Vinous (95)

The 2019 Clos de Vougeot Quartiers de Marie Haut Grand Cru has a beautifully-defined bouquet with tensile red berry fruit, wonderful focus, cracked black pepper and a touch of hoisin. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine depth and beguiling sense of symmetry that beckons you back for another sip. This is an outstanding Clos de Vougeot that will age supremely well in bottle.

Vinous (92-95)

The 2015 Clos de Vougeot is an impressive wine. Huge tannins give the 2015 much of its shape and sense of direction. Plum, crème de cassis, chocolate and lavender all develop in the glass. Ample and powerful in construction, the 2015 possesses very good depth, even if it can't match the pedigree of the Chambertin. This is another wine with a late malo. I hope to have a chance to taste it again from bottle. - Antonio Galloni

Vinous (93)

The 2016 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a very pretty and pure bouquet, the oak here deftly integrated and allowing the dark cherries, cranberry and raspberry scents to flourish. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins framing the pure confit-like red fruit, just a splash of balsamic towards the finish lending another welcome dimension. I suspect that this will mature with style and panache. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.

Wine Advocate (98)

A warm to hot vintage ideal for producing outstanding reds does not necessarily make for a great Sauternes vintage, but in the case of 1990 it did. Dry, warm winds in the autumn contributed to the level of concentration that this wine exhibits. Fortunately, a little rain in late September and early October ensured that botrytis flourished well in the end, the final factor necessary to achieve this extraordinary expression.

Vinous - Neal Martin (100)

Just weeks after tasting the 2001 Château d’Yquem at the estate, another bottle was served at a lunch in London and it was perfection. The aromatics are practically identical and likewise the palate, but this bottle, which had been decanted, displays a scintilla more tension, perhaps more "vibrancy" that so effortlessly counterbalances the richness. Irrespective of points, it is simply one of the most magnificent wines of any kind that can pass your lips.

Vinous - Neal Martin (100)

Just weeks after tasting the 2001 Château d’Yquem at the estate, another bottle was served at a lunch in London and it was perfection. The aromatics are practically identical and likewise the palate, but this bottle, which had been decanted, displays a scintilla more tension, perhaps more "vibrancy" that so effortlessly counterbalances the richness. Irrespective of points, it is simply one of the most magnificent wines of any kind that can pass your lips.

Wine Spectator (100)

This is very long and intense. Really impressive. Full and very sweet, yet racy and fresh, with spicy botrytis character. Fantastic. Score range: 95-100 -JS

Wine Spectator (99)

A lovely, creamy, tropical style, with mango, papaya and guava notes lending a caressing feel, while singed almond and warm piecrust accents blossom through the lush finish. Just when you think that's all there is, toasted coconut, fig, orange blossom and persimmon details kick in, lending length and dimension. The finish is ridiculously long. Best from 2020 through 2060. -JM

Vinous - Neal Martin (97)

The 2014 d'Yquem has a complex bouquet with buttered toast, almond, honey and peach skin aromas. It opens with greater zeal than its peers, there is more immediacy here. The palate is very well balanced with crisp acidity, a finely tuned and satisfying Sauternes with style and grace, evincing great tension and mineral drive towards the finish. Superb. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Wine Advocate (100)

Following a very long harvest stretching nearly two months, the 2015 Château d'Yquem came in at 13.9% alcohol and 144 grams per liter of residual sugar, sporting a pH of 3.65 and six grams per liter of tartaric acid. None of these numbers, however, even remotely begin to tell you how profound this wine is. The nose opens with electric notes of ripe pineapples, green mango, orange blossoms and lemon tart with hints of fungi, lime zest, crushed rocks and jasmine. The freshness on the palate is just astonishing, permeating and lifting layer upon layer of tropical fruits and earthy notions, all encased in a sumptuous texture and culminating in a very, very long, mineral-tinged finish. Truly, this is a legendary vintage for d'Yquem. I've been conservative with my drinking window here, and I would not be at all surprised if our descendants are drinking this vintage well into the next century.

