Wine Varietals

wines

Huia has never been one to make stereotypical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc is no different. Under new ownership but with the winemaking remaining in the hands of former co-owner Clare Allen, the 2023 is a quiet, elegant, aromatically delicate expression. A little more than light in body, it has a rich, succulent and rounded texture, no doubt a combination of the organic vineyards, wild fermentation and use of barrel. Flavors of honeysuckle, ripe apple and lightly toasted hazelnuts linger on the mouthwatering finish.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2023 Langhe Bianco Dragon is mostly Chardonnay, with touches of Sauvignon Blanc, Nascetta and Riesling. Pear, white flowers and tangerine oil inflections grace this expressive, mid-weight Bianco. Creamy, silky contours wrap it all together. Baudana’s Dragon has come a long, long way in recent years.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Like the 2023 les Minots, the la Forêt chez Piuze is nicely expressive and generous right out of the blocks this year and will drink beautifully from the moment of release. The beautiful bouquet wafts from the glass in a mix of lemon, pear, chalky minerality, fruit blossoms, beeswax and a topnote of citrus peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and succulent at the core, with lovely mineral drive and grip, bouncy acids and a long, seamlessly balanced and zesty finish. Fine juice. 2025-2055.John Gilman | 93 JGThe more giving, fruit-forward 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts offers a lovely contrast to the pronouncedly mineral Séchet. “It comes from the bottom of the valley, where the soils are deeper,” observes Piuze, and it’s evident in the glass, as the wine wafts with a deep bouquet of beeswax, peach skin and pear mingling with savory tones. Flamboyant, elegantly muscular and enveloping, it’s fleshy yet laden with lively acidity, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

From a site within the climat of Les Vaillons, where the vines are planted east to west and the grape skins are never kissed by the sun, Patrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Les Roncières has turned out very well. Opening in the glass to reveal a bouquet of beeswax, peach and lemon zest, it is medium-bodied, textural yet racy, with lovely tension and a long, mineral finish. It retains a classically Chablisien profile even in this warm year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPI have never seen another vigneron who bottled their Chablis “Les Roncières” on its own. As this premier cru can also be bottled as Vaillons, most producers choose this direction for labeling of this wine. As I have mentioned before, Pat’s parcel in the les Minots section of Vaillons has a completely different exposition than his vines in Roncières, so the two are bottled separately for a very good reason. The 2023 version is lovely, offering up a complex nose of lemon, pear, a complex base of chalky soil, paraffin, orange peel, a touch of anise and a topnote of lemon zest. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and impeccably balanced, with a very good core of fruit, fine transparency and grip, zesty acids and lovely nervosité on the long and precise finish. Fine juice. 2027-2055.John Gilman | 92+ JG

Derived from over 60-year-old vines growing in very shallow soil, with limestone bedrock close to the surface, Patrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet is one of the highlights of the broad 28-bottle tasting across many different climats and appellations. Opening in the glass to reveal a bouquet of oyster shell, green apple and lemon zest mingling with beeswax and iodine, it’s medium-bodied, bright and precise, with mouthwatering acidity and ample structuring extract, concluding with a searingly chalky finish. If one wants to pick a bottle that’s unmistakably (even when tasted blind) Chablisien, look no further than this beautifully defined and incisive interpretation of Séchet.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPThe 2023 Chablis “les Séchets” from Domaine Piuze is also a fine example of the vintage. The wine’s aromatic constellation delivers scents of apple, pear, lemon blossoms, a lovely base of limestone soils, beeswax and a nice touch of Chablisienne straw in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely structured out of the blocks this year, with a fine core offruit, excellent mineral undertow and grip, bright acids and a long, complex and very well balanced finish. This will want a few years in the cellar before drinking with abandon. 2028-2055.John Gilman | 92+ JG

