$500 - $1,000

The sensuous, generous dollop of 40 % Merlot that went into this I think is what makes this so exquisite and beguiling. Warm, sweet red fruit with a hint of vanilla leading you to a palate which is plump and fleshy but elegant and sophisticated. It really reminds of a top Grand Cru Burgundy from a great year with its purity and grace. Please don't be put off if you read words like "elegant" to mean thin and lacking flavour as it can often mean in wine terms. Quite the contrary here, this is jam packed full of oomph and the finish is 3 to 4 minutes long. If its a small Christmas Day or New Years Eve gathering this year for you ( or you are an incredibly generous host/hostess and having the hordes in!) and you want something that will tick all the boxes ( and some boxes you hadn't even known you had) you wont be disappointed and you will certainly have a very happy Christmas.

Simon Staples, Berrys' Fine Wine Director (November 2009)

From five plots around the vineyard, Arnaud doesn’t use any whole-bunch here, feeling the floral profile of the vineyard does not need further embellishment. The nose is beautifully perfumed, with wild strawberry and delicate flowers drifting from the glass. Juicy, ripe red berries fill the palate, rounding out the middle, before the arrival of intensely fresh and chalky tannins. Seductive but serious.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

From five plots the vineyard, this is a wine for which Arnaud never includes any whole bunches. It has a wonderful, floral, red berry lift to the nose, while the palate is defined by the acidity and ethereal energy. Still discreet and hidden, this needs time to open. The new oak (70 percent) is so well-integrated as to be barely noticeable.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

The domaine was founded by Charles Mortet, but rose to fame with the exceptional 1993 vintage crafted by his son Denis who tragically died at the age of 51 in January 2006. Denis believed with a deep passion that the work in the vineyard was everything. He has been succeeded by his equally, indeed exceptionally, talented son Arnaud, now also with the assistance of his sister Clémence. At the domaine everything starts in the vineyard, where every measure is taken to produce the finest, ripest fruit possible, creating a style of wine which, as Denis used to say is “a pleasure to drink young or old”. Arnaud Mortet is very happy with the quality of the 2016 vintage, explaining that its balanced profile with a mixture of ripeness and elegance will please everyone. Yields are very variable across the range, with anything from 30 to 70 percent of the crop having been lost to frost. Fortunately, mildew was not an issue as he acted swiftly to treat the vineyard when conditions began to deteriorate. He has generally used fewer whole bunches this year than in 2015.

The 2008 Cristal is one of the most complete, most dazzling Champagnes I have ever tasted. A stunning wine from any and all perspectives, the 2008 simply has it all. Spherical in construction, with superb persistence. The 2008 takes hold of all the senses and never gives up. 

One of the many things that makes the 2008 special is a combination of ripe fruit and bright, piercing acidity. Marzipan, lemon confit, dried flowers, orchard fruit build into the explosive, resonant finish. 

“We learned from the mistakes of 1996, when we picked more on acid than ripeness, as was the norm in Champagne back then,” Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon told me recently. “In 1996, the best fruit turned out to be the last picks, where the fruit was physiologically ripe. Today, we aim to pick all our fruit with that criteria.”

Drink 2020 - 2050

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (December 2019)

“Disgorged in March 2021 after 36 months sur lattes, Collin's NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Pierrières (2017) is based on the 2017 vintage, complemented by fully 70% reserve wines. Wafting from the glass with aromas of citrus oil, crisp green orchard fruit, white flowers and wet stones that are framed by a deft patina from its élevage, it's a full-bodied, vinous Champagne with a satiny attack that segues into a deep, concentrated mid-palate. Chalky and incisive, it concludes with a long, saline finish. As ever, this cuvée—which takes its name from the black flints that abound in the chalk in this area—is worth a special effort to seek out.”
96+/100. William Kelley, Wine Advocate Sep 23, 2021

Drink 2022 - 2040

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (August 2022)

The 2013 Saumur Champigny Le Bourg opens delicate like a Burgundy, with floral as well as flinty and toasty aromas but also intense red fruit and dark cherry ones. Pure, fine, and juicy on the palate, this is a silky-elegant Le Bourg with fine tannins and a long, salty and mineral finish. -Wine Advocate

This is the epitome of a classic, good, mature British Claret. Textbook cassis, cigar boxes, toast and minerals are all here. Its tannins are beautifully soft, but it has lost none of its flesh and intensity. It is fantastic right now, but will last for a further 10 to 15 years.

