Burgundy
When it comes to the world of fine wines, Burgundy stands tall as one of the most revered and sought-after regions. Renowned for its exceptional terroir and commitment to quality, Burgundy has long captivated enthusiasts with its exquisite and highly prized wines. Today, let us delve into the realm of the best and most expensive wines that Burgundy has to offer, a realm where true wine aficionados can indulge in the pinnacle of winemaking excellence.
At the heart of Burgundy's prestige lie its renowned vineyards, which have garnered global acclaim for their exceptional wines. The names that resonate in the world of Burgundy are Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leroy, Domaine Armand Rousseau, and Domaine Georges Roumier. These vineyards have become synonymous with greatness, crafting wines that define elegance, complexity, and longevity.
Burgundy's most esteemed wines are crafted from two noble grape varieties: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The region's red wines, made predominantly from Pinot Noir, display a finesse and purity of fruit that are unmatched. Vineyards such as Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, and Richebourg produce red wines that command astronomical prices due to their exceptional quality and limited production.
For white wine enthusiasts, Burgundy's Chardonnay-based wines are a true revelation. Vineyards like Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne, and Meursault showcase the full potential of this noble grape, producing wines of unparalleled richness, depth, and complexity. These whites epitomize the artistry of winemaking, with each sip revealing layers of flavors and a harmonious balance between fruit, minerality, and oak.
In the world of fine wines, Burgundy stands as an epitome of elegance, complexity, and refined craftsmanship. Its best and most expensive wines are a testament to the region's unwavering commitment to excellence, terroir-driven winemaking, and the artistry of the winemakers.
Burgundy
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Burghound (95)
This is notably more floral as well as more restrained and what is interesting is that even though the violet-inflected fruit profile is just as ripe, it runs toward the red side of the spectrum while displaying a similar variety of spice components that includes a hint of sandalwood. This too is impressively constituted but despite the power and concentration the broad-shouldered flavors retain plenty of underlying tension as well as lovely precision before culminating in a massively long, balanced and harmonious if youthfully austere finale where the only nit is a hint of warmth. By the usual standards of this wine I would not describe the 2015 version as massive though at the same time it is beautifully proportioned.Inc. VAT£10,056.41 -
Wine Spectator (98)
Incredible harmony to this pedigreed red Burgundy. Closed on the nose now, it unfolds layers of elegant yet superripe fruit, wrapping around the palate, coating every taste bud with the silky flavors. Full-bodied and not powerful, it's just lovely, with an aftertaste that seems to last for minutes. Best from 2006 through 2036. -PMInc. VAT£13,244.81 -
Wine Enthusiast (97)
Truly glorious and incredibly seductive in the nose, with a complex but also subtle swirl of fruit, herbs and spice. Bold, sleek and velvety on the palate, with a distinct core that is pleasingly redolent of fresh-picked grape stems, but surrounded by ripe raspberry and cherry flavors. It evens out with hints of leather, toast, crème brûlée, rose petals, citrus and toast on the long, lingering finish.Inc. VAT£17,951.21 -
Wine Advocate (99)
The 2003 La Tache reveals aromas of milk chocolate, violets, roses, and dark cherries. Suave, displaying massive amplitude and a full-bodied, velvety-textured character, this behemoth’s flavor profile brings to mind chocolate-covered black cherries. Immensely powerful and noble, it offers an interminable finish that is packed with flawlessly ripe, sweet tannin. Projected maturity: 2013-2030.Inc. VAT£17,839.61 -
Vinous (98)
The 2009 La Tâche Grand Cru is the most ethereal of the three wines in this flight. Whole cluster influence is especially marked here. A whole range of spice, dried flower, mint and savory overtones infuse the 2009 with layers of nuance. Next to the other wines in this flight, La Tâche is ethereal and harder to fully capture with words, an attribute many, if not most, of the world’s greatest wines share.Inc. VAT£20,742.41 -
Inc. VAT£3,758.40
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Burghound (97)
