Burgundy

95 Points! From a single premier cru parcel planted by Geantet’s grandfather in 1949 in the nose-bleed bleachers of the commune (above Lavaux St.-Jacques and Les Verroilles), the 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Le Poissenot displays a uniquely alkaline, and maritime note in the nose, along with scents of ripe black cherry and roasted game. This presents terrific depth and richness on the palate, offering a veritable butcher shop of carnal delights, including raw beef, salted, smoked pork and long-hung game. Not that fruit is slighted: there is strong, sweetly ripe black cherry throughout, and a malbec-like amalgam of black raspberry, white pepper and cardamom emerges as the wine takes on air. Creamy, rich, sappy, and sleek, this finishes with gum-clinging strength and refinement, invigoratingly saline and brightly black-fruited. A delight already, this distinctively superb Gevrey will no doubt benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring. - David Schildknecht, robertparker.com

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92-95 Points! Fresh pale lemon. Loads of energy here on the nose, but all perfectly balanced. Maximum minerals in this wine which Elsa thinks will be suppressed by longer oak ageing. More flesh than usual in the middle, with a fine persistence. - Jasper Morris

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95+ Points! 2021 delivered a creditable yield, thanks to late pruning and frost protection, and the 2021 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is one of the best I've tasted from Dugat-Py. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, citrus zest, hazelnut and struck match, it's full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with tangy acids, a seamless profile and a long, electric finish. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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95 Points! The 1990 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is one of the highlights of the era. It has a disarmingly gorgeous nose with brambly red fruit, a touch of peppermint and sage, all exquisitely defined and gaining cohesion with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine bead of acidity, glistening with vivacity and energy. Few 1990 Côte de Nuits have this sense of tension and the delineation on the finish is brilliant. Superb. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media, Jan 2020  

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96+ Points! The 2022 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru is taut and mineral, unwinding in the glass with a typically brooding bouquet of dark berries and plums mingled with hints of rose petals, spices, burning embers and beetroot. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a long, chalky finish, it will demand some patience. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

95 Points! The Mazis from Dugat-Py is profound, if not as expressively open as other wines in the cellar, yet there is abundant substance here. The aromas are spicy and complex, with an impressive depth of flavour to the black plum fruit and a round, supple structure. The grapes are from 75-year-old vines in Mazis-Bas; with the next vintage, Loïc will add a cuvée of Mazis-Haut from a sharecropping agreement. The fruit is fermented as 90% whole clusters; ageing is in 50% new casks. - Decanter Magazine

 

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96 Points! This superb wine boasts a dense and lovely ripe plum and blackberry fruit aroma with plenty of depth and substance. The tannins are supple and not at all astringent. The grapes come from several small organically farmed parcels near the top of the appellation close to Chambertin, blended with a bit of Mazoyères. They are vinified 75% as whole clusters, with a very gentle extraction before ageing in cask (one-third new). For maximum pleasure, age this for at least five years from release to allow it to open up. - Decanter Magazine

95+ Points! The 2022 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru reveals the same seriousness it displayed in barrel. Unwinding in the glass with notes of cherries, dark berries, orange zest and petals, it's full-bodied, layered and enveloping, built around a chassis of sweet, powdery tannins and animated by lively acids. While this is generally the domaine's most immediate grand cru, the 2022 will nevertheless demand a bit of patience. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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95 Points! The 2021 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru has also turned out brilliantly in bottle, and readers will have a hard time choosing between this and the Lavaux Saint-Jacques. Bursting from the glass with aromas of peonies, wild berries, cherries, orange zest and spices, it's full-bodied, ample and multidimensional, with a broad attack that segues into a layered, enveloping core, concluding with a long, spicy finish. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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95 Points! Deep, bright red. Knockout vibrant nose combines purple and red berries, crushed stone, violet and animal fur. Lush, thick and deep but with terrific chalky energy animating the middle palate. Conveys striking depth to its red fruit and floral flavors, with the 45% new oak practically invisible today. Finishes with huge but round, noble tannins and outstanding lingering sweetness. In a more opulent style than the potentially great 2013, and probably for drinking before that wine. - Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media

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93-95 Points! The 2022 Pommard Grands Epenots 1er Cru bides its time in the glass, opening discretely with blackberry, redcurrants, briar and forest floor. Quintessentially Pommard, graceful and focused. The oak here is neatly assimilated. The medium-bodied palate has finely sculpted tannins, poised and very refreshing. There's good substance on the finish with insistent grip. This will need 5-6 years in bottle, but this represents a very classy, refined take on the vintage, a very sophisticated Pommard.

