Burgundy Wine

Expert Reviews

Burghound 93 Points | A slightly riper nose features notes of poached plum, black raspberry, violet, lavender and a hint of Asian-style tea. The palate soaking broad-shouldered flavors possess outstanding density, which is a good thing considering that the supporting tannins are very dense on the massively persistent finish. This austere and compact effort is going to need a very long snooze in a cool cellar before it even begins to reach its apogee. *Don't Miss!*

Decanter 97 Points | Bruno Clair has a large plot in Bonnes-Mares (1.63ha), with most of it on the Morey-St-Denis side of the vineyard, and largely on the white marl soils called terres blanches. These give a very expressive wine, with a lovely, high-toned raspberry and rose petal nose shot through with notes of mineral and smoke. The wine is done with 30% whole clusters in the ferment and is aged over two winters in cask (30% new) to deliver a wine of purity and elegance. (Charles Curtis)

Vinous 95 points | The 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is surprisingly backward on the nose with tightly-wound blackberry, redcurrant and cranberry fruit with sea spray and light pine cone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy redcurrant and strawberry fruit. This is a solid Bonnes-Mares, correct, not flashy but serious and as such, it deserves several years in bottle. It has the substance and complexity to reward those with patience. (NM)

Expert Review - Vintage 2019

Burghound 94 points | There is just enough wood and menthol elements present to be worth noting surrounding the citrusy apple, pear and exotic tea-scented nose. The bigger, richer and more sophisticated medium weight plus flavors possess evident power as well as a lovely sappiness that coats the palate on the delicious, highly complex and strikingly long finale. Like the Bâtard, this beauty is built for the long haul though it could actually be approachable after only 7 to 8 years. In brief, this is extremely promising. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2019 

Wine Advocate 91 Points | The 2019 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Cuvée des Alouettes opens in the glass with notes of plums, cherries, raw cocoa, cinnamon and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and fleshy, it's layered and elegantly gourmand, with lively acids and a precise, mineral finish. As usual, this hails entirely from the Clos de Monts Luisants, but the domaine opts not to mention the lieu-dit on the label to avoid confusion with their emblematic white wine from the same vineyard. Domaine Ponsot started picking on September 20, and winemaker Alexandre Abel reported yields some 35% to 40% below average, with alcohols in the 14s and healthy pHs at around 3.3. Yet while alcohols in 2019 were if anything higher than in 2018, the 2019 wines are more elegant, with livelier fruit tones and less overtly muscular structure.

Burghound 90 Points | A slightly riper but still quite fresh nose speaks of red and dark cherry, anise, violet and a similar whiff of earth. There is better volume and punch to the intense and focused middle weight plus flavors that possess a more refined mouthfeel on the strikingly refreshing finale where a subtle touch of austerity gradually emerges. This firm effort will need at least some patience.Decanter 93 points Produced from 1.29ha of Monts Luisants in the premier cru section, 20-30m lower than the vines that make the Cuvée des Grives and just above the part classed as Clos de la Roche. Here, there is more of a mix between red and black fruit (enlivened with just a bit of CO2 left at bottling from the fermentation), and also more density and richness on the palate, plus just a bit more length. Drinking Window 2024 - 2039.

Expert Review - Vintage 2019

The Wine Advocate 93 Points | The 2019 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs Gain opens in the glass with hints of nutmeg, pear, peach, white flowers and fresh pastry. Medium to full-bodied, supple and charming, with lively acids, its outlines are promising, and I suspect it will take on depth with further élevage.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Burghound 93 Points | A brooding and densely fruited nose grudgingly reveals its array of dark berries, poached plum, warm earth and a soupçon of wood. The supple but mouth coating and velvet-textured larger scaled flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract while delivering excellent persistence on the youthfully austere, powerful and balanced finale. This excellent effort is very firm and should age accordingly; indeed two decades is not out of the question.

