

The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is in a great spot. Baked apple tart, spice, chamomile, marzipan, slate and chalk confer tremendous vibrancy and power throughout. Bright saline notes play off the natural exuberance of the year. The 2006 was spectacular on release. It is all that today, too.Vinous Media | 98 VMTasted almost two years after disgorgement, the 2006 Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs shows a beautiful golden-citrus color and opens with a fascinating intense, floral, slightly reductive nose that develops enormously in the glass, offering lemon and lemon confit aromas along with flinty notes of crushed chalk and the iodine flavors of the Atlantic Ocean. This is an utterly complex and promising bouquet! The palate is terribly fresh but also rich, lush and intense, with the purity of the finest wines of the Côte de Blancs, the concentration of perfectly ripe Chardonnay and the suppleness of 2006. This has impeccable balance paired with high tension. The wine is very tight and still seems to be on its way right now. Although there is a first hint of aromatic ripeness, this should be a great Comtes de Champagne in a couple of years. The finish is tensioned, concentrated and mineral but keeps its talents in an almost bursting bubble. Disgorged September 2016; tasted May 2018 (lot L6316UM13600).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis is settling into a deeper presence. It has a freshness that really appeals, along with Taittinger’s signature toasty layer of autolysis, grilled nuts and praline. Plenty of flesh and weight on the palate. Acidity clasps ripe peach and mango fruits, finishing long, powerful and fine. Drink now.James Suckling | 96 JS(Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut (Reims)) The 2006 vintage of Taittinger’s iconic Comtes de Champagne bottling is a beautifully refined example of the vintage, offering up a pure and vibrant bouquet of apple, pear, brioche, complex, chalky soil tones, hazelnut, a touch of orange zest, white flowers and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and supremely elegant in profile, with outstanding mid-palate intensity, utterly refined mousse, bright acids and laser-like focus on the very long, nascently complex finish. Whereas many examples from the 2006 vintage are drinking very well at age ten, it is still very early days for this outstanding Comtes de Champagne and this wine will not peak for at least another decade, though it is already very, very easy to drink! I would be inclined to let it hibernate in the cellar for at least another five years, just to allow its secondary layers of complexity to start to emerge. (Drink between 2021-2060)John Gilman | 96 JGA cold winter and scattered frost were followed by a hot, dry July. August rains cleared in time for the two weeks of dry, warm weather before a harvest in near-perfect conditions from 11 September. The Comtes is softly rich and lush, with an elegant, approachable ripe apple fruit, a hint of buttered toast and a firm mineral underpinning. Although the texture is somewhat soft, this wine has plenty of extract and potential for ageing.Decanter | 95 DECTaittinger’s prestige cuvée epitomizes the Chardonnay predilection of this producer. This now-mature bottling is elegant and very stylish. Toast and a soft texture combine with great complexity to reveal a wine that is poised and ready to drink. But with the acidity in the background, it could still age, so drink now and until 2022.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA vivacious Champagne, with fine integration of the racy acidity and chalky bead, rich mineral character and creamy palate of glazed apricot, ground anise, biscuit and passion fruit flavors. Offers a firm, focused finish. Drink now through 2030. 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSIn much the same fashion as the ’06 Rosé this is aromatically quite restrained with notably cool and elegant aromas that speak of citrus, floral, yeast and green apple nuances. The wonderfully refined mouth feel is enhanced by the beautifully fine effervescence that shapes the medium weight flavors that culminate in crisp, intense and gorgeously complex and persistent finish. This is not only a terrific effort but it’s an amazingly good 2006 as there are no exotic hints plus it offers exceptionally good verve. While this could certainly be enjoyed now I would be inclined to hold it for at least another 3 years and 5 will probably be the sweet spot.Burghound | 94 BH

