Vinous (90-92)

The 2019 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Millandes 1er Cru came across very backward on the nose, gradually opening with black fruit and black olive/briny aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe black cherry and blueberry fruit, sweet and sorbet-fresh with a high-toned, yet focused finish that lingers long in the mouth. Very promising but it will require 3-4 years in bottle.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-94)

Fresh dark purple, a mild reduction, a wine of elegance and charm on the palate with a surprisingly peppery finish. Almost exotic Asian spices. The fruit itself spreads beautifully across the palate, a mix of red and black. Tasted: December 2021

The Aurelien Verdet Morey-Saint-Denis Rouge 2016 is an exquisite Burgundy wine, exhibiting a delightful composure of elegance and depth. Bracing the standards of eco-conscious viticulture, Aurelien Verdet, the young noted producer, employs organic and biodynamic methods in the legendary terroirs Near Nuits-Saint-Georges. The grapes are handpicked at the peak of ripeness, ensuring that the wine's aromatic profile achieves a balance of ripe red berry expressions and earthy undertones.

The grapes are fermented in wooden vats then aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. This intensive process bestows the Aurelien Verdet Morey-Saint-Denis Rouge 2016 with its sophisticated character. Decanting is advised to unlock its full palate potential, which includes tones of raspberry, dark cherry and hint of spices, complemented by silky tannins. This wine's vivacious complexity serves as testament to Verdet’s commitment to traditional Burgundian winemaking standards. A gem for any serious aficionado of French Wine.

Vinous (89-91)

The 2017 Morey-Saint-Denis Village comes from four climats scattered across the appellation and sees one-third new oak. Compared to the Chambolle Village, there is more fullness of fruit on the nose, which offers red cherries, crushed strawberry and rose petal aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, a fine bead of acidity, a little piquancy toward the finish and a bit of orange zest on the aftertaste. Excellent.

Wine Advocate (90-92)

A cuvée that's often the insiders' choice chez Dujac, the 2021 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru has turned out well, mingling aromas of plums and berries with hints of baking spice and orange rind. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's layered and textural, with sweet tannins, lively acids and a perfumed finish.

Embark on a distinguished vinous journey with the impeccably crafted Georges Lignier Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos des Ormes 2018. Cultivated in the prestigious vineyards of Burgundy, this epitome of French viticulture exhibits the savoir-faire of generational winemaking. Lush, elegant and truly captivating, this Pinot Noir is nurtured on marl and limestone-dominated soil for ultimate depth, ensuring a characteristically terroir-driven palate. Winemaker Benoît Stehly follows time-honoured practices, emphasising on organic viticulture and meticulous hand-harvesting for pure expressions of fruit.

Matured in French oak barrels, the Georges Lignier Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos des Ormes 2018 teases with vibrant red fruit, culminating in a complex, layered experience on the palate. Its silky tannins, sombre colour, and sublime textures promise a truly divine libation. Indulge yourself in a bottle of this refinely structured, multi-faceted wine that impeccably showcases the prestige of its noble birthplace.

Vinous (87-90)

(no new oak used here or in the foregoing wines): Palish medium red. Spicy redcurrant and raspberry aromas are complemented by a suggestion of smoke. Subtly sweet and a touch reduced, showing good intensity and verve to its flavors of red fruits, brown spices and underbrush. Finishes with rather fine-grained tannins and a slightly rustic peppery nuance.

Wine Advocate (92-94)

The 2015 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos de la Bussière, which contains 50% whole bunch fruit, has a clean and precise, almost pixelated bouquet with blackberry, briary and cold limestone scents that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, quite structured in the mouth with filigree and tensile tannin. This is very focused, linear in style, which is surprising given the warmth during the growing season, with great clarity on the finish. This is just a fantastic Morey-Saint-Denis from Christophe Roumier.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (86-88)

Again quite a full yellow. The nose is full of apples and the palate brings out the chiselled hillside aspect but there is still some flesh. He has kept CO2 high (1100-1200) and this assists the final crisp aftertaste. But this is not really my wine. Drink from 2024-2026.

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.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

South Africa's Sweet Wine of the Year 2017.

Decanter (98)

An historical wine, Vin de Constance has been re-established in the last few years as one of the world’s finest sweet wines. Dried Muscat grapes are aged for three years before bottling, in French and Hungarian casks with a touch of acacia wood. Citrus, orange zest, rosewater and spice notes leap out of the glass. The palate has a laser-like focus with massive sweetness perfectly balanced by acidity and a mineral finish. As impressive as Château d’Yquem (and considerably better value).

Tim Atkin MW (98)

Increasingly celebrated as one of the great sweet wines of the world, not just the Cape, Vin de Constance is a delight to taste and review. Slightly drier than the 205 release at 165 grams of sugar, it has more in common with the Loire or Tokaji than it does with Sauternes in terms of freshness and structure.

