Vinous (92-94)

The 2019 Vosne-Romanée Les Rouges 1er Cru has "grown up a lot over the last 10 years," according to Etienne Grivot. It is one of the more reticent cuvées on the nose this year, reluctantly unfolding to reveal more tertiary red berry fruit laced with garrigue and iodine. Good complexity, but these aromatics will need time to open. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, lithe tannins. Quite compact at the moment, this has good grip and a saline, marine-influenced finish that fans out beautifully. A succinct, understated Les Rouge that will give 20-plus years of pleasure.

Featuring the Jean Guiton Ladoix 1er Cru La Corvee 2019, an exquisite embodiment of the esteemed winemaker's craftsmanship from the prized vineyards of Burgundy, France. Boasting a distinguished pedigree, Jean Guiton carefully chooses only the finest handpicked fruit and organically grown grapes for this magnificent vintage. This vigorous red wine uses the Pinot Noir grape, to produce its unique flavour characteristics.

Expressing remarkable complexity from bottle ageing, the fulsome palette unfurls layers of rich cherry, blackberry and earthy spice, laced with a savoury undertone. A decade of superb vintage years has established Jean Guiton as a reliable source for top-quality Burgundy wines. The Jean Guiton Ladoix 1er Cru La Corvee 2019 is truly no exception.

This expression is a testament to Jean Guiton's meticulous methodology, ensuring this wine's unrivalled quality and sophistication. The Jean Guiton Ladoix 1er Cru La Corvee 2019 is a true gem among Burgundy's stellar lineage.

Inspired by the legacy of Burgundy, the Jean Guiton Savigny Beaune Peuillets 2019 is a testament to the vintner's passion for traditional wine craftsmanship. This wine is produced in limited quantities in the heart of Burgundy, France; a region known for its distinctive terroir and venerable viticultural traditions. Hand-picked from prime vineyards, Jean-Guiton uses environmentally-friendly methods, championing biodiversity to create exquisite wines.

The Jean Guiton Savigny Beaune Peuillets 2019, is celebrated for complex layers of hawthorn, raspberry, and liquorice aromas. Matured in partially new oak barrels for about a year, this Pinot Noir exudes elegance with a silken texture, bright fruit, and prolonged finish. It provides an enriching sensory experience that leaves a profound, lingering impression.

Produced by Guillaume Guiton, a respected innovator in the field, this wine maintains the enviable quality that embodies the Jean Guiton estate's renowned reputation.

Vinous (92-94)

Matured in around 40% new oak, the 2019 Nuits Saint-Georges Au Bas de Combe Vieilles Vignes has a very controlled, focused bouquet of raspberry and bilberry fruit, beautifully defined and very terroir-expressive. The palate is well balanced and stylistically equidistant between Nuits Saint-Georges and Vosne-Romanée, betraying its geographical location. The 85-year-old vines impart great concentration but also immense quality, more Premier Cru than Village Cru. Superb.

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.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2019 Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc 1er Cru, which is a selection from six different tries through the vineyard, has an intense nose, slightly Alsace-like in style thanks to a hint of linseed oil intermingling with yellow plum and orange blossom. The palate is well balanced with a tensile opening. Lovely orange pith and nectarine notes here. Not a voluminous wine, but very focused on the finish. Excellent. 

Vinous (92-94)

The 2019 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet of dark berry fruit, light seaweed and oyster shell scents, and the 30% whole cluster lends a subtle tertiary aspect. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp, slightly chalky tannins. This is very well structured, delivering palpable energy. A saline finish gets the saliva flowing. Just a delicious Beaune Grèves.

Vinous (88-90)

The 2019 Chambolle-Musigny Village showed just a little more reduction on the nose compared to Drouhin’s other Village Crus. The palate is compact and quite tight, delivering good weight but just missing a little amplitude. However, I do enjoy the sapidity on the aftertaste, and maybe it is simply biding its time. Give it a couple of years in bottle.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Two parcels, one close to the tower and one at the bottom which they keep separate for quite a while. In hot, dry years such as 2019 and 2020 the bottom bit does very well because it retains moisture. 20% bought in. Final blend in tank, to be bottled by mid February 2021. Refined, high-toned nose with a meaty undertow. Then a notably sweet palate attack and quite chunky and forceful. Some whole-bunch influence. Clearly a grand cru. Still youthful with a lightly spicy nose. Lots of energy.

Vinous (92-94)

The 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru was a small yield this year, with just three barrels produced instead of the usual six. It has an understated bouquet of light dandelion and patisserie aromas. The well-balanced palate displays fine delineation and a tang of marmalade toward the finish. This is a nicely composed Corton-Charlemagne, though I wager it will be best consumed within its first decade.