A firm, fresh Comtes with a tight and composed palate. It’s full-bodied with a racy mid-palate. Long and persistent. Very structured with phenolics and acidity. Minerally. Floral, too. Refreshing and energetic. September 2021 release. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSAfter the tightly coiled, hyper-concentrated 2008, Taittinger’s 2011 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne represents a more immediate, charming rendition of this cuvée. Bursting from the glass with aromas of orchard and stone fruit mingled with notions of pastry cream, blanched almonds and mandarin, it’s medium to full-bodied, pillowy and fleshy, with a soft and enveloping profile, lively acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse. Readers might think of the 2011 as a somewhat less reductive and less intense stylistic sibling of the 2006, and as it takes on more toasty complexity with bottle age, it will make for immensely seductive drinking.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP100% Chardonnay sourced from five grand cru villages: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. Superb bouquet revealing scents of mirabelle plums, orchard fruits, brioche, pastry, and liquorice, complicated by classy autolytic notes. On the palate, this remarkable 2011 has a tauter and more fine-boned texture than usual, which is enhanced by bubbles of striking finesse and delicacy. This is indeed a very refined, chamber-music-like Comtes de Champagne that ends ethereally with airy harmonics and chalky notes infused with candied lemon. Dosage: 9g/L. Disgorged: April 2021. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECA minerally version, with smoke and saline notes deftly meshed with flavors of glazed apple, lemon-infused pastry cream and marzipan. This is fine and softly creamy in texture, with lemony acidity providing good definition through to the lightly toasty finish. Elegant. Drink now through 2030. 2,800 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 93 WS

(13.3% alcohol; picked late): Pale straw-yellow. Aromas of clove, iodine and white flowers are lifted by a note of lemon oil. Hugely concentrated, dense and utterly backward; not showing nearly the detail of the Chevalier-Montrachet in the early going but this is sweeter. Montrachet in the outsized Chassagne body-builder style. Really amazingly rich and massively structured for the vintage, but needs to lose some of its baby fat before it can be properly appreciated.Vinous Media | 94+ VMThe 2013 Montrachet Grand Cru, which comes from the Chassagne side, possesses a very precise bouquet that seems understated when compared to the more hedonistic Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles. This is much more demure, laid-back...nonchalant even. The palate is very precise - there is real detail here with delicate spicy notes furnishing the back end of this Montrachet that just expands toward the finish. I think this is keeping everything up its sleeve at the moment, but you cannot deny the balance and focus here.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93-95 RP-NM(Maison Louis Jadot Montrachet Grand Cru White) This is restrained to the point of being almost mute and only aggressive swirling coaxes aromas of white flowers, freshly sliced citrus, pear, green apple and discreet spice elements to grudgingly emerge. There is seriously good size, weight and punch to the beautifully detailed and notably mineral-driven big-bodied flavors that, like the Corton-Charlemagne, possess a chiseled and explosively long finish that really fans out as it sits on the palate. I very much like the balance and upside development potential here and about the only nit worth mentioning is just a hint of finishing warmth. Still, this should abundantly reward 12 to 15 years of cellaring. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 93-95 BH

Fantastic complexity here with aromas of toast, biscuit, lemon, almond, chalk and some fennel. It’s long, sleek and mineral, with tight, very fine bubbles and so much tension and precision. Very long and chalky finish. Disgorged end of 2023. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2013 Comtes de Champagne captures all the pedigree of this great vintage in its energy, depth and vibrancy. Lemon confit, dried flowers, chamomile, spice and crushed rocks all race across the palate. Passionfruit, ginger, marzipan and mint appear later, filling out the layers beautifully. Harvest took place in October in what has become the exception rather than the norm in Champagne.Vinous Media | 98 VMThe 2013 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne’s bouquet is compellingly fresh and minty, revealing aromas of white fruit—notably pear and apple—marzipan and sweet spices, as well as a light touch of citrus mingled with classy autolytic notes. On the palate, this is a structured, tensile and ethereal Champagne with high acidity—a sign of a classic vintage—animated by a mousse of striking finesse and delicacy. Although already enjoyable, it should develop well for several decades.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