The 2023 Montmains is one of my favorite premier crus in the Piuze cellars this year. The wine’s bouquet is pure, precise and complex, offering up notes of lemon, pear, a touch of tangerine, beeswax, spring flowers, lemon peel and a beautiful foundation of chalky minerality. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and deep at the core, with great soil signature and grip, a fine spine of acidity, lovely balance and a long, focused and complex finish. Most impressive. 2028-2055+.John Gilman | 93 JGPatrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains has turned out well, opening from the glass with notes of acacia, pear, peach and youthful reduction. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and tensile, built around a chalky core, it’s laden with bright acidity and concludes with a long, saline finish. It’s produced from a parcel just next to Raveneau’s.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

The 2023 vintage of “Vaillons” Les Minots from Patrick Piuze is excellent. The wine’s aromatic constellation offers up a superb blend of fresh lemon, pear, tart orange, chalky soil tones, anise, spring flowers and a topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is deep, zesty, complex and full-bodied, with a succulent core of fruit, superb mineral undertow, bouncy acids and lovely balance on the long and vibrant finish. This will drink beautifully upon release and has the balance to age gracefully for several decades. 2025-2055.John Gilman | 92+ JGDerived from one of the warmest places in the valley, Patrick Piuze’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots is flamboyant and demonstrative, soaring from the glass with a bouquet of marzipan, peach and dried white flowers mingling with passion fruit. Enveloping and underpinned by racy acids, it’s full-bodied, rich and gourmand and, unsurprisingly, in the context of the warmer site, is among the first that is harvested. While it offers immediate appeal, it has proven to be an age-worthy bottling.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

With aromas and flavors of citrus pith, dried grasses and salted lime, this wine offers palate-filling flavor with a pleasing balance of texture and mouthwatering length. Deftly integrated oak brings additional complexity in good balance. Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEGroth’s 2023 Estate Sauvignon Blanc offers up scents of pink grapefruit, ripe figs and Anjou pear. Made in second-fill acacia wood, neutral French oak barrels and concrete eggs, with six months of sur lie aging, it’s just medium-bodied but nicely plump and rounded on the mid-palate, turning crisp and refreshing on the lemon-and-grapefruit finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPShows wonderful restraint, with mandarin orange, lemon curd, salted melon, Honeycrisp apple and pear notes on a firm texture, plus a hint of beeswax and plenty of length. The acidity keeps the flavors bright. Drink now. 39,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSNotes of sliced golden apples, candied lemons, citrus blossom and stone. Medium-bodied, sleek and polished with vivid acidity. Pretty and refreshing. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JS

Mid lemon yellow. Grilled almonds Marjolaine suggests, and I agree. Once more the flesh and the oak on the nose are apparent. All the requisite weight and white fruit, silky length, a little salinity, understated but very long indeed. Rather hidden at the moment. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMThe 2023 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, from vines planted in 1996, had quite a bit of that matchstick reduction on the nose when I tasted it from barrel, but you can discern the concentration here. The palate is well balanced with a slightly honeyed opening. Acidity counters its richness as hints of ginger and white pepper emerge toward the finish. Powerful compared to its peers, this Grand Cru will require two or three years in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Lemon zest and crushed green apples come together with a whiff of spring flowers as the 2023 Orvieto Classico Superiore San Giovanni della Sala blossoms in the glass. It opens with a pleasant inner sweetness matched by masses of citrus-tinged orchard fruits, all balanced by a core of saline minerals and juicy acidity. The 2023 cleans up beautifully, both long and potent yet remarkably fresh. Sour melon hints slowly fade.Vinous Media | 92 VMWell-cut acidity defines aromas and flavors of white peach, pomelo, spring herbs and white blossoms in this light-bodied, lithe white, with a salty finish. Grechetto, Procanico, Pinot Blanc and Viognier. Drink now. 840 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2023 Les Boucauds is a rounded, full style from a clay-chalk parcel. This is open and approachable from the off, with a touch of alcohol-tinged heat. The richness of the clay provided a sense of volume on the palate but it’s not loud. There’s lovely richness of texture after spending 14-16 months on lees. The 2023 has fine talc and floral perfume lingering on the long finish.Vinous Media | 92 VMA richly styled version, with hints of warm hay and beeswax atop a core of apple and preserved lemon. Waxy in feel, with real weight to the lush palate. Savory, succulent acidity slices through, maintaining balance and tension. Delicious through the long, mineral-rich, salty finish, where there’s a hint of blanched almond. Drink now through 2030. 3,500 cases made, 700 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

