Wine Advocate (96-98)

A prodigious effort, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Hautes Brusquieres Cuvee Speciale was yet to be bottled during my June visit. It offers up sweet floral aromas, hints of thyme and rosemary and bold cherry fruit. Full-bodied and creamy-velvety in texture, it's a hugely seductive mouthful of wine that I found difficult to spit. If it emerges from the bottling process looking like this, buyers will have huge smiles on their faces.

Wine Advocate (96-98)

Superbly concentrated, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Hautes Brusquieres Cuvee Speciale takes floral and tea-like complexities and layers them delicately over crisp raspberries and stone fruits. A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, it's full-bodied, velvety and long, with an attractive briny note on the finish.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Les Hautes Brusquières (60/40 Grenache and Syrah) comes from a cooler terroir near the Mount Redon plateau and was brought up in oak tronconique tanks and demi-muids. Its dense purple, almost opaque hue is followed by a brilliant perfume of mulled red and black fruits, peppery herbs, crushed stone, violets, and licorice. With full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional texture, and just about perfect tannins, it's another superstar wine from this estate that's up with the finest vintages to date.

Wine Advocate (96-98+)

Verging on surmaturité, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes turns the volume up to 11, yet I couldn't help but be captivated by its nuance at the same time. Immensely concentrated raspberries, cherries and a hint of dark chocolate emerge on the nose of this blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre, joined by hints of Asian five spice and salted licorice. From the lieux-dits of la Crau (sud) and Cristia, it's full-bodied and hugely powerful (16% alcohol), yet it retains a sense of freshness and elegance on the long, silky-textured finish. Wow!

Jeb Dunnuck (94-96+)

The quality of the Cuvée Vieilles Vignes has soared over the past 4-5 years, and while older vintages has a touch of austerity and rusticity, new releases show more balance, polished tannins, and finesse, while still showing classic old vine Grenache power. The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes (90/10 Grenache and Mourvèdre) boasts a deep purple color to go with full-bodied richness, building tannins, lots of cassis and black raspberry fruit, and complex notes of garrigue, pepper, and violets. I’d put this up with the top wines in the vintage.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes (90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre) comes all from the stony, pebbly soils of La Crau and was brought up in tank and demi-muids. Ripe black cherry fruits, iodine, ground pepper, and bloody, meaty nuances all emerge on the nose, and it's full-bodied, with a seamless, multi-dimensional texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a rock star of a finish. It's just a brilliant, elegant, pure, lengthy wine that does everything right. Drink this classic, traditional, structured wine over the coming two decades.

Decanter (95)

The 2023 Clos de la Commaraine aromas are deep and rich, with notes of plum and blackberry, hints of earth and leather and a light floral note at the end. The texture is firm, tannic and dense, but not unyielding. The grapes are from a 3.63ha monopole clos. Farming and vinification are done parcel by parcel; the new owners, Denise Dupré and Mark Nunnelly, have hired Paul Krug as régisseur, who has undertaken the work of budding over inferior clonal selections with massal selection from vines planted in 1957.

Wine Advocate (94+)

The 2022 Pinot Noir Bloom's Field is the most red-fruited and floral of the roster, opening on a reserved note but ceaselessly escalating in intensity. The palate takes a dramatically powerful, saturated turn into a slow-moving, opulent yet classy finish that ceaselessly builds tannic power without adding an ounce of weight. Serious and unyielding despite its deceptively delicate framing, this merits time in the cellar to unwind but should evolve wonderfully over the next decade.

Vinous (100)

The 2005 La Tâche is simply magnificent. There is not too much I can add. Deep, powerful and richly textured, the 2005 simply has it all. Time in the glass releases the aromatics, but it is the wine’s pure sensuality I find most enticing. A host of dark red and blue stone fruits, hard candy and wild flowers take center stage. Even with all of its intensity, the 2005 retains striking freshness and purity. Can it get better than this?

Vinous (98)

The 2009 La Tâche Grand Cru is the most ethereal of the three wines in this flight. Whole cluster influence is especially marked here. A whole range of spice, dried flower, mint and savory overtones infuse the 2009 with layers of nuance. Next to the other wines in this flight, La Tâche is ethereal and harder to fully capture with words, an attribute many, if not most, of the world’s greatest wines share.

