The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Deep, shiny, dark ruby in color, this rocks as soon as the wine is out of the gate, or should I say out of the bottle and into your glass. Cherry blossoms and lilacs make it seem as though you are in a flower shop. On the palate, the wine is rich, full bodied and concentrated, yet the wine is light on its feet. There is a purity in the fruit that is off the hook. There is a sensuous, textural quality that makes it so you cannot help but take another sip, to make sure the experience is real, and because it is so good! The wine is a testament to Paul Pontallier, as this is in some ways, a culmination of his life's work.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Deep, shiny, dark ruby in color, this rocks as soon as the wine is out of the gate, or should I say out of the bottle and into your glass. Cherry blossoms and lilacs make it seem as though you are in a flower shop. On the palate, the wine is rich, full bodied and concentrated, yet the wine is light on its feet. There is a purity in the fruit that is off the hook. There is a sensuous, textural quality that makes it so you cannot help but take another sip, to make sure the experience is real, and because it is so good! The wine is a testament to Paul Pontallier, as this is in some ways, a culmination of his life's work.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Deep, shiny, dark ruby in color, this rocks as soon as the wine is out of the gate, or should I say out of the bottle and into your glass. Cherry blossoms and lilacs make it seem as though you are in a flower shop. On the palate, the wine is rich, full bodied and concentrated, yet the wine is light on its feet. There is a purity in the fruit that is off the hook. There is a sensuous, textural quality that makes it so you cannot help but take another sip, to make sure the experience is real, and because it is so good! The wine is a testament to Paul Pontallier, as this is in some ways, a culmination of his life's work.

The Wine Cellar Insider (94)

Coming along nicely, the wine is already softening, filling out, and adding layers of complexity. Rich, full-bodied, lush, silky, and fresh, the layers of deep black and red fruits feel great on your palate and in the long, showy finish. This is developing in all the right ways.

Wine Advocate (88-90)

The 2015 Pommard 1er Cru Combes Dessus has a ripe blackberry, cola and spice-tinged bouquet that is actually quite Volnay in style thanks to its precocity. The palate is well balanced with succulent ripe tannin, plenty of black cherry and raspberry fruit, almost confit in style with fine balance towards the spicy finish that displays a touch of sinew. It should drink well over several years.

Vinous - Neal Martin (90)

The 2015 Marquis de Calon has a gorgeous bouquet of ample blackberry and raspberry fruit, crushed limestone and hints of blue fruit that emerge with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite edgy tannin. The acidity is very well judged and lends real tension. The finish, while it might not be the most complex, it is surfeited with energy. This is a delicious second wine. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

Vinous (92-94)

(aged in concrete tanks for the Grenache and barriques for the Mourvèdre) Deep ruby. Heady, smoke-accented aromas of black and blue fruits, incense and potpourri gain vivacity from a zesty mineral flourish. Densely packed black raspberry and blueberry flavors open up and turn spicier with air. Shows a suave blend of richness and finesse, offering outstanding focus and tenacity, subtle tannic grip and no excess fat.

James Suckling (91-92)

Chocolate powder and currant aromas and flavors. Full and savory. Velvety tannins. Very pretty.

Wine Advocate (85)

The 2015 Bourgogne Rouge has a pleasant crushed strawberry and red cherry nose that is candied in style. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, just a little coarseness on the finish, but another racking and it will be fine.

Vinous (89-92)

Deep red-ruby. Strawberry, spices and dark chocolate on the nose, complemented by a smoky element and lifted by a floral topnote. Nicely fat and sweet but also quite detailed. Despite its youthful medicinal reserve, this will be a charmer. Finishes tasty and long, with integrated tannins.

Burghound (95-98)

(Don't Miss!) Here too there is enough reduction present to push the underlying fruit to the background. Otherwise there is breathtakingly good concentration to the broad-shouldered, succulent and lavishly rich flavors that also possess an almost haunting inner mouth perfume of spice and floral elements. There is superb power and buckets of dry extract and despite the imposing size and weight this remains refined and immaculately well-balanced on the massively long finale. I was knocked out by the potential this demonstrated but note well that it is a wine to buy and forget as this is going to need 20 to 30 years to reach its full apogee.

