Vinous (87)

The 2021 Chablis Vaucoupin 1er Cru has a primal, grapefruit and lemon thyme scented nose that feels a bit strict. The palate is well balanced with a sapid entry, though it needs more grip and substance on the finish. Fine, but early-drinking. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.

Vinous (94)

The 2011 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is just starting to drink well. Fresh and mineral, the 2011 also looks to have plenty of life ahead of it. Chalk, lemon confit and white flowers all grace this open-knit, curvy Charlemagne. The 2011 has really softened in recent years. Time in the glass brings out the layers in this very pretty and expressive Charlemagne from Bonneau du Martray.

Vinous (93)

The 2018 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a reductive nose but there is some fine fruit here, touches of orange pith, honeysuckle and melted candle wax. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, a hint of wood to be subsumed on the entry, impressive depth with a slightly toasty finish. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting.

Distinguished by its eloquent expression of the Beaune terroir, the Boris Champy Beaune 1er Cru Aux Coucherias 2021 is a testament to fine French winemaking. Boris Champy, renowned agronomist and oenologist, meticulously harvests from the partially historic limestone-clay vineyards of Coucherias, in the heart of Burgundy's Beaune appellation. The wine displays the unique characteristics of biodynamic viticulture with sustainable vineyard management.

Hand-harvested grapes are vinified naturally, giving rise to a dazzling Pinot Noir unencumbered by excessive oenological intervention. The sublime balance of ripe fruit, integrated tannins and vivacious acidity render the Boris Champy Beaune 1er Cru Aux Coucherias 2021 an epitome of elegance. Its ageing potential, refined by 18 months in oak barrels, suggests a promising evolution. This wine delivers a brilliant representation of the vintage's idiosyncrasies, showcasing Burgundy's signature complexity and depth.

Experience a bottle of Boris Champy Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune Le Clous Altitude 377 2019, a true oenophile's delight. This exclusive vintage heralds from a prestigious region - the cradle of Bourgogne wines- and possesses a sophisticated complexity befitting true lovers of world-class wine. Produced by renowned winemaker Boris Champy, a man dedicated to crafting wines which express the idiosyncrasies of their terroir, it is vinified in French oak barrels and aged for an average of 14 months, cultivating its nuanced character and style.

With its spectacular high altitude vineyard origin, this wine delivers a bright ruby colour, indulgent aromas of ripe cherry and wild strawberry, and subtle hints of spice and undergrowth. Its balanced structure and refined tannins culminate in a lasting, elegant finish, making the Boris Champy Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune Le Clous Altitude 377 2019 an unforgettable wine-imbibing experience.

Vinous (98)

The 2018 Clos de Tart Grand Cru was wonderful from barrel but now it seems to have gone up another level. It has an exquisite bouquet with wonderful mineralité infusing the brambly red fruit. Wonderful focus and quite profound complexity. You could nose this forever. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiselled tannins married with a killer line of natural acidity. Everything is perfectly proportioned in this wine, very persistent with layers of dark berry fruit laced with white pepper and tea leaf on the finish. Immense. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Vinous (94)

The 2020 Beaune Clos des Mouches 1er Cru, which comes from deeper soils than the Beaune Grèves, has a mixture of red and black fruit and is a touch more expressive with a discrete marine influence. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, very layered with a gentle but insistent grip on the finish. This is one of the finest Clos des Mouches that I have tasted.

Decanter (96)

Open and pleasant nose showing pretty floral and ripe red berry fruit along with spicy oak. The palate is elegant and juicy with red apple, beetroot and dried cranberry flavours, crunchy, ripe tannins and a chalky undertone. Very fine, tasty and well handled.

Wine Advocate (92)

There are some 3,500 cases of the 2020 Beaune 1er Cru Célébration (Maison Louis Jadot), a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and seamless wine evocative of smoky berries, spices and licorice, framed by creamy new oak. More polished and elegant than the muscular 2018, the last rendition of this bottling (which blends more than a dozen of Beaune's premiers crus), it will offer a broad drinking window.

