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

Vinous (96-98)

The 2020 Chambertin Grand Cru has a magnificent bouquet with delineated redcurrant, raspberry and strawberry scents, quite pixelated in style, very focused and shimmering with tension. The palate is extremely well balanced with fine but firm tannins that frame some exquisite red fruit with real mineralité that just floods through on the finish. Brilliant.

Vinous (90-92)

The 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet La Grande Montagne 1er Cru has a fresh and vibrant nose, clearly a level up from the Village Cru this year with more mineralité and tension. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh with a vibrant and poised, apricot and nectarine tinged finish. This will be delicious. Closure: Diam

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-97)

Mid yellow in colour. The nose hints at majesty while keeping its powder dry. This takes time to build on the palate, it is more in yellow fruit than most of the Jadot wines, with a little sucrosity, and still the lemon citrus inflection which makes these 2020 whites work so well, and the expected length. Tasted: November 2021

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-94)

Medium to deep purple, beautifully ripe, so much going on, plump lush raspberry but never losing its thread, more character in this warmer vintage rather than drying it. This is a very good Clos de la Barre, as good as I can remember. Tasted: November 2021

Vinous (95)

The NV (2014) Blanc de Blancs Experience is another very beautiful and expressive Champagne from Agrapart. Silky and nuanced, the Experience is quite vinous, with a very subtle mousse and tons of freshness. Experience is a blend of fruit from Les Robards and Les Bionnes. Pascal Agrapart added unfermented 2015 juice to a base of 2014 wine for the secondary fermentation, an approach that yields a Champagne that is both unique and compelling. Non-dosé. Disgorged: July 2018.

Vinous (95)

The 2014 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru L’Avizoise, from old vines in the Les Robards and Voie d'Epernay lieux-dits, is a wonderfully complex wine. Rich, ample and mineral but also intensely perfumed, the Avizoise has so much going on. Vinification in oak and aging on the cork seems to really bring out soft contours to match the wine's sculpted, translucent feel. This is an especially refined, aromatic expression of Avize, and also one of the most sublime, elegant wines I have tasted from Pascal Agrapart. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. Disgorged: April, 2020.

Vinous (94)

The 2014 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Minéral is a powerful, intense Champagne that captures all of the natural power of these old vines in Avize and Cramant. Aptly named, the Minéral is infused with tremendous mineral and soil inflections that give a real feeling of gravitas. Crushed rocks, slate, chalk and citrus accents are some of the many nuances that emerge with a bit of time in the glass. This release is fabulous. It is also a reticent wine, though, so at least a year or two in bottle will help soften. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. Disgorged: April, 2020.

James Suckling (95-96)

This is full-bodied with layers of fruit. Ripe and flavorful. Lots going on with a fleshy feel. No malolactic this year. Sweet peach, honeysuckle and citrus. Contrastive. 52% sauvignon blanc, 14% sauvignon gris and 34% semillon.

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.

Jancis Robinson (17+)

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Very much in the Alter Ego mould – lively, fruit-driven with that vineyard-fresh feel but with a little more structure than previous years. Pure and appetising but will age. (JL) 13.7%

Wine Enthusiast (97)

Effectively half-and-half Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this is a tremendous wine. With very fine tannins, spice from a touch of wood and swathes of ripe fruits give this wine its concentration and its huge potential. The wine has weight and a dark, dense structure that will allow it to age for many years. Drink from 2027.

James Suckling (98-99)

This is wonderfully refined and balanced with such pretty depth. Full-bodied and so polished and pure. Subtle at first, then it takes off and keeps coming. Sophisticated. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc.

Vinous (90)

Dried apricots and peaches emerge from an air of white smoke and incense as the 2020 Bramìto della Sala opens up in the glass. It’s soft and appealing through its stimulating mix of mineral-tinged orchard fruits and complementary nuances of sour citrus. Hints of grapefruit and green botanicals linger throughout the long, spicy. mouthwatering finale. The 2019 represents excellent value in the category of entry-level Italian Chardonnay.

James Suckling (97)

Complex nose of toast, charred pineapple, green papaya, kaffir lime and lemon. Crushed stones and white pepper, too. Full-bodied with vibrant acidity. Textured. Long and layered. Delicious and concentrated. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (96)

The Marchesi Antinori 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso sees Cabernet Franc at over 30% of the blend in this vintage, with the rest going to Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% to 20% to Merlot. Matarocchio was not produced this year, and this wine benefits from the extra Cabernet Franc as a result. The 2019 and 2021 vintages of Guado al Tasso are quite concentrated and rich, whereas 2020 is leaner in texture, along the lines of the edition we saw made in 2010. There was rain in September. Managing Director Renzo Cotarella says he would not describe 2020 as a hot vintage because the rain did pose challenges at the end of the growing season. In Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast, budbreak is earlier than in other appellations, and the growing season is longer as a result. This is a benefit to the international varieties used here. The wine shows nice richness and intensity. The Cabernet Franc definitely comes through and adds the characteristic vertical lift and linearity that the grape is known for. You get black fruit, spice, white pepper and no signs of bitter stems or bramble. Sweet, almost milky tannins are interlocked with fresh acidity to give this wine good cellaring potential. The new oak was dialed back a bit in this vintage.

