Burghound (98)

This seems to have changed very little in the past 10 years and it would be fair to describe its evolution as glacial as the ripe but exuberantly fresh nose is even spicier than that of the '05 Chambertin (see herein) with kaleidoscopic breadth and depth. Like its stablemate this is a big and imposingly-scaled effort that possesses outstanding mid-palate concentration as the tannin-buffering sap completely coats the mouth on the explosively long, muscular and powerful finale. Despite the strikingly good size, weight and punch this remains a beautifully well-balanced effort that will need at least another 10 years of cellar time because even though it's not quite as structured and backward as the Cham, it is nowhere close to being ready for prime time. That said, it should be genuinely breathtaking when it finally arrives at its apogee. Tasted twice in the last year with consistent results.

James Suckling (96)

Shows beautiful, ripe cabernet aromas with currants, plums, meat and smoke. Flowers, too. Full body, deep and ripe fruit and exquisite, ripe tannins. Flavorful finish. Tight right now, but shows excellent potential. Best ever. Try after 2024.

Jeb Dunnuck (94-96)

I was blown away by the quality of the 2021 Château Lynch-Bages Blanc, which ranks with the top whites in the vintage. Offering awesome white grapefruit, floral, mint, and chalky notes, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, a vivid, pure, chiseled mouthfeel, and a great finish. I'd be a buyer.

Wine Advocate (93)

Opening in the glass with notes of cassis, plums, blackberries and smoke, the 2019 Morgon Côte du Py is medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless, with fine, powdery tannins and lively acids. An elegant rendition of this sometimes overtly muscular cuvée, much of the fruit derives from Javernières.

James Suckling (98)

Super aromas of nutmeg, cloves and dried flowers with plums and blackberries. Subtle yet so complex. Full-bodied, tight and integrated with ultra-fine tannins and a beautiful finish. Lasts for minutes. Very, very Cos. Harmony. Texturally marvellous. Drink in 2024.

The Wine Independent (100)

Deep garnet in color, the 2016 Cos d'Estournel is quite closed to start, requiring a lot of coaxing to bring out profound notions of creme de cassis, wild blueberries, black cherry compote, and rose oil, leading to suggestions of Indian spices, crushed rocks, and dried lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is both opulent and energetic, revealing loads of perfumed black fruit layers and a plush, polished texture, finishing with epic length and depth.

Vinous - Neal Martin (94)

The 2019 Côte de Baleau takes quite a few minutes to settle in the glass. It has a very concentrated bouquet of black cherries, mulberry, touches of licorice and hints of graphite. The medium-bodied palate offers sappy black fruit and fine definition. Very focused, with a sensual and substantial finish. Superb.

Jeb Dunnuck (97+)

The 2004 Champagne Plentitudes 2 is a stark contrast to the 2003 vintage and offers a more compact and linear expression, with energetic tension and persistence. Composed of 38% Chardonnay and the rest Pinot Noir, the nose is flush with wet stone reminiscent of great Chablis, along with white nectarine and white flowers. The palate runs seamless with a super-fine mousse, vibrant peach orchard fruit, and a silky mineral texture. This may well prove to be the longer-lived of the two wines. Drink 2024-2044.

James Suckling (96-97)

Great texture to this wine with creamy, firm tannins that are so polished. Full and gorgeous. Very enticing. 96% merlot and 4% merlot.

Vinous - Neal Martin (97)

The 2019 has a beguiling bouquet with red berry fruit, truffle and light Provençal herb scents that are beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. This is exquisite in terms of balance, silky smooth, building gradually with a harmonious and quite effortless finish. Divine - this is a stellar showing. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Guillard's parcel of 1er Cru Les Corbeaux is in a spectacular position bordered on one side by Mazis Chambertin and the village of Gevrey. It is a deeply coloured, bright and vibrant wine with juicy and vibrant fruit characteristics of cherry and plum, with fine, firm tannins. There is classic ripe focussed Gevrey fruit here that celebrates both the village and vintage. A fine combination that makes this a uniquely impressive value for drinkers and collectors.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Full bottle just 1,260 g. Demeter certified. Cask sample taken 2 April. 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. Average yield was just 18 hl/ha. Aged for 16 months in 300-litre barrels and a 3,000-litre wooden tun. Blackish, concentrated crimson. High-toned nose suggests some subtlety. Lovely supple palate entry – very beguiling and distinctive. Lots of freshness and terroir expression here. The tannins are so ripe you hardly notice them; they creep up on you only at the end. This definitely treads its own path, and delivers what one might call new bordeaux with a fan of subtle flavours at the end. Chapeau.