Like many 2002s at five years of age, this is really beginning to close up and become a good deal less expressive. Vigorous swirling however coaxes a superbly detailed if reluctant nose of dried rose petals, kirsch and plenty of spice elements. The medium weight plus flavors are taut, focused, very backward, powerful and punchy and like the nose, blessed with seriously impressive detail and layer after layer of sappy extract and incredible depth. Impeccably balanced with a certain tenderness here with tannins that are sophisticated and quite fine with the classic Romanée-Conti character of an almost spiritual sense of harmony. Though it will need a lot of time, this will become a great vintage for Romanée-Conti.Inc. VAT£18,151.61 -
Wine Advocate (97)
Violets, roses, raspberries, and red cherries emanate from the 2003 Richebourg. Full-bodied, deep, and hugely concentrated, it is muscular, firm and displays the firmest structure of the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti’s 2003s. Soy sauce, tar, chocolate, and dark fruits are found in its focused, audacious personality. Its impressively persistent finish is studded with highly present tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2025.Inc. VAT£13,825.61 -
Vinous (98+)
The 2005 Richebourg makes a strong argument that the answer to that question might be a resounding ‘yes!’ Huge beams of tannin are present but nearly covered by the sheer intensity the fruit. Black cherry, plum, mint, lavender and graphite give the 2005 much of its gravitas. Tonight, the 2005 is insanely beautiful and absolutely stellar, and I say that never having truly fallen for the domaine’s Richebourg. The 2005, though, well, it simply will not be denied.Inc. VAT£16,213.61 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (93+)
Bright medium red. Pungent aromas of wild strawberry, minerals, spices and pepper. Not a fat wine but classy and suave, with terrific peppery, minerally lift in the middle palate. With aeration, this classically dry wine showed a stronger soil component and mounting power. Finishes with superb breadth and an impression of weightlessness. I might have initially mistaken this for the RSV-and vice-versa-had I tasted these blind, but this is ultimately the more powerful wine.Inc. VAT£10,391.21 -
Jancis Robinson (19)
Vines aged 46 years. 24 hl/ha. Harvested 23–24 September. Bottled late March 2018. 868 dozen produced. Lightish ruby. Very pretty cherry fruit jumping from the glass and just a touch of wild herbs from the whole-bunch influence. Opens up to a more peppery lift, almost makes me want to sneeze. I’ve never taken snuff but I wonder if the revitalising effect is similar? There’s still all that tangy wild cherry on the palate but it is more severe than I expected from the nose, really corseted by the super-fine but strict tannins. Amazing power after such a pretty first impression. As with the Romanée-St-Vivant, the whole-bunch aroma – very hard to describe but it has a sort of fresh, herbal, dusty, woodland effect – grows in the glass. Darker on the finish, really sinewy and perfectly firm, compact, endless. (JH)Inc. VAT£12,754.01 -
Wine Advocate (100)
The Romanee-Conti is utterly mind blowing. The heady, intoxicating bouquet delivered penetrating and sublime aromas that were even more intense than those from the La Tache. On the palate, there is a veritable smorgasbord of earthly and heavenly delights. Needless to say, it is very rich, very opulent, and very concentrated. Red burgundy and red wine do not get any better than this. My guess is that it will peak between 1990 and 2005, as it is a bit more forward than either the La Tache or Richebourg.Inc. VAT£28,039.61 -
Decanter (100)
Medium-full weight. Very lovely, almost Musigny-like fruit here. Complex, concentrated and intense. Marvelous harmony. Very, very long and multi-dimensional. This is very special.Inc. VAT£57,206.81 -
Wine Advocate (95-97)
The king of the cellar on the white side of the ledger is the 2020 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Les Demoiselles (Domaine des Héritiers Jadot), a striking wine that unfurls in the glass with notes of citrus oil, white flowers, buttered popcorn, chalky soil tones, beeswax and spices. Full-bodied, multidimensional and layered, it's muscular and concentrated, with racy acids, an abundance of structuring dry extract and a long, resonant finish. It is worth a special effort to seek out.Inc. VAT£1,412.81 -
Vinous (94-97)
Bright, dark red. Sexy high-toned lift to the aromas of raspberry, cocoa powder and spicecake, complicated by a minty nuance. Silky and intense on entry, then utterly primary in the middle, with urgent crushed red fruit and spice flavors that are almost too big for the mouth. The explosive finish features strong, noble tannins and outstanding rising length. This wine began in two new 225-liter barriques and was then racked into one new and one one-year-old barrel in October.Inc. VAT£5,645.29 -
Vinous (95-97)