Jancis Robinson (18.50)

Tasted blind. Very dark crimson. Rich array of aromas on the nose. Ambitious with lots of stuff covering a pretty massive charge of tannins. Just slightly inky. Exciting finish. Very persistent. Classic build with lots of ambition. Everyone thought this was Montrose! VGV

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

One of the wines of the vintage, the 2015 Côte Rôtie Belle Helene is up there with the handful of greatest young Syrahs I've ever been lucky enough to taste. Coming all from the Côte Rozier lieu-dit in the northern portion of the appellation, just above Guigal's la Landonne lieu-dit, this majestic wine offers incredible blue fruits, liquid violets, olive tapenade, and aged meats. Full-bodied, ultra-fine, deep, concentrated, and as seamless and pure as it gets. It's already approachable (which is rare for this cuvée) due to its perfectly ripe tannin, yet will need 7-8 years of bottle age and keep for 2-3 decades.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

One of the wines of the vintage, the 2015 Côte Rôtie Belle Helene is up there with the handful of greatest young Syrahs I've ever been lucky enough to taste. Coming all from the Côte Rozier lieu-dit in the northern portion of the appellation, just above Guigal's la Landonne lieu-dit, this majestic wine offers incredible blue fruits, liquid violets, olive tapenade, and aged meats. Full-bodied, ultra-fine, deep, concentrated, and as seamless and pure as it gets. It's already approachable (which is rare for this cuvée) due to its perfectly ripe tannin, yet will need 7-8 years of bottle age and keep for 2-3 decades.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

One of the wines of the vintage, the 2015 Côte Rôtie Belle Helene is up there with the handful of greatest young Syrahs I've ever been lucky enough to taste. Coming all from the Côte Rozier lieu-dit in the northern portion of the appellation, just above Guigal's la Landonne lieu-dit, this majestic wine offers incredible blue fruits, liquid violets, olive tapenade, and aged meats. Full-bodied, ultra-fine, deep, concentrated, and as seamless and pure as it gets. It's already approachable (which is rare for this cuvée) due to its perfectly ripe tannin, yet will need 7-8 years of bottle age and keep for 2-3 decades.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

One of the wines of the vintage, the 2015 Côte Rôtie Belle Helene is up there with the handful of greatest young Syrahs I've ever been lucky enough to taste. Coming all from the Côte Rozier lieu-dit in the northern portion of the appellation, just above Guigal's la Landonne lieu-dit, this majestic wine offers incredible blue fruits, liquid violets, olive tapenade, and aged meats. Full-bodied, ultra-fine, deep, concentrated, and as seamless and pure as it gets. It's already approachable (which is rare for this cuvée) due to its perfectly ripe tannin, yet will need 7-8 years of bottle age and keep for 2-3 decades.

Wine Advocate (96+)

Tasted blind, the 2015 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes is utterly superb, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet of raw cocoa, rose petal, orange rind and red berries that's already very nuanced. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, multidimensional and incredibly deep, with supple, satiny tannins, juicy acids and considerable concentration. Tasted among its peers, this Clos des Chênes is in a different class and confirms its status as one of a small handful of red wines of the vintage in the Côte de Beaune. It's a profound Volnay that will be incredibly long-lived.

Vinous (90-92)

(vinified with 60% whole clusters): Bright, dark red. Restrained aromas of black cherry and licorice show a slightly medicinal aspect. Fatter than the premier crus but less showy today, conveying an impression of medicinal reserve and little easy early sweetness. This rather backward wine finishes with plush, palate-saturating tannins and a strong repeating licorice quality, but some emerging dryness limited my enthusiasm.

Vinous (94)

Bright, moderately saturated medium red. A touch of reduction to the pure but withdrawn aromas and flavors of wild strawberry, flowers and spices. Bigger, richer and sweeter than the Clos Saint-Denis, showing a captivating sappy ripeness and serious concentration. The wine's rocky minerality really clamps down on the finish, with the horizontal, integrated tannins spreading out to saturate the mouth and front teeth. Quite powerful but an infant today, with all the elements for long-term aging.

Immerse in the aromatic symphony of the Mischief Mayhem Chambolle Musigny Cras 2015. Produced in the acclaimed vineyards of Chambolle Musigny in the Burgundy region of France, this exceptional wine mirrors the in-depth knowledge and passion of its creators, Mischief and Mayhem. This superior vintage, gloriously resonates the quintessential characteristics of this revered terroir.

Perfected over time, the Pinot Noir grapes were hand-harvested at optimal ripeness and underwent careful cold maceration to enhance flavour depth. The wine was matured in French oak barrels for 18 months, contributing to an elegant, balanced structure with fine-grained tannins.

