Wine Varietals

wines

TOP QUALITY PRODUCER Weighty, profound and rich, this is a stunning Les Clos which has an extra level of depth and richness that would please many a Côte-d’Or fan. White flowers on the nose, spice and stone fruit on the palate with 40% oak and a lingering, freshening mineral undertow. A grand cru with gravitas that will drink for 15-20 years. Droin has 1.4ha with vine age averaging 40 years. Its plots are located in various sectors of the cru with some lower down in the western sector, and part on the blue clay soils on the mid-slope.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2021 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru has a clean and precise bouquet, flint and chalk filtering through the citrus fruit, gaining intensity as it opens in the glass, though I feel the Grenouilles has more sophistication. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, very harmonious, nicely poised with a dab of stem ginger and white pepper towards the finish that is resolutely classic in style. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMLike the Grenouilles, there is enough wood to merit mentioning but not enough to overshadow the cool, airy and very fresh aromas of oyster shell, white flower and ocean breeze. The succulent yet powerful and delineated flavors brim with both minerality and dry extract, all wrapped in a driving bitter lemon-inflected and youthfully austere finale. This is a lovely combination of power and refinement that should amply repay a decade plus of cellaring.Burghound | 92-95 BH

Droin’s Fourchaume is located in the Vaupulent sector, on deep, clay-rich soils. A warmer site, this is a;ready very appealing with nice touches of baked apples and stone-fruit on the palate, with softer acidity and concentration. Although accessible early, this has the concentration to age extremely well and will deliver more saline aspects with more bottle age.Decanter | 92 DECA whiff of mineral reduction is present on the nose of pear and apple compote where there is just enough Chablis typicity to be convincing. The succulent, round and palate coating flavors possess good underlying tension while delivering solid depth and length on the delicious finish where the only nit is a hint of warmth.Burghound | 90-92 BHThe 2021 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru shows a little more reduction on the nose compared to other cuvées but a pleasant flintiness develops with time. The palate is well balanced with a cohesive entry, fine weight although it doesn’t quite deliver the same precision as the Mont de Milieu at the moment. Fine.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

Droin owns 0.33ha in the renowned premier cru of Vaulorent. Benoît notes the higher incidence of limestone in the soils, giving more a more aromatic profile, great length and purity. Although the Droin premiers crus are all lovely wines, this is a distinct step up – a premier cru Chablis which would grace any table along with the world’s finest wines. Filigree, precise acidity on the palate – delicate, very refined, yet a wine which will last a very long time.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has a more complex bouquet that matches the Mont de Milieu, real mineralité, struck flint scents blossoming in the glass. The palate is very cohesive with lemon and touches of apricot, spicy and very persistent on the finish. This is an excellent Chablis from Droin.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMSmoky white orchard fruit aromas enjoy added breadth in the form of acacia blossom, citrus rind and quinine. The exceptionally rich and solidly voluminous medium-bodied flavors display focused power and a subtle minerality on the clean, dry and more complex finale where a touch of wood appears. I very much like the persistence, and this should amply repay 6 to 10 years of keeping.Burghound | 91-93 BH

The 2021 Clos des Chevaliers from Jean-Michel Chartron is a breathtakingly beautiful young wine. It delivers a refined aromatic constellation of apple, pear, fresh almond, crème pâtissière, a very complex base of limestone minerality, fruit blossoms, vanillin oak and a beautiful topnote of lemon zest. On the palate the wine is pure, precise and full-bodied, with a gorgeous core of fruit, stunning mineral undertow, a superb spine of acidity and laser-like focus on the long, complex and perfectly balanced finish. (Drink between 2029 - 2070)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2021 Chevalier-Montrachet Clos de Chevaliers Grand Cru, which includes one new barrel out of the four (instead of the usual dozen), has a vivid bouquet with yellow fruit, nectarine, crushed limestone and subtle fumé aromas. The palate is well balanced with vibrant acidity, taut and fresh with notes of tangerine, citrus fruit and a pinch of spice. Linear in style, this lingers nicely, though it just needs a bit more nervosité on the finish. Still, this is very promising.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMA deft though perceptible dollop of wood sets off the ultra-floral-scented nose of mineral reduction, petrol and a plenitude of spice wisps. The large-scaled flavors are borderline painfully intense while displaying an almost pungent minerality on the chiseled, youthfully austere and strikingly long finale. This is potentially brilliant.Burghound | 93-96 BH4 barrels from 0.55ha is not a huge yield! Fine clean glowing pale yellow. The bouquet is promising too and shows the upper hillside authority of Chevalier. The nervous tension is very well incorporated into the weight of classy fruit, with a fine long and distinguished finish. A beautifully nuanced 2021. Excellent finish. Drink from 2028-2036.Jasper Morris | 93-97 JM

