Vinous (92-94)

The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champonnet 1er Cru comes from around 55-60 years old vines, matures in 30% new oak and 70% whole bunches. This has a ripe and refined bouquet with hints of blue fruit developing in the glass, very floral in style. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin. This feels linear and precise, gradually building towards a very minerally and tensile finish. Great persistency here, a superb Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champonnets.

Vinous (92-94)

The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin La Perrière 1er Cru contains 50% whole bunch and is matured in 30% new oak (Billon and Chassin cooperages). The very cohesive bouquet features brambly red berry fruit, briar, black tea and undergrowth scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a peppery entry, fine acidity and a Morey-like structure toward the finish. While not amazingly long, it is very nicely focused and exudes breeding.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2018 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Millandes 1er Cru is another cuvée that includes 100% whole bunch this year. It has a well-defined bouquet, the stemmy element not quite as pronounced as on the Gevrey Champonnet and more integrated with the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, and generous peppery black fruit laced with cedar and white pepper. The grippy finish needs time to abrade its edges. A traditionally cut Morey-Saint-Denis that needs to be consumed with food. Good potential here.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2019 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Millandes 1er Cru comes from vines over 70 years old and was cropped at 45hl/ha, the first vineyard to be picked in order to moderate alcohol. Containing 100% whole bunch, it has an intense bouquet of pine-needle-infused red and black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, and a little tarry toward the finish. Perhaps the most peppery of the domaine’s wines. I can see this aging beautifully.

Savour the exquisite quality of Hospices de Beaune Meursault 1er Cru Genevrieres Cuvee Baudot 2014, a fine vintage underpinned by a rich tradition in Burgundian wine-making. Produced from the revered vineyards of the Burgundy region, it hails from the Meursault 1er Cru Genevrieres domain, bearing testament to the esteemed reputability of Hospices de Beaune, world-renowned for their exceptional commitment to viticulture mastery.

This critically acclaimed, full-bodied Chardonnay is expertly hand-harvested, preserving the purity and intensity of the fruit. The microclimate and rich soils have endowed it with exceptional terroir complexity, offering sophisticated layers of ripe apples, roasted nuts and hints of honeysuckle on the palate.

With age, Hospices de Beaune Meursault 1er Cru Genevrieres Cuvee Baudot 2014 develops bracing mineral undertones, becoming more nuanced and vibrant. This wine is a true representation of elegant French viniculture, an exquisite choice for the discerning collector.

Experience the exquisite taste of Hospices de Beaune Volnay 1er Cru Cuvee Blondeau 2014, an exemplary fine wine exemplary of the magnificent Burgundy region. Produced in the esteemed Hospices de Beaune, rooted in a tradition of charitable work and excellence in winemaking since 1443, this wine carries the allure of history merged with elite craftsmanship.

This magnificent Volnay 1er Cru, made from 100% Pinot Noir grape emanates an array of vibrant red fruits underpinned by fine-grained tannins complementing its complexity. Each grape was meticulously harvested by hand in the vintage year of 2014, ensuring optimum quality.

The Cuvee Blondeau is matured in French oak barrels, infusing it with silky texture and delicate spicy notes. A true testament to French viticulture, this fine wine is perfect for the discerning palate seeking robust flavours elegantly balanced with a buoyant finish. Truly, the Hospices de Beaune Volnay 1er Cru Cuvee Blondeau 2014 represents the epitome of luxury imbibing.

Vinous (94)

The 2018 Saint-Aubin En Remilly 1er Cru is adorned with an initially oily, almost petrolly nose that recedes to leave aromas of freshly cut lemon plus a subtle algae note. Well balanced with fine acidity, this En Remilly is very cohesive towards the finish with lingering lemon curd and orange rind. Very good length, this is a brilliant wine.

Vinous (90)

The 2019 Santenay Clos des Gravières Vieilles Vignes has a perfumed bouquet that shows more delineation and poise than the 2020. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine acidity and fine-boned with ample mineralité on the finish. Excellent.

Wine Advocate (91-93)

Wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis, red fruit compote, potpourri and smoked meats, the 2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers is medium to full-bodied, gourmand and textural, with a deep core of fruit framed by rich structuring tannins and ripe acids. This is a dramatic but nicely balanced Murgers from Hudelot-Noellat.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Murgers 1er Cru has a crystalline bouquet with red cherries, cassis and iris flower, just a little reduction here that will dissipate with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. Not a deep Les Murgers, this has something "airy" about it, so elegant and refined on the finish. Beautiful.