Mischief Mayhem Chambolle Musigny Cras 2015 offers an enticing bouquet of red cherries interspersed with violet undertones. The palate is intriguing, with a pleasant acidity prolonging a nuanced finish of earthy mineral notes. Celebrate this tour de force of winemaking innovation - Mischief Mayhem Chambolle Musigny Cras 2015, the epitome of Burgundian finesse and terroir expression.

Indulge in the exquisite Monregard La Croix 2015, an exemplar of the artistry attainable in the revered Pomerol vineyards of Bordeaux, France. This resplendent red blend encompasses the region's hallmark varietals, primarily Merlot with dashes of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Hand-harvested from 50-year-old vines, the grapes endure a meticulous vinification process in temperature-controlled structured steel vats. Post-fermentation, the Monregard La Croix 2015 slumbers for 18 months in French oak barrels, developing nuances that speak of plums, black cherries and captivating chocolate tones.

A masterpiece by the revered Chatelain family, who holds paramount respect for viticultural tradition dating back to 1761, Monregard La Croix 2015 offers an extraordinary journey for the palate. Expect a wine that bravely treads the line between power and elegance, delivering layers of succulent fruit underscored by velvety tannins and a lengthy, pleasing finish. Buy this wine to unravel its complex narrative sip after soul-stirring sip.

James Suckling (98)

Intensity and clarity of fruit is so insane. Blackberries, spices such as cloves, blueberries, sandalwood and dried lavender. Full body and such a beautiful, dense center palate with perfectly polished tannins. Extremely long and beautiful. One of the best young Montroses in a long, long time. Drink in 2024.

Vinous - Neal Martin (91)

The 2015 Moulin-Riche has an attractive bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, briary and light mineral aromas, becoming quite floral with time. The palate is medium-bodied with pencil shavings and tobacco on the entry, well-knitted tannin, moderate depth with quite a persistent finish. Nice salinity too. Didier Cuvelier made a very fine Moulin-Riche this year. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

Wine Advocate (94+)

This property is owned and managed by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone. The 2015 Moulin Saint-Georges is blended of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 85% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it reveals a gorgeous plum preserves, licorice and blackberry pie-laced nose with touches of cedar chest, cigar box, black olives and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and very firmly textured with grainy tannins, it has a lively backbone supporting the generous black fruit, finishing with lingering savory notes. Give it a good 5 years or more in bottle and drink it over the next 20+ years.

James Suckling (99)

Decadent and rich aromas of black cherries and plums with wet earth and sandalwood. Turns to dried mushrooms. Full-bodied, tight and closed with big, polished tannins, yet this is very closed and shy right now. Despite this, underneath it shows such depth and beauty. Tangy acidity. This is a combination of 2005 and 2009. Try it in 2024.

James Suckling (99)

Decadent and rich aromas of black cherries and plums with wet earth and sandalwood. Turns to dried mushrooms. Full-bodied, tight and closed with big, polished tannins, yet this is very closed and shy right now. Despite this, underneath it shows such depth and beauty. Tangy acidity. This is a combination of 2005 and 2009. Try it in 2024.

Vinous (96)

Healthy dark red with ruby highlights. Lovely floral, spicy high tones to the aromas of dark cherry and raspberry. In a distinctly ripe style for this bottling, offering sweet, plush flavors of black raspberry, licorice, flowers, crushed rock and bitter chocolate. Still some new oak to be absorbed but this large-scaled Clos Vougeot has the stuffing to support it. Finishes ripely tannic and very long, with palate-saturating richness and captivating savory minerality. The first wine of my morning vertical tasting with the Mugneret sisters and a true breakfast of champions. (13.3% alcohol; 3.5 pH; harvested on September 5; 41 hectoliters per hectare produced; aged in 70% new oak)

Vinous (92-94)

(55% new oak; from Les Rouges du Bas and Les Quartiers de Nuits): Bright medium ruby. Very pure but subtle and shy on the nose, exuding scents of blackberry, dark cherry, violet and dark chocolate accented by orange zest. Offers an exhilarating balance of almost chocolatey sweetness and penetrating acidity. Finishes very long and primary, even a bit inky, with suave tannins and firm acidity. Marie-Christine Mugneret noted that new oak really marks the delicate Echézeaux character, but this wine has the stuffing to support its lumber.