The 2021 Corton-Charlemagne from Domaine Jean Chartron is another outstanding wine in the making. The complex nose wafts from the glass in a mix of apple, pear, a fine base of chalky soil tones, a touch of almond, spring flowers crème pâtissière and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and nascently complex, with a fine core of fruit, excellent focus and balance, bouncy acids and a long, balanced and soil-driven finish. This not showing quite the same mineral dimension as the top two Puligny premier crus right now, but it may well catch up in this regard with some extended bottle age. Fine juice. (Drink between 2027 - 2060)John Gilman | 94 JGThis delicious wine presents aromas of citrus peel and hawthorn flowers coloured with a chalky, saline mineral edge and notes of cream, butter, and spice. This year the wine is made exclusively from a domaine-owned parcel in Pernand from the lieu-dit En Charlemagne that was planted in 1961 and picked on 25 September just before the rain. It produced a single barrel, which is ageing in a two-year-old cask from the cooper Chassin.Decanter | 93 DECOnce again there is an attractive coolness to the essence of green apple, spice and mineral reduction scents. There is superb delineation to the bigger-bodied and more powerful flavors that are at once muscular yet refined, all wrapped in a moderately austere finale where a touch of wood slowly emerges. This tightly wound and very promising effort should age like a classic Corton-Charlemagne.Burghound | 92-94 BHOne barrel, an exchange. Paler colour and correctly chiselled. Very tight and with excellent concentration. The length is good too. Just a baby, but with promise. Stony lemons to finish. Drink from 2026-2031.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JMThe 2021 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, reduced to one and a half barrels due to the absence of any exchange, sports quite a bit of reduction on the nose that makes it difficult to read at present. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, quite taut and maybe just missing a little tension on the finish. Fine, though Chartron has made better in the past.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

The 2021 Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains) is a gorgeous wine that captures the essence of the house style. Bright, lifted and wonderfully transparent, the 2021 is all class. Sweet spice and citrus accents complement a core of bright red-toned fruit. Whole cluster accents add layers of nuance. This is such a gorgeous Pinot.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Fresh aromatics of red fruit, dusty currant, and petrichor with ripe raspberries and fresh mint. The palate is lively and elegant, with cut strawberries, wintergreen, and crushed stone. There is ample structure with lovely acidity, and for the price, this wine feels like you’re stealing.Decanter | 92 DECAromas of ripe plums and blackberries with sweet spices and cedar. Full-bodied with polished, chalky tannins and juicy dark berries in the middle. Round and compact with a chocolaty finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

The 2021 Chianti Classico La Misse di Candialle is bright, bold and punchy. Dollops of Malvasia Nera and Canaiolo lend complexity. Whereas so many wines in this vintage are pretty accessible, Candialle’s 2021 is going to need a few years to soften. The purity of the flavors is striking though.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 2021 Chianti Classico is one of the wines of the vintage in the Chianti Classico ’Annata’ category. Rich, layered and super-expressive, the 2021 offers up red/purplish berry fruit, rose petal, lavender and spice race across the palate. The Montesecondo Chianti Classico raises the simple question of why there aren’t more wines like this.Vinous Media | 94 VMEx-jazz musician Silvio Messana makes a variety of wines of the natural ilk – but only one Chianti Classico. It blends fruit from two distinct vineyards in San Casciano – a hot site in the extreme north at just 120 metres, the other in the far south surrounded by forest at a cooler 500 metres. The aggregate is a fantastically textured, layered and appetising annata, offering a sumptuousness of black cherry and raspberry fruit without being heavy. This is broadened by verbena, mineral and woodland accents, while the citrussy acidity is well integrated, and chalky tannins give a firm, tight frame.Decanter | 92 DEC