Decanter 94 Points | Flamboyantly fruity and very approachable, the wine has an expressive cherry and rose petal fruit, with a hint of exotic spice. The texture is powerful, yet fresh enough to retain a compelling vivacity. Grivot owns a large parcel of 1.86ha in Quatorze Journaux along the bottom of the Route Nationale. The quality of the wine belies the received wisdom about this location. The grapes are destemmed and gently fermented, with the must lightly pumped over after a few initial punch-downs before ageing. (CC) 

Vinous 92 Points | The 2020 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru came across a little backward and surly on the nose compared the the Vosne-Romanées despite coaxing. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine definition, taut and fresh with a well-defined finish. Here, I actually find more in the mouth than on the nose, at least at the moment. Hopefully the aromatics will kick on during élevage. (NM)  

Expert Review - Vintage 2020 

Burghound 95 Points | A wonderfully spicy and beautifully layered nose offers up notes of citrus confit, acacia blossom, anise, jasmine tea and an interesting hint of clove. Much like the Bâtard, the mouthfeel of the broad-shouldered flavors is sleek and intense with impressive reserves of sap buffering the hugely long finish. Like several of the wines in the range, this will need to add depth with time in bottle, but the Blain Montrachet has a fine track record in that regard. I

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 94 Points  | The 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru wafts from the glass with aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with peonies, orange rind and exotic spices. Full-bodied, rich and muscular, it's deep and powerful, with imposing reserves of concentration, while remaining vibrant, even fine-boned despite its substance and plenitude.

Burghound 95 Points | Markedly floral-suffused aromas are comprised by notes of more distinctly spiced and earthier plum and black cherry where a hint of the sauvage lurks in the background. The equally sleek though notably more voluminous and powerful if less mineral-driven flavors coat the palate with dry extract while offering excellent depth and persistence on the beautifully balanced finale. This is one of the best Mugnier Bonnes Mares in recent memory. 

Expert Reviews 

Burghound 91 Points Discreet but not invisible wood influence can be found on the ripe aromas of various dark berries prominent earth and violet scents. Somewhat surprisingly in the context of the reported yields the mid-palate is not especially dense though I very much like the beguiling texture that is at once caressing yet powerful before culminating in a precise serious and equally austere if notably longer finale. This is an opulent and refined Clos des Epeneaux. (Drink starting 2030)Vinous

92 Points Vinous | The 2020 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru was a blend of two instead of four cuvées this year due to the depleted production. It has a precocious bouquet with black cherries raspberry menthol and blood orange scents that gather momentum in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins taut and fresh lightly spiced with hints of allspice and tangy quince. It displays fine composure towards the finish with impressive length. This is a superb Clos des Epeneaux though will it surpass the 2019? I?m not sure. (Drink between 2026-2050)

Expert Review

Burghound  | The dark color a bit now with a ruby ​​heart. A nose of caramel and smoke that has a slightly weird lactic aroma that has never led to completely dispel the rich, but good, very mature flavors and a little round, supple, very detailed finish. There is a certain rusticity in the finish. Still, I loved it but it is more for those who appreciate very mature Burgundy.

Expert Review - Vintage 2015

91 Points Robert Parker | The 2015 Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche Grand Cru was stubbornly backward and broody on the nose: hints of yellow flower and struck flint. Nosing this felt like I was disturbing its prenatal slumber. The palate had more to say. It is well balanced with a brush of honey on the entry, a keen thread of acidity, a hint of spice with a composed yet straight-laced finish that I find less expressive than the Corton-Charlemagne at the moment. Let’s see how this turns out in bottle. It’s a Montrachet, though that does not necessarily mean it is Drouhin’s finest white this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2038.

Winemaker Description

Like all great white wines, Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche deserves to accompany the best fish and shellfish dishes, such as lobster or crabmeat in a light wine sauce; salmon, trout or Dover sole simply grilled or poached. The wine should be served no colder than 13°C (57°F). 

Winemaker Description

Wife & Husband Winemaker 

The wine shows aromas and flavors of red berries, herbs, and purple flowers. The palate is rich with ripe fruit and medium weight with bright acidity and fine tannins. Aging in 40-70% new Burgundian pièce brings notes of vanilla, toast, and baking spices.

Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and minimal tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami. 