Emmanuel Brochet derives from a farming family in a part of Champagne that converted from viticulture to agriculture (more lucrative, given their proximity to Reims) in the aftermath of phylloxera. One of the remaining outposts of the vine is the Mont Benoît, where his grandparents had some 2.5 hectares contracted out. So, in 1997, Brochet took over and started a project of his own—a choice he made freely and enthusiastically, he emphasizes, rather than out of obligation.

Emmanuel Brochet's brilliant NV Extra-Brut Le Mont Benoit is the finest rendition of this cuvée that he has produced to date. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of waxy citrus rind, crisp stone fruit, bread dough, beeswax and nutmeg, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and vinous, exhibiting terrific concentration without weight, uniting the full maturity of the vintage with the pillowy, chalky signature of the Mont Benoit. Complex and compelling, this release underlines Brochet's status as one of the reigning champions of artisanal Champagne.

Drink 2023 - 2040

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (December 2023)

This Ermitage from the top Rhone producer Guigal is nothing short of astonishing. The nose is reticent and shy to come out but shows fruits of the forest, liquorice, black olive tapenade. The palate is lush, mouthcoating and full, tannins are incredibly well integrated and balanced and yet there is still an underlying power that will keep this beauty into the next two decades.

Stuart Rae, Private Account Manager

Production is 11,000 bottles, 1,500 magnums and 200 Jeroboams.

Packaged in its distinctive red label, the 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Asili is a rich and profound wine with incredible depth and dimension. Bruna Giacosa skipped over the 2015 vintage because she felt that the fruit was not poised for long aging. From the 2014 vintage, we jump to this 2016 expression, a wine that Bruna says reminds her of the epic 2001 and 2004 vintages. She also loves the 2017 vintage, which I look forward to tasting next year.

This wine is incredibly precise and sharp; however, the volume and generous fruit weight promises a long aging future. The aromas veer toward red berry, cherry and cassis, and the darker black fruit tones that you might expect are less prominent in the Asili. The wine majestically captures the elegance and the power of this iconic vintage.

Drink 2025 - 2050

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (September 2021)

Very exciting life and lift and race. One of Grivot's liveliest '05s! Dry finish but great race and length.

Drink from 2012 onward

Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com (August 2007)

Mild and refreshing and exciting with real raciness and freshness. Lovely balance and a dry finish. Lip-smacking, great fruit and purity.

Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com (May 2017)

Tasted blind. At last, some colour! Mid to deep straw. Some definite autolysis on the nose but a hint of yeasty ginger beer too. Bone dry with a certain cidery quality. Bollinger style! I wonder whether an English wine would have such an oaky mark? Very distinctive. Vital and vitalising. Depth to this.

Drink 2018 - 2025

Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com (December 2018)

The outstanding wine in 2007 is equally brilliant in 2008. Deep purple in colour with exceptional power on the nose. Some fresh mulberry fruit at the start leads to more complex flavours and even a touch of bacon on the palate. Stems used in the vinification. Brilliantly put together. Very long finish, suffused with energy.
(Jasper Moris MW, BBR Buyer)

The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champeaux, 1er Cru, comes from the southern flank of the vineyard and comprises just two barrels this vintage. It includes a little whole bunch, around 10%. When I tasted this from barrel, it had a reticent nose, quite distant and not as immediate or as seductive as Duroché’s other 2018s. The palate is mDuroché’sied with fine, pliant tannins matched with well-judged acidity. It develops a pleasant rondeur toward the finish, almost as if compensating for the aromatics. A multifaceted wine that becomes more and more floral with aeration. Mercurial and endlessly fascinating.

Drink 2022 - 2040

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (January 2020)

Tasted at the Domaine

The 2016 Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes 1er Cru has an expressive bouquet with blackberry and raspberry. It is quite floral, with touches of orange blossom surfacing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin. There is plenty of matière here, with a masculine, spicy, and saline finish that appears to have gained length since I tasted it in barrel. This is very promising.

Drink 2023 - 2040

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (October 2019)

Robert Parker has been quoted as saying that the wines of Vérité can compete with the best of Bordeaux when tasting a vertical of La Muse; “Not just ‘like Pétrus’ but a great vintage of Pétrus’.” Gorgeous, dark, layered fruit within a broad structured frame. Balances weight, power and freshness very well and develops meaty animal hints alongside the dark blackcurrant fruit. At 15 years old, the tannins are super fine, and the length across the palate is remarkable. A real treat, drink now and over the coming 15 years.