The smoky, savory and meaty nose pulls you into this remarkably firmly structured Morgon for the 2021 vintage. Both fleshy and tannic, this is packed with wild-blackberry fruit. So much drive and energy! From vines planted in 1965. Matured in oak casks. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2021 Morgon Côte du Py Javernières was bottled after 12 months in used barrels plus four months in tank. This has a beautiful nose of wilted rose petal-infused vivacious red fruit and with time, touches of desiccated orange peel. The medium-bodied palate has ripe tannins, granular in texture, and very fine backbone, yet elegance from start to finish. This is a joyful, effervescent Javernières from one of its best exponents.Vinous Media | 94 VM

UNDER THE RADAR A very elegant Bougros which matches the ripeness of this full sun site with great acidity and purity of flavour. There is lots of depth here with some zesty citrus characters and a stony, mineral thread in the background. Cleansing acidity on the finish. A grand cru which definitely shows its class, while managing to be both drinkable now yet have a long future ahead.Decanter | 95 DEC

The 2021 Malbec Jardin de Hormigas Meteora originates from Paraje Altamira and was aged for 12 months in concrete vessels. Purple in hue. The subtle, nuanced nose features violet, sage and fennel notes alongside plum and blackberry. It has a dry, lean, chalky texture with an athletic, focused profile in which the energy and mouthfeel enhance the light-footed character. The 2021 is a modern, beautifully sculpted red.Vinous Media | 95 VM

The Menetou-Salon from Kevin and Karine Lauverjat is a fine bottle that really shows the bright, cooler vintage characteristics of 2021. The bouquet offers up a complex blend of limepeel, gooseberry, fresh-cut grass, a lovely base of flinty minerality and a topnote of citrus blossoms. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied, complex and nicely grassy in personality, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil signature, a good spine of acidity and impressive length and grip on the well-balanced finish. Good juice. (Drink between 2023 - 2030)John Gilman | 91 JG

