Vinous (92)

Bright, light yellow. Deeper-pitched aromas of yellow peach and honey. In a distinctly ripe style but broad and quite dry; in fact, with its superb concentration and fullness, this premier cru made for a good transition to Jadot's grand crus in my tasting. This compellingly rich wine conveys an almost marzipan-like sweetness and should give pleasure early or late. Very long on the aftertaste. As with the Combettes, the yield here was almost 90% of normal. Incidentally, Jadot did not make a Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret in 2016.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93)

Slightly the deepest in colour and the richest nose of the four premier crus. Some lemon notes and light plum, then white fruit. This has the most assured texture of the four. Good grip, as Clive Coates would have said, stretching out very nicely in a fine long finish.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Cask sample. Top-quality premier cru Puligny. Concentration and power on the nose/palate. Savoury edge, plenty of citrus keeping the palate fresh. Should age very well. Stony finish with an intriguing zesty character. GV.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes is excellent, offering up aromas of stone fruits, pear, pastry cream, white flowers and fresh croissants, followed by a full-bodied, rich and textural palate, with a broad attack that segues into a layered, multidimensional palate. Powerful and broad shouldered, but nicely balanced, this is a compelling wine from Sauzet.

Wine Advocate (95)

Boillot's emblematic 2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère has turned out brilliantly, wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, hazelnut, dried white flowers, citrus oil, blanched almonds and smoke. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with terrific concentration, searing levels of extract and a long, mineral finish.

Burghound (96)

(Outstanding) This is perhaps the most floral-suffused nose in the range with its aromas of essence of pear and plenitude of spice and citrus elements. Once again, the mid-palate mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is absolutely gorgeous, which contrasts noticeably with the cuts-like-a-knife finish that remains ultra-refined, balanced and persistent. This is most impressive, particularly for the remarkably fine volume and power that is delivered with grace and class.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles exhibits aromas of orange oil, toasted nuts, pear and white flowers, framed by a deft touch of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit and bright girdling acids, it concludes with a precise, mouthwatering finish.

Wine Advocate (91)

The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet Village is superb, unfurling in the glass with aromas of white peach, clear honey, citrus oil and fresh pastry. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and textural, with lively acids and a long, precise finish. As I noted last year, it's derived from the superior lieux-dits of Les Houlières, La Rousselle, Les Charmes and Les Enseignères.

Burghound (91)

Outstanding A subtle but not invisible application of wood sets off cool aromas of various flowers, pear, apple and orange peel. There is very good volume to the succulent, intense and agreeably textured flavors that culminate in a bone-dry, palate coating and lingering finale where a hint of youthful austere slowly emerges. This is a very impressive and age worthy Puligny villages.

Wine Advocate (89-91)

The 2017 Puligny-Montrachet Village reveals pretty aromas of white peach, spring flowers and pastry cream, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample palate that's the most pure and elegant of Chartron's communal appellations this year. It will be well worth seeking out.

Vinous (93)

The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Champ Canet 1er Cru has a very attractive nose with enticing scents of nectarine, tinned white peaches, Braeburn apples and a light chalky note. The palate is well balanced with orange pith, apricot and lychee notes on the entry. This Champ Canet has fine depth and good tension, the mouth tingling with spicy residues after it has departed. Excellent.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94)

Pale primrose. A fine bouquet with some complexity, fruit as white as it is yellow, this has really maintained its grip though the fruit is at its fleshiest here, quite a long finish. Does it have quite the nervous intensity at the back? That is not really what Combettes is about. Fruit marries well with the oak here, a delicious and fairly accessible Combettes. Tasted: November 2021

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93)

82% down in production I am told, meaning just 1 x 350 litre barrel, a new one. Pale lemon with a light green tint. Quite a concentration on the bouquet, fruit and oak integrated. Excellent tension behind, the fruit being concentrated enough to stand up to the oak, and the finish shows significant promise. This will come out well – if you can find any! Drink from 2026-2032. Tasted: November 2022

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (90)

Pale lemon and lime. The bouquet is immediately present, some fresh herbs as much as flowers, fresh apple too, this is quite austere up front, but with much more weight behind waiting to emerge. This is looking backward at the moment, but I expect it to blossom in the bottle. Tasted: November 2021

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!

Vinous (93)

The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er Cru has an austere nose that demands coaxing from the glass; struck flint and sea spray scents, cool, calm and collected. The palate is taut on the entry, then fans out with glee, notes of dessicated orange peel, white peach and tangerine, a lovely bitterness that counterbalances the concentration on the finish. Exccellent. Closure: Diam 30

Burghound (92-94)

(Sweet Spot Outstanding) Here the reduction is sufficient to overshadow the fruit. There is even better volume to the sleek and delicious middleweight flavors that are less mineral-driven but more powerful and slightly more persistent and bone-dry finish that is also exceptionally well-balanced. This is excellent and I would go so far as to observe that it's the best vintage for the Clavoillon in a long time. It is typically considered to be less interesting than the other 1ers (and not without reason) in the Leflaive portfolio and while it doesn't surpass them in 2021, it is most impressive nonetheless.

Burghound (94-96)

(Don't Miss! Outstanding) Firm reduction and a whiff of oak dominate the nose at present. Much more interesting are the beautifully textured, racy and detailed medium weight flavors that also possess a highly sophisticated mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the bitter zest-inflected finish that goes on and on. This is terrific and easily delivers grand cru quality.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92)

5-Star Wine Just bottled at the end of April. Made from the usual six plots. A pale lemon yellow. The nose has been knocked back a bit and is not yet showing much fruit. Then a little white fruit starts to emerge with some graphite, and a little bit of gunflint. Racy yet ripe with several layers of flavour and excellent length, the acidity perfectly wound in. On the assumption that the bouquet comes back as it should a little later on, after getting over the bottling, this will surely be a 5 star wine

Vinous (91-93)

The 2017 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a fresh bouquet, quite vigorous compared to its peers, with yellow flower scents complementing the clear honey and subtle linseed aromas that gradually unfurl. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, and full of tension, displaying good depth and concentration toward the finish. This is quite a powerful Puligny, perhaps missing a little bit of nerve compared to its peers, yet satisfying and persistent in the mouth. (DIAM GC closure)

Vinous (91-93)

The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne 1er Cru is more perfumed and floral than the La Garenne. Peach skin and rosewater touches make this very seductive. The palate is composed and harmonious but needs a little more nervosité, yet the finish is very harmonious and tender. Excellent.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru has a clean and precise bouquet with beautifully defined citrus fruit laced with crushed stone. The palate is well balanced with good depth and grip, slightly waxy in style, fine acidity with touches of tangerine and orange pith towards the finish. Thoroughly enjoyable, this should age well in bottle. Closure: Diam

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)

5 Star Wine. There will be no En la Richarde Folatières from Héritiers Louis Jadot this year, but this bottling is superb. A little more toastiness on the nose. This builds beautifully to the back of the palate, showing an excellent backbone with just the right elegance of minerality. Really good. Bravo Drink from 2026-2033. Tasted: October 2022