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.

Vinous (91-93)

A mixture of 40-year-old vines and vines a century old (the oldest planted in 1915), the 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, aged in 25% new oak, is perfumed and floral on the nose, displaying a melange of incense and iris flower with dark cherries and raspberry. Full of joie-de-vivre. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. It's quite fleshy and ripe but with underlying mineralité that pushes through on the finish. Excellent.

Jeb Dunnuck (96-100)

The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape showed brilliantly. Ripe red and black fruits, classic Provençal garrigue, and leather, spicy notes define the aromatics, and it's a layered, balanced, incredibly classy style (I actually find a touch of Clos des Papes-like character in this beauty) that has integrated tannins, no hard edges, and a gorgeous finish. It's going to be a candidate for perfection at maturity and is a thrilling wine in the making.

James Suckling (98)

It shows reserved character but with a lot of energy and tension. Concentrated citrus fruit, candied lemons and mandarin peel with hints of savory herbs and spices. Notes of brioche and caraway seeds. Full-bodied, complex and nervy on the palate. It has fine, silky bubbles yet it’s structured and firm with a lot of power. It builds up on the finish with freshness and vibrancy. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (99)

So ethereal and great on the nose with glorious fresh flowers, such as violets, together with black olives. Dark berries, too. But the archetypal Pomerol nose. Full-bodied yet, at the same time, so refined and structured. Glorious tannin tension and focus. Vibrant finish. Shows energy and focus. Try after 2024.

Vinous - Neal Martin (95-97)

The 2022 Lagrange was picked between 8 and 30 September, it ages in 60% new oak for a planned 21 months. It has an almost clinical bouquet, with very well defined blackberry and blueberry fruit, graphite and crushed stone. Quite a gap in quality between this and the Fiefs de Lagrange this year. The palate is extremely pure with cashmere tannins, black cherry fruit infused by blood orange, lightly spiced, hints of white pepper toward a very concentrated, fine-boned finish. This will require several years in bottle, but it will be worth waiting for. A serious and very able Lagrange that should not be under-estimated.

The Wine Cellar Insider (90-92)

Plump, sugar-laced black fruit, boysenberry, licorice, campfire smoke and barbecue essence get things underway. Quicky the sassy tannins kick in, shepherding you to a chic, fresh, tobacco infused, fruit-filled core. Using 30% whole bunches in the vinification, the wine was made from 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, reaching 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.72. The harvest took place September 19 to October 3 and, sadly, close to 25% of the vines were damaged by frost.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)

The 2019 Petit Cheval is a stunning second wine - if it can even be called that. In 2019, Petit Cheval is a blend of four parcels that were in the Grand Vin in 2018. Dark, supple and expressive, the 2019 offers up an exotic mélange of black cherry, spice, new leather and graphite, all of which build effortlessly in the glass. The Petit represents 5.5% of the château's production in 2019, but it is more of a second selection, as 12% of the wine that year was sold in bulk.

Falstaff (100)

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on rim. Fine oak, a hint of nougat, dark berries underneath, some cardamom, dark cherries, a hint of candied oranges. Powerful, taut, tightly meshed, fresh acidity, spicy, supporting tannins, a hint of chocolate on the finish, convincing balance, mineral and very long lasting, cherries on the finish, a vin de garde, can also be tasted young with a few hours in the carafe, enormous future potential.

Decanter (97)

Softly shimmering straw gold, green tints, with a delicate filigree dancing at will around the glass. The nose is gently authoritative; spring flowers garlanding stone fruit, a hint of hawthorn maybe, then lemongrass. The palate has encyclopaedic depth, the intricacies of the Perpetual Reserve weaving their early magic; almond, sloe, gingerbread and apples; the finish has a pleasing twist of bitterness, courtesy the small percentage of oak-aged reserve wine. Maybe the dosage can come down even further, such is the engaging and subtle complexity harnessed elsewhere?