Wine Advocate (100)

Following a very long harvest stretching nearly two months, the 2015 Château d'Yquem came in at 13.9% alcohol and 144 grams per liter of residual sugar, sporting a pH of 3.65 and six grams per liter of tartaric acid. None of these numbers, however, even remotely begin to tell you how profound this wine is. The nose opens with electric notes of ripe pineapples, green mango, orange blossoms and lemon tart with hints of fungi, lime zest, crushed rocks and jasmine. The freshness on the palate is just astonishing, permeating and lifting layer upon layer of tropical fruits and earthy notions, all encased in a sumptuous texture and culminating in a very, very long, mineral-tinged finish. Truly, this is a legendary vintage for d'Yquem. I've been conservative with my drinking window here, and I would not be at all surprised if our descendants are drinking this vintage well into the next century.

Vinous - Neal Martin (98)

Owners LVMH took the decision to delay the release of the 2019 Yquem until spring 2022. It was tasted with winemaker Sandrine Garbay in London. After the summer drought when Sauternes received just 2.5mm of rain until 26 July, that day saw a 112mm deluge that replenished underground reserves and gave ripening the push it needed. Dry and warm conditions prevailed throughout September when there was no sign of botrytis infection. That was finally provoked by 38mm of rain between 21 and 25 of September, followed by warm clement weather. After minor picking of Sauvignon Blanc on 7 of October, the main harvest began in earnest on 10 October. Pickers worked over the following five days, including Sunday. Time was of the essence because, as forecasts predicted, the weather suddenly changed on 14 of October with 40mm or rain. After that, the picking teams skirted between showers between 17 and 22 of October, though by now the fruit had begun to deteriorate. Therefore, the key aspect of this Yquem is the extremely tight picking window. The final blend contains 138g/L residual sugar, which is slightly less than the previous vintage, with 5.5g/L total acidity and 14.4% alcohol. Tasting the 2019, I noticed that it has a slightly paler hue compared to recent vintages (though I never read too much into the colour of young Sauternes.) For certain, it has a highly-aromatic bouquet that is beguiling in purity, enticing aromas of honeysuckle and saffron, soon joined by camomile, white flowers and orange blossom. It has wonderful delineation and gains intensity with aeration. The palate is supremely well-balanced with fine bead of acidity. Very harmonious and armed with just the right amount of viscosity, this Yquem is surprisingly understated at first but gains presence, offering irresistible flavours of layers of honey, lemongrass, lemon thyme and orange pith. Yquem is so tempting in its youth, but I feel that this vintage will repay those with the nous to cellar for at least a decade.

Domaine Drouhin-Laroze has some of the best sites in the Cote d’Or. The Clos de Vougeot 2011 has an exciting intensity throughout that engulfs the palate and exudes power on the long crafted finish. Plenty of wood and warm earth gives great balance to the very fresh red fruit.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

The 2015 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, which comes from the upper slopes of the vineyard, has a rich and opulent bouquet with precocious mulberry and blueberry scents, violet and desiccated orange peel. The 30% whole bunches is discretely embedded in the black fruit, lending crunchiness to the texture. This displays impressive depth; notwithstanding infectious energy and a vibrant finish. Excellent - this is one of the best grand crus from Drouhin-Laroze this vintage.

Burghound (92-95)

Earthy red berry fruit aromas trimmed in a discreet touch of wood spice are laced with earth, forest floor and violet hints. The full-bodied and tautly muscled broad-shouldered flavors possess excellent power and detail on the stunningly long, mildly rustic and youthfully austere finish. This is quite serious and clearly very structured yet it stops short of being overtly old school in style; that said, this will not be an early drinker.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2019 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru comes from Faiveley’s 1.27-hectare parcel. It has a floral nose with potpourri and light lavender aromas that partially occlude the fruit expression. The palate is lithe on the entry with modest depth and quite tertiary in style, and a keen thread of acidity lends freshness on the finish. A little austere in style, it opens with aeration to offer a very minerally finish. Here, it put the Echézeaux 2019 in its place.

Decanter (96)

The wine has an inky dark colour and pronounced aromas of blackberry, fig, smoke and spice. The texture is lush, yet there are firm tannins and the wine never seems overbearing or aggressive - everything is kept in elegant balance. Faiveley is the proprietor of three parcels that total 1.27ha in the Clos de Vougeot, including a portion in Grand Maupertuis and two parcels nearer the bottom. The fruit was picked very ripe (14.5%) and partially destemmed before fermentation, with a very careful extraction and ageing in cask (half new).

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-96)

Pale but pretty colour. Light fruit on the nose. Spared from the frost, and as is typical of such cuvees in 2021, the wine feels more complete – in fact, displaying a particularly long finish. This avoids also the blocky side of Clos Vougeot, showing instead a rather fine fresh but light strawberry fruit. One could almost suggest that it is ethereal for this appellation! Drink from 2030-2038.

Jancis Robinson (18)

Three casks from three different spots. Slightly cloudy cherry red. Really rich and solid. From a very good producer (a long-term proposition) and made in the domaine philosophy. Lots of tannin on the end. Very energetic. Very slightly bitter on the end.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95-97)

Only 30% decorticated as this was the last picked and the team had had enough – but makes an interesting contrast with the others. More purple than black in colour. Still has some rose petals which cannot be common in Clos Vougeot! Super deep with some liquorice behind where the fruit darkens, but up front and on the nose it is more dark raspberry and redcurrant. Not quite so fine tannins when not fully decorticated, it would seem. But a huge follow through. If it were not for the utter brilliance of the Echezeaux, I might score this even higher! Tasted: November 2021

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95-98)

5 Star Wine. A rich dark purple. The nose is astonishing because of its definition. It is a slightly darker and certainly less lushly appealing style. Peppery notes are in balance but the volume of fruit surmounts. This is a fine and very noble example which could well leap ahead of the 2020 in the rankings. There is such a wealth of fruit, on the cusp of red and black, which returns in the very long finish. Bravo. Drink from 2030-2040.

Wine Advocate (94)

Boillot's 2015 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, which hails from the lieu-dit Grand Maupertui (neighboring Anne Gros' parcel), reveals a brooding bouquet of cassis, plum, musk and incense, framed by toasty new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and multidimensional, fresh and vibrant despite its considerable amplitude and power, with a fine-grained chassis of tannin and a long, sapid finish. This is a rich, lavish Clos Vougeot which should develop beautifully in the cellar.

Decanter (95)

Hudelot-Noëllat's 0.8ha holding is made up of two parcels, both of them in the best bit of the Grand Cru. Aged in 40% new wood, this is a not a blockbuster style by any means, emphasising freshness, balance and harmony instead. Floral, racy and supple, it has well-integrated 40% new wood, some vanilla spice and a poised, elegant finish.

Vinous (94-96)

The 2020 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a very well-defined bouquet, quite mineral-driven with crushed rock and pressed iris flower combined with dark cherry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fine acidity, very focused with quite a strict and saline finish. There is a sense of class here and it has the substance to age well in bottle.

Vinous (90-92)

The 2017 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru includes 20% whole bunches this year. It has a slight mintiness on the nose, quite generous if not as complex as the Corton-Bressandes tasted alongside. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, quite strict and fresh with a chalky texture, and a slightly curmudgeonly finish. Give this three to four years in bottle to lighten up.

Wine Advocate (95-97)

The 2015 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a detailed, precise bouquet, very pure with ripe dark cherries, kirsch, orange sorbet and subtle graphite aromas. It is one of the classiest that you will come across from this ancient vineyard this year. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin that feel a little fuller and suppler than the premier cru Vosne-Romanées. Grippy in the mouth with an effervescent finish, this is a long-term Clos de Vougeot that will age effortlessly over 20-30 years.

Decanter (96)

Running from their gate by the Route Nationale to the same height as the Château de la Tour, the Grivots' vines are all in the lower half of the Clos. In hot years like 2017, humid soils can be an advantage, which appears to be the case for this stylish, poised, well-balanced grand cru bottling. The 30% oak is particularly subtle, framing the fresh, mineral-edged finish.

Vinous (95-97)

The 2019 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a deep color. The beautifully defined bouquet offers blackberry, raspberry, incense and crushed stone aromas, all incredibly detailed and precise. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, perfectly pitched acidity and a structured finish that delivers good grip and a touch of black pepper on the spicy aftertaste. Seriously fine.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-96)

70% crop achieved, so perhaps the helicopter treatment worked. A deeper dense purple, with a serious concentration of fruit here. The advantage of the vines which were less ravaged. Then darker fruit, almost a chocolate nose, a little foursquare as per its terroir, small waves of darker fruit coming through behind, a dark plum for example, then an evenly balanced finish between fruit, tannin and acidity. Drink from 2030-2040.