Expert Review

Burghound 93 Points | Here the less expressive nose flirts with reduction though a wisp of red berry fruit is discernible so I would suggest decanting this if you're game to try a bottle young. Otherwise the succulent and nicely rich flavors are blessed with abundant amounts of dry extract that coats the palate and buffers the moderately firm tannic spine on the youthfully austere and sneaky long finish.

Expert Reviews 

Wine Advocate: 98 Points | Wafting from the glass with a deep and complex bouquet of dark wild berries, cassis, wilted rose petals, blood orange, exotic spices, licorice and coniferous forest floor, the 2017 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is full-bodied, satiny textured and multidimensional. It's just as powerful as this year's La Tâche but even more elegantly framed by filigree structure, concluding with an intensely sapid and penetratingly fragrant finish. Pristinely balanced, this young Romanée-Conti possesses huge reserves for the long haul despite its deceptively supple youthful appeal, and it will reward extended bottle age.

Decanter: 98 Points | This has gained in weight and intensity since I tasted it from barrel in October 2018, but it’s still innately graceful: a string quartet rather than a full orchestra perhaps. On the nose, aromas of incense, fresh tobacco and forest floor are complemented by sweet spices and stylish new oak. The palate is layered, refined and savoury, gaining in intensity on the tongue and finishing clean, bright and refreshing with the promise of greater things to come. Stunning.

Burghound: 97 Points | Once again there is evident restraint to the almost taciturn but still kaleidoscopically broad-ranging nose of wonderfully pure and fresh and spicy aromas that include plenty of floral influences on the red currant, cherry, sandalwood and rose petal. The silky and equally pure middle weight flavors possess excellent punch and a similar level of minerality on the focused, powerful, linear and impressively persistent finish that slowly fans out as it sits on the palate. In contrast to the flash of the La Tâche, this is Zen-like in its sense of harmony and focus.

Winemaker Description

Domaine Jacques Prieur owns a 1.8 acre parcel of Les Bressandes in the Grand Cru of Corton. Les Bressandes sits on the northern portion of the hill of Corton on the lower slopes. Soils are heavier here than further uphill consisting mainly of clay and small amounts of limestone.

Vinification: Grapes are hand harvested, strictly sorted and destemmed. The must will sit on the skins for 19 days prior to fermentation. The wine ages for 17 months of in oak barrels deep in the cellars of Domaine Jacques Prieur. 

Winemaker Description

The Charmes-Chambertin is a dry red wine, coming from a terroir which benefits from an oceanic to semi-continental climate influence on limestone and marl soils.

This wine has a dark ruby, deep color. The bouquet on the nose is fine and delicate, very complex; before aeration, it opens with delicate notes of red and black fruits such as gooseberry, raspberry and blackcurrant, spicy aromas stand out clearly and spikes of violet and pink. Over time, musk notes, roasted coffee beans, licorice, and vanilla appear. The attack is fresh, the wine is dense, but full of sweetness, and ends on a both long and intense final note. 

Our Professional Review

Bart Hopkins Lead Wine Sommelier at 67Wine.com writes Alain Burguet, was farming organically back in the 1970s, 20 years before Ecocert was created to certify organic agriculture. He recognized the importance of ploughing to generate better soil health and vines, and composted organic matter to rejuvenate the soil rather than using industrial fertilizer. His two sons, Jean-Luc and Eric have now taken it a step farther by introducing Biodynamic viticulture to the vineyards.

Winemaker Description

Planted in 1969, the premier cru Les Rouges du Dessus vineyard sits above the grand cru Echezeaux and is amongst the highest elevation of Vosne-Romanee. The 2019 Les Rouges du Dessus is absolutely stunning with a dazzling array of blue plums and red and black raspberry aromas on the nose, developing savory spice and earthy complexity as it opens up in the glass. Stately and well-structured with magnificent mouth presence and endless complexity that trails off into the long finish.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Burghound 96 Points | Here the equally expressive nose is quite similar to the regular cuvée except it's a bit spicier. The succulent, round and caressing but powerful and slightly bigger flavors coat the palate with dry extract before culminating in a more robust and somewhat more structured finish that delivers equally superb length. Patience strongly advised.

Vinous 94 Points | The 2020 La Grande Rue is similar to the bottle tasted at the Grands Jours; ample red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, fine minerality, quite "air" considering the growing season. The palate is medium bodied with supple tannins, fine depth, quite strict on the finish where one find a pinch of sour cherry and brown spices. Just needs a little more sustain on the aftertaste.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 93 Points | Notes of red berries and plums mingle with hints of rose petals, peonies, grilled meats and forest floor in an inviting bouquet, introducing Rousseau's 2019 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Clos des Ruchottes, a medium to full-bodied, bright and lively wine that's ethereal and perfumed, with a pretty core of fruit and a long, saline finish. Barrel Sample: 93-95

Burghound 95 Points | An elegant combination is comprised by notes of various red berries, especially essence of cherry, along with anise, the sauvage and a pretty dollop of spice elements, all of which is trimmed in enough wood to notice. The energetic and beautifully well-detailed and tautly muscular yet elegant flavors brim with an abundance of dry extract and minerality while concluding in a decidedly sleek and stunningly long finish that evidences a hint of youthful austerity. This markedly firm effort is gorgeous and possesses the wherewithal to age and improve for two to three decades.

Vinous 96 Points | The 2019 Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes Grand Cru has a thrilling bouquet struck through with mineral-rich red berry fruit that teasingly takes time to unfurl in the glass; you can sense the limestone, and hints of graphite emerge later. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, quite piquant in style, leading to an edgy, slightly chalky finish that bristles with energy. This has great potential as a poised Ruchottes. Barrel Sample: 96-98 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Burghound 93 Points |  Here too the restrained if wonderfully broad nose is gloriously spicy if perhaps not quite as floral on the mostly dark berry fruit scents. There is the same lovely purity and excellent energy of the Clos St. Jacques but with more size, weight and power and particularly so on the hugely long and more complex finish. However, this is also more structured and overall, it's likely that this will require fully 20 years to reach its full maturity. *Burghound Don't Miss!*

Decanter 97 Points | The colour is deep in 2020, with ripe plum and cherry fruit scented with spice and minerals rolling from the glass on the initial attack. The texture on the palate is concentrated but never heavy, with tannic reserves that suggest that this will age for decades. Superb. One of the great treasures of the house, Clair has nearly one hectare here, planted in 1912. The fruit is is chilled after picking and the fermentation starts slowly, with about 30% whole clusters. (Charles Curtis)

Vinous 96 Points | The 2020 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru has a fabulous, pixelated bouquet with ebullient, brambly red fruit interlaced with minerals. Real pedigree here. The palate is medium-bodied with a sappy, saline entry. Great depth, cohesive with just the right amount of salinity. This lingers long in the mouth. Irresistible, surfeit with class. (NM)

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Expert Review

Vinous 94 Points | This perfumed beauty displays fireworks in a glass with its kaleidoscopic nose of super spicy, floral and cool red and dark berry nose. The middle weight flavors are less concentrated and powerful than those of the Grands Ech but markedly finer with a caressing and sophisticated mouthfeel that carries over to the rich finish that once again tightens up noticeably on the impeccably well-balanced and strikingly persistent finish. While at least some patience will also be required this classy effort should be approachable sooner than the Grands Ech. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2021

Burghound 88 Points | From four separate parcels scattered around the commune.
Attractively fresh aromas of various dark berries, violet and discreet spice wisps introduce racy, delineated and utterly delicious middleweight flavors that conclude in a lingering bitter pit fruit-inflected finale that delivers solid length. This will need to develop better depth to merit the upper end of my projected range.

Anne Sigaut told me that 2021 "had the growing season from hell because even putting aside the problems that the frost caused, the constant wet weather made our life difficult. It was often impossible to get tractors in the vineyards to treat and the vines didn't have their normal resistance to what turned out to be very intense disease pressure. We soldiered on but in the middle of July, I confess to wondering if we were going to have a harvest. As it turned out, we did and it began on the 20th of September. Yields were variable but basically off between 30 and 50% as we rejected a lot of fruit though mostly for being underripe. Potential alcohols came in between 12 and 13% and we chose to vinify lightly to be sure we weren't extracting astringent elements. Funnily enough, the quality of the resulting wines is much better than I imagined and I quite like them. With that said, had you asked me what I thought the quality would be when we started picking, I would have given a different answer!" I agree with Mme Sigaut that her 2021s are really quite good and there are several that are worth your attention.  

Winemaker Description

François de Nicolay succinctly described the 2020 growing season as "dry and hot with enough of both to create at least some degree of hydric stress. There wasn't much disease pressure though and the fruit was super-clean when we arrived at the harvest. We chose to begin picking on the 17th of August and continued through to the 26th and brought in yields that were only about 60% of normal though with better acidities than we obtained in either 2018 or 2019. 

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 90 points Opening in the glass with aromas of cherries, berries, loamy soil and peonies, the 2020 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Vergelesses is medium to full-bodied, with a velvety attack and a deep core of fruit, framed by lively acids and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the finish.  —  Outstanding.

Alan Meadows 90 Points | An earthier and not quite as spicy array is comprised by notes of red and dark berries with a similar plethora of pretty floral nuances. The mouthfeel of the medium weight flavors is again super-sleek thanks to the moderately fine-grained tannins supporting the firm, youthfully austere and sneaky long finale. At least some patience advised. 

Expert Review

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022 

Neal Martin of VInous writes 90-92 Points | The 2022 Meursault Les Chevalières is matured in 25% new oak 350-liter barrels in order to reduce the wood impact. It is taut and focused on the nose, quite understated at first, with touches of almond and hazelnut. The palate is well-balanced, with impressive concentration on the entry. Quite spicy on the mid-palate with tangy marmalade and ginger, this fans out in a pleasing fashion towards the finish.  Drinking 2025 to 2035.

Bruce Sanderson of Wine Spectator writes 93 Points | Aromas and flavors of white flowers, citronella and hazelnut cream abound, backed by lively acidity. Lip-smacking and fresh, this white persists on the toasty, smoky finish. Drink now through 2028. 

Winemaker Description 

Known to offer a magical balance of smoothness and freshness, Meursault's quality is hard to rival. The village lies in the middle of Côte de Beaune, just south of Volnay. Meursault is said to mean “mouse’s jump” because in the past the plots producing Pinot Noir and those producing Chardonnay were no more than a mouse’s jump from one another. Today the village is almost exclusively Chardonnay. A tiny bit of Pinot Noir is produced here with the best coming from Les Santenots on its northern side near Volnay.

While there are no Grands Crus, Meursault’s numerous acclaimed Premiers Crus can compete with any other top-notch white Burgundy. Some to know are Les Perrières, Les Genevrières, Les Charmes, Le Poruzot, Les Bouchères and Les Gouttes d’Or.

Meursault produces outstanding village level wines as well. In general great Premiers Crus and even village level Meursault (Chardonnay) have enticing aromas of lime peel, tropical fruit, crushed rocks, spice and hazelnut. On the palate there is a wonderful balance of brightness and a seductive length with flavors of white peach, pineapple and citrus.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 92 Points | Notes of cherries, cassis, peonies and rich spices preface the 2020 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers, a medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated wine that's lively and penetrating. Like its 2019 predecessor, it's especially seamless and charming. (2020).

Burghound 90 Points | A distinctly earthy and notably ripe nose blends notes of red and dark currant with those of earth, humus and a whiff of the sauvage. The rich, dense and powerful larger-scaled flavors are supported by mouth coating tannins on the chewy, long and moderately rustic finale. This bold and robust effort is very good, but I would recommend it only for the patient. (2020).

Expert Review

Wine Spectator 90 Points | Dense, with blackberry and plum flavors shaded by iron, earth and spice. Shows broad shoulders and dusty tannins, but plenty of fruit too.Vinous 91 points The 2020 Pommard Les Vignots has a lively, minty bouquet that is well defined, quite floral with iris flowers emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, quite structured with a vibrant saline finish that lingers. This must be the "dark horse" of Monnot's range. (2020).