The 2021 Viñedo Chadwick fermented in stainless steel and troncoconic concrete vats, spent some 10 months in barrique, and then part of the wine (some 20%) was sent to the Stockinger foudres. The nose is reminiscent of a super elegant and sleek Bordeaux, pure and clean, less balsamic than in previous years and less herbal. It’s perfumed and floral, precise, fresh and elegant, with very fine tannins, and despite the grape, it is more Pomerol than Graves, with 14% alcohol on the label but without any heat at all. It’s velvety and luxurious, juicy and tasty, with fine-grained chalky tannins and the elegant stoniness that the best Maipos are capable of. It has structure and power, like the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. This has to be the finest vintage for Chadwick; the wine made my heart beat faster—it’s a wine of emotion. This is also my first 100-point wine from Chile! The final blend contains around 3% Petit Verdot from vines planted in 2005. There are some 10,000 bottles of this, and it was all bottled all at once on January 31, 2023.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPBeautiful nose with lots of currants, red cherries, flowers, roasted chili and dark chocolate. A fine hint of balsamic. More red fruit than black fruit here with bright cherries and a hint of cigar box. Really even on the palate, with a medium to full body and effortless tannins -- plentiful and silky. Extremely fine-grained and long. Very young but the superb freshness and the tannin quality of this vintage makes you think this is already drinkable. Better from 2025.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2021 Viñedo Chadwick is a Cabernet Sauvignon with a dash of Petit Verdot (3%) from Puente Alto, Maipo. It was aged for 22 months, 80% in new French oak barrels and 20% in foudres. The mild summer in the area helped to sculpt the vivid, nuanced aromatic profile: crystal clear blackcurrant notes with sour cherry and raspberry layers plus hints of pepper over a faint cigar box bed. Silky and dry in the mouth, the finely tuned Maipo tannins and refreshing acidity from the cool year make for a long-lasting, complex wine. A Bordeaux-inspired red that enjoyed the very Bordelaise weather in the region this year.Vinous Media | 98 VMThe moderately cool 2021 growing season gave a long, even ripening that preserved the acidity and gives this wine elegance and finesse. This smells wonderful, full of chocolate, salted caramel, vanilla, fragrant blackcurrants, roses and raspberries - simply gorgeous. Crunchy and chewy, the best combination of being fully flavoured and densely textured with high, mouthwatering acidity that lifts the mouthfeel and creates such a joyful expression. Direct and focussed, this doesn’t deviate too much from the centre of the palate, but it has energy and drive with a soft expansions of dried herbs, flowers and ripe berries. It’s more the texture and the finish that leaves such an impression - you just want another sip straight away, with cool refreshing mint, tobacco and liquorice spice adding the nuance on the persistent finish. Utterly sublime. Ageing 22 months, 80% in new French oak barrels, 20% in foudres.Decanter | 98 DECA rich, slightly muscular red, built around espresso, pepper and baking spice nuances, with concentrated blackberry and cassis flavors that benefit from fresh acidity. Echoes the flavors on the finish around notes of ganache and fine tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2033. 800 cases made, 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The organic 2021 Chianti Classico Rubiolo is an excellent value wine with 35,000 bottles released. The wine is all Sangiovese sourced from three sites in Castellina, Panzano and Badia a Passignano. The wine delivers a dark ruby color, and although the aromatic intensity is measured, there are delicately perfumed tones of cherry, raspberry and blood orange that feel punchy and bright. You also get pretty floral tones.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPAromas of ripe red fruit, licorice, spices and pink peppercorns. Medium- to full-bodied, juicy and tense with vivid acidity and polished tannins. Hints of walnuts and savory herbs at the end. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

Firm reduction and a whiff of oak dominate the nose at present. Much more interesting are the beautifully textured, racy and detailed medium weight flavors that also possess a highly sophisticated mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the bitter zest-inflected finish that goes on and on. This is terrific and easily delivers grand cru quality.Burghound | 94-96 BHMid lemon colour. As always, the bouquet rises above the others. I feel the need to keep on sniffing this! Brings a smile to the face. The 2021 Domaine Leflaive Pucelles offers such a complex mix of fruits, fresh apricot along with a mix of quality citrus, good density but above all a stylishness that expresses itself in a hugely long finish. Perfect balance with a lifted fresh elegance at the finish. This may yet earn a fifth star later in life. Drink from 2027-2035.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JMThe 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru has a crisp, petrichor and green apple-scented bouquet, tight at first but opening up nicely with aeration. The palate is fresh and crisp with a subtle reduction at play, fine depth, lightly spiced with stem ginger and a dab of lemongrass towards the finish. This should drink nicely over the next decade.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

Stunning aromatics lift from the 2021 Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills, which pours a jeweled ruby and offers a mix of red and black fruits, an amazing floral perfume, pine, and crushed stones, all well-interwoven. Seamless on the palate, this medium to full-bodied red has a silky mineral texture, with velvety tannins and gorgeous concentration throughout. With long-lasting energy and outstanding purity, it’s hard to resist now and feels as though it will last for the next 15 or more years. This is one of the best wines I have ever tasted from Mimi Casteel.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JD

From 40-year-old self-rooted vines that are organically farmed, the 2021 Pinot Noir Carter Vineyard is a ripe ruby hue and offers notes of grenadine, candied roses, and cinnamon. Its tannins are ripe and fine, and it fills the palate with ripe red fruit, apricot, and notes of crushed stone along with mouthwatering salinity. Drink 2023-2038.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JD