Martyn Rolph, Head of Buying, Berry Bros. & Rudd

The 2013 Le Desir represents 2,500 cases. 

This is the softest of the three wines in 2013, and this blend of 61% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec emerges with more than half of the cuvée coming from Hillsides in Alexander Valley, 37% from Chalk Hill and the rest tiny dollops from Bennett Valley and Knights Valley. Opaque purple, like its siblings, the wine shows incredible floral, blueberry and espresso notes, exotic Asian spices, velvety texture, a supple, multilayered mouthfeel and an incredible finish, with incense and liquorice. 

This is a magnificent young wine, with a good 40-50 years of upside potential. Pierre Seillan is justifiably proud of what he has achieved, and his first vintage of Vérité was only 1998, but they go from strength to strength.

Drink 2015 - 2065

Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate (October 2015)

From Lavières and Bas de Combe plus two vineyards nearer to Nuits. Again there is no especial depth of colour, yet with this sublime fragrance. The whole bunches are a bit firmer but the fragrance comes behind.

Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy (Novemeber 2018)

Their first year of conversion to biodynamics. Vines were planted in 1934 and the late 1960s—half whole bunch.

Dark garnet. Very sumptuous, well-developed, rich notes on the nose. It has fully evolved already with some meatiness and delivery of finesse. It is a really useful, quite precocious 2005 Grand Cru. There are no infinite layers but lots of pleasure and good structure. Just a hint of dustiness. Mildly chunky on the end. Lip-smacking. 

Drink 2015 - 2030

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (August 2015)

The annual release of 10 year old Château Palmer, and this time it's an often-underrated but delicious vintage that sits in the shadow of the most prestigious years of the last decade. Proof of how slowly this wine ages, it is packed with blueberry and cassis fruits, a shot of mint leaf, mandarin peel, sage and dark chocolate, with shoulders and a serious architecture, bigger than you might expect for a vintage with such an easy-drinking, gourmet reputation.

I last tasted this vintage around eight months ago and it has opened up further since then, often the case as wines shift around the decade mark, and this is an upscore. A moment when Palmer was fully committing to farming biodynamically, doubling its coverage to almost 15 hectares, and had just unveiled a new cellar. Harvest October 1 to 15, Sabrina Pernet technical director, Thomas Duroux director. 68% new oak. No rush to drink, and has many decades ahead, but you can begin thinking about it.

Drink 2023 - 2042

Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (July 2022)

The 1996 Ausone is a vintage that I have tasted on four or five occasions. This was similar to previous examples with a very floral and outgoing bouquet, those wilted violet petals infusing the boysenberry and blueberry fruit, quite glossy in style, one of the most modern of that decade. It certainly has more intensity than earlier vintages. 

The palate is medium-bodied with sweet and ripe tannin, impressive acidity and weight, although it does not revel in the complexity of other vintages, perhaps because the growing season did not favour the Right Bank. There is a touch of headiness on the finish that is a little otiose, but otherwise, this is a thoroughly enjoyable Ausone—tasted at the Ausone vertical in London.

Drink 2018 - 2038

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (March 2018)

The 2015 Barolo Monvigliero is a wine of pure and total seduction. The warm vintage has filled out the wine's frame beautifully. The interplay of ripe, succulent 2015 fruit and aromatic intensity from the whole clusters yields a positively stunning, breathtaking wine of the very highest level. Once again, Burlotto's Barolo Monvigliero takes a place among the most compelling wines of the vintage. Readers who can find it should not hesitate!

Drink 2023 - 2055

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (February 2019)

Definitely more savoury, more mysterious, with a darker hue, earthier even, than the playful fruitiness of (baby sister) Villero. Tasted from barrel just prior to bottling in July 2014, Monprivato 2010 displays an intense spicy incense character; the palate suggests essential oils, together with exquisite balance and composure. Great.
David Berry Green

The 2012 Comtes de Champagne is gorgeous. Warm and resonant in the glass, the 2012 Comtes shows all the allure that makes this vintage so appealing. The combination of bright citrus, mineral and floral notes typical of Comtes, enhanced by the soft contours of the vintage, makes for an inviting, open-knit Champagne that is quite showy right out of the gate. Light tropical accents on the finish add an exotic flair. Usually, I recommend cellaring just-released Comtes, but that won’t be necessary here.