The 2017 Côte de Bouguerots is also a brilliant example of the vintage. The nose is refined and vibrant, jumping from the glass in a complex blend of pear, fresh lime, a touch of white peach, complex, chalky minerality, white lilies, beeswax and citrus peel. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, racy and deep at the core, with laser-like focus, great length and grip and a beautifully soil-defined and elegant finish. This has cut, purity of fruit and mineral drive to burn. (Drink between 2025-2065)John Gilman | 96 JGA deft touch of wood can be found on the cool and equally pure aromas of various citrus, spiced pear and oyster shell hints. There is fine density and punch to the brooding and powerful large-scaled flavors that brim with minerality on the tightly coiled bitter lemon-inflected finish where the wood telegraphed by the nose resurfaces. This is quite simply terrific.Burghound | 94 BHThere’s a chalky definition on the nose here that is really striking; it combines with fresh lime juice and aromas of lime oil, as well as green mangoes. The palate is so juicy and so succulent and offers a seamlessly smooth run of white peaches, wrapped tight with fresh acidity and turning gently savory at the finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSClear pale colour, very engaging nose with the desired marine qualities coupled to a density of lively fresh fruit suitable for a grand cru. Very linear but exceptionally intense, on a bench of deep white fruit, a little oak in the background, and impressively long. Tasted Jul 2021.Jasper Morris | 94 JMTasted from bottle, the 2017 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots is already quite open and expressive, bursting with aromas of fresh peaches, oatmeal and dried white flowers, with little trace of the reduction it showed from barrel. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, satiny but incisive, displaying good concentration and an impressive spine of tangy acidity, which lends superb cut and drive to the chalky finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2017 Chablis Bougros Côte Bouguerots Grand Cru has a gentle, lilting apple blossom bouquet, quite simple for a Grand Cru. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, taut and linear, with green apple and citrus peel toward the edgy finish. Understated, but a classy number, though it does miss a little nervosité to those looking for it. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting in Savigny-lès-Beaune.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Leflaive owns four contiguous parcels in the center of BBM that total 1.15 hectares, nearly half of the appellation. The vines lie just down the slope from one of their four Bâtard parcels. In 2019, Leflaive began their harvest on September 11th. The Bienvenues has retained a rewarding freshness, with a forward fruit that has both tropical and citrus elements and plenty of floral notes. The texture is lively but supple; there is plenty of fresh acidity that brings a pleasant energy to the wine. This should age for decades to come. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECUnwinding in the glass with aromas of peach, pear, hazelnuts and dried white flowers, framed by a deft touch of youthful reduction, the 2019 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, its concentrated core of fruit framed by racy acids and chalky extract. Like the Pucelles, this is precise and fine boned, but it’s also more muscular and intense.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2019 Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is cut from a similar cloth to the Les Pucelles on the nose: reserved, mineral-driven with hints of orange blossom emerging with time, later more Granny Smith apples. The palate is strict and precise, demonstrating impressive weight, especially towards the back end. Maybe not quite as complex as the best of Leflaive’s Premier Cru, though it is extremely pesistent with a long ginger-tinged aftertaste. Closure: Diam 30Vinous Media | 94 VMThis lemon- and apple-flavored white is underlined by an oyster shell, iodine element. Complex and balanced, offering baking spice accents and a fine lingering finish of lemon and minerality on an open-knit frame. Best from 2024Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru White) Here the equally beautiful nose is quite similar to that of the Pucelles save for being much more restrained. Cool, pure and almost painfully intense flavors possess the same sleek, sophisticated and graceful texture as well as even better persistence on the youthfully austere, compact and wonderfully complex finale. This is a stunner of a Bienvenues. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 94-96 BH