Vinous (95)

The 2016 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru has a slightly meaty/feral bouquet, just a hint of gaminess that might become more conspicuous with bottle age. Otherwise I find this well defined and with flattering red cherry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin. There is a fine bead of acidity here, a pleasant fleshy mouthfeel towards the finish and a residual salinity that beckons you back for the next sip. This represents another impressive wine from Charles Van Canneyt. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

The 2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots is showing brilliantly this year, wafting from the glass with a deep-pitched bouquet of cassis, blackberries, spices and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's full-bodied, rich and enveloping, its textural attack segueing into a deep and layered core, concluding with a long and penetrating finish.

Vinous (94-96)

The 2020 Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru has a fragrant bouquet, for this writer, demonstrating a little more precision and mineralité compared to the Les Beaumonts. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, more saline than the Les Beaumonts with a very persistent finish. Superb.

Burghound (90-92)

An exuberantly expressive and spicy nose offers up a lovely mélange of pure red and dark cherry and floral aromas. The sleek, indeed satin-textured middle weight flavors brim with minerality on the super-saline infused finish. I really like the delineation and energy here plus the mid-palate concentration is better than usual. In 2016 this is very Chambollesque in character.

Vinous (96)

Kirsch, blood orange, dried autumn leaves, mint and Mirabelle plum give the NV Extra-Brut Mareuil-sur-Aÿ Sous Le Mont (2013) a wild, exotic bouquet that is immensely alluring. The Mareuil is always a bit unruly, but over the last few releases it has gained just a bit more finesse than in the past. This is such a great expression of Pinot Noir. Disgorged: February 25, 2020.

Vinous (96)

Kirsch, blood orange, dried autumn leaves, mint and Mirabelle plum give the NV Extra-Brut Mareuil-sur-Aÿ Sous Le Mont (2013) a wild, exotic bouquet that is immensely alluring. The Mareuil is always a bit unruly, but over the last few releases it has gained just a bit more finesse than in the past. This is such a great expression of Pinot Noir. Disgorged: February 25, 2020.

Vinous (90-92)

The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Clos de la Maréchale 1er Cru has quite an open and expressive bouquet with blackberry, crushed rock and undergrowth, almost peaty aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, quite gritty in texture and tight with a saline finish. This will require 3-4 years. It is a bit abrasive at the moment and needs to be tempered by time.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Mid garnet. Heady mushrooms and violet nose. This is extraordinarily concentrated and tastes like a grand cru. Wow! Classic, top-quality red burgundy that's so vibrant, rich and yet elegant. Really rather thrilling. Perhaps the most exciting 2019 I have tasted in London.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2020 Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Vergelesses 1er Cru has a delightful bouquet with cranberry, raspberry and briary aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy, ripe black and red fruit, fresh and well-defined, the 30% whole bunch imparting a pleasant peppery note on the finish. This is worth seeking out. Closure: Screwcap, Diam or Cork

Vinous (91-93)

The 2019 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Bousselots 1er Cru veers much more toward red fruit on the nose, hints of meat juice and garrigue emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, quite saline and cohesive, leading to an energetic, peppery finish that lingers. Another promising NSG from Chauvenet.

Jancis Robinson (17+)

Deep cherry red. Intense black fruit and savoury/stony restraint combined. All in embryo, like the Perrières but here the tannins are even firmer. The core is serious dark fruit and some oak spice but it is not intrusive even if it adds a note of dark chocolate to the aroma as it opens in the glass. Fine tannins slightly thickened by the oak but smooth and in harmony with the fruit. Long, savoury finish. (JH)

Burghound (91-94)

Outstanding - This is aromatically quite similar to the Perrières if perhaps just a bit earthier. The slightly larger scaled flavors are surprisingly supple on the mid-palate that contrasts materially with the firm tannins on the compact and youthfully austere finish. This is less powerful and forbidding than normal, though with that said, it's still sufficiently structured to reward 12 to 15 years of aging.

Burghound (91-93)

Ripe yet cool aromas include those of cassis, poached plum, an array of spice elements plus a whiff of the sauvage. The very rich and even bigger and more voluminous large-scaled flavors also brim with sappy dry extract before culminating in a balanced, powerful and lingering finish where a touch of bitter chocolate slowly emerges. This isn’t massive in the way that it usually is though it is borderline opulent, which is a descriptor I use very rarely with respect to the 2021 reds.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-95)

Rich purple, an even colour throughout the glass. Robust red fruit. There is a fine depth of flavour and some class here, plump in the middle, juicy and long, filling the mouth again, while keeping a mineral fresh feel too.

Jancis Robinson (16.5)

Mid crimson. Deep-fruited and much more perfumed than the straight village Nuits-St-Georges. A marked step up in finesse. Dry, finely chalky tannins. Sinewy but elegant with that perfume on the long finish. Impressive persistence. (JH)