Winemaker David Rebourgeon lives virtually next door to Thibaud Clerget, and they have almost opposite personalities; Rebourgeon is more quietly spoken and perhaps introverted. Yet what they both have in common is excellent wines. That’s definitely the case in 2022, where I think Rebourgeon oversaw a couple of marvelous cuvées, amongst the best reds in the Côte de Beaune. “Everything was harvested by hand with a good ambiance,” he tells me after failing to remember exactly when he started picking. “I do both pigeage and remontage but did a little less pigeage this year. The alcohol levels are between 13% and 13.5%. The yields were not too high: We had half a crop in 2021 and one and half of a crop in 2022. The Premier Crus are all matured in 20% to 25% new oak. I am very happy with the 2022s. It was a generous vintage with fine balance and depth.” Readers should check out his tremendous Volnay Santenots and Les Caillerets – amongst the best you will find, plus a seriously good Pommard Grands Epenots. These classically styled wines don’t sing and shout, but their virtues stealthily creep up on you! - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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94-96 Points! Tremblay's 2021 Echézeaux du Dessus Grand Cru is a hauntingly floral, ethereal wine, wafting from the glass with scents of sweet plums and berries mingled with exotic spices, orange zest and vine smoke. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, it's deep and seamless, with a cool core of fruit, melting tannins and a long, floral finish. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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99+ Points! The 2016 Clos de Tart Grand Cru, cropped at 35hl/ha, is the first year farmed biodynamically. This was completely breathtaking in barrel, and now, in bottle, nothing has changed in that respect. It has an ineffably complex bouquet, not as intense as it showed in barrel yet extremely deep and cerebral, black fruit mingling with forest floor, crushed stone and a touch of sea spray. The palate is perfectly balanced with a deceivingly understated entry, before a wave of black and red fruit crashes over the senses. It is framed by supremely fine tannin, the intensity building toward a crescendo as it fans out. The aftertaste is unbelievably long, remaining in the mouth 60 seconds after the wine has departed. The best ever – simple as that. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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94-96 Points! Broader and more flamboyant than the Chapelle-Chambertin, the 2020 Echézeaux du Dessus Grand Cru bursts with aromas of plums, wild berries, exotic spices, orange rind, peonies and smoked meats. Full-bodied, ample and perfumed, it's layered and concentrated, with a fleshy, multidimensional core of fruit, lively acids and a long, expansive finish. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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93-95+ Points! The 2020 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos de Champs Martin Cuvée Carline unwinds in the glass with a deep bouquet of wild berries, vine smoke, raw cocoa, cloves, anise and peonies. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's layered and complete, with a tightly wound core of vibrant fruit framed by beautifully refined tannins and concluding with a long, saline finish. Less demonstrative than its 2019 and 2018 predecessors, I suspect it will emerge as the finest of the trilogy in the fulness of time, but it will require patience. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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93-95 Points! The 2020 Mercurey 1er Cru Les Champs Martin unwinds in the glass with scents of freshly baked bread, wet stones, white currants, confit citrus and crisp green orchard fruit. Full-bodied, ample and seamless, it's layered and racy, with broad shoulders, bright acids and a long, mineral finish. Its elegant profile belies considerable reserves of chalky structuring extract that will make this a wine for the long haul. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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93-95 Points! The 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots-du-Milieu is excellent, wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of wild berries, plums and cassis mingled with hints of spices, grilled meats and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's deep and tightly wound, with powdery structuring tannins and lively acids. This is a serious Santenots that will require some bottle age, and it's among the best that I can remember tasting chez Lafon over the last decade. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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93-95 Points! One of the highlights of the range this year is the 2020 Corton Grand Cru Les Perrières, a vibrant, mineral wine evocative of wild berries, forest floor, rich spices and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and vibrant, with beautifully refined tannins and a long, penetrating finish, it's well worth seeking out. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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93-95 Points! Matured with 20% whole bunch and the same level of new oak, the 2018 Pommard Les Rugiens 1er Cru has an elegant, refined bouquet that gradually unfurls to reveal blackberry, briar and light wild strawberry scents, the stems lending a little pepperiness. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins and very well-judged acidity. Delivers impressive tension and structure toward the linear, very persistent finish. This is an outstanding Les Rugiens, one of the best you will find this vintage. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media Learn More