The 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru needed a little encouragement from the glass. Eventually it reveals captivating scents of honeysuckle, petrichor and pressed yellow flowers, an underlying spiciness that comes through with aeration. The palate has a beguiling symmetry from the start: a killer line of acidity counterbalancing the intensity of this Chevalier, gentle grip towards the spicy and "flowing" finish. Everything you could really want in a Chevalier-Montrachet Closure: Diam 30Vinous Media | 98 VMThis is produced from Leflaive’s three parcels of Chevalier that total more than 1.8ha in the centre of the appellation. Most of the vines run from the top to the bottom of the vineyard to give a wine of regal balance. The grapes are lightly crushed and slowly pressed before fermentation in cask (25% new). The 2019 vintage delivered a wine of impressive concentration and freshness with a pronounced minerality yet the density and richness to carry it to a spectacular finish. The combination of finesse and power in this wine is truly striking.Decanter | 98 DECLeflaive’s 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru unwinds in the glass with scents of Anjou pear, orange oil, clear honey, white flowers and freshly baked bread, framed by a deft touch of youthful reduction. Full-bodied, concentrated and incisive, it’s textural but taut, its satiny attack segueing into a deep, chiseled mid-palate, concluding with a long, electric finish. This is a brilliant Chevalier with a long life ahead of it.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThis is even more aromatically elegant with its intensely floral-suffused aromas that include acacia, lavender and rose petal along with an array of white fleshed fruit, spice and subtle wood influence. The cool, intense and precise large-scaled flavors brim with both sappy dry extract and minerality, all wrapped in a tightly coiled, linear and remarkably persistent finish. This is incredibly promising and very clearly built-to-age.Burghound | 96-98 BHA concentrated white, this features vanilla, butter pastry, peach, hazelnut cream and apple flavors. Concise and bracing yet balanced, this should come together nicely in a year or two. Ends with a mineral flourish and a tactile sensation. Best from 2024 through 2030. 95 cases made, 19 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

At Boillot they normally make a single, 350-litre barrel of Montrachet, lightly crushing the fruit before pressing in a basket press. The results in 2019 were absolutely beautiful. Ripe pear and fresh flowers dominate the initial attack. On the palate there is a lovely intensity and richness, with a dense, creamy, buttery texture and huge reserves of substance that will keep this wine ageing for years to come. Drinking Window 2024 - 2039.Decanter | 97 DECInterestingly, here the nose resembles a grand cru Chablis with its oyster shell, iodine, quinine, lemon-lime and bee’s wax-scented nose. There is outstanding volume and concentration to the overtly powerful and muscular flavors that are supported by a citrus-tinged and markedly firm acid spine that also shapes the cuts-like-a-knife finale. As the length of my initial projected drinking window suggests, it would be pointless to open this beauty before it has at least a decade of aging as it should easily repay two of them. In sum, this is quite simply stunningly good. (Drink starting 2039)Burghound | 97 BHNotes of orange oil, pear, peach, yellow apples, fresh bread and nutmeg introduce Boillot’s 2019 Montrachet Grand Cru, a full-bodied, satiny and concentrated wine that’s textural and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit, lively acids and a long, expansive finish. More tightly wound than the demonstrative 2018, his is a superb effort that will reward bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RP

Beautifully layered aromas are composed by notes of citrus confit, white and yellow orchard fruit, dried apricot and traces of both wood and acacia. There is excellent density and richness to the powerful, palate coating and hugely long finish. This balanced but very firm effort completely transcends the rest of the range though note well that it’s going to require extended patience before it will reveal its full potential.Burghound | 93-95 BH

(Chablis “les Preuses”- Domaine William Fèvre) The 2020 les Preuses from Domaine Fèvre was one of the finest white wines I tasted from the entire vintage during my trip in November and December. The perfect ripeness of the vintage, coupled to such great acidity are the hallmarks of the best wines of 2020 and these attributes are on full display in this stunning young wine. The nose soars from the glass in a mineral bath of les Preuses Kimmeridgian limestone terroir, carrying notes of apple, pear, fresh lime, straw, oyster shell, white flowers and a topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is pure, precise, snappy and very, very complex, with great depth at the core, stunning mineral definition, laser-like focus and stunning length and grip on the simply beautiful young finish. All this great wine needs is time in the cellar to blossom. (Drink between 2031 - 2080)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is, if anything, even more electric than the formidable Valmur, wafting from the glass with notions of citrus oil, freshly baked bread, oyster jus and wet stones. Full-bodied, satiny and chiseled, it’s racy and intense, with a bright spine of acidity and a long, intensely saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPFrom 1.5ha on soils that are high in clay content above Bougros, together with 1ha just above Bouguerots. Distinct precision here, not a blockbuster but intense and focused. Lovely crystalline fruit and will age beautifully.Decanter | 95 DECAromas of quinine, essence of wet stone and seashore add breadth to the nose of pear, apple and anise. Once again there is fine density and intensity to the mouthcoating medium-weight flavors that flash outstanding length on the bracingly saline-suffused finale. This has already developed very good depth and more will almost surely follow. This is potentially outstanding.Burghound | 95 BHThe 2020 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru comes from 2.5 hectares of vines in two locations, one east-facing and one southwest-facing. It has quite a deep, intense nose featuring lemon zest, crushed stone, linden and touches of citrus peel. The cohesive palate is smooth and harmonious with fine salinity, if maybe not quite building on its initial promise, as the finish pulls up just a little short compared to the Bougros. Still, this should age well in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