Burghound (98)

An ultra-pure, cool and remarkably elegant mix of wonderfully spicy, red and blue pinot fruit, red currant and wild red berries that are openly floral in character. The overtly stony flavors are shaped by notably firm yet extremely fine tannins and while there is ample power and vibrancy, the palate feel is all silk and satin. To be sure, this is a big wine with impressive concentration but 2010 is a vintage for LT of refinement and polish if not exactly finesse. Even so, it's still going to require some 20 to 25 years of cellar time before it reaches its full majority but when it does, it will be considered one of the all-time great vintages for this incredibly storied wine.

Vinous - Neal Martin (98)

I have been fortunate to taste and drink the 2015 La Tâche on multiple occasions, and it has never been anything less than profound. Bright and beautifully focused with tremendous purity of fruit, the 2015 is so dynamic, so compelling. Is it ready to drink? Not for readers who enjoy fully mature Burgundies. But there is something thrilling about catching a wine like this in its youth, when it is still so vibrant and fresh.

Vinous - Neal Martin (97)

The 2017 Richebourg Grand Cru is a fitting end to a vertical that several attendees voted wine of the night. It has a riveting bouquet, very harmonious with Earl-Grey-tinged red fruit, forest floor and hints of crushed stone. Wonderful delineation. The palate has exquisite balance and poise, a little powdery in texture with gentle grip. Layered dark berry fruit with hints of bay leaf and cola build towards the finish. Yes, it does need time, but I would not begrudge anyone giving into temptation in the near future. Tasted at the Richebourg vertical dinner in Taipei.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2016 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is a worthy successor to the profound 2015, wafting from the glass with aromas of wild berries, violets, peony, dark chocolate, cinnamon and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and satiny, with an ineffable sense of completeness, searing concentration without weight, a vibrant, indeed animating line of acidity, and a long, expansive finish that concludes with a judicious touch of mouthwatering bitterness. Wines like this are the foundation of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's reputation.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (90)

The NV Extra Brut L.P.M. is a pure Pinot Meunier from the Massif de St. Thierry. Base wines were fermented and then aged in oak for 11 months before tirage. The wine then spent 18 months on lees before disgorgement and still smells immensely youthful, like tart, fresh red-green apple with an overtone of moss. The palate, with its fine but youthful mousse, is beautifully aromatic, showing that same mouthwatering tart apple note on green plum. Gentle smokiness appears on the finish. Give this a little bottle age and drink from the second half of 2026. Dosage is 2.5 grams per liter. Disgorged: August 2025.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

Coming from a tiny 1.5-hectare portion of clay and limestone soils and all old vine Grenache, the 2018 Gigondas La Colline is another gorgeous wine from this estate that strikes a balance between richness and elegance. More ruby-hued (these wines are never the deepest hued in Gigondas) and with a killer perfume of kirsch liqueur, framboise, herbes de Provence, chocolate, roasted herbs, and chalky minerality, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a gorgeous, heady finish. This cuvée is almost always the more powerful and concentrated in the lineup, yet in 2018 it shows the more elegant, seamless style of the vintage beautifully. It’s going to benefit from a year or two of bottle age and drink fabulous well for a decade.

Wine Spectator (96)

This is nicely packed, with a range of dark plum, boysenberry preserve and cherry pate de fruit flavors pumping through, all carried by fine, racy and thoroughly imbedded chalky minerality. The structure lets the fruit play out while additional floral, tea and anise notes swirl in on the finish. A beauty. Drink now through 2036.

Vinous (97)

Lurid ruby. Hugely perfumed, mineral- and spice-accented red berry liqueur, cherry-cola incense and garrigue qualities on the sharply delineated nose. It offers vibrant, palate-staining cherry preserve, Chambord, boysenberry, floral pastille and Moroccan spice flavors that show uncanny energy for their depth. The spice and floral notes dominate a strikingly long, sappy finish framed by silky, finely polished tannins.

Wine Advocate (95-97)

More finesse-oriented than the blockbuster style La Colline release, the 2015 Gigondas le Lieu Dit is another Grenache-dominated wine that comes from a cooler, late parcel of sandy soils located just beside the estate. Notes of strawberries, raspberries, crushed flowers, kirsch and spice all emerge from this full-bodied, utterly seamless, pure and gorgeously balanced beauty that doesn’t have a hard edge to be found. It will drink well for 10-15 years or more.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2019 Gigondas Le Lieu-Dit is as good as it gets – hats off to the young Julien Brechet for one of the finest Gigondas ever made. Coming from a cooler, sandy terroir next to this estate and all Grenache, it was 70% destemmed and spent 18 months in used demi-muids before being moved to concrete tanks prior to bottling. A Grand Cru Red Burgundy-like array of wild strawberries, framboise, flowers, sappy green herbs, and spice all emerge on the nose. This is followed by a seamless, full-bodied, incredibly pure Gigondas that’s more about finesse and elegance than sheer power. I love it today, yet it has the balance, as well as structure, to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for two decades if stored properly.

Jeb Dunnuck (96+)

All Mourvèdre brought up in old demi-muids, the 2018 Gigondas Le Plateau is a stunning example of this variety that does everything right. Classic Mourvèdre notes of blueberries, mulberries, new leather, lavender, and ground pepper give way to a full-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant 2018 that has stacked mid-palate, flawless balance, silky tannins, and a great finish. It shows more tannins and structure with time in the glass, so give this beauty 2-3 years of bottle age, it should have 15-20 years of overall longevity.

Wine Spectator (96)

This shows a prominent leather-wrapped and cassis-soaked rosemary flavor profile, while bitter cherry and plum fruit notes make a bid for attention. The finish is paved with warm stone and smoldering garrigue accents, along with a long, lingering tobacco edge. A Bandol-esque version of Gigondas. Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache and Clairette. Best from 2025 through 2040.

Wine Advocate (95-97)

There's no doubt that this cuvée is among the very best Syrahs bottled in the Southern Rhône. The 2018 Gigondas les Routes (from a vintage that favored Grenache) is perfumed and floral, with prominent violet notes joining hints of potpourri, garrigue and licorice. Blueberries and mint appear on the full-bodied palate, which delivers concentrated fruit flavors without any sense of excess weight, finishing long, lively and silky.

Decanter (95)

The original blended Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas is now available in two cuvées: Font des Bosquets (young vines, shorter ageing, no oak) and Réserve (older vines, 14 plots vinified separately including fruit from the top single vineyard sites, maturation in different types of oak for 18 months depending on the variety). The result is an extraordinary exercise in elegance, beautifully silky tannins and deeply vinous fruit. This is long, shapely and tapered with depth, freshness, elegance, and a seamless character. If the alcohol was marginally better integrated this would possible score higher. It's quite an expressive, almost showy wine, but it will be excellent when it's ready. Not as strongly characterful as each of the single vineyard expressions, but better balanced, and more quintessentially Gigondas. In organic conversion.

Tucked within the Burgundy's prized Côte de Beaune, the Croix Beaune Tuvilains 2019, from the sacred plots of Domaine Croix, is a fine testament to the opulence of the 2019 vintage. This Pinot Noir is grown in limestone-rich soil and harvested in small, meticulously manicured parcels to preserve the integrity of each grape. Its vinification in traditional Burgundian open-top wooden vats, followed by ageing in French oak barrels, ensures a harmonious balance between fruit and oak nuances.

A sip of Croix Beaune Tuvilains 2019 reveals complex layers of ripe red fruits, elegantly underpinned by earthy notes and a subtle spiciness. The wine's delicate tannins and balanced acidity make for a seamless finish, capturing the essence of French wine-making sophistication.

The impeccable craftsmanship of winemaker David Croix indubitably shines through in this vintage, making the Croix Beaune Tuvilains 2019 an invincible selection for the discerning wine lover.

Vinous (96-98)

The 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru is beautifully defined on the nose, featuring wonderful crushed limestone and gunflint scents that permeate the green apple aromas. Very focused and intense. The palate is extremely well balanced with a powerful opening, very saline and so full of energy. Enormous weight and presence toward the finish. This is an outstanding Chevalier-Montrachet from Jadot.

Wine Advocate (95-97)

The king of the cellar on the white side of the ledger is the 2020 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Les Demoiselles (Domaine des Héritiers Jadot), a striking wine that unfurls in the glass with notes of citrus oil, white flowers, buttered popcorn, chalky soil tones, beeswax and spices. Full-bodied, multidimensional and layered, it's muscular and concentrated, with racy acids, an abundance of structuring dry extract and a long, resonant finish. It is worth a special effort to seek out.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-96)

Clean mid yellow. Fine and discreet, a bit of weight, not too austere a limestone character, but this is Demoiselles. More weight shows through on the palate, some greengages, good tension, with some persistence. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted: October 2022

Wine Enthusiast (95)

Gleaming black-cherry and plum flavors pulsate through this rich, penetrating blend of Grenache (70%) and Syrah (30%) sourced from rocky limestone and marl soil. It's a dark, sultry wine offset by tangs of salty minerality and firm, gripping tannins. This vibrant red should improve through 2030 and hold further.