Wine Advocate (92-94)

Offering up notes of pear, white flowers, toasted almonds and beeswax, Bouchard's 2019 Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières is medium to full-bodied, satiny and chiseled, with a more tightly wound, introverted profile than the Charmes that preceded it. Built to age, this is a serious Genevrières that I look forward to tasting from bottle.

Tim Atkin MW (94)

The 2 hectares 65 - with one parcel mid-slope and one further up - of this Premier Cru are always the first that Fr d ric harvests in Meursault. This is a delightful Genevri res, resplendent in floral aromas. The palate shows chamomile, vanilla extract, wild flower honey, pluots and green gauges. The mid-palate has a welcoming sappiness elevated by prancing acidity. 2022-30

Tim Atkin MW (95)

Two parcels – one in the upper reaches that gives lemon zest aromatics and one in the bottom in the old quarry that contributes saltiness – combine into a generous, one-hectare holding. Complexity looms on the nose and a similar, sultry concentration follows on the palate. The whole, resolutely suave package is lifted by buoyant acidity. It is very "digestible", as the Bourguignons would say. Baked apples, plentiful sweet spice and bread crust linger on the finish. 2023-35

Vinous (86-88)

The 2019 Monthélie Clos Les Champs Fulliot 1er Cru comes from 0.9 hectares of vine. It was the second parcel to be picked because of its warm microclimate, yet I find more precision on the Les Duresses. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a mixture of red and black fruit and touches of dark chocolate and tar. There is more elegance and terroir expression on the Les Duresses this year. 

James Suckling (95)

This a firm and pretty red with a solid tannin backbone to the medium body. Ripe fruit with some walnut, tobacco, and floral undertones. It’s long and flavorful. Balanced and firm. Classic style. Drink in 2025.

The Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos du Fonteny 2011 is a riveting exhibit from the esteemed house of Bruno Clair. Constructed within the notable terroir of Gevrey-Chambertin, in the heart of Burgundy, this wine proudly represents its Premier Cru status. The 2011 vintage seduces the palate with a harmonious blend of black fruits, ripe berries and lighter floral notes, underpinned by the quintessential minerality that is a testament to its chalky-clay soil origin.

Bruno Clair, a benchmark Burgundian producer, exhibits masterful traditional winemaking methods, from hand-harvested grapes to aging in French oak barrels for 12 to 18 months. This meticulously crafted bottle, rightly named 'Clos du Fonteny', is well-regarded for its depth, elegance and remarkable ageing potential. A premier choice for collectors and enthusiasts seeking the refinement of Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos du Fonteny 2011.

Vinous (89-92)

(no hail or frost here in 2015, according to Clair): Medium red. Musky, deeply pitched aromas of raspberry, strawberry and smoky, flinty minerality. Quite taut in the early going, even a bit tough, and not showing the vintage's fleshy side today. But this firmly structured wine finishes with palate-stimulating salinity and subtle length. I would not be surprised if this eventually merited a rating at the top end of my projected range.

Vinous (89-92)

One of the highlights in this range, the 2015 Beaune Les Avaux is sleek and expressive. Sweet red cherry, plum, mint and a kiss of new French oak give the wine its super-appealing, inviting personality. Like so many of these wines, the 2015 captures an incredibly appealing combination of deep, rich fruit and lifted aromatics. In other words, this is a quintessential 2015. - Antonio Galloni

The Camille Giroud Maranges 1er Cru Le Croix Moines 2017 stands as a testament to the exquisiteness of Burgundy wines. Hailing from the revered house of Camille Giroud, known for their authentic, traditional winemaking methods, this wine is a symbol of French viniculture at its finest. Crafted in the illustrious Burgundy region in eastern France, the wine embodies the profound character of the terroir, which finds expression in the elegant subtlety of its flavours.

The 2017 vintage enjoys a beautiful ruby hue, revealing an exceptional balance and depth of flavour. Ripple with the essence of ripe red fruits, earthy nuances, and a hint of spice, thanks to the meticulous ageing in oak barrels. The finish is undeniably rich, long-lasting, and harmonious. To savour the Camille Giroud Maranges 1er Cru Le Croix Moines 2017 is to embark on a sensory journey through the iconic vineyards of Burgundy.

Vinous (90-92)

The 2020 Santenay Clos Rousseau 1er Cru includes one-third whole cluster. It has a well defined, but more introverted bouquet than the Village Cru, touches of sous-bois and tobacco. This just needs time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, again, very smooth and velvety in texture, very finely judged acidity with a sapid finish. Great potential.

Vinous (89-91)

The 2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières 1er Cru shows evident whole bunch on the nose that slightly occludes the terroir expression, yet it is fresh and transparent. The palate is medium-bodied with a crisp raspberry and blackberry opening. Leafy red fruit combines with a touch of graphite toward the finish. A nimble Savigny with a peppery finish. Should drink well over the next decade.

Wine Anorak (93)

North part of Chassagne, they have 2 hectares. Rocky soil with lots of limestone. Linear, bright and mineral with a citrus fruit core and a bit of spicy oak. There’s a tiny hint of bitterness under the fruit. Has a bit of pineapple and pear richness, too, and some hazelnut. Lovely focus.

Vinous (93)

The 2018 Meursault Charmes-Dessus 1er Cru has a clean and precise bouquet. Understated at first, it opens with crushed rock, white flowers and touches of citrus fruit. It appears to build in intensity. The palate is quite oaky on the entry, although that should be subsumed with time. Good substance, slightly reductive, yet judiciously spiced with ample depth on the satisfying finish. Great potential. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting.