An exquisite wine, the nose is almost delicate, with ripe apple and floral notes, and the texture of the wine is astonishingly crisp and fine. There is nothing heavy here and the finish lingers seductively. Rich, typical Bâtard, but with uncommon elegance. Picked on the 24th of August, and the early picking date worked well here. The grapes were lightly crushed and then fermented in cask (40% new).Decanter | 96 DECAn overtly floral-suffused nose speaks of white orchard fruit, star anise, citrus confit and a subtle exotic tea nuance. The sleek and borderline painfully intense big-bodied flavors possess excellent mid-palate concentration before terminating in a very compact, tightly wound and hugely long finale. This is very backward and almost raw in how primary it is and as such, it would be largely pointless to open a bottle before at least 5 years of age. This beauty possess first-rate potential provided you have the patience.Burghound | 95 BHPale lemon and lime. The bouquet shows all the majesty of this vineyard without the over-ripeness which I have found in some past vintages. 29 hl/ha. Superb intensity with a measured ripeness of fruit from these 48 year old vines, which are ploughed by a horse named Croesus. Stretches out beautifully at the back, with some peachier notes at the finish. Really very persistent indeed. Excellent. Tasted Nov 2021.Jasper Morris | 95-98 JM

The 2020 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru is far more successful than the Les Clos. It has much more energy and vitality on the nose for a start with fresh green apples, crushed stone, flecks of blood orange and struck flint. Over the course of an hour, you can see it just gain more intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sharpened acidity, quite vibrant and tensile with oyster shell and light spicy notes percolating through on the finish. This is definitely worth seeking out.Vinous Media | 93 VMMore moderate though hardly invisible oak is present on the cooler and more elegant aromas of white flower, spice and mineral reduction. There is a much more refined, if less powerful, mouthfeel to the punchy and almost delicate flavors that culminate in a citrus, sneaky long and bone-dry finale that is youthfully austere. This also appears to have a much better chance at absorbing its wood.Burghound | 91-94 BH

Aromas of dried lemons, grapefruit, beeswax, seaweed and pears. Excellent focus, with a compact, driven and mineral palate. Biscuity touches, evolving to hints of pie crust, too, on a long finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSLike the Preuses, the wood treatment is agreeably subtle and easily allows the restrained aromas of citrus rind, oyster shell and quinine to be appreciated. The refined, pure and borderline painfully intense larger-scaled flavors exude ample minerality on the saliva-inducing, chiseled and impressively lengthy finish. Promising.Burghound | 92-94 BH

The 2021 Chablis Bougros Grand Cru, 80% aged in oak, has a delightful bouquet with orchard fruit, lemon verbena and orange pith scents that burst from the glass. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite precise with a welcome touch of bitter lemon that keeps the finish on edge. Not a long-term Bougros perhaps, but finely crafted. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VM