The 2018 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru has a reserved and tightly wound bouquet of dark berry fruit, sea cave/oyster shell, raspberry preserve and faint touches of fireside ash. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a fine bead of acidity and a classy, almost Richebourg-like, arching structure that possesses enormous length. Fabulous.Inc. VAT£7,718.89 -
Vinous (93+)
Bright, dark red. Distinctly blacker and wilder on the nose than the Echézeaux, with dark berry and floral aromas complicated by notes of sous-bois, coffee, mocha and menthol. Rather tight, even musclebound, today but boasts terrific energy to its blackberry, menthol and violet flavors. Finishes adamantly dry, broad and soil-inflected, with considerable power and outstanding length. Like the Echézeaux, this is painfully backward today. The fruit was picked at 11.8% and chaptalized to 13.2%.Inc. VAT£6,732.41 -
Vinous (98)
The 2015 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1er Cru is a wine that I fell head over heels for in barrel. It is limpid in color and extraordinarily intense on the nose, embracing that summer's warmth without denuding it of precision or terroir expression, and delivering plush blueberry, raspberry coulis and emerging touches of iodine. This Cros Parantoux is just revving its engine. The palate is beautifully balanced with sappy red fruit and impressive depth. It still needs a couple of years to fully integrate, but you must stand back and admire its persistence. Huge potential. Tasted blind at Maison de Colombier in Beaune.Inc. VAT£6,559.61 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95-98)
(5-Star Wine) A great vintage for these cooler sites. What an explosion of fruit! A dense full but not exaggerated purple, then the wine goes back into its shell a little, but with gorgeous harmony, a match for his neighbour’s wine. How to explain all the fruits? More on the darker side but intense pinpricks of red notes too and a most harmonious, indeed blissful, finish.Inc. VAT£6,782.81 -
Wine Advocate (89-91)
The 2014 Vosne-Romanée Village was showing a little more wood on the nose compared to the Nuits Saint Georges Village, hints of dried blood infusing the red berry fruit. The palate is well balanced, a little grainy with dark berries (bilberry and boysenberry) suffused with sous-bois on the finish. Hopefully it will evolve more cohesion during the remainder of its élevage. There is substance here, but the component parts need to knit together.Inc. VAT£850.09 -
Wine Advocate (94-96)
The 2014 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru takes a few swirls of the glass to really get going, eventually developing subtle peardrop and nectarine notes that patiently wait behind the stony veneer. The palate is crisp and fresh on the entry with a fine line of acidity, brisk and lively, hints of peach and pineapple coming through on the seductive and flattering finish that has plenty of roundness. This is just gorgeous, but it needs several years in the cellar.Inc. VAT£1,856.81 -
Vinous (94+)
(one of the three barrels was new): Bright, pale straw-yellow. Rich, nuanced aromas of yellow peach, apricot, white pepper, iodine, clove and smoky oak. Wonderfully rich, deep and sweet, displaying strong extract and a powerful, chewy, rising finish. Finishes peppery, broad, saline and rich, with a tannic impression and excellent length. This wine is vinified at Baron Thénard, the source of these grapes, with barrels provided by Sauzet, then moved back to Sauzet's cellar in mid-winter. This slightly peppery, saline Montrachet does not have the distinction of the Chevalier-Montrachet but boasts terrific power and solidity.Inc. VAT£3,203.21 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2020 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is raised with 70% whole bunch and around 80% new oak. Here, I feel that the stems are just jutting out a little more compared to the Grands Echézeaux and slightly obscures the terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, fine backbone, perhaps without the same amplitude on the finish as either the Echézeaux or its "big brother". Still, this will give two or three decades of drinking pleasure.Inc. VAT£1,280.89 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2021 Echézeaux Grand Cru, which was protected by the frost with candles, hence there are seven barrels this year compared to the five barrels of the previous year. Red and black fruit on the nose, graphite coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins. The partial whole clusters lend a discrete pepperiness, very nicely focused with sour cherry and clove towards quite a structured finish that will require time to absorb the new oak. Quite serious. Patience required.Inc. VAT£1,440.49 -
Vinous (96-98)
The 2020 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru includes three-quarters whole cluster fruit. It has a beautifully-defined bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, wilted rose petals, incredibly precise and focused. The palate has an unerring symmetry, a fine bead of acidity, precise and crisp, the whole bunch seamlessly integrated with an assiduous sprinkling of white pepper on the finish. This magnificent Grands Echézeaux is very persistent in the mouth and it should be afforded around a decade in bottle to witness it at full flight. Magnificent.Inc. VAT£1,802.89 -
Vinous (94-97)
(made from same plot of 60+-year-old vines on the Chambertin side of this grand cru as in the past; 100% destemmed): Bright dark red. Raspberry and a touch of reduction on the nose. Then dense, sappy and high-pitched in the mouth, with terrific intensity and saline complexity to the intense red berry flavors. Notes of menthol and crushed stone contribute to an impression of youthful tightness. Harder to taste today than the classic Clos de Bèze, which is showing more energy and salty minerality in the early going. But this is subtler and longer on the aftertaste, with a distinctly floral, feminine character that reminded me of a great Chambolle-Musigny. Very different in style from Faiveley's basic Clos de Bèze, but is it better?Inc. VAT£2,284.01 -
Wine Advocate (97)
The 2016 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Les Ouvrées Rodin is showing brilliantly from bottle, unfurling in the glass with a rich bouquet of cassis, cherries, red berries, grilled game, licorice, spices and smoky new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and expansive, with a deep and intense core of sapid fruit that cloaks its satiny but abundant structuring tannins, underpinned by succulent acids and concluding with a seriously long, penetrating finish. This special cuvée hails from a parcel of vines planted in 1966 on the Chambertin side of Clos de Bèze, and its name commemorates a Faiveley family connection with the sculptor Rodin.Inc. VAT£2,284.01 -
Jancis Robinson (18)
Barrel sample. Mid crimson, a little lighter in colour than the Grands Échezeaux. Brighter fruited and a little more floral, with a stony/mineral elegance as well as that pure and perfumed dark-red fruit. A youthful beauty.Inc. VAT£473.21 -
Vinous (93-96)
(just a single new 150-liter barrel of this wine, vinified with 50% whole clusters): Bright, dark red. Captivating aromas of raspberry, coffee, mocha and pistachio. Plush, dense and deep, conveying more saline minerality and deep soil tones than primary dark fruits in the early going. But this wine boasts compelling sweetness and finishes with dusty, thoroughly ripe tannins and outstanding length. (Incidentally, Faiveley will actually have two different bottlings of Musigny from the 2015 vintage as they purchased a tiny parcel of vines from the Dufouleur family just after the harvest of 2015. The new wine will be bottled in magnums, which Faiveley plans to open in 2025 as part of the family's 200th-anniversary festivities. Beginning with 2016, there will be a single estate Musigny consisting of about 600 bottles.)Inc. VAT£7,513.61 -
Vinous (96)
The 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru conveys more tension and mineralité on the nose than the Criots, very well defined with wet limestone mixed with citrus fruit and apple blossom. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, taut and fresh with a saline finish that has a lovely edginess. With great persistent and poise, this is a very impressive Bâtard-Montrachet.Inc. VAT£890.81
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Burghound (95)
This is notably more floral as well as more restrained and what is interesting is that even though the violet-inflected fruit profile is just as ripe, it runs toward the red side of the spectrum while displaying a similar variety of spice components that includes a hint of sandalwood. This too is impressively constituted but despite the power and concentration the broad-shouldered flavors retain plenty of underlying tension as well as lovely precision before culminating in a massively long, balanced and harmonious if youthfully austere finale where the only nit is a hint of warmth. By the usual standards of this wine I would not describe the 2015 version as massive though at the same time it is beautifully proportioned.In Bond£8,375.00 -
Wine Spectator (98)
Incredible harmony to this pedigreed red Burgundy. Closed on the nose now, it unfolds layers of elegant yet superripe fruit, wrapping around the palate, coating every taste bud with the silky flavors. Full-bodied and not powerful, it's just lovely, with an aftertaste that seems to last for minutes. Best from 2006 through 2036. -PMIn Bond£11,032.00 -
Wine Enthusiast (97)
Truly glorious and incredibly seductive in the nose, with a complex but also subtle swirl of fruit, herbs and spice. Bold, sleek and velvety on the palate, with a distinct core that is pleasingly redolent of fresh-picked grape stems, but surrounded by ripe raspberry and cherry flavors. It evens out with hints of leather, toast, crème brûlée, rose petals, citrus and toast on the long, lingering finish.In Bond£14,954.00 -
Wine Advocate (99)
The 2003 La Tache reveals aromas of milk chocolate, violets, roses, and dark cherries. Suave, displaying massive amplitude and a full-bodied, velvety-textured character, this behemoth’s flavor profile brings to mind chocolate-covered black cherries. Immensely powerful and noble, it offers an interminable finish that is packed with flawlessly ripe, sweet tannin. Projected maturity: 2013-2030.In Bond£14,861.00 -
Vinous (98)
The 2009 La Tâche Grand Cru is the most ethereal of the three wines in this flight. Whole cluster influence is especially marked here. A whole range of spice, dried flower, mint and savory overtones infuse the 2009 with layers of nuance. Next to the other wines in this flight, La Tâche is ethereal and harder to fully capture with words, an attribute many, if not most, of the world’s greatest wines share.In Bond£17,280.00 -
Inc. VAT£3,758.40
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Burghound (97)
Like many 2002s at five years of age, this is really beginning to close up and become a good deal less expressive. Vigorous swirling however coaxes a superbly detailed if reluctant nose of dried rose petals, kirsch and plenty of spice elements. The medium weight plus flavors are taut, focused, very backward, powerful and punchy and like the nose, blessed with seriously impressive detail and layer after layer of sappy extract and incredible depth. Impeccably balanced with a certain tenderness here with tannins that are sophisticated and quite fine with the classic Romanée-Conti character of an almost spiritual sense of harmony. Though it will need a lot of time, this will become a great vintage for Romanée-Conti.In Bond£15,121.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
Violets, roses, raspberries, and red cherries emanate from the 2003 Richebourg. Full-bodied, deep, and hugely concentrated, it is muscular, firm and displays the firmest structure of the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti’s 2003s. Soy sauce, tar, chocolate, and dark fruits are found in its focused, audacious personality. Its impressively persistent finish is studded with highly present tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2025.In Bond£11,516.00 -
Vinous (98+)
The 2005 Richebourg makes a strong argument that the answer to that question might be a resounding ‘yes!’ Huge beams of tannin are present but nearly covered by the sheer intensity the fruit. Black cherry, plum, mint, lavender and graphite give the 2005 much of its gravitas. Tonight, the 2005 is insanely beautiful and absolutely stellar, and I say that never having truly fallen for the domaine’s Richebourg. The 2005, though, well, it simply will not be denied.In Bond£13,506.00 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (93+)
Bright medium red. Pungent aromas of wild strawberry, minerals, spices and pepper. Not a fat wine but classy and suave, with terrific peppery, minerally lift in the middle palate. With aeration, this classically dry wine showed a stronger soil component and mounting power. Finishes with superb breadth and an impression of weightlessness. I might have initially mistaken this for the RSV-and vice-versa-had I tasted these blind, but this is ultimately the more powerful wine.In Bond£8,654.00 -
Jancis Robinson (19)
Vines aged 46 years. 24 hl/ha. Harvested 23–24 September. Bottled late March 2018. 868 dozen produced. Lightish ruby. Very pretty cherry fruit jumping from the glass and just a touch of wild herbs from the whole-bunch influence. Opens up to a more peppery lift, almost makes me want to sneeze. I’ve never taken snuff but I wonder if the revitalising effect is similar? There’s still all that tangy wild cherry on the palate but it is more severe than I expected from the nose, really corseted by the super-fine but strict tannins. Amazing power after such a pretty first impression. As with the Romanée-St-Vivant, the whole-bunch aroma – very hard to describe but it has a sort of fresh, herbal, dusty, woodland effect – grows in the glass. Darker on the finish, really sinewy and perfectly firm, compact, endless. (JH)In Bond£10,623.00 -
Wine Advocate (100)
The Romanee-Conti is utterly mind blowing. The heady, intoxicating bouquet delivered penetrating and sublime aromas that were even more intense than those from the La Tache. On the palate, there is a veritable smorgasbord of earthly and heavenly delights. Needless to say, it is very rich, very opulent, and very concentrated. Red burgundy and red wine do not get any better than this. My guess is that it will peak between 1990 and 2005, as it is a bit more forward than either the La Tache or Richebourg.In Bond£23,361.00 -
Decanter (100)
Medium-full weight. Very lovely, almost Musigny-like fruit here. Complex, concentrated and intense. Marvelous harmony. Very, very long and multi-dimensional. This is very special.In Bond£47,667.00 -
Wine Advocate (95-97)
The king of the cellar on the white side of the ledger is the 2020 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Les Demoiselles (Domaine des Héritiers Jadot), a striking wine that unfurls in the glass with notes of citrus oil, white flowers, buttered popcorn, chalky soil tones, beeswax and spices. Full-bodied, multidimensional and layered, it's muscular and concentrated, with racy acids, an abundance of structuring dry extract and a long, resonant finish. It is worth a special effort to seek out.In Bond£1,172.00 -
Vinous (94-97)
Bright, dark red. Sexy high-toned lift to the aromas of raspberry, cocoa powder and spicecake, complicated by a minty nuance. Silky and intense on entry, then utterly primary in the middle, with urgent crushed red fruit and spice flavors that are almost too big for the mouth. The explosive finish features strong, noble tannins and outstanding rising length. This wine began in two new 225-liter barriques and was then racked into one new and one one-year-old barrel in October.In Bond£4,698.00 -
Vinous (95-97)
The 2018 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru has a reserved and tightly wound bouquet of dark berry fruit, sea cave/oyster shell, raspberry preserve and faint touches of fireside ash. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a fine bead of acidity and a classy, almost Richebourg-like, arching structure that possesses enormous length. Fabulous.In Bond£6,426.00 -
Vinous (93+)
Bright, dark red. Distinctly blacker and wilder on the nose than the Echézeaux, with dark berry and floral aromas complicated by notes of sous-bois, coffee, mocha and menthol. Rather tight, even musclebound, today but boasts terrific energy to its blackberry, menthol and violet flavors. Finishes adamantly dry, broad and soil-inflected, with considerable power and outstanding length. Like the Echézeaux, this is painfully backward today. The fruit was picked at 11.8% and chaptalized to 13.2%.In Bond£5,605.00 -
Vinous (98)
The 2015 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1er Cru is a wine that I fell head over heels for in barrel. It is limpid in color and extraordinarily intense on the nose, embracing that summer's warmth without denuding it of precision or terroir expression, and delivering plush blueberry, raspberry coulis and emerging touches of iodine. This Cros Parantoux is just revving its engine. The palate is beautifully balanced with sappy red fruit and impressive depth. It still needs a couple of years to fully integrate, but you must stand back and admire its persistence. Huge potential. Tasted blind at Maison de Colombier in Beaune.In Bond£5,461.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95-98)
(5-Star Wine) A great vintage for these cooler sites. What an explosion of fruit! A dense full but not exaggerated purple, then the wine goes back into its shell a little, but with gorgeous harmony, a match for his neighbour’s wine. How to explain all the fruits? More on the darker side but intense pinpricks of red notes too and a most harmonious, indeed blissful, finish.In Bond£5,647.00 -
Wine Advocate (89-91)
The 2014 Vosne-Romanée Village was showing a little more wood on the nose compared to the Nuits Saint Georges Village, hints of dried blood infusing the red berry fruit. The palate is well balanced, a little grainy with dark berries (bilberry and boysenberry) suffused with sous-bois on the finish. Hopefully it will evolve more cohesion during the remainder of its élevage. There is substance here, but the component parts need to knit together.In Bond£702.00 -
Wine Advocate (94-96)
The 2014 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru takes a few swirls of the glass to really get going, eventually developing subtle peardrop and nectarine notes that patiently wait behind the stony veneer. The palate is crisp and fresh on the entry with a fine line of acidity, brisk and lively, hints of peach and pineapple coming through on the seductive and flattering finish that has plenty of roundness. This is just gorgeous, but it needs several years in the cellar.In Bond£1,542.00 -
Vinous (94+)
(one of the three barrels was new): Bright, pale straw-yellow. Rich, nuanced aromas of yellow peach, apricot, white pepper, iodine, clove and smoky oak. Wonderfully rich, deep and sweet, displaying strong extract and a powerful, chewy, rising finish. Finishes peppery, broad, saline and rich, with a tannic impression and excellent length. This wine is vinified at Baron Thénard, the source of these grapes, with barrels provided by Sauzet, then moved back to Sauzet's cellar in mid-winter. This slightly peppery, saline Montrachet does not have the distinction of the Chevalier-Montrachet but boasts terrific power and solidity.In Bond£2,664.00 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2020 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is raised with 70% whole bunch and around 80% new oak. Here, I feel that the stems are just jutting out a little more compared to the Grands Echézeaux and slightly obscures the terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, fine backbone, perhaps without the same amplitude on the finish as either the Echézeaux or its "big brother". Still, this will give two or three decades of drinking pleasure.In Bond£1,061.00 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2021 Echézeaux Grand Cru, which was protected by the frost with candles, hence there are seven barrels this year compared to the five barrels of the previous year. Red and black fruit on the nose, graphite coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins. The partial whole clusters lend a discrete pepperiness, very nicely focused with sour cherry and clove towards quite a structured finish that will require time to absorb the new oak. Quite serious. Patience required.In Bond£1,194.00 -
Vinous (96-98)
The 2020 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru includes three-quarters whole cluster fruit. It has a beautifully-defined bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, wilted rose petals, incredibly precise and focused. The palate has an unerring symmetry, a fine bead of acidity, precise and crisp, the whole bunch seamlessly integrated with an assiduous sprinkling of white pepper on the finish. This magnificent Grands Echézeaux is very persistent in the mouth and it should be afforded around a decade in bottle to witness it at full flight. Magnificent.In Bond£1,496.00 -
Vinous (94-97)
(made from same plot of 60+-year-old vines on the Chambertin side of this grand cru as in the past; 100% destemmed): Bright dark red. Raspberry and a touch of reduction on the nose. Then dense, sappy and high-pitched in the mouth, with terrific intensity and saline complexity to the intense red berry flavors. Notes of menthol and crushed stone contribute to an impression of youthful tightness. Harder to taste today than the classic Clos de Bèze, which is showing more energy and salty minerality in the early going. But this is subtler and longer on the aftertaste, with a distinctly floral, feminine character that reminded me of a great Chambolle-Musigny. Very different in style from Faiveley's basic Clos de Bèze, but is it better?In Bond£1,898.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
The 2016 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Les Ouvrées Rodin is showing brilliantly from bottle, unfurling in the glass with a rich bouquet of cassis, cherries, red berries, grilled game, licorice, spices and smoky new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and expansive, with a deep and intense core of sapid fruit that cloaks its satiny but abundant structuring tannins, underpinned by succulent acids and concluding with a seriously long, penetrating finish. This special cuvée hails from a parcel of vines planted in 1966 on the Chambertin side of Clos de Bèze, and its name commemorates a Faiveley family connection with the sculptor Rodin.In Bond£1,898.00 -
Jancis Robinson (18)
Barrel sample. Mid crimson, a little lighter in colour than the Grands Échezeaux. Brighter fruited and a little more floral, with a stony/mineral elegance as well as that pure and perfumed dark-red fruit. A youthful beauty.In Bond£389.00 -
Vinous (93-96)
(just a single new 150-liter barrel of this wine, vinified with 50% whole clusters): Bright, dark red. Captivating aromas of raspberry, coffee, mocha and pistachio. Plush, dense and deep, conveying more saline minerality and deep soil tones than primary dark fruits in the early going. But this wine boasts compelling sweetness and finishes with dusty, thoroughly ripe tannins and outstanding length. (Incidentally, Faiveley will actually have two different bottlings of Musigny from the 2015 vintage as they purchased a tiny parcel of vines from the Dufouleur family just after the harvest of 2015. The new wine will be bottled in magnums, which Faiveley plans to open in 2025 as part of the family's 200th-anniversary festivities. Beginning with 2016, there will be a single estate Musigny consisting of about 600 bottles.)In Bond£6,256.00 -
Vinous (96)
The 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru conveys more tension and mineralité on the nose than the Criots, very well defined with wet limestone mixed with citrus fruit and apple blossom. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, taut and fresh with a saline finish that has a lovely edginess. With great persistent and poise, this is a very impressive Bâtard-Montrachet.In Bond£737.00