Decanter (98)

This definitely represents a new beginning for the Clos des Lambrays, beginning with a dizzying array of aromas that range from high-toned red fruits to ripe, plummy black fruit, all touched with spice, and a suggestion of wild herbs and fresh flowers. After blending there was an average of 80% whole cluster fermentation. The texture on the palate is concentrated but not heavy, and there is a charming, silky aspect to it so, despite the tannin and density, the overall impression is one of finesse and elegance.

Decanter (98)

This definitely represents a new beginning for the Clos des Lambrays, beginning with a dizzying array of aromas that range from high-toned red fruits to ripe, plummy black fruit, all touched with spice, and a suggestion of wild herbs and fresh flowers. After blending there was an average of 80% whole cluster fermentation. The texture on the palate is concentrated but not heavy, and there is a charming, silky aspect to it so, despite the tannin and density, the overall impression is one of finesse and elegance.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-95)

Raised in 30% new wood and 70% 1 year old. Solid purple with medium depth. The nose starts on the oak and soon moves to the fruit. Very succulent again, smoothly balanced with a firm grip to the tannins. Yet it is suavely put together. High class, and it certainly has the length. Tasted: October 2019

Mâcon-Verzé is a blend of multiple plots in the Mâconnais either entirely owned by the family of managed by impeccably trusted select growers. Subjected to the same incredibly strict selection criteria and then vinified with the same care as the (singular) Domaine Leflaive’s Grands and 1er Crus, Mâcon-Verzé is aged for 12 months in 25% new wood before it is transferred to stainless steel vats to clarify naturally.

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

Vinous (94-96)

The 2019 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru contains 80% whole bunches this year and underwent just a couple of punch-downs. There is a tiny amount of reduction on the nose as I taste it, gradually opening to reveal raspberry, blackcurrant and violet aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins matched with a very fine bead of acidity. This is a very cohesive and refined Grand Cru with a lilting, carefree finish that belies its inherent complexity and persistent. Easy to under-estimate this, I am sure it will age with style.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

The 2019 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru (Domaine des Héritiers Jadot) is excellent, unwinding in the glass with notes of cherries, plums, orange rind, dark chocolate, sweet spices and toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, it's deep and concentrated, with broad shoulders and rich, powdery structuring tannins. As usual, this is a fine proposition for the medium- to long-haul.

Jancis Robinson (16.5+)

Cask sample. Sweet and round on the nose. Perhaps just a bit sweet and simple? May become more interesting. There’s a cool chewy element on the palate that promises well for the future although at the moment it manifests itself in a note of grapefruit-peel bitterness.

Jancis Robinson (16++)

Cask sample. Just a little fragile on the nose. A bit brutal in terms of astringency. Not a charmer but there is certainly enough acidity and tannin. Hard work at the moment.

Jancis Robinson (17+)

Cask sample. Glowing ruby. Some really savoury undertow keeps this interesting! Polished tannins and some stoniness. Lots of pinched tannins but that’s not a bad thing. Gives it interest and pace. Very different from most reds in the Jadot stable. Mineral not fruit. Not flattering but a success. Fine-boned.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

The 2019 Echézeaux Grand Cru (Domaine Louis Jadot) is very promising, exhibiting incipiently complex aromas of raspberries, cassis, candied peel, burning embers and potpourri, followed by a medium to full-bodied, charming and vibrant palate that's broad and enveloping, with lively acids and fine, powdery structuring tannins.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Cask sample. Deep garnet. Intense ferny undergrowth on the nose and pretty exciting vivacity on the palate. More concentrated than most. Closer perhaps to the traditional view of red burgundy. There is so much fruit that you could, with murder in mind, drink this even sooner. GV (relatively).

Vinous (93-95)

The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has an exquisite bouquet of crystalline red berry fruit laced with minerals, wonderfully delineated and focused. The palate is smooth and sensual on the entry, and very cohesive, with a perfect line of acidity. Pure and ravishing, armed with a satin-textured finish, this is going to be very difficult to resist once in bottle. Superb.

Wine Advocate (91-93+)

Notes of peonies, orange rind and sweet berry fruit introduce the 2019 Château Corton-Grancey Grand Cru, a medium to full-bodied wine that's chewier and more muscular than the Vigne Au Saint. It's a more serious wine, built for some bottle age.

Wine Advocate (91-93+)

The 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is also quite promising, exhibiting aromas of pear, buttered citrus fruit, honeycomb, toasted almonds and white flowers. Full-bodied, satiny and rich, with a fleshy core of fruit and good underlying freshness, I hope it can repeat this fine performance from bottle.

James Suckling (100)

This is like staring into an abyss, but being overwhelmed with joy. The essence of fine pinot noir and of Burgundy, which you don’t need to be any kind of expert to appreciate. Enormously concentrated, but so graceful, this makes you want to forget everything else you are supposed to be doing. Lean back and let yourself be overwhelmed. Drink or hold.