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 (89-91)

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.

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

Inspired by the legacy of Burgundy, the Jean Guiton Savigny Beaune Peuillets 2019 is a testament to the vintner's passion for traditional wine craftsmanship. This wine is produced in limited quantities in the heart of Burgundy, France; a region known for its distinctive terroir and venerable viticultural traditions. Hand-picked from prime vineyards, Jean-Guiton uses environmentally-friendly methods, championing biodiversity to create exquisite wines.

The Jean Guiton Savigny Beaune Peuillets 2019, is celebrated for complex layers of hawthorn, raspberry, and liquorice aromas. Matured in partially new oak barrels for about a year, this Pinot Noir exudes elegance with a silken texture, bright fruit, and prolonged finish. It provides an enriching sensory experience that leaves a profound, lingering impression.

Produced by Guillaume Guiton, a respected innovator in the field, this wine maintains the enviable quality that embodies the Jean Guiton estate's renowned reputation.

Wine Advocate (92-94)

The 2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Lavières opens in the glass with pretty aromas of peonies, rose petals, sweet wild berries, orange rind, raw cocoa and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, supple and perfumed, it's sumptuous and melting, with lively acids and a charming, enveloping profile. This is one of the most seductive wines in the range.

Wine Advocate (98)

The single-vineyard Sorte O Soro had not been produced since 2016, and the 2019 Sorte O Soro is the next vintage after that. This plot has always shown additional elegance, freshness and salinity since he started vinifying it in 2004, because of the altitude (710 meters above sea level) and the north exposure to the Bibei Valley, where the old clone is planted on fine granite sand and quartz soils. Like As Sortes, this Sorte also fermented and matured with lees in new 500-liter French oak barrels for eight months. It has 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.12 and higher acidity (at 7.5 grams) than the rest of the 2019s. It feels very harmonious, elegant and nuanced with some creaminess, with notes of wet pollen and yellow flowers. The palate reflects the soil, with vibrant granite and very fine sand and electric quartz (saline), and it's also round and powerful from the clone that is planted in the vineyard. This vineyard is in the process of being organically and biodynamically certified. 2,240 bottles were filled in September 2020. I tasted the 2019s and 2020s from Rafa Palacios in Valdeorras. For him, these are two very good years. 2019 had a mild and dry winter and a rainy and cold spring that delayed budding, followed by a mild summer with fewer hours of sunshine, which meant a delay in the ripening process. Harvest was more than one month later than usual, and the grapes achieved very slow ripening and full development of aromas and flavors while keeping the acidity. The harvest started in October and finished in November. It's a beautiful, homogeneous vintage with very good wines. 2020 saw a moderately cool and rainy winter and a dry and cold spring that resulted in 20% less bunches than in 2019. The summer was also quite dry but, fortunately, not too hot. Given the low yields, maturation was accelerated, and the harvest began at the beginning of September for Louro and from September 25th for As Sortes. Given the scarce water, the plants had to work harder deep down into the soil, which marked the wines; the silica and quartz from the sandy soils of O Bolo shaped a saline identity and the wines achieved a lot of elegance and balance. It's a more heterogeneous vintage, and the higher-altitude vineyards behaved better. The 2020 O Soro is out of this world. He gave me a quick preview of the very cold 2021, a vin de garde vintage but a challenging year with a lot of rain. They are in the process of certifying their vineyards (organic and biodynamic), but they have some problems in the vineyards with neighbors who are not organic, so it will probably be faster for O Soro and Sorte Antiga.

Decanter (98)

Sampled from a vat, this is one of the best As Sortes I have ever tasted, comparable to the iconic 2011. It's a prodigy of subtleness and elegance. Everything is firmly delicate in this wine. Restrained aromas open up parsimoniously, with a steely structure like a great Burgundy, but with flinty acidity almost like Grosses Gewächs from Rheingau. Despite the fact that the sample was not yet bottled, the wine had no oak influence, just the indication that it had been aged, as top Godello must. Rafael Palacios is refining his work year after year, reaching the magic of the greatest wines. A top wine, and one to keep.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2015 O Diviso felt closed, more reticent, and seems more powerful, despite the fact they did a nonextractive vinification; they did nothing and let the wine ferment at its own pace. This matured in one 600-liter oak barrel, and this is the only red that has a slight note from the oak. There is also a relevant amount of Garnacha Tintorera, so the combination of a warm year, the small barrel and the varietal mix resulted in a more austere and backward wine that is going to require more time in bottle. The fruit is darker and the wine is more powerful than the 2014. It might evolve with time in bottle, because it certainly has the stuffing to do so, but today As Caborcas was singing, and I have to give it the edge. 895 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2016.

Vinous (90-92)

The 2020 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Champs Chevreys 1er Cru does not quite possess the cohesion of the Les Lavières on the nose at the moment, but there is a nice touch of reduction here that I think is masking more mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins. Good depth, there is more sinew compared to the Les Lavières and I suspect it will have more longevity.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (89-91)

A notably more vibrant colour, fresh purple. This seems very youthful on the nose, not so much definition yet. The wood from this barrel is a bit more present with a dry François Frères type of toastiness. Will need a little time to settle down, but will definitely deliver. I have no qualms about giving the 2021 Champ Chevrey the benefit of the doubt. Drink from 2025-2028. Tasted: October 2022