Wine Advocate (98)

The 2015 Grand Cru Schoenenbourg opens clear, intense, precise and floral on the nose, with concentrated lemon confit and smoky gypsum flavors. This 2015 is really concentrated on the nose and displays a gorgeously fresh and vegetal greeniness. Sweet, finessed and lush on the creamy textured palate, this is a very precise and concentrated Schonenbourg with a very long, intense and seductive finish. There is great elegance, finesse and complexity here. Very salty. This is a great long-distance runner.

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 Corton-Renardes Grand Cru wafts from the glass with a complex bouquet of cherries, raspberries, forest floor, warm spices and a deft application of cedary new oak. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, with a deep and concentrated core of fruit, framed by racy acids and powdery tannins. The finish is long and penetrating. Unusually approachable for a Gaunoux Renardes, this is nonetheless constructed for a long and rewarding life.

Burghound (94)

Like the Bourgogne there is a mentholated element to the ripe aromas of poached plum and mix of various red and dark cherry scents that convey a whisper of the sauvage. The highly seductive, indeed suave medium weight plus flavors that envelope the palate with sappy dry extract that does a fine job of buffering the very firm tannic spine shaping the wonderfully long, dusty, austere and lengthy finish that also displays just a barely perceptible trace of warmth. Lovely stuff and in contrast to several of the preceding wines, this could be reasonably approached after 7 to 8 years though it should repay up to twenty.

Introducing the Michel Mallard Corton Grand Cru Renardes 2020, a premium creation from the prestigious vineyards of Michel Mallard. Nestled in Ladoix-Serrigny at the heart of Burgundy, Mallard's Corton Grand Cru vineyard captures the essence of its distinct terroir. The Corton Renardes benefits from the region's well-drained limestone-rich soil and slightly cooler climate, augmenting its complexity of flavours.

Maintaining the Burgundy tradition, this exceptional wine is crafted from 100% Pinot Noir grapes and ages wonderfully in French oak barrels. The Michel Mallard Corton Grand Cru Renardes 2020 is robust and full-bodied, with enchanting notes of wild berries, truffle, and savoury spices, which are complemented by an extended finish.

Mallard's dedication to sustainable farming and meticulous winemaking techniques are evident in each sip, producing wines with depth, elegance, and longevity. Experience the quintessence of Burgundy with Michel Mallard Corton Grand Cru Renardes 2020.

The Michel Mallard Corton Rognet 2020 is an exquisite showcase of Burgundy's terroir at its finest. Handcrafted in the esteemed Ladoix commune by the talented Michel Mallard, a third-generation winemaker, it stands as a testament to the vitality of the region.

Produced from the Grand Cru vineyard in Corton’s Rognet climat, this Pinot Noir oozes elegance and finesse. Immaculate harvest and fermentation techniques couple with a nuanced 18-month maturation in oak barrels to create a wine of remarkable complexity.

The 2020 vintage perfectly encapsulates the Mallard savoir-faire; it brims with luscious red-fruit and earthen notes, overlaid with a tantalising spice profile. It's robust yet silky, with formidable ageing potential. Indeed, the Michel Mallard Corton Rognet 2020 takes you on a journey through Burgundy, with every sip promising an adventure in flavour and sensation.

Vinous (89)

The 2018 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is quite deep in colour. It has a slightly reduced bouquet with ample blackberry and raspberry fruit, well integrated oak, though it is missing the Pinoté character I look for. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and pleasant dark berry fruit laced with brown spices. It feels just a little short on the finish, overall a decent Clos de Vougeot that would show more finesse in a cooler growing season. - Neal Martin

Vinous (86)

Following the commendable Vosne-Romanée, I have to admit that the 2018 Echézeaux Grand Cru comes as a bit of a disappointment. It feels overwhelmed by the warmth of that summer. The nose lacks a bit of definition and has a metallic note that aeration cannot dislodge. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight chewiness on the entry. It is a solid Echézeaux that is missing finesse. Though the wine delivers decent weight on the finish, fact is that I actually prefer the aforementioned Village Cru. - Neal Martin

Vinous (91)

The 2020 Echézeaux Grand Cru has a rich and quite exotic bouquet that, for me, is just missing a bit of Pinoté. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe and fleshy tannins. Soft and caressing, nicely balanced, richer than the 2021 (no surprise there) with black pepper and a touch of spice on the finish.