Drink 2022 - 2042

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (May 2022)

Krug ID: 322038

The 2011 Vintage is a very pretty wine in this highly challenging vintage. Apricot, mint, dried herbs and a kiss of French oak open nicely in the glass. There is some of the savory character of 2011, but it is nicely woven into the wine’s fabric. To be sure, the 2011 is a slender vintage at Krug. That is especially evident in the wine's light-ish mid-palate and overall feel, yet all the elements are impeccably balanced. I expect the 2011 to be a relatively early maturing Vintage and would not push my luck on aging. Disgorged: Summer 2022.

Drink 2024 - 2036

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (November 2023)

This is an incredible rosé with super fine tannins that are layered and caress the palate, giving this Champagne an incredible mouthfeel. Iron and stone in the nose. Iodine. Dried flowers as well as dried strawberries and peaches. It's full-bodied but not overpowering and shows super complexity. Chalky sensation as well. A truly great wine for the table. You sip and fall in love. Aged all this time in the cellar of Dom Perignon. 

Drink or hold

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (August 2023)

This is the result of nearly 15 years of cellar ageing. With this time comes an added power that doesn’t feature in standard vintage Dom Pérignon. The nose has beautiful ripe orchard fruit, honeysuckle and freshly baked pastry. The palate is as rich as one would expect from Plénitude 2 in this hot vintage. But the balance of a creamy acidity and flint-like minerality give the wine a lively balance. There are layers of marzipan and candied pineapple, apricot compote, warm breakfast pastry and liquorice. A wonderful salinity rounds out this remarkable wine. I thoroughly enjoyed this recently, but I dream of how well it will develop over 8-10 years in the cellar.

Paul Keating, Private Account Manager (June 2021)

After a long day of tasting young Barolo, I craved Champagne. There is a sort of symbiotic relationship between Champagne and Piedmont that I can’t really explain except to say I enjoy it tremendously. The growers really seem to be on the same wavelength in so many ways, so when I saw Jérôme Prévost’s NV Les Béguines, I grabbed it. 

The Béguines (2019 disgorgement) is wonderfully fresh and open-knit and so expressive. Sometimes I think we open these wines too soon after release; I know I do. But with a few years on the cork, the Les Béguines offers up pear, spice, ginger and dried flowers, all with notable freshness and verve.

Drink 2022 - 2028

Antonio Galloni, Decanter.com (December 2022)

The 2012 La Grande Dame is a pretty wine, but it is starting to show the first signs of aromatic development. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something readers should keep in mind when deciding when to open this. I would not push my luck on aging. Dried pear, ginger, crushed flowers and spice fill out the layers nicely in a gentle, open-knit Champagne to drink over the next 5-10 years.

Drink 2023 - 2030

Fully mature (yet I'd say in the early stages of its drink window), the 2000 Château Gruaud Larose offers a ripe, powerful, medium to full-bodied style as well as lots of currant and darker fruits followed by cedarwood, tobacco, iron, and assorted meaty, spicy nuances. It's a rich, almost chunky effort with a great mid-palate, still present yet ripe tannins, and an excellent finish. It lacks some of the purity and precision of today's wines yet is a satisfying, rich, impressively textured Saint-Julien to drink over the coming 15-20 years.

Drink 2021 - 2041

This is an incredible rosé with super fine tannins that are layered and caress the palate, giving this Champagne an incredible mouthfeel. Iron and stone in the nose. Iodine. Dried flowers as well as dried strawberries and peaches. It's full-bodied but not overpowering and shows super complexity. Chalky sensation as well. A truly great wine for the table. You sip and fall in love. Aged all this time in the cellar of Dom Perignon.

Drink or hold

Spring and summer were generally cool and overcast but the year was rescued by a beautiful September, but was it enough? Harvest began on 15 September. Red wines came from Champs de Linotte in Hautvillers (close to the seat of Dom P) and Vauzelles in Aÿ.

First bottle: Pale to mid salmon pink (much deeper than a typical Provence rosé). There's some note that's mineral or iodine or oyster shell on the nose of this. Then we segue into something floral – rose petals? even candied rose petals. This doesn't have quite the substance and undertow of the 2012 and 2003 P2 reviewed alongside. Perhaps it will develop it, but this bottle seems a bit simple. I will open a backup sample to check it out and ensure this is not a cork effect. There doesn't seem to be any TCA on the nose but there is a slight shortage of fruit and no great follow-through on the palate.

Second bottle: This bottle has more fruit on the palate but it still doesn't have real zest and tension. And it rather falls away on the finish. Mind you 2008 was a very grey, cloudy year.

Drink 2022 - 2027

The 2019 Extra-Brut Rosé de Saignée is produced from organically farmed old-vine Pinot Meunier grown in Villers Aux Noeuds that Brochet purchases from another grower. Bursting with aromas of raspberries, plums, sweet berries, peonies and orange, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with a textural, enveloping profile and a broad, expansive finish. Avoiding any of the ponderousness that can sometimes mar this style of rosé, especially when the grapes get very ripe, shows all the precision typical of this producer's style.

Drink 2021 - 2026

Truly a classic wine despite the sumptuous aspect of the fruit in 2003 there is nonetheless a real sense of elegance. Extraordinary length. Certainly 5 to 10 years, maybe much longer.

The NV Extra Brut Les Beguines is spicy, savoury and full of Meunier character. All it needs is time to soften and fully come together, as it has just been disgorged. Today, it is the raw energy that impresses me most. Dried pear, ginger, spice, dried herbs, anise and chamomile open gradually.

Time in the glass fills out the mid-palate and finishes nicely, giving a good idea of what is to come. This looks to be a medium-bodied, distinctly savoury, vintage for Les Beguines. This release is based on 2020, with 20% reserve wines from 2019. The dosage is 2.5 grams per litre.

Disgorged: October 2022.

Drink 2024 - 2032

The 1996 Dom Ruinart is beginning to enter the second stage of its life post-release, where the aromas and flavours are starting to show hints of development. Orange peel, apricot jam, spices and mint are vivid and beautifully delineated in the glass. The 1996 remains fresh and vibrant on the palate, with remarkable depth and more than enough pure intensity to drink well for another 15-20 years. Readers looking for a 1996 Champagne to drink now will find considerable pleasure in the 1996.

Drink 2014 - 2031

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (March 2014)

Disgorged in 2022 after 36 months in tirage, the NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Noirs Les Maillons (2018) is based on the 2018 vintage, incorporating fully 60% reserve wines from the 2017 vintage.

Opening in the glass with scents of sweet mirabelle plum, honeycomb, orange oil, bee pollen and spices, it’s full-bodied fleshy and seamless, with a satiny attack that segues into a vinous, enveloping mid-palate that’s complemented by a fine, pillowy mousse.

Concluding with a sapid, penetrating finish, 2018 was the first vintage in which Collin employed his new Coquard press, and it doesn’t seem fanciful to imagine that this contributes to the notable finesse of this release.

Drink 2022 - 2035

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (August 2022)

The 1998 Comtes de Champagne is a different story altogether. This is a sexy, up-front Comtes endowed with lovely richness in its fruit and open, expressive aromatics. It remains an impressive, inviting Comtes that should also continue to develop nicely in the bottle for at least another decade plus. - Vinous

The 2014 Clos St Denis Grand Cru has a very refined, very cohesive, elegant bouquet with red cherry, wild strawberry and rose petals - wonderful. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannin on the entry, a thickly layered Clos Saint Denis with dense, ripe raspberry and cranberry fruit, though it just needs a little more detail on the finish if he wants to strut like the Amoureuses.
Neal Martin - 31/12/2015

The 2000 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is spectacular... A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, this effort has a singular/distinctive yet possibly controversial aromatic smorgasbord existing of creme de cassis, vanilla, and violets, but also tapenade and tree bark. No doubt the Petit Verdot has imparted a certain almost olive-like component to the wine's aromatic profile.

In the mouth, it is a wine of extraordinary density, opulence, great presence, and richness. As the 2000 sits in the glass, notes of lavender and melted licorice emerge along with the distinctive tapenade aromas interwoven with creme de cassis, espresso roast, and cedar. The wine is full-bodied, with extraordinary purity and a tremendous texture.This is a dramatic, almost flamboyant style that is not classic Pauillac in one sense, but a classic wine.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - Apr 2003

This is discreet, stylish and exceptionally long with a wonderful heady Vosne perfume and plenty of stuffing on the palate. A delicious wine. Drink 2008-2012.

Maturing mid-ruby with only a very narrow, orange-tinged rim. This is what Barolo is about: cherry, earth undergrowth and hints of dried fruit, which do not take the upper hand. Lovely supple, tangy fruit that hasn’t lost any of its lustre, perfectly balanced with chewy tannins. Already impossible to resist, but not nearly at its peak.

Drink 2020 - 2046

Walter Speller, JancisRobinson.com (November 2015)

From five plots around the vineyard, this is a wine for which Arnaud never includes any whole bunches, feeling the floral profile of the vineyard does not need further embellishment. The wine has the perfect balance of ripe, sunny fruit, gorgeous silken tannins and vibrant acidity. The 70 percent new oak is so wellintegrated that it is unnoticeable.

Self-assured Arnaud Mortet is rightly proud of his capacious, extended cellars on the edge of Gevrey, explaining that the extra space allows him to work with the same precision in the winery as he does in the vineyard. Arnaud is meticulously thorough in the vines, explaining that he loves vintages like 2017, where all that hard work really pays off and gives just reward for the true vigneron. His carefully managed yields have given wines with ripe tannins and good concentration. Overall, he reduced the number of whole bunches as he didn’t want to reduce acidity levels in the wines.

Drink 2022 - 2032

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Initially this just delivers a huge amount of sensual ripeness. Hedonistic, yes, but there is also more grip and structure than the first impression suggest. As on his Clos de Vougeot, Étienne has been working hard here to deliver more finesse, with evident success.  Drink 2025-2032.

Jean Grivot, whose name continues to appear on the labels, took over from his father Gaston in 1955 and handed the estate on to his son Étienne in the early 1980s. Étienne, married to Marielle Bize from Savigny, has been through a number of incarnations as winemaker here. When he took over, his father’s style was for gentle, graceful wines which perhaps were a little weak in the lesser vintages. Since then Étienne has found his own voice and made a range of increasingly fine wines. The drive to reduce yields and fine-tune his work in the vineyards and cellar since the mid-2000s continues to enhance quality. The succession to the next generation is now well underway, with Mathilde and Hubert increasingly influential, under their father’s experienced and wise guidance.

Here the decision was to wait for a bit of rain, to get the skins and berries fully ripe. The rain did the trick and the resulting wines are among the best of the Côte this year. Adjectives tumbled from Étienne during the tasting: seductive and precise, glamorous, graphite and saline, luminous and suave. We both agreed we rather liked “resonant”. Volumes are up 50 percent but Étienne warned us that the run of short vintages has depleted their reserves, and  as such allocations this year will not  move up in line.

A very late malolactic fermentation  Efinishing only on 17th September, allowing extended time on lees  Ehas given this wine a fabulous texture. Aged in new (50 percent) and second-fill barrels, this is benchmark Vosne, with expressive aromas and a nugget of fruit at its core. Just 13 barrels were made. Drink 2020-2027.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

Sylvain Cathiard’s grandfather, a foundling from Savoie, came to work in Vosne-Romanée, subsequently buying a few parcels of vineyards for himself. His son André Cathiard began to bottle some of the crop. In due course Sylvain began work with his father but then separated to start his own small domaine, until, on his father’s retirement in 1995, Sylvain could take back the family vineyards on a renting agreement. He has now passed the domaine on to his son Sébastien and a spacious new cellar has been constructed. There is a sense of frustration about Sébastien Cathiard this year. Of course, the loss of so much fruit sets the tone, but he also had to take emergency action to control the aggressive mildew, losing his organic status in the process. Who can blame him? Thus he states a preference for 2015, a significantly easier vintage and one for the long-term, but there are still some very notable wines here. The vintage began on 28th September and was over in three days, as the small berries on the frosted vines had caught up after the welcome September rains. He describes the year as gourmand, balanced and pure.

There is both good freshness and reasonably good typicity to the white orchard fruit scents that are laced with soft citrus nuances. The vibrant and nicely concentrated medium weight flavors possess a caressing and succulent mouthfeel while delivering fine depth and persistence though there is a bit of perceptible backend warmth. This is a quality Petit Chablis that could be enjoyed young or cellared for a few years first.

Drink 2023+

Burghound (Nov 2020)

A cool, pure and airy nose reluctantly expresses notes of red cherry and whiffs of spice, humus and freshly turned earth. There is good power to the succulent and enveloping medium weight plus flavors that offer even better minerality if, somewhat surprisingly, a bit less concentration, on the youthfully austere and mildly awkward finish as there is just enough dryness to mention. This may well come together as the supporting tannins seem ripe but that is not a certainty.

Drink 2029+

Burghound (Jan 2019)