James Suckling (96)

Profound nose here with chili chocolate and sandalwood beneath the sweet blackberry background. A hint of violets, too. An opulent and densely packed palate with full body and concentrated blackberries. Very tight tannins rendered in a fine-grained and almost seamless way, with a lingering finish. Drinkable now if decanted, but better after 2025.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-94)

Fresh dark purple, a mild reduction, a wine of elegance and charm on the palate with a surprisingly peppery finish. Almost exotic Asian spices. The fruit itself spreads beautifully across the palate, a mix of red and black. Tasted: December 2021

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2014 Ruchottes Chambertin Grand Cru takes time to unfurl in the glass, eventually opening out with dark berry fruit, a touch of briary and blueberry, and a suggestion of sea spray. It is paradoxically intense but subtle. The palate is medium-bodied and here, it just shows the wood a little more than say, the Clos de la Roche. There is good density here, but it is the acidity that drives this forward and imparts so much tension. This is a Ruchottes that rivets you to the spot.

Raymond Chan (100)

Full, even, black-hued ruby-red with youthful purple tints. The nose is very full with softly concentrated and layered aromas of rich, ripe, dark red berries and cherries along with nuances of dark red plums entwined with fragrant violet florals, fresh herb and spicy detail. The aromatics blossom to reveal notes of raspberry liqueur, earth and minerals. This exudes richness allied to elegance and finesse. Medium-full bodied, vibrantly succulent and lusciously sweet fruit flavours of dark red berry and cherry fruit are harmoniously melded with flavours of ripe dark plums and fragrant violet florals, dark herbs, spices and red licorice. The flavours are seamlessly mouthfilling and supported by refined, flowery tannin extraction, and enlivened by poised acidity. This has drive, energy and fine linearity, and the wine carries to a very long and sustained, rich finish of spiced cherries and raspberry liqueur. This is a beautifully rich and succulent, elegantly balanced and refined Pinot Noir with seamless-flowing, ripe flavours of dark berry and cherry fruit with complexing floral and herbal detail. Match with duck, pork, beef and lamb dishes over the next 7-10 years. Fruit from the oldest parcels, 40% Abel clone with the remainder clones 5, Dijon and 10/5, indigenous yeast fermented with 25% whole bunches to 14.0% alc., the wine spending 20-26 days on skins and aged 11 months in 35% new French oak barrels.

The Real Review (98)

Concentrated, complex pinot noir with cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, violet, wood smoke and savoury/dried herb flavours. Accessible now but with a proven history of ageing gracefully. Elegant wine with impressive power.

Tim Atkin MW (94)

Fermented in 22% new wood without malolactic, this is consistently one of the Cape's best Chardonnays, a wine that can rival a very good Côte de Beaune white Burgundy. Leesy, waxy and stylishly wooded with racy acidity and the concentration to age further in bottle.

Vinous (94)

Dark magenta. Intense dark fruit and floral scents, along with hints of olive paste, smoked meat and exotic spices. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering bitter cherry and cassis flavors that are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Rich and broad but energetic as well, showing bright clarity and a lingering floral nuance on the long, youthfully tannic finish.

Decanter (99)

This is powerful and blows away much of the competition with its depth and layers. This needs you to pull up a chair, take a beat, and let the flavours unroll. There is so much density to the blueberry, bilberry and smoked raspberry fruits that they start out knitted down, then as the oxygen opens them up the body of the wine widens and becomes fleshier and creamier, adding chocolate and mocha notes. The limestone scrape is there in spades through the finish, and this is a cleverly constructed wine. As ever Ausone is just a masterclass in how to take apart and then put back together a terroir. Great stuff. First year of official conversion to organic farming. 100% new oak, some in 30hl oak casks. Could go up after tasting in bottle, a potential 100 points.

Boasting extraordinary craftsmanship, Azienda Agricola Bricco Ernesto Vino Rosso 2020 is a masterful representation of Italian winemaking tradition. Hailing from the prestigious regions of Barbera and Dolcetto, this exceptional red wine embodies a meticulous blend of elegance and character. The reputable producer, Bricco Ernesto, employs traditional methods, maintaining low yields, and manual harvests to ensure optimal fruit quality.

Using carefully selected grapes grown on steep marly-calcareous soils, the Vino Rosso 2020 breathes life into the glass, capturing the essence of its striking Piedmontese terroir. This splendid wine is aged for a year in French oak barrels to acquire its full-bodied complexity and smooth, velvety finish.

Each sip offers a harmonious motley of dark berry fruits, hints of spice, and subtle undertones of earthy chocolate, creating a prolonged aromatic persistence that invites slow savouring of the Azienda Agricola Bricco Ernesto Vino Rosso 2020. A significant contender in the world of fine wine, leaving an indelible impression on the palate.

Boasting extraordinary craftsmanship, Azienda Agricola Bricco Ernesto Vino Rosso 2020 is a masterful representation of Italian winemaking tradition. Hailing from the prestigious regions of Barbera and Dolcetto, this exceptional red wine embodies a meticulous blend of elegance and character. The reputable producer, Bricco Ernesto, employs traditional methods, maintaining low yields, and manual harvests to ensure optimal fruit quality.

Using carefully selected grapes grown on steep marly-calcareous soils, the Vino Rosso 2020 breathes life into the glass, capturing the essence of its striking Piedmontese terroir. This splendid wine is aged for a year in French oak barrels to acquire its full-bodied complexity and smooth, velvety finish.

Each sip offers a harmonious motley of dark berry fruits, hints of spice, and subtle undertones of earthy chocolate, creating a prolonged aromatic persistence that invites slow savouring of the Azienda Agricola Bricco Ernesto Vino Rosso 2020. A significant contender in the world of fine wine, leaving an indelible impression on the palate.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2020 Saint-Aubin En Remilly 1er Cru has a fresh, vivacious nose with wet limestone scents filtering through the green apple and citrus aromas. The palate is very well balanced, linear and Puligny-like, and quite strict and penetrating, leading to a citrus-fresh finish. I can just imagine this with some fresh oysters! Very fine.