Burghound (95)

(Outstanding) A cooler and more elegant nose is dazzlingly pure with its elegant aromas of anise, essence of violet and rose petal, black cherry and an interesting hint of Asian-style tea. There is excellent power and underlying tension to the large-scaled flavors that possess a positively gorgeous mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the stony, detailed and compact finale. This is picture perfect Rugiens.

The Michel Magnien Chamboll-Musigny Argillieres 2016 is a masterwork cultivated in Burgundy's prestigious Côte d'Or. It speaks of the expertise of its producer, Michel Magnien, a fourth-generation wine-grower dedicated to bio-dynamic viticulture. Crafted from Pinot Noir, this wine reveals the profound relationship between grape and terroir, reflecting its clay-limestone (Argillieres) soil origins. Artisanally matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, the wine’s evolution nurtures an expressive bouquet, highlighting ripe cherries, spice, and subtle earthiness.

On the palate, it offers a remarkably balanced, refined structure, affluent in fruit intensity, harmonised with supple tannins and elegant acidity. The Michel Magnien Chambolle-Musigny Argillieres 2016 presents an ethereal journey through the Burgundian countryside, encapsulating the essence of its revered vineyard pedigree. This exceptional wine showcases the potential of meticulously crafted, earth-conscious wines - a grand testament to Michel Magnien's holistic approach to winemaking.

Vinous (88)

The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Village, matured in 30% new oak, is vibrant and fresh on the nose: black cherries, strawberry pastille and just a touch of violet petal. The palate is a little oaky on the entry. Good depth, quite dense for a Chambolle, touches of blood orange and pain d'épices towards the finish. Give it a couple of years in bottle.

Immerse in the aromatic symphony of the Mischief Mayhem Chambolle Musigny Cras 2015. Produced in the acclaimed vineyards of Chambolle Musigny in the Burgundy region of France, this exceptional wine mirrors the in-depth knowledge and passion of its creators, Mischief and Mayhem. This superior vintage, gloriously resonates the quintessential characteristics of this revered terroir.

Perfected over time, the Pinot Noir grapes were hand-harvested at optimal ripeness and underwent careful cold maceration to enhance flavour depth. The wine was matured in French oak barrels for 18 months, contributing to an elegant, balanced structure with fine-grained tannins.

Mischief Mayhem Chambolle Musigny Cras 2015 offers an enticing bouquet of red cherries interspersed with violet undertones. The palate is intriguing, with a pleasant acidity prolonging a nuanced finish of earthy mineral notes. Celebrate this tour de force of winemaking innovation - Mischief Mayhem Chambolle Musigny Cras 2015, the epitome of Burgundian finesse and terroir expression.

Vinous - Neal Martin (95)

The 2010 Pensées de Lafleur is just missing some complexity on the nose compared to its peers, but it seems to awaken in the glass revealing sous-bois, morels and tar-tinged black fruit that are well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, a fine bead of acidity, very well balanced with a deep and pixelated finish. Outstanding. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.

Burghound (92-94)

This is cool and pure to the point of being almost timid with its restrained array of red currant, pomegranate, earthy and softly sauvage-inflected nose. There is fine intensity to the sleek and satin-textured flavors that are muscular yet dance across the palate on the saline and wonderfully refreshing finish. This is clearly built-to-age yet it's already inviting.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 1990 Petrus remains incredibly young, one of the least evolved wines of the vintage (along with Montrose and Beausejour-Duffau). This dense ruby/purple-colored effort is beginning to hint at the massive richness and full-bodied intensity lurking beneath its wall of tannin. The vintage’s sweetness, low acidity, and velvety tannins are present in abundance, and the wine is massive in the mouth as well as incredibly pure and well-delineated. I thought it would be drinkable by now, but it appears another 5-10 years will pass before it begins to reach its plateau of maturity. This wine is capable of lasting at least four more decades. An incredible achievement! Release price: ($5000.00/case)

Wine Advocate (97)

It is hard to call Petrus a “sleeper of the vintage,” but the 2008 will merit more attention than most consumers would think. Low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare resulted in only 25,000 bottles of this beauty. A wine of great intensity (possibly the most concentrated wine of the vintage), this 100% Merlot boasts a dark purple color as well as a sweet perfume of mocha, caramel, black cherries, black currants, earth and forest floor. Deep, unctuously textured, full-bodied and pure, it will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and should drink well for 25-30+ years.

The Wine Independent (100)

Petrus 2015 has a deep garnet color, with a hint of purple. Upon opening (the bottle was opened in front of me) the nose explodes with an atomic mushroom cloud of molten licorice, black cherry preserves, ripe juicy black plums, and candied violets, followed by hints of Sichuan pepper, Indian spices, crushed rocks, and iron ore. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and fantastically opulent, the palate delivers super-ripe, velvety tannins and amazing tension to the multi-layered black fruits and exotic spices, finishing with incredible length. Polished, pristine, curvaceous and hedonic - out of the gate gorgeous, this baby has a good 50-60 years+ further to go.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Deep ruby in color, here you find truffle, dark chocolate, coffee bean, cigar box, black cherry and dark plums. Full bodied, elegant, velvety, opulent, sweet and fresh, the presence on the palate is silk and velvet in the texture with purity and sweetness to the fruits. The wine is hedonistic as well as intellectual, and a little bit firm. There is serious aging potential. The wine really sticks with you, for over 60 seconds in the finish. Give this at least 15 or more years in the cellar to develop before popping a cork.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Deep ruby in color, here you find truffle, dark chocolate, coffee bean, cigar box, black cherry and dark plums. Full bodied, elegant, velvety, opulent, sweet and fresh, the presence on the palate is silk and velvet in the texture with purity and sweetness to the fruits. The wine is hedonistic as well as intellectual, and a little bit firm. There is serious aging potential. The wine really sticks with you, for over 60 seconds in the finish. Give this at least 15 or more years in the cellar to develop before popping a cork.

The Wine Cellar Insider (99)

Truffle, Cuban cigar wrapper, exotic spice, licorice and lilacs create the complex set of aromatics. Powerful yet poised, rich and fresh, dense and velvety, the finish remains with you for close to 60 seconds. The end notes deliver spicy, silky, creamy tannins, ripe, dark plums and darker red fruits that fill the palate. The wine is structured with all the right stuff to age for decades. Produced from 100% Merlot, the harvest started September 8, finishing September 28. The wine reached 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.6 . This is the wine of the vintage

The Wine Independent (100)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Petrus unfurls very slowly to offer glimpses at licorice, fragrant earth, crushed rocks, and cinnamon toast hints over a core of juicy blackberries, black raspberries, and crushed violets with a subtle waft of dusty earth. Full-bodied, rich, decant and unashamedly flamboyant, the palate has super firm, super velvety tannins and amazing tension, delivering slow releasing exotic spice and black fruit layers, finishing very long, opulent and incredibly impactful. Tuck it away for another 6-8 years, at least, and then count on it transforming magnificently over the following 50-years+.

Vinous (92-95)

A wine of total sensuality, the 2016 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru possesses stunning aromatic lift and inner sweetness, not to mention phenomenal overall balance. Sweet red cherry, kirsch, rose petal, mint and spice literally soar out of the glass, while firm tannins extend the structured finish in this tightly wound Burgundy. The 2016 is aging in 350L barrels. The larger format seems to confer an extra element of finesse that makes the Charmes totally seductive. - Antonio Galloni

Vinous (93)

The 2016 Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er Cru has an outstanding bouquet - exquisitely defined red berry fruit with subtle earthy tones. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, plenty of tightly coiled red fruit with a citrus-fresh finish that revivified the senses and leaves you urging for the next sip. Superb and classy. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.

Wine Advocate (92)

This opulent, sexy 2009 Rouget is composed of primarily Merlot blended with a touch of Cabernet Franc. Sandy, loamy soil notes interwoven with kirsch and Provencal garrigue jump from the glass of this full-bodied, opulent, rich Pomerol. Abundant fruit on the attack, mid-palate and finish characterize this over-achiever. Consume it over the next 15 years.

Decanter (95)

Expressive on the nose, so aromatic. The palate is so delicious - dense and structured, powerful and muscular but so well packaged. Uber glamour here. Real depth of flavour with lingering spice from the liquorice and sweet cedar, some bitter dark chocolate, floral touches and even soft savoury truffle aspects too. I love it, chewy almost balancing intensity with freshness and just such clarity that you know it's been well worked. Buy and hold on to.

The Stephane Magnien Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2017 is the epitome of fine Burgundy wine, crafted by the fourth-generation vintner, Stephane Magnien. Cultivated in the renowned vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin, this luxurious Grand Cru elegantly embodies the region's famed terroir. The wine’s cultivation is traditional, with the vineyards possessing an average age of 65 years, ensuring deep root growth and contributing a distinctive complexity to the wine.

The vinification processes involve thoughtful, gentle extraction techniques to preserve the wine's unique, full-bodied flavour. Matured in oak barrels for 15 to 18 months, it develops an irresistible blend with notes of wild berries, earthiness and compelling spices.

The Stephane Magnien Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2017 is an exceptional representation of Magnien's commitment to authenticity and his ability to subtly translate the vineyard's specificity into this spectacular cuvée. This collectable wine brings together tradition and sophistication, offering connoisseurs an extraordinary tasting experience.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2019 Chambolle-Musigny La Combe d'Orveau 1er Cru has a showy bouquet with raspberry, cranberry, bergamot and tea leaf aromas, perhaps just needing a little more cohesion that should develop during the remainder of its maturation. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, black fruit laced with graphite leading to a fresh, classically styled finish that stylistically reminds me of Morey than Chambolle. Time will let it make up its mind what it wants to grow up and become, but it will be quite excellent.

Vinous (89-91)

The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Village, matured in around 25% new oak, has quite a perfumed bouquet with red cherries and rose petal scents, quite airy and nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, slightly creamy in texture, gaining weight towards the finish that feels quite caressing.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

The 2015 Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru has an expressive bouquet with redcurrant, raspberry coulis, a touch of honey and a hint of Seville orange marmalade. It opens nicely in the glass, though does not slip into fifth gear at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, cohesive in the mouth and quite saline and spicy. There is generosity here, a trait of Charmes-Chambertin, with the mineral core surfacing right at the finish as it fans out. This is an impressive follow-up to the superb 2014 and it should give 20+ years of pleasure.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-95)

Rich, exuberant purple. A cheerful nose, flamboyantly perfumed which is as Charmes should be. I very much like the balance of this, which is all in red fruit, succulent strawberry and raspberry, good acidity, no feeling of excess heat. 14.1% but holds it without difficulty. Tasted: December 2021

Wine Advocate (96)

Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2008 Trotanoy has an attractive bouquet with engaging clarity and purity: raspberry preserve, wild strawberry, a trace of something almost medicinal just below the surface. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and a crisp line of acidity, subtle notes of cedar and tar infusing the red berry fruit with a composed, structured finish with plenty of freshness and vigor. Classic in style, well crafted and sure to give another two decades of pleasure, this is a stupendous Trotanoy that is up there with the 2009 and 2010 . Yes, it's that good and in fact, it kept on improving as it opened in the glass. Tasted December 2016.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2014 Trotanoy had (que surprise!) closed down on the nose compared to its JP Moueix stablemates. A few swirls of the glass and it reveals very precise, mineral-soaked black fruit laced with black truffle and subtle sous-bois aromas. It soon gathers momentum and the aromas were gaining more and more intensity after five minutes. The palate is outstanding. There is brilliant structure here, immense and almost staggering purity, incredible focus and tension with an electrifying spiciness on the finish. Best Pomerol of the vintage? The only thing wrong with that last sentence is the question mark at the end.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2014 Trotanoy had (que surprise!) closed down on the nose compared to its JP Moueix stablemates. A few swirls of the glass and it reveals very precise, mineral-soaked black fruit laced with black truffle and subtle sous-bois aromas. It soon gathers momentum and the aromas were gaining more and more intensity after five minutes. The palate is outstanding. There is brilliant structure here, immense and almost staggering purity, incredible focus and tension with an electrifying spiciness on the finish. Best Pomerol of the vintage? The only thing wrong with that last sentence is the question mark at the end.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

There are many things I love about wine tasting. One of the great pleasures is tasting wine in barrel and scoring it higher in bottle, which is a true sign of quality. That is what took place here clearly. This wine is off the charts! The level of intensity has to be tasted to be believed. The fruit tastes as if each berry was polished with a velvet cloth. This is incredibly hedonistic. With a surreal texture, the wine unfolds and coats your palate with waves of perfectly ripe fruits. cashmere tannins make you with the 60 second finish was even longer! This is an indulgence of pleasure at its best.

Decanter (100)

Straight off you see this is a vintage with big shoulders and textured, muscular tannic grip, not giving as much today as it will be in another five years time, but one that makes you happy to wait. This is expressive and nuanced with subtle kicks of spice and cut herbs alongside the concentrated cassis and graphite. Rich with a ripe round mouthfeel, there is alcohol here but it is balanced by so many other qualities that you barely notice. Great stuff. These were tasted blind but it stood out heads and shoulders above the rest. Clearly an exceptional bottle in a great vintage.