Wine Advocate (94)

One of the highlights of this tasting was the 2013 Corton-Renardes Grand Cru, a beautiful wine that bursts from the glass with a surprisingly expressive bouquet of wild berries, plums and spices, complemented by savory bass notes of dark chocolate, game bird and dried ceps. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with terrific concentration, racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. The combination of ultra-refined tannins and mouthwatering cut makes for a very elegant style of Corton-Renardes this year, and it will delight Burgundy purists.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2017 Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots has also turned out beautifully, mingling aromas of cherries, raspberries and orange rind with nuances of peonies, smoked meat, grilled ceps and espresso roast. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, succulent and enveloping, with terrific depth and concentration at the core, framed by lively acids and an elegantly muscular chassis of powdery structuring tannins. Like all Gaunoux's wines in 2017, this Grands Epenots marries seriousness with structural charm to very appealing effect.

Burghound (94)

(Outstanding) Here too there is a discreet application of wood setting off the beautifully layered aromas of poached plum and spicy dark berries. The generously proportioned and appealingly refined medium weight plus flavors possess a suave and seductively textured mouthfeel while displaying outstanding length on the balanced and mildly austere finish where the only nit is the barest trace of warmth. This is arguably a bit more 2018 in style and a wine that should age gracefully for 15 to 20 years. In a word, terrific.

Wine Advocate (94)

A wine of grand cru depth and dimension even in this challenging vintage, the 2013 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens delivers a reserved bouquet of sweet red fruits, spices, candied peel and subtle espresso roast. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and layered, with excellent concentration, satiny tannins and a long, chewy finish that's lent delineation by the wine's tangy acids. The only missing ingredient is time.

Wine Advocate (95)

More brooding than the Grands Epenots, the 2017 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens unfurls in the glass with a deep-pitched bouquet of cassis, black cherries, rich soil tones, peonies and dark chocolate, deftly framed by a discreet touch of oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a textural attack, muscular but velvety structuring tannins and a long, resonant and intensely sapid finish. This is a brilliant wine from Gaunoux, and one of the wines of the vintage along the Côte de Beaune this year.

Burghound (95)

(Outstanding) A cooler and more elegant nose is dazzlingly pure with its elegant aromas of anise, essence of violet and rose petal, black cherry and an interesting hint of Asian-style tea. There is excellent power and underlying tension to the large-scaled flavors that possess a positively gorgeous mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the stony, detailed and compact finale. This is picture perfect Rugiens.

Burghound (97)

A brooding and almost grumpy nose only grudgingly gives up its aromas of poached plum, warm earth, smoked game and once again, plenty of spice nuances. The velvety and opulent big-bodied flavors brim with an abundance of dry extract that imparts a seductive mid-palate mouth but also serves to buffer the remarkably firm tannic spine shaping the powerful and hugely long finish where the only nit is a suggestion of warmth. This is a fantastic but seriously imposing wine with the structure to match so this is one to buy and forget you own it. In a word, brilliant.

The Stephane Magnien Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2017 is the epitome of fine Burgundy wine, crafted by the fourth-generation vintner, Stephane Magnien. Cultivated in the renowned vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin, this luxurious Grand Cru elegantly embodies the region's famed terroir. The wine’s cultivation is traditional, with the vineyards possessing an average age of 65 years, ensuring deep root growth and contributing a distinctive complexity to the wine.

The vinification processes involve thoughtful, gentle extraction techniques to preserve the wine's unique, full-bodied flavour. Matured in oak barrels for 15 to 18 months, it develops an irresistible blend with notes of wild berries, earthiness and compelling spices.

The Stephane Magnien Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2017 is an exceptional representation of Magnien's commitment to authenticity and his ability to subtly translate the vineyard's specificity into this spectacular cuvée. This collectable wine brings together tradition and sophistication, offering connoisseurs an extraordinary tasting experience.