Vinous (94)

The 2015 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru is bright, precise and crystalline - in other words, a classic expression of this great grand cru. White flowers, crushed rocks, mint and slate all run through this super-expressive, nuanced Chablis from Dauvissat. Even in this warm, radiant vintage, the personality of Preuses comes through loud and clear - and that is perhaps the greatest compliment I can pay to this wine.

Vintage Tastings (95)

. Next up was a superb wine that most were convinced was a Guigal La La wine. There was so much menthol, bacon and violety fruit it had to be! The palate was meaty, fine and long with great purity

Wine Advocate (100)

The greatest wines Chave has produced since 2003 are the two cuvees of 2009 Hermitage. The 2009 Hermitage exhibits a black/purple color along with a sumptuous nose of roasted meats, ground pepper, black currants, blackberry jam, and subtle smoke and licorice. The extraordinary bouquet is followed by a wine of extravagant intensity as well as tremendous focus and precision. While not as powerful as the blockbuster 2003, the amazing 2009 may turn out to be a modern day version of their magnificent 1990 (which is drinking incredibly well at present). Anyone who loves Hermitage and has a cold cellar should be lining up to get a few bottles of this beauty.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

Just an incredible Hermitage in every sense, the 2017 Hermitage reminds me of the 2016 yet on steroids (or maybe a more finesse-driven example of the 2015?). Revealing a deep, saturated purple color as well as a stunning nose of red and black currants, kirsch, Asian spices, cured meats, ground pepper, and Acacia flowers, it shows more classic Chave minerality with time in the glass, and if this doesn't put a smile on your face, I don't know what will. These all carry to a full-bodied, powerful, yet seamless wine that has the sunny, extroverted style of the vintage yet still packs incredible mid-palate depth, ripe, polished tannins, no hard edges, and one hell of an incredible finish. It's going to be relatively accessible by this cuvée’s standards and offer considerable pleasure in its youth, yet also have 30-40 years of longevity.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

I was blown away by the 2018 Hermitage from barrel, and it unquestionably doesn't disappoint from bottle. Reminding me slightly of the 2009, it possesses off-the-charts richness and depth, but like all great wines, stays pure, balanced, and light on its feel. Extraordinary notes of cassis, blue fruits, graphite, violets, and flowers define the bouquet, and this full-bodied, layered, multi-dimensional beauty has ripe tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. This is pure Hermitage magic. Given its extravagant richness and texture, it should be relatively accessible in just a handful of years yet evolve for three decades or more.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

A powerhouse of a wine that flirts with perfection, the 2019 Hermitage reveals a dense purple hue as well as an extraordinary bouquet of sweet blue fruits supported by notes of crushed stone, lead pencil, leather, and ground pepper, with hints of flowers in the background. Full-bodied, stunningly pure, and massively concentrated, yet with riveting precision and elegance, it needs to be hidden in the back of the cellar for a decade and will evolve for 30, 40, if not 50 years. Tasting the trilogy of the 2018, 2019, and 2020 over the coming decades will be the equivalent of wine nirvana.

Vinous (94)

Saturated ruby. Expressive blackberry and cherry compote scents are complemented by hints of exotic spices, smoked meat and olive. Round and fleshy but energetic as well, offering intense black and blue fruit and spicecake flavors that are underscored by a core of juicy acidity. A smoky bacon note lingers on the youthfully tannic finish, which shows strong, spice- and mineral-driven persistence.

Decanter (98)

I think it's the best vintage I've ever made', says Marc, and you can see why. It's 100% whole-bunch fruit, harvested at a yield of 25hl/ha from lieux-dits Les Greffieux and Le Méal. It has resinous rosemary notes on the nose, and it's so fresh, vibrant and full of energy. The palate is beautifully concentrated, with lovely berry acidity. It's a totally natural and unforced expression of Hermitage with real length and persistence. It has slightly softer tannins than the 2015, but is just as good. So refreshing and enlivening.

John Livingston-Learmouth (5)

(used 228-litre cask, 17 casks this year, not had so many since 1999) deep robe. There is a bull’s blood intensity on the nose, concerted black fruits, black olives – it is sleek and profound, a real Child of the Night, is slinky, with most welcoming fruit beckoning you in. The palate engages with a wavy black fruit offer; the pleasure is sensaround, and there is naughty raciness in its svelte fruit. I find it has more hidden depths than 2017, is wholesome, and very, very persistent, flourishes on the close. It has subtleties, perhaps more than 2017, carries some Burgundian tendencies, most sexy fruit, silky and savoury, very long and sensuous. 14.1°. 2053-56 Nov 2018

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

An absolute blockbuster of an Hermitage that tastes like the blood of Syrah, the 2019 Hermitage Le Greal sports a saturated purple hue to go with insane aromatics of pen ink, smoked meats, burning embers, currants, and ground pepper. Massively concentrated, full-bodied, structured, and yet also flawlessly balanced, this legendary Hermitage is going to need a decade or more to get close to maturity, and I suspect it will have 40-50 years of overall longevity. I wouldn't be surprised if the 1961 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle tasted similar to this on release.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

Even better, the 2020 Hermitage Le Gréal showed brilliantly, and this powerful, concentrated Hermitage is going to be one for the cellar. Revealing a dense purple hue as well as great aromatics of blackberries, new saddle leather, truffle, roasted herbs, and peppered meat, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, mouth-filling texture, building tannins, and a great finish. It's going to take a decade to hit maturity, but this brilliant Hermitage will have 30 years of longevity. Bravo!