This is even cooler and more restrained as the nose only grudgingly reveals its aromas of mineral reduction, green apple, spice, acacia blossom and a deft touch of wood. The gorgeously textured medium weight flavors brim with both minerality and sappy dry extract that buffers the youthfully austere and even more persistent finish. This too is very classy and a classic Clos de la Mouchère of grace and poise. If you can find it, buy it.Burghound | 95 BHA fuller yellow here, and an extra degree of completeness, more weight and almost all the class. The oak is still at 50% new and is very well integrated. Gorgeously rich, with little fruits dancing through a meadow. Once again, I do see the magic of this. Henri was strongly advised by his father to look after “Madame de la Mouchère”. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMThe 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchère 1er Cru is another very classy wine. Vertical in feel, the 2023 is super-bright from the outset. White pepper, flowers, mint, sage and pear reinforce that impression. Readers will find an airy, deceptively mid-weight Puligny that possesses remarkable depth.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM

This is a blend of Le Charlemagne, and Hautes Mourottes, which from 2024 Pierre-François will make separately, calling the former Charlemagne and the latter Corton-Charlemagne. In 2023 there are eight barrels worth, made in two new barrels, two older barrels and a concrete egg. These have been racked to tank since just after the harvest. Pale in colour, stony with a little toast also. Crisp white orchard fruit with a little flesh behind, and good tension. Nicely balanced at 13.5% alcohol. Drink from 2029-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JM

With the 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos Hommage à Louis, the Droins have regained the right to designate Les Clos on the label from the INAO, but they’re also continuing with the Hommage à Louis moniker. Whatever its name, the wine is lovely, opening in the glass with notes of green apple, peach and lemon mingled with iodine and toasted nuts, followed by a full-bodied, layered and concentrated palate that’s deep, dense and muscular.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2023 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru Hommage à Louis has the best bouquet amongst the Grand Crus from Droin. Very vibrant and intense, with crushed limestone and flint. The palate is well balanced with melon, grapefruit, orange rind and quince on the entry, building nicely towards a slightly oily-textured finish. I can see this aging well in bottle - more complexity on the finish compared to say, the Valmur or Grenouilles.Vinous Media | 94 VMI believe that the authorities have now confirmed that all of Benoît Droin’s plots are properly within the boundaries of Les Clos, though Benoît will continue to use the Hommage epithet alongside the vineyard name. the 2023 Hommage à Louis has a clear and classic nose after the pale lemon colour. Brilliant balanced juice, the Clos transcends the vintage. All white fruit of course but some crunch to the white apple fruit. Juicy and generous but still with a fine firm classic core. Fabulous finish. Drink from 2028-2040. Tasted Jun 2024.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMSmoke and light wood nuances set off cool floral and spicy aromas of freshly grated citrus, white peach, honeysuckle and tidal pool wisps. There is again fine intensity to the dense and stony broad-shouldered flavors that flash fine length on the ever-so-mildly warm finale where a touch of youthful austerity slowly emerges. This refreshing effort is so rich that it should drink reasonably well young but the better choice would be to allow it to age for at least a few years as it could also use more overall depth.Burghound | 93 BH

Delicate and aromatic with fresh flowers and al dente apples, following through to a medium body with lovely depth and intensity. Tight and fresh at the end. Subtle. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSAromas of white flowers, sweet stone fruit and vanilla pod introduce Drouhin’s 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Village, a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy wine that’s lively and charming.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPThe 2023 Puligny villages from Joseph Drouhin is very pretty this year. The wine’s bouquet is bright and wide open, offering up scents of apple, pear, almond, chalky soil tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is elegant, full-bodied and complex, with good, but not great depth at the core, bouncy acids, lovely balance and a long, wide open and succulent finish. This is very tasty right out of the blocks, but has the balance to also age quite gracefully. (Drink between 2025-2045)John Gilman | 90 JGPale lemon and lime, with at the moment more oak showing, as the Puligny has not yet been racked. There is plenty of quality orchard fruit, while a good thread of acidity extends the fruit well out at the back of the palate. Drink from 2028-2032. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JMThe 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Village, from purchased grapes, has a light, apple blossom-scented bouquet with just a touch of wet stone. The palate is crisp on the entry with pretty citrus fruit notes and a nicely detailed finish. Drink this over the next four to six years.Vinous Media | 88-90 VMProminent floral aromas, especially acacia and carnation, add breadth to the nose of the essence of poached pear and just enough wood to notice. The sleek and refined middle weight flavors are more voluminous and richer, if less obviously mineral-inflected, while delivering fine length on the suave and sappy finish where the wood telegraphed by the nose resurfaces. While this should amply repay short to mid-term keeping, it could be enjoyed young too.Burghound | 88-91 BH