An extremely subtle application of wood can be found on the cool if decidedly reluctant nose of spiced green apple, beeswax and citrus zest aromas. The palate impression of the medium weight plus flavors is quite interesting in that there is excellent concentration and power yet they are not massively scaled while maintaining impeccable balance on the palate etching and stunningly long finish, indeed I could still taste this 3 hours later. This is one extremely classy Montrachet and one of the jewels of the 2021 vintage.Burghound | 97 BHBeeswax and lime blossom, especially the latter, which Guillaume finds typical of Montrachet. The Montrachet shows both class and intensity over and above the Bâtard as indeed should be the case. Brilliantly racy despite the intensity. This year there is one 228 litre barrel instead of the usual 350, and made up in zebra fashion, half new wood with alternate dowels. Drink from 2030-2040.Jasper Morris | 95 JMThere’s only one 228-liter barrel of the 2021 Montrachet Grand Cru, so Boillot asked his favored cooper to assemble a special barrel, with alternating new and used staves. Delivering aromas of pear, honeycomb, freshly baked bread, spices and toasted nuts, it’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with a fleshy core of fruit and a long, nutmeg-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2021 Montrachet Grand Cru is incredibly airy and nuanced. Candied lemon peel, mint, tangerine oil and white flowers show effortless grace. This is an especially restrained, super-elegant Montrachet that shows Puligny’s finesse. The 2021 is absolutely exquisite. I doubt I will ever taste it again, though. Bright saline notes punctuate the super-expressive finish. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 93-95 VM

The 2021 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, located right above their Caillerets, comprises of a single 600-liter barrel that was racked into an old Stockinger to limit oxygen ingress. It has a taut and focused bouquet with crushed stone infusing the citrus fruit, hints of honeysuckle and pressed white flowers. The palate is medium-bodied with a very subtle reduction on the entry, orange rind and hints of yuzu; the 2021 is quite mineral-driven with a clean and precise finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 94-96 VM1 x 600 litre barrel! Full lemon yellow. Plenty of weight apparent and a suggestion of class without having found its definition. Actually, it is pretty much complete on the palate, ripe apples, medium plus flesh, a certain juiciness over and above the natural austerity of the vineyard, and very persistent. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: October 2022.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JM This is even more floral on the slightly more expressive nose that features notes of Poire William, zest, green apple and soft spice nuances, especially anise. The round but almost painfully intense medium weight plus flavors possess a caressing mouthfeel along with almost as much mineral character as the Caillerets while delivering stunningly good length on the beautifully nuanced finale. This is very classy and somewhat surprisingly for a young Chevalier, not especially austere. With that said, this beauty is built to reward mid to longer-term cellaring.Burghound | 93-95 BH

Having finished pruning just eight days before the brutal trio of April frost days and having put out a ’shameful’ number of candles, Weber was rewarded (it’s all relative in this miserly vintage) with almost 20 hl/ha. And, it is a divine Montrachet with spiced pears, herbal tea, gingerbread and cream. It is all lace and flourishes. The bustling acidity drives the flavors into a seemingly eternal finish with a lightly crispy edge. Bravo! (2023)Tim Atkin | 97 TATOP QUALITY This is a wine of impressive concentration, with complex layers of fruit on the nose that range from citrus to green apple, apricot, quince and passion fruit. There are elements of cream, butter, flinty mineral and fresh flowers. The texture is dense and long, but there is no lack of freshness, and the balance seems nearly perfect. It is produced from 0.89ha of mature vines on the Puligny side, just south of the Ramonet parcel. Profound and ageworthy, it will doubtless also show well young.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECThe 2021 Montrachet Grand Cru is half the normal volume, pruned just before the frost with a massive number of candles, therefore it managed to produce 20hL/ha despite everything. This is unequivocally a step up from the Chevalier-Montrachet with greater definition and poise, more energy. The palate is well balanced with fine detail, light wild peach and citrus notes, fine mineralité with satisfying tension on the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMA bit better in yield as everybody protected their vines in Le Montrachet, with the 2016 disaster in mind. A fine mid lemon yellow, this begins discreetly but there is a wonderful concentrated intensity through the middle, a racy quality perhaps not quite there in the Chevalier. This time there is clearly a beginning, a middle and an end. Really enormously persistent and leaving a special taste in the mouth. I might just sip it to keep me company en route to my next tasting in Gevrey-Chambertin! Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted Nov 2022.Jasper Morris | 94-98 JMThe 2021 Montrachet Grand Cru opens in the glass with aromas of pear, confit orange, honeycomb, spices and freshly baked bread. Full-bodied, ample and satiny, it’s rich, fleshy and complete, with lively acids and a long, expansive finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPReluctant if broad-ranging aromas include those of petrol, floral, spice, white orchard fruit, especially white peach, exotic tea and a suggestion of oak. The dense and powerful yet caressing large-scaled flavors coat the palate with sappy dry extract while displaying stunningly good length on the balanced, youthfully austere and compact finale. This is definitely built-to-age but the mid-palate density is so good that the 2021 Montrachet should be approachable after only 7 to 8 years of keeping.Burghound | 93-96 BH

The very steep aspect of Côte Bouguerots is highlighted by a much greater emphasis on minerality than Fevre’s Bougros. This is a grand cru is every way - so much drive on the palate with plenty of extract, concentration, salinity and length. Certain to keep very well but this is also surprisingly approachable early on. DIdier Seguier says it’s likely to close down after 18-24 months but this is clearly a fine example with masses of potential.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Chablis Bougros Côte Bouguerots Grand Cru has a clean and precise bouquet with hints of wild peach, apricot blossom, Mirabelle and crushed stone. The palate is well-balanced with a very harmonious entry, blackcurrant leaf and spice, crushed stone and what feels like plenty of extract on the finish. This has great potential, but afford it time in your cellar.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMThis is the coolest and most restrained of this group of 2022s with its elegant aromas of prominent mineral reduction, lemon-lime, spice and oyster shell. There is almost painful intensity to the intensely stony and strikingly well-detailed larger-bodied yet still beautifully refined flavors that display huge length on the impeccably well-balanced finale. Like the Preuses, this is very classy and built to repay extended keeping.Burghound | 93-95 BH

Beautiful mix of richness, grace and drive. As always with Fèvre’s Les Preuses, this is elegant, long-living and fine. Ultra-stylish and very mineral. From two sections of vines. One situated low down on Les Preuses next to Vincent Dauvissat’s plot, on the flatter part facing south, the other on deeper soils, with both adding richness and totalling 2.5ha.Decanter | 96 DECSuch a fresh lime infused colour. The bouquet shows the soft creamy riches that you can find here in Les Preuses. There is plenty of bulk but the hectare plot which drops down into Vaudésir gives the mineral tension. A little lime and lemon coats the tongue at the finish. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMThe 2022 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru is not unlike the Valmur on the nose: backward and a little sultry in style, with faint touches of crustacea coming through. The palate is more generous with orchard fruit, hints of apricot and wild peach, and fine acidity. It is very harmonious but without quite the same complexity as the Valmur on the finish. Still, this should give many years of drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMA toasty nose features notes of smoky grilled shellfish, pear and algae. The dense and equally serious larger-scaled flavors don’t have quite the same power yet they are clearly more refined on the markedly bitter citrus zest finish that displays outstanding length. This is exceptionally classy and while it too could use more depth, that is all but assured if given a chance.Burghound | 92-95 BH

The 2022 Corton-Charlemagne from Rapet is magnificent – serious, but not forbidding. The aromas range from lemon peel to passionfruit and green apple, adorned with hints of hawthorn and spice and underpinned by a firm, saline minerality. The wine is slow to open on the palate, with abundant extract, lively acidity, and an interminably long finish. The grapes are from two parcels of old vines (among some replanting), totalling three hectares. The vines span En Charlemagne (Pernand) and Le Charlemagne (Aloxe), where the Ladoix limestone breaks through the surface of the thin Pernand marls.Decanter | 95 DECAnother strong performance from Rapet, the 2022 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru unwinds in the glass with aromas of pear and crisp orchard fruit mingled with toasted nuts, white flowers and waxy citrus rind. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, with a glossy, concentrated profile, excellent underlying cut and a long, mineral finish, it’s a very good wine that still flies somewhat under the radar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPThe 2022 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru has a very terse nose. It opens with struck flint—quite a bit of reduction here—and a very light fish scale scent in the background that imparts complexity. The palate is well balanced, with a slightly creamy-textured opening, flavors of chamomile and lemon curd and a fine bead of acidity. Impressive substance comes through on the finish. Give this two to three years in bottle. Tasted at merchants’ 2022 Burgundy tastings in London.Vinous Media | 93 VM90% is from the Pernand. Side, a third old vines, a third 20 year old, a third 35 year old. And guess what, the youngest are in the worst condition. Some tressed, some worked by winch. Pale colour, a beautifully mineral nose, properly shows its terroir. The wine picks up speed further back on the palate, opening out very nicely. Very attractive. Drink from 2029-2037. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMThis is aromatically pretty similar to the Sous Frétille but with more citrus and slightly more evident wood influence. On the palate there is more size and weight to the rich and generously proportioned larger-bodied flavors that display solid power on the youthfully austere, balanced and very dry finale. Like several of the wines the range, this needs better depth but that’s often the case with CC in its youth.Burghound | 92 BH