Decanter (96)

A particularly fruity Gréal, much more open than usual at this stage. It has weight and presence and a seriously mineral edge. Less concentration and structure than a typical year, but it should last well thanks to its energy, tension and strict tannins, and end up very Pinotesque in style with age. It’s pure and elegant and with good ripeness of fruit and tannin. Impressive, but don't expect a huge wine. Very true to Bessards, like sucking pencil lead. Vines partly grown on Le Méal, partly on Les Greffieux, and 10% whole bunch used.

Vinous (90-93)

The 2018 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru is another wine in this range with quite a bit of promise. Exotic and tropical, with terrific depth, the 2018 has a lot to offer, even if it is clearly an adolescent today.

Wine Advocate (93+)

Aromas of ripe peaches, pears and almond paste preface the 2018 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros, a full-bodied, ample and blocky wine that's quite structured and reserved by the standards of this often-extroverted climat, displaying a layered mid-palate that's framed by a generous endowment of chewy dry extract. It's an impressive but muscular example of the vintage.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Lastly, and a legendary wine in the making, the 2015 Hermitage La Chapelle is reminiscent of the 1990 with its full-bodied, opulently, sexy, yet concentrated style. Offering sensational notes of blackcurrants, smoked herbs, beef blood, and chocolate, it’s a huge yet elegant wine that has masses of sweet tannin, incredible purity and finesse, and a killer finish. It’s the finest wine from this estate in close to 30 years. Hats off to Caroline Frey and Jacques Desvernois!

James Suckling (97-98)

Very spicy and peppery with blue-granite aromas plus hints of grilled and smoked meat. Cloves and nutmeg. Full body, round and juicy tannins and a super spicy finish that almost burns with so much character yet turns fine and focused at the end. A beauty.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

The 2017 Hermitage La Chapelle showed incredibly well and is a brilliant wine that's reminiscent of a richer, denser 2011. Loads of sun-kissed dark fruits, leather, graphite, and flowers, with ample spice and sandalwood nuances, give way to a full-bodied, pure, deep, multi-dimensional Hermitage that’s just about as good as it gets. The balance, length, and depth of this is something to behold, and while it unquestionably offers pleasure today, it has another 20-30 years of prime drinking ahead of it.

Wine Advocate (98-100)

Jaboulet's 2018 Hermitage La Chapelle features scents of crushed stone, violets and cassis. It's a classic trio, backed by a wine that's full-bodied, rich and powerful yet also airy, somehow carrying intense plum and black olive flavors without any sense of heaviness or excess weight. Then the wine finishes long and softly dusty, with tannins that accentuate its savory character, picking up delicious hints of licorice at the very end. The proportion of new oak has been trimmed back to a very reasonable 20% and is hardly noticeable in the wine.

Matthew Jukes (20++)

Like La Maison Bleue, La Chapelle barely moved an inch over the five days that it sat open (and gradually oxidising) on my tasting bench. This is a monumental wine with the finest Syrah nose I have seen since the ethereal and intriguing beauty of the remarkable 2016 vintage and also the monolithic stance of the legendary 1990. However, this is not to say that this vintage can be directly compared to either year. There is a latent power about this wine that is as elusive as it is impressive. This solaire vintage has certainly given La Chapelle a sense of foreboding power and yet there is so much grace here, too. You could be sniffing a handful of granite and gravel, a bouquet of freshly picked herbs, a mortar of freshly ground pepper or a punnet of juicy black fruit and yet there is so much more to discover here. What I find so remarkable about this wine is that it does not show any trace of over-ripeness nor does it have any unwanted oiliness or excessive alcohol. In spite of its richness and depth, this is a pristinely refreshing wine with crunch and crackle of filigree tannin which enlivens every sip. In this regard, it is a far less obvious superstar than the preening 1990 and it is a more erudite and statuesque model than the esoteric 2016. In short, this is one of only a handful of vintages of La Chapelle to which I have awarded a perfect score and who is to say that this will not happen again before too long? The care and attention in this entire portfolio of wines are evident and the hard work and holistic approach are not only paying off in the vineyards but also in the glass, too, and this makes 2019 another phenomenally successful vintage for Jaboulet.