The 2023 Chablis Vosgros 1er Cru shows a small reduction when taken directly from vat. It eventually offers shucked oyster shell on the nose, quite strict and focused. The palate is very smooth, a little creamier in texture compared to the Vaucoupin. Touches of lemongrass and Vervane flowers lend intrigue on the finish. Real panache here and it may have its nose in front come bottling.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMAn expressive and airy nose reflects an abundance of Chablis typicity that include just sliced lemon, iodine, shellfish and quinine. The rich and generously proportioned medium-bodied flavors possess fine mid-palate density and a lovely texture while delivering excellent persistence on the balanced and refreshingly dry finish. This too is very good and a wine that should also amply repay mid-term keeping.Burghound | 92 BHBottled in March 2025. Pale lemon and lime, fresh for 2023. A vinous nose, touch of coconut quite generous. Not too fleshy but in a style heading in that direction. Some minerality but less precision than 2024. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

This has quite some power and concentration for a regular Sancerre. Medium- to full-bodied thanks to the pronounced tannins, but this is still bright and refreshing thanks to the animating wet-stone freshness in the long, compact finish. Plenty of yellow grapefruit aromas and flavors, with a touch of yellow bell peppers. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

The 2024 Puligny-Montrachet Champ Canet 1er Cru comes from a single hectare block. The aromatics leap from the glass with vivacious citrus peel, crushed stone and white flower scents that are beautifully defined. The palate has exquisite balance, a shimmering line of acidity and wonderful poise with a persistent, subtly spiced creamy texture on the finish. I thought the 2023 was outstanding…the 2024 could be even better.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMThe 2024 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ Canet has turned out very nicely, offering up a reductive bouquet of pear, baking spices, sweet citrus oil, toasted nuts and struck match. Medium- to full-bodied, satiny and suave, with a layered core and a mineral finish, it will offer a broad drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPA faint green tint. Very slightly reductive. A little more perfumed afterwards, so there is certainly adequate ripeness here. Fairly generous on the palate, complex, and needing more time. Drink from 2030-2035. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JM

The 2024 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru comes from a single block towards the north part of the vineyard. There is a lovely smokiness on the nose, crushed stone and light sea spray scents deftly translating the pedigree of Combettes. The palate is fresh and sapid on the entry. This is nicely detailed, citrus-fresh towards the finish that lingers in the mouth. It is a Puligny that you really appreciate in retrospect and tempts you back for another sip. The 2023 was great…likewise the follow-up.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMThe 2024 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes is lovely, offering up aromas of honeyed orchard fruits, toasted nuts, white flowers and deftly judged reduction, followed by a full-bodied, ample and satiny palate with exceptional volume and density for the vintage, concluding with a long and expansive finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPMid lemon yellow. A little touch of biscuit on the nose, then a broad swathe of white orchard fruit. Combettes likes a year with a bit more water and this shows in the quality of the 2024. Just the right trace of acidity at the back to keep this in balance, while we benefit from the broad brush of the fruit. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JM