Matthew Jukes (19.5++)

I am informed by the top man at Klein Constantia that the price will be the same as last year’s superb 2017 and all of the likely candidates in the UK are likely to hold stock. It will require a little effort on Google and you will see that a large number of wine merchants will list 2018 Vin de Constance and while the prices swing around like no other wine I know, at £60 or so, for a half litre, it certainly makes sense to me and when you consider the sheer quality of this vintage, it is a bargain for this celestial experience. Stock is likely to arrive in September 2021, but do feel free to register your interest with your preferred wine merchant now. Vintage reports suggest that the build-up to the 2018 harvest brought the highest summer rainfall of the last six years and, combined with some of the coldest night-time temperatures on record, the vines were granted a very long and very slow growing season. These conditions have imbued extreme delicacy of perfume and flavour and also staggering concentration and length in this wine. It also means that the 2018 vintage has otherworldly characteristics and I cannot remember a young vintage tasting so refined and demure. Light bunches and tiny Muscat de Frontignan berries underline just how unusual this vintage was and with a harvest that was a fortnight later than average and crops down by about 15% all of these facts make sense when you taste this ethereal wine. Aged for three years in a combination of 50% new French oak barrels, a small number of acacia barrels, as well as large format foudres, this is both a sensual and also sensitive wine. For a start, the colour is incredibly pale – think a young Sancerre! But the viscosity is amazing when you pour a glass because the liquid moves ever so slightly slower and more deliberately into the glass. The lights come on and the brain fires up immediately and it takes you by surprise just how quickly your olfactory system senses that you are in the presence of greatness. I was in a state of heightened anticipation, long before I raised the glass to my lips and the reward is exquisite. The perfume and palate combine in an astral haze of delight with orange blossom, fig, lemon verbena, wild honey and acacia notes caressing your senses. The texture is super-smooth, incredibly long and unnervingly gentle. It certainly possesses the longest finish I can remember on a Vin de Constance and I have, very fortunately, a tasted huge number of vintages of this wine. If you have never tasted this wine before, please start with this vintage – it will blow your mind. If you have and you are a fan, this is a critical purchase for your collection. I cannot wait to add this wine to my cellar later in the year.

Decanter (98)

Butterscotch, lemon patisserie and peach aromas. Pristine quality to the texture, lively and thrilling, this is a serious, opulent and powerful wine, more on the spiced, nuanced side with aspects of dried herbs, wood scents and bitter lemon and orange with a touch of honeyed lychee. It feels supremely complex and characterful. Sophisticated, layered and balanced with some minerality, a slight graphite edge all of which adds to the whole. It's still extremely youthful but there is real sculpting here, a sense of precision, style and freshness. Well crafted with an extremely long life ahead. A wonder, and one of the best from the estate!

Burghound (91-93)

A ripe yet cool nose reflects notes of black raspberry, poached plum and a lovely violet top note. There is very good volume to the caressing yet muscular medium-bodied flavors that deliver fine length and even better depth. This should be excellent in time.

Vinous (92-94)

The 2019 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Millandes 1er Cru is 50% whole bunch with no new oak. It has a more powerful bouquet compared to the Clos des Ormes, although it does not exude the same mineralité or finesse. On the other hand, the palate is very well balanced and seems to have more depth and precision than the Clos des Ormes, leading to a compelling mineral-driven, saline finish that lingers for 45+ seconds. Superb.

Wine Advocate (91-93+)

The 2019 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Cuvée des Alouettes opens in the glass with notes of plums, cherries, raw cocoa, cinnamon and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and fleshy, it's layered and elegantly gourmand, with lively acids and a precise, mineral finish. As usual, this hails entirely from the Clos de Monts Luisants, but the domaine opts not to mention the lieu-dit on the label to avoid confusion with their emblematic white wine from the same vineyard.

Experience the exquisite allure of the Rene Bouvier Morey-Saint-Denis En la Rue de Vergy 2019. This distinguished Burgundian wine represents the expertise of vintner René Bouvier, renowned for his philosophy of respect for the terroir and diligent vineyard practices. Harvested from vines averaging 55 years old, the wine utters the eloquent language of Pinot Noir with its symphony of aromas — highlighting cherry, forest floor, and black fruits.

This distinguished tipple unfurls complexity and depth through its intense, yet smoothly integrated tannins and remarkable freshness. Grown on a steep, high-altitude vineyard in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, the wine is capable of aging gracefully, promising a continual evolution of flavours over years. Each bottle of Rene Bouvier Morey-Saint-Denis En la Rue de Vergy 2019 showcases Dedication to sustainable viticulture and biodynamic practices, offering each sip a profound sense of the revered terroir. Indulge in the finesse and timeless elegance this illustrious wine provides.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2020 Morey-Saint-Denis La Riotte 1er Cru is expressive on the nose with dark berry fruit, sous-bois, just a touch of tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet entry, ripe red cherry mixed with allspice and white pepper, segueing into a quite a concentrated finish with a long spicy after that might deceive you into think there are stems here. One of my picks from Taupenot-Merme this year.