Matthew Jukes (20++)

Like La Maison Bleue, La Chapelle barely moved an inch over the five days that it sat open (and gradually oxidising) on my tasting bench. This is a monumental wine with the finest Syrah nose I have seen since the ethereal and intriguing beauty of the remarkable 2016 vintage and also the monolithic stance of the legendary 1990. However, this is not to say that this vintage can be directly compared to either year. There is a latent power about this wine that is as elusive as it is impressive. This solaire vintage has certainly given La Chapelle a sense of foreboding power and yet there is so much grace here, too. You could be sniffing a handful of granite and gravel, a bouquet of freshly picked herbs, a mortar of freshly ground pepper or a punnet of juicy black fruit and yet there is so much more to discover here. What I find so remarkable about this wine is that it does not show any trace of over-ripeness nor does it have any unwanted oiliness or excessive alcohol. In spite of its richness and depth, this is a pristinely refreshing wine with crunch and crackle of filigree tannin which enlivens every sip. In this regard, it is a far less obvious superstar than the preening 1990 and it is a more erudite and statuesque model than the esoteric 2016. In short, this is one of only a handful of vintages of La Chapelle to which I have awarded a perfect score and who is to say that this will not happen again before too long? The care and attention in this entire portfolio of wines are evident and the hard work and holistic approach are not only paying off in the vineyards but also in the glass, too, and this makes 2019 another phenomenally successful vintage for Jaboulet.

Matthew Jukes (19+)

While there are faint roasted coffee bean notes here, which hint at the warm summer, and exotic rose and musk characters that only ever emerge in concentrated vintages, this is a masterclass in restraint and self-awareness. While this 2020 perhaps lacks the overall gravitas and high-rise tannins of the majestic 2019 vintage, this is a very seductive La Chapelle and one that will appeal to lovers of textural, velvety Syrahs. I am certain that everyone who drinks this wine will fall for its charms.

Vinous (94)

Inky violet color. Deeply pitched cherry, blueberry, licorice and candied violet aromas are complemented by hints of baking spices, incense and smoky minerals. Succulent and penetrating on the palate, offering deeply concentrated black/blue fruit, spice and floral pastille flavors that become more energetic as the wine slowly stretches out. Weighty and broad yet lively as well, finishing with sharp delineation, mounting tannins and outstanding, floral- and mineral-driven persistence.

Matthew Jukes (19++)

I fell for this wine in a microsecond – the very moment the first molecule of perfume exploded on my receptors. This is a step-change vintage for La Maison Bleue because I have not seen this degree of single-mindedness and overriding intention before in this wine. 2019 La Maison Bleue seems as if it has realised that it does not need to sit behind La Chapelle in Caroline Frey’s portfolio. It signals, loud and clear, that it ought to be seated alongside its more renowned stablemate and be accorded the opportunity to address the masses as an equal, not a subordinate. This is a bold move from this honed, sleek wine. In 2019, with just that little bit more power and ambition under its belt, it has broken free and it looks absolutely sensational. The fruit is regal and layered and the tannins are precision-cut and perfectly positioned making it every inch a superstar. By the end of day five of my tasting these amazing wines, La Maison Bleue seemed as if it were saying, let’s keep going! While this is a ‘finished barrel sample’, this wine wanted to be tested to its limits and I cannot fault its enthusiasm and excellence. You simply must track it down!

Matthew Jukes (19+)

There is extraordinary equilibrium in this sensational wine. It is so finely balanced it is baffling, and the depth and richness is offset with the most dramatic acid and strident minerality I have seen in a wine of this style. There are profound meadow-flower and stone fruit flavour here which enchant the senses but they are marshalled brilliantly by the citrus pith and green apple skin raspiness on the finish. This is the most exciting Chevalier I have ever tasted and it rivals the very best whites from this region and others besides.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (91-95)

Pale colour with green tints, very fresh, there is even a little bit of noble reduction. The 2018 Forêts delivers an absolutely scintillating, crystalline purity. There is impressive weight on the palate, balanced by a refreshing greener element to the fruit.

Vinous (92-94)

A wine of textural depth and resonance, the 2018 Chablis Monts-Mains 1er Cru shows terrific power and richness in its broad, sweeping feel. Even with all of its density and overtness, the 2018 retains terrific freshness to balance things out.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2015 Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre has a tightly wound bouquet with a slight fumé note at first, then a trace of sea cave and a tang of the sea. The palate is very well balanced with a fine line of acidity. This has wonderful harmony, a dash of nutmeg and spice that emerges toward the finish and a very persistent aftertaste that will not go away (not that you want it to). This is an outstanding Montée de Tonnerre destined to give a lot of Chablis-lovers a lot of pleasure.

Burghound (95)

This is perhaps the most elegant and floral-infused wine in the range with its array of various white flower scents, especially acacia that are nuanced by wisps of ocean breeze, iodine and algae. The restrained and well-detailed flavors possess a sophisticated and refined mouthfeel while the stony and chiseled finish exhibiting excellent persistence on the bone-dry finish. This is class in a glass and a stunning rendition of the appellation though note well that at least moderate patience is strongly advised.

Burghound (95)

A discreet, even timid nose speaks of markedly cool, airy and admirably pure aromas of high-toned floral wisps, iodine and plenty of oyster shell and tidal pool nuances that are trimmed in just enough wood to mention. The racy, mineral-driven and ultra-refined middle weight flavors possess the finest and most delicate texture in the entire range, all wrapped in a strikingly long and strikingly layered finale. This is textbook MdT and a genuine knockout.