The 2024 Puligny-Montrachet les Folatières En la Richards 1er Cru was an absolute knockout last year. This vintage is definitely impressive with fine tension and mineralité, a sense of gusto and purpose that shaded the preceding Truffières. The palate is taut and fresh with a keen line of acidity. Detailed with a clever reduction that surfaces on the finish but never defines this wine, this seems very persistent and will repay cellaring. Superb.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMThe 2024 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières En la Richarde opens in the glass with a generous bouquet of ripe citrus fruits, peach, toasted nuts and honey. Medium- to full-bodied, satiny and suave, it’s deep and layered, with a pleasing sense of completeness and a long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPPale colour with a faint lime streak. Plenty of tension, more a limestone feel, perhaps less ripe, evidently a little stricter. Quite generous fruit on the palate, even a suggestion of bacon fat, and notable length. This is one of the more backward wines in the stable, but with potential. Needs time. Drink from 2031-2037. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JM

The 2024 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts is richer and more muscular than the Perrières, offering up reductive aromas of pear, sweet citrus fruits and spices. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and satiny, it’s deep and textural, with good persistence on the saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThe 2024 Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts 1er Cru takes a little time to unfurl on the nose, eventually offering light walnut and flinty aromas that pin it down as Puligny. The palate is well balanced with a twist of orange rind on the entry. Fine weight, very cohesive, this gains momentum and structure towards the finish. Quite a "solid" Puligny, one with substance, one that I would be inclined to cellar for three or four years. Great promise.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMPale lemon yellow with a faint green tint. The bouquet shows proximity to Meursault with a little more flesh. A little touch of biscuity oak. More volume in the mouth, just a little less mineral but still there is a fine vigorous aftertaste. Drink from 2030-2034. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JM

From a sunny site that benefits from comparatively warm nights, Droin’s 2024 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir delivers aromas of lemon confit, beeswax and peach, mingled with pastry notes, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, textural yet racy palate. Gourmand in profile, it marries the inherent maturity of the site with the taut musculature lent by the cool growing season. Like Vaillons, it derives from a high-maturity site and has turned out very well this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPHere too the wood treatment is reasonably subtle though hardly invisible on the vaguely exotic nose of spicy white and yellow peach, quinine and cool shellfish nuances. The super-sleek and highly refined middle weight flavors are borderline delicate before terminating in a linger, compact and dry-in-the-best sense finish. While this should be capable of rewarding up to a decade of keeping, it’s not so backward that it couldn’t be approached after only 5 or so.Burghound | 91-93 BH35% oak in the blend. Pale in colour and restrained in bouquet. Fresh melons maybe. Good tension on the palate, limestone energy, and fair persistence. An attractive wine though a little less dense than its fellow grands crus. Drink from 2029-2034. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMThe 2024 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru was not too impacted by the hail. It has a tightly wound, petrichor- and Crustacea-tinged bouquet that remains tight-lipped at the moment. The palate is fresh on the entry with citrus peel, clementine and grapefruit notes. It is harmonious, with finely judged acidity and a poised finish. This is a Grand Cru that stays within its means and benefits from that. The 2024 is very fine.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

I’m sad that Vaulorent had to be folded in to this wine, but at only 25 hl/ha, it is understandable. The wine is notably concentrated with apricot pits, Fuji apples and shortbread. The gently sculpting acidity delivers very nice definition.Tim Atkin | 93 TAThe 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume is derived from vines rooted in deep, clay-rich soils and raised in 40% oak, with the remainder matured in stainless steel tanks. Offering aromas of pear, dried flowers and almond paste, it is medium- to full-bodied, satiny and underpinned by tangy acids, concluding with a long, vanillin-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPGenerous wood fights somewhat with the ripe aromas of citrus confit, white orchard fruit and just enough Chablis typicity to remind one where this is from. I very much like the texture of the plump, round and punchy medium-bodied flavors that possess plenty of sappy dry extract that also serves to buffer the moderately firm acid spine shaping the lingering finale.Burghound | 89-92 BH50% oak. Vaupulans with more clay so on the richer side. Pale yellow. A plumper yellow fruit nose. Fruit through the middle, oak at the end, which past history suggests will integrate. Drink from 2027-2031. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JMThe 2024 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru is more backward and austere on the nose than the Mont de Milieu. This is reticent at the moment. The palate is balanced with pineapple and grapefruit notes. This has a keen line of acidity, though it’s quite linear and less flattering compared to some of Benoît Droin’s other cuvées this year.Vinous Media | 88-90 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