Vinous (94)

The 2018 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru is very harmonious on the nose. Yellow flowers, Japanese yuzu, quince and orange zest open with aeration whilst maintaining superb focus. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh with a welcome bitter lemon note that upholds tension and salinity on the finish. I like where this Perrières is going - one to watch. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting.

James Suckling (97)

A white with beautiful density and bright fruit. Full body and bright acidity. Very long, tight and strong at the end. Muscular. This ages in a combination of large and small barrels. Pure sauvignon. First white from the team at Cheval Blanc. Made across the street. Sold in three-bottle cases.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

If awards were given out for sensuality, this gem would take the trophy. Incredibly sexy, with its velvet drenched textures, silky tannins and opulent personality, this wine stands out in a crowd. The nose, with its aromatic display of flowers, plums, cherries, espresso, licorice, dark cocoa and oyster shell is compelling. The seamless finish crosses the 60 second mark with its non-stop display of concentrated, perfectly ripe, dark sweet, red fruits, chocolate, licorice and spice. If you can afford it, it is a wine you should have in your cellar and you'll want to age this for at least 15 years before popping a bottle. The wine was made using 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% ABV. This wine is a legend in the making.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2019 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 41 out of 53 blocks have had a part to play this year, representing 10 different soil types. The Grand Vin in 2019 represents 82% of production. Deep purple-black in color, it needs a lot of swirling to shake loose fragrant scents of Indian spice, potpourri, star anise, and cardamom, over a core of preserved plums, boysenberries, and charcoal with touches of wood smoke and cracked black pepper. Full-bodied, rich and immediately impactful in the mouth, the layered nuances slowly expand, beautifully framed by ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with cascading savory and earth flavors and lots of lingering mineral notes.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2019 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 41 out of 53 blocks have had a part to play this year, representing 10 different soil types. The Grand Vin in 2019 represents 82% of production. Deep purple-black in color, it needs a lot of swirling to shake loose fragrant scents of Indian spice, potpourri, star anise, and cardamom, over a core of preserved plums, boysenberries, and charcoal with touches of wood smoke and cracked black pepper. Full-bodied, rich and immediately impactful in the mouth, the layered nuances slowly expand, beautifully framed by ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with cascading savory and earth flavors and lots of lingering mineral notes.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The Grand Vin 2020 Château Cheval Blanc checks in as a blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that was raised, as always, in 100% new French oak. As usual with Cheval Blanc, it's primarily about finesse and elegance, as well as complexity, and exhibits a deep purple hue as well as a kaleidoscopic bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, spring flowers, spicy incense, loamy earth, and smoke tobacco. Absolutely flawless on the palate, it's full-bodied, has perfectly integrated oak, ripe, silky tannins, and a gorgeous finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. This powerful, concentrated Cheval Blanc offers pleasure even today (needs lots of air) but warrants 7-8 years of bottle age and will see its 40th birthday in fine form.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2018 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru, blended from six parcels, is pure, focused and taut, all while expressing the natural richness of the year. Lemon confit, white flowers, white pepper, mint and a kiss of French oak add striking aromatic top notes to match the wine's linear, energetic feel. The Vaillons has a surprising amount of freshness and lift, with bright saline notes that extend the finish. I suspect the opulence of the year will emerge more fully over time, but this is nevertheless a fine showing.

Wine Advocate (92+)

The 2016 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens is also quite reserved, offering up aromas of sweet red berries, dark soil tones and spicy new oak. On the palate, the wine is quite medium to full-bodied, chalky and firm, with broad shoulders and good concentration at the core. It's a promising Rugiens in the making but it will demand some patience.

Vinous (92)

The 2017 Volnay En Carelle Sous La Chapelle 1er Cru has a slightly disjointed bouquet that requires only a couple of minutes to gain focus and delineation, though the aromatics lack the vibrancy and purity of the succeeding vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with pretty red cherry and red plum fruit, coming across a little conservative toward the finish, but boy, does this meliorate with aeration! After a couple of hours it suddenly goes up through the gears, developing more precision and harmony than it had immediately after opening. My score reflects this Volnay in full flight.

Vinous (96)

The 2015 Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts 1er Cru seems to have been born to embarrass my rather tepid reaction to this wine from barrel. Wow! This has me smitten. It offers a very floral, seductive bouquet with pressed violet petals liberally scattered over the black cherry and wild strawberry fruit, and just a hint of vanilla in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin. This is very cohesive, harmonious and silky-smooth in texture, with a light touch of blood orange and brown spices that impart complexity on the finish. Excellent. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.

Burghound (92-94)

A relatively deeply pitched nose offers plenty of both floral and spice elements along with notes of plum, dark cherry and a touch of Asian-style tea. As is usually the case there is excellent volume and a taut muscularity to the sappy broad-shouldered flavors that flash superb depth and persistence. Note well though that this classic example is definitely built-to-age and is going to need at least most of a decade to be approachable. Recommended.

Vinous (94)

The 2018 Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts 1er Cru is showing some reduction on the nose, slightly smudged red fruit, leather and undergrowth. It does seem to gain clarity with modest aeration though. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, taut and crisp, quite linear with fine sapidity on the structure, backward finish. A Premier Cru with a long future ahead. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Wine Advocate (92-94)

Peaches, apricots, and spices are found in the redolent aromatics of the 2001 Meursault Caillerets. A honeyed, feminine wine, its personality at this stage is reminiscent of a great Meursault-Charmes, satin-textured, deep, dense, and focused. Loads of pulp-laden pears and spices can be found throughout its exceptional personality and finish. Projected maturity: now-2013.