The 2021 EE Red Wine is ripe and powerful, with smoky red and black fruits as well as lots of background oak, graphite, espresso, and dark chocolate-like aromas and flavors that develop beautifully with time in the glass. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has plenty of background oak, the building tannins of the vintage, and a great finish. A gorgeous wine, it will benefit from 3-4 years in the cellar and evolve for 25-30 years in cold cellars. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc brought up in new barrels.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDA blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Proprietary Red EE Tench Vineyard offers up a wonderful range of dark fruit—black cherries, cassis and blackberries—couched in hints of dark chocolate. Like almost all the Bevan wines, it’s full-bodied, richly concentrated and velvety in texture. This one finishes long, with a mocha and cocoa-stained finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2021 Red Blend EE is one of the more overt wines in the range. Super-ripe red cherry, blackberry, chocolate, spice, gravel and licorice are all amplified in this heady, exotic Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend. The 2021 is a powerhouse.Vinous Media | 93-96 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

Made from two plots, one each in Pernand and Ladoix, but just two barrels this year instead of eight. Pale lemon and lime. A more reductive nose with a little oaky note, one new barrel in the two. Will take some time for the fruit to push past that. Plenty of fruit volume though and the style is typical of the appellation. White fruit, lemons, a little banana note, and a stony finish. Indeed plenty of weight at the finish. Drink from 2026-2032.Jasper Morris | 93 JM

An exuberantly fresh nose of spicy purple fruit, exotic tea, violet and hints of cinnamon and sandalwood are trimmed in discreet but not invisible wood. There is both good richness and punch to the supple medium-bodied flavors that conclude in a lightly austere but impressively long and harmonious finale. This could use better depth but like the VRBM, the Rouget Ech has an excellent track record for aging well.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2021 Echézeaux Grand Cru, aged in 100% new oak, is tasted from two barrels as one is heavily reduced, while the other shows fine delineation: crushed strawberry, wild mint and loam. The palate is heavily reduced at first, quite dense and broad-shouldered, black cherries mixed with cassis, a little chocolaty towards the finish.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2021 Vosne-Romanée Village is perfumed, floral and pure on the nose with wilted violet petals infusing the red fruit - très Vosne. The palate is silky smooth with a fine body. This sample is taken from a new barrel so it has some François Frères imprint on the finish, but there is appreciable focus and length.Vinous Media | 89-91 VMThis particular sample was pulled from a new barrel and not surprisingly, the wood influence was generous on the aromas of black raspberry, plum, exotic tea and star anise. The sleek and vibrant flavors are also not especially dense, but they do possess a more sophisticated texture while exhibiting very good length on the bitter pit fruit-inflected finish. This too should be relatively approachable young if you don’t wish to wait.Burghound | 89-91 BH

Looking at the flagship estate Viognier, the 2021 Viognier Estate boasts a vibrant, medium to full-bodied, incredibly focused and mineral-driven profile that reminds me of a Condrieu from pure granite soils. Tangerine oil, honeyed flowers, brioche, and citrus notes all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, and one heck of a great finish. I finished my note with "Love it." As I’ve written in the past, no one in the New World does Viognier better than John Alban.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2021 Viognier Estate is tremendously expressive and vibrant! It’s layered and complex on the nose, segueing from savory matchstick to exotic, musky perfume, candied peaches and tangerine oil. The palate offers flesh and unctuousness without fattiness, full flavors that are tempered by a powerful textural bite and flinty streaks and energetic acidity that combine to create an alluring, shimmery finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

Dusty, floral and impossible to ignore, the 2021 Rosso di Montalcino lifts from the glass with a gorgeous bouquet of rose petals, dried cherries and autumnal spice. Silky yet pure and lifted, it flows across the palate with a tactile blend of red wild berries and minerals. The 2021 takes on a saline tinge while finishing long and staining, leaving a coating of fine tannins that promise many years of positive evolution. This is a massive success for the vintage.Vinous Media | 93 VMThese wines from Voliero are expressive of their southern locale. The 2021 Rosso Di Montalcino is fresh with sun-ripened herbs, tobacco, and perfectly ripe red plum, and on the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, with a core of fleshy fruit, ripe tannins, and a structured finish that never turns bitter. A lovely wine with a lot to offer, it will be great to drink over the next 5 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD