Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (97-99)

Pale lemon colour. Very little nose as yet, too early perhaps for a wine of this potential power – which it certainly has on the palate, and very good acidity as well. The immense square of fruit in the mouth doesn’t yet show specific flavours but everything hangs together impressively for what will be an imposing Bâtard. Tasted: November 2021

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95-97)

From the Puligny side of the appellation. Clear beautiful yellow colour. The nose is discreet but very classy, then this huge wealth of fruit expands across the palate. We can wait for the nose. This is beautifully poised, a little wood, a slight youthful bitterness, but both add to the grip. Long and fine. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted: October 2022

Vinous (92-94)

The 2021 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is more backward and surly than the Bienvenues at this stage, less "welcoming". The palate is well balanced with a tangy entry, orange rind and lemon peel, touches of grapefruit towards the finish, though the Bienvenues has more cohesion. Still commendable given the season.

Vinous (94)

The 2019 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a rather terse bouquet, more saline than the Criots, touches of oyster shell coming through with time in the glass. The palate is well balanced with more weight and density than the Criots, grippy and saline with a long spicy aftertaste. This is excellent - but serious and warranting cellaring for three or four years.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95)

Delicious pale lemon colour with a few green reflexes. Power in a chiselled rather than a fat style. There is nonetheless huge opulence on the palate, luxurious white fruit, ripe pears, not going as far as peach, yet still managing a certain elegance. All in place here. Long and ripely scented finish. Tasted: November 2021

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95)

Only down 40% thanks to general protection. Delicious pale lemon colour with a few green reflexes. Power in a chiselled rather than a fat style. Huge opulence on the palate, luxurious white fruit, ripe pears, not going as far as peach, and still managing a certain elegance. All in place here. A long and ripely scented finish. All one would hope for. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted: November 2022

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!

James Suckling (96)

The aromas of hot stones in the vineyard really highlight the dried apples and citrus with flint and straw, following to a full body with a tight palate and reserved finish. It needs time to open and show it’s greatness. Give it three to four years to open.

Vinous (94-96)

The 2017 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru stays with Domaine Marc Colin as it as owned by Damien's godfather and he wished for it to remain with him, therefore a fermage agreement remains in place. It has a clean and precise bouquet, a little more expressive than some of its peers with crushed stone, sea spray and light citrus peel scents. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, the oak neatly integrated (one out of two barrels new) with a precise tangy orange rind finish. Sophisticated and compelling. (DIAM closure)

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95-97)

2 barrels of one year old wood, chosen from the best of the previous year. Deep full yellow, in comparison to its stable mates, but in fact still light. This is taking time to wake up on the nose. There is a good backing from the oak, a slight youthful bitterness. A very substantial weight. Good acidity too just makes its appearance right at the back. This will need time. Tasted: October 2021