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2019 Château Lynch-Bages is stunningly good, and it's going to be interesting to compare this to the 2018 over the coming decades. Based on 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 75% new French oak, its dense purple hue is followed by an incredible bouquet of pure crème de cassis, freshly sharpened cedar pencil, spring flowers, smoke, and graphite, with an almost liqueur of rocks-like minerality. A massive, incredibly concentrated Lynch-Bages, Jean-Charles has hit a home run in the vintage, and this sensational wine has building, perfect tannins, insane purity, and a finish that won't quit. It has the purity, finesse, balance, and depth to offer pleasure not only today but to evolve for 40 to 50 years. Smart money will hide these for a good 7-8 years, but wow, what a wine. Bravo.

Wine Advocate (100)

Surpassing the 2019 and rivaling the 2016 as this estate's finest vintage of the last few decades, the 2020 Montrose is a monument in the making. Wafting from the glass with aromas of violets, dark berries, licorice, loamy soil, black truffle and subtle spices, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a seamless, elegantly muscular profile, terrific purity and energy, beautifully powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish. It checks in at 13.7% alcohol, the same as the superb 2009, but it is even deeper, more vibrant and more complex than the 2009. This will be worth a special effort to seek out and only confirms Montrose's status as one of the contemporary M�doc's leading estates and a de facto first growth.

The Wine Cellar Insider (97)

Showing a virtuous depth of color, the wine opens with notes of lead pencil, truffle, smoke, tobacco leaf, vanilla and dark red fruits. The tannins are silky, polished, salty and creamy. The wine is full bodied, velvety and long, delivering complexity, sweetness and length. This a very sensuous wine that comes from blending 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine reached 13.1% alcohol with a pH of 3.78. The harvest took place from September 7, ending October 1.

Vinous (98)

We started with the 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, which is every bit as racy and seductive as it has always been. It’s a great, great vintage for Comtes.

James Suckling (100)

The perfect blanc de blancs. Full-bodied with a lovely framework of acidity and dry fruit, such as apples, pears and peaches. Opulent. Dense and muscular. Yet, it’s balanced and harmonious. Line of acidity at the end. Totally in tune. Superb. Deep and complete. Has everything. One for the cellar. It is the greatest Comte ever. It has everything. A perfect upgrade from two years ago. Drink or hold.

Introducing the remarkable Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Champeaux 2019, a lustrous ruby-red wine produced in the renowned French vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin. This exceptional offering is meticulously crafted by Domaine Tortochot, a burgundy winemaker cherished for honouring the traditional, organic winemaking techniques inherited over generations. The 2019 vintage is carefully vinified using 100% hand-picked Pinot Noir grapes, contributing to its refined structure and supple tannins.

The Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Champeaux 2019 boasts radiant flavours, harmoniously combining venerated old world production with contemporary indulgence. It unveils the alluring notes of wild berries, accentuated by a mesmerizing hint of exotic spices and an elegant earthy undertone. The finish lingers pleasingly, reaffirming the powerful prestige of this spectacular Premier Cru. Savour the distinctive character of this admirable French wine, a true testament to the meticulous attention to detail and dedication to quality upheld by Domaine Tortochot.

Indulge in the exquisite elegance of Tortochot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Aux Charmes 2019. This esteemed vintage, crafted in the celebrated vineyards of Burgundy, France, is a sensory delight. Domaine Tortochot, a revered wine producer since the 19th century, utilises traditional methods; hand-harvested grapes and maturation in French oak barrels ensure an inviting complexity to this Pinot Noir.

The 2019 edition exhibits a remarkable depth of colour, resembling polished garnet. Offering a robust nose replete with ripe dark fruits, earthy undertones, and a hint of spice; it's a prelude to the sumptuous taste. On the palate, expect an exquisite balance of rich fruit flavours, refined tannins, and an enduring finish that sings of the terroir.

Conveying the unique charm of Morey-Saint-Denis' premier cru vineyard, the Tortochot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Aux Charmes 2019 is a must-have addition for the discerning wine enthusiast.