Emanating from the revered terroirs of Burgundy's Côte de Nuits, the Perdrix Echezeaux Grand Cru 2019 is a profound and impressive expression of Pinot Noir. Crafted by the meticulous hands of Domaine Perdrix, a producer celebrated for their unwavering commitment to both tradition and innovation, this grand cru seduces the palate with its amalgamation of ripe red fruits and subtly earthy undertones.

The production of the Perdrix Echezeaux Grand Cru 2019 marries patience and precision. Grapes undergo whole cluster fermentation, enhancing the wine's complexity and tannic structure. Following fermentation, the wine is matured in oak barrels, bestowing even more depth and roundness. The resulting nectar showcases a lavish balance of opulence and restraint, earning it the Grand Cru status.

Whether you're a seasoned connoisseur or a discerning newcomer, the Perdrix Echezeaux Grand Cru 2019 guarantees a sublime engagement between the senses and France's winemaking heritage.

Burghound (92-94)

This is cool and pure to the point of being almost timid with its restrained array of red currant, pomegranate, earthy and softly sauvage-inflected nose. There is fine intensity to the sleek and satin-textured flavors that are muscular yet dance across the palate on the saline and wonderfully refreshing finish. This is clearly built-to-age yet it's already inviting.

Wine Enthusiast (96)

This grand cru wine is named in celebration of the date of the Philipponnat family's arrival in the village of Aÿ. It is a mature blend of 70% Pinot Noir with Chardonnay, proportions that are typical of this producer on the Montagne de Reims. Rich, lightly toasty with green-apple and pear flavors, the wine is ready to drink.

Decanter (93)

Made up, half and half, of base wine from the sunny 2018 harvest, and reserve wine from Rodolphe’s Perpetual Reserve which goes back to 1988, this is one of the most consistently excellent NV wines on the market. Its current iteration is especially impressive, floral, chalky, upstanding, and very complex; the palate sharing notes of dried apricot, plum and lemon pith with more developed intimations of sour honey and patisserie. An exemplary wine with real purity and precision on the finish.

Vinous (97)

The 2014 Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons is fabulous. The 2014 is not as obvious as years like 2012 or 2013, but it presents a youthfully austere, classic personality that is absolutely beguiling. Readers will have to be patient here. There is certainly a lot to look forward to. The 2014 Les Chétillons is a Blanc de Blancs that sizzles with Mesnil tension and energy. Dosage is 3.5-4.5 grams per liter. Disgorged: May, 2021.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

The 2015 Champagne Les Chetillons Brut is delicate but expressive, with white flowers and a hint of confectionary sponge cake aromas. It is a pale straw with a shimmering green hue. Coming off the heels of the 2014 vintage, this is comparatively much more generous and open and is a pleasure to drink now. It has its hallmark stamp of Chetillon despite the warmth of the vintage and is not overblown. Drink 2023-2043.

Expertly crafted in the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the Pierre Peters Les Chetillons Cuvee Speciale Blanc de Blancs 2016 reflects meticulous viniculture. Skillfully overseen by the esteemed Pierre Peters family, who boast over a century of experience in winemaking, this Champagne is an embodiment of heritage and craftsmanship.

Created exclusively from Chardonnay, harvested from a single vintage and fermented with indigenous yeasts, the result is a wine of remarkable complexity and finesse. Thoroughly aged for six years in cellars, it develops robust flavours of crisp apple, lemon zest, and almond brioche, complemented by an energetic mineral finish. Fine bubbles contribute to its rich texture, as well as its impressive longevity and potential for further maturation.