This sits at the top of the Valmur slope, but it surprisingly has a vein of clay soil, too, which contributes generously to this wine’s fantastic palate density. It’s loaded up with perfectly ripe fruits yet has plenty of palate architecture to boot. The flavors start with plumcot, feijoa and star fruit. The intensity of the crunch and length attest to this wine’s ability to age to benefit. (2024).Tim Atkin | 96 TAFèvre’s Valmur plots lie over marly Kimmeridgian soils, with the emphasis here on freshness and a degree of austerity. Very dramatic, dense and concentrated on the palate, and which exudes purity and drive. A great success in 2022 and great ageing potential.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2022 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru is very closed on the nose, perhaps the most austere of William Fèvres’ cuvées, steely and almost curmudgeonly at the moment. The palate is well-balanced with a palpable saline leaning, very estuarine in style, with touches of oyster shell towards the finish. The purists’ choice. Superb.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMThe holding sits on the marly vein up top on the crest, looking east south and west. Pure light yellow, Excellent tension, crystalline fruit coats the teeth, a solid mass which is currently very much more tightly coiled than most. Really kicks on. Ten years minimum please. Drink from 2032-2040+. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMHere too there is slightly more evident wood that stops short of fighting with the ripe aromas of various white orchard fruit scents that are nuanced by hints of tidal pool, algae and oyster shell. The denser, powerful and quite serious big-bodied flavors possess a gorgeous texture if not nearly the same level of refinement while displaying superb length on the robust finale. This firmly structured effort is also pretty much a textbook example.Burghound | 92-95 BH

Starts ripe and fleshy in the mouth, then the minerality comes through. Fresh and direct, a very nicely balanced wine which, although approachable now, will age. The vines here lie on very steep slopes with full exposition to the sun. Early harvesting is the key to freshness.Decanter | 93 DECA small lot so better to assemble early, which has just been done. A fresh green light shines through the clouds nonetheless. Picked among the first, a little yellow fruit plums and fresh white peaches. Salty rather than saline, with a fine firm backbone. The finish is particularly impressive, with the fruit becoming ever fresher at the back of the palate. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMSlightly more evident wood can be found on the cool and elegant aromas of mineral reduction, spiced pear and pretty floral whiffs along with a plenitude of classic Chablis elements. The understated, pure and borderline delicate flavors are at once supple yet beautifully detailed as well as almost aggressively mineral-driven on the superbly long finish. This is pretty much textbook Vaudésir.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2022 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru has a less immediate nose than the Bougros, with hints of lanolin and estuarine scents, lemon verbena and fern. This builds with confidence in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with fine delineation and cohesion, a welcome sour lemon edge, and salinity with a primal grapefruit finish. Again, this will require time once in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Generous but not dominant wood fights a bit with the otherwise airy aromas of Granny Smith apples, just sliced citrus and a lovely array of Chablis elements that include iodine, oyster shell, and tidal pool wisps. The racy, intense and markedly stony broad-shouldered flavors possess evident power on the firm, compact and balanced finale that is dry but not especially austere. While perfectly normal in the context of what is typical for Les Clos, this is definitely going to need at least some forbearance, both to better integrate the wood treatment as well as develop better depth. Excellent.Burghound | 93-96 BH20% new wood and 80% inox for vinification, then all to barrel, but will not be bottled until February 2024. The bouquet shows all the majesty of Clos plus some wood as well. Early days. This absolutely fills the palate but the wood has the upper hand for the moment. It cannot entirely keep the fruit out of the picture though. This will get there but you need to wait. Drink from 2032-2040+. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JM