Invest in the Pierre Peters Les Chetillons Cuvee Speciale Blanc de Blancs 2016, a delectable representation of French terroir; an ideal choice for sophisticated gatherings and special occasions.

Wine Advocate (96)

This was a superb showing for the 2007 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, a brilliant wine that bursts from the glass with a complex and maturing bouquet of red cherries, caramelized orange rind, cinnamon, potpourri and sweet soil tones. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, textural and satiny, with a concentrated, layered core, tangy acids and a stunningly long, sapid finish. This has always been a brilliant wine that transcends the vintage, but new dimensions are becoming apparent as it enters its second decade. This was the last vintage bottled under natural cork chez Ponsot.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2016 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is superb, bursting from the glass with aromas of juicy cherries, peonies, blood orange, licorice, raw cocoa and espresso roast. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and succulent, with a concentrated, layered mid-palate, satiny structuring tannins and vibrant underlying acidity, concluding with a long finish. Harvested on October 7 at a comparatively high yield by Ponsot's standards of 38 hectoliters per hectare, this year seems to have been perfectly adapted to Ponsot's style. Vibrant, elegant and expressive, the 2016 is quite different from the richer, more powerful 2015, but in the fullness of time, I wouldn't be surprised to see it surpassing its brawnier elder sibling.

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.

Vinous (91-94)

Moderately saturated medium red. Aromas of raspberry, minerals and dried flowers complicated by torrefaction notes of mocha and coffee. Round on entry, then sappy in the middle, showing terrific crushed raspberry intensity along with saline, mocha, spice and earth notes. This very taut, energetic wine is even more backward than the Amoureuses. Really saturates the palate on the back end, finishing with outstanding smoky persistence.

Burghound (94)

Hints of mineral reduction and matchstick character suffuse the elegant aromas of honeysuckle, acacia blossom and spiced pear that are trimmed in wisps of wood and lemon rind. The super-sleek, intense and nicely detailed flavors possess good richness on the citrusy and beautifully long finale where moderate warmth slowly emerges. This elegant effort is perhaps a bit bolder and powerful than is usually the case and a BBM that should age gracefully over the next decade.

Burghound (96)

As is often the case, this is aromatically quite similar to the Montée de Tonnerre with just a touch more wood in evidence. Here too the slightly richer flavors possess an equally gorgeous texture with a bit more mid-palate stuffing to the intense, powerful and bone-dry finale that exhibits simply huge length. This beauty is even firmer, and I wouldn't even think about opening a bottle for at least 10 years, research purposes aside!

Wine Advocate (97)

Serious and tensile, Raveneau's 2019 Chablis Grand Cru Clos unwinds in the glass with aromas of orange oil, white flowers, confit lemon, green apple and deftly judged reduction. Full-bodied, taut and chiseled, it's an immensely concentrated, racy wine with huge depth at the core and a long, intensely saline finish. Its style exemplifies the 2019 Chablis vintage at its best.

Burghound (97+)

A restrained nose immediately makes clear that it could be from nowhere else but Chablis with its array of mineral reduction, oyster shell, iodine, spice, floral and citrus aromas. There is once again excellent volume and intensity to the even more concentrated big-bodied flavors that deliver huge length on the bone-dry, austere and compact finish. This is presently a block of stone that is going to need at least some patience and a wine that should repay 15+ years of cellaring. Moreover, it is not only a candidate for wine of the vintage honors but could legitimately vie for being one of the all-time great examples of Raveneau Clos. I shudder to think at what price it will trade at but if you can afford it, don't hesitate.

Wine Advocate (87-89)

The 2015 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos has a pleasant peach and nectarine scented bouquet that might not sing of Chablis, but is attractive in a rather obvious way. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight viscosity on the entry, hints of praline and almond towards the finish. It is attractive, but drink it in its youth.