Jancis Robinson (16.5)

0.5 ha (1.2 acres) of 45-year-old vines; principally shallow 30 cm topsoil over hard Comblanchien limestone rock. 25% new oak. Tank sample. Clear, bright mid-ruby. Great perfume again. Bright red fruits, raspberry and perfumed violets. Lovely elegance, lightness and freshness. Deft.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (91-94)

A fuller purple, showing an exuberant cherry raspberry fruit, with energy behind, and a little thread of acidity. From barrel, this stands head and shoulders above its neighbours. A touch of strawberry too in the long, satisfying finish. Drink from 2026-2032.

Jancis Robinson (16.5+)

Three parcels making 0.5 ha (1.2 acres); 35-year-old vines. Two parcels abutting the Bonnes Mares Grand Cru. 25% new oak. Tank sample. Pale ruby. Elegant light red cherries, strawberry and redcurrants with ground-pepper spice. Elegant, floral lightness, with powdery, feather-like tannins. Refined and aloof.

Vinous (95)

The 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru is an absolute joy to behold and in terms of drinking now a sheer pleasure, surpasses both the 1996 and 2005 tasted the previous day. It bursts with pixelated red cherry and strawberry fruit on the nose, laced with minerals and light citrus scents. The palate is powerful and certainly not dense. Yet it possesses disarming transparency and fabulous precision, weightless yet paradoxically intense with a long tail on the finish. It is more a Clos Saint-Jacques of texture and feeling than obvious fruit descriptors. Wonderful. Tasted at Fook Lam Moon in Hong Kong.

Vinous (96)

Rousseau's 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques is flat-out gorgeous. Waves of blue/purplish fruit hit the palate in an intense, explosive Burgundy loaded with pure class and pedigree. This is another 2011 that is going to need considerable time in bottle to come around. Today, the Clos St. Jacques impresses for its richness, power and depth.

In the realm of fine wines, the Benjamin Roblot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 2020 holds an esteemed place. Distilled by esteemed vintner Benjamin Roblot in the world-acclaimed wine region of Chambolle-Musigny, Burgundy, France, this wine embodies the perfection of its terroir. A first-class ('1er Cru') wine, it comes from the highly sought after 'Les Amoureuses' vineyard, famed for its superior quality fruits.

The 2020 vintage is an assertion of elegance and balance. Created using traditional vinification methods, the wines then mature in French oak barrels adding depth and complexity. Expect refined yet robust flavours, led by a stimulating mix of plump dark berries, a hint of woodland, and a vibrant, enduring finish.

A product of small yield and attentive cultivation, the Benjamin Roblot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 2020 stands as an exemplary ambassador for Burgundian wines.

Esteemed connoisseur, indulge in the elegant allure of Benjamin Roblot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuees 2020. Hailing from a top-tier vineyard in Chambolle-Musigny, a cherished commune known for its distinguished Pinot Noir, this laudable cru merits your consideration. Benjamin Roblot, a reputed Burgundy producer, employed a focused, low-intervention approach in crafting this gem. The wines mature in modestly-toasted oak barrels, giving an unsurpassed smoothness, without overwhelming the natural fruit notes.

Benjamin Roblot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuees 2020 dances on your palate with sublime layers of juicy cherries, entwined with finer undertones of violets and delicately-spiced earth. The exquisite balance, vibrant acidity, and graceful tannins culminate in an enticingly long finish. La crème de la crème of 2020 Burgundy wines, this Benjamin Roblot offering promises a memorable gustatory journey for any discerning wine aficionado.

Vinous (90-92)

The 2021 Beaune Clos de la Mousse 1er Cru comes from vines on a flat, dense clay soil, that are among the last to be picked. The wine has plenty of dark berry, cold black tea and light sea spray scents on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, plush tannins that lend this rondeur, harmonious with a sweet, almost candied finish. This will be more approachable than the Les Teurons, though it does not possess the same complexity.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (91-94)

Medium deep purple. A little oak almost masking the slight reduction. Clears up and integrates, bringing a darker raspberry fruit. A certain sucrosity on the palate followed by the typical firm tannins which make this wine a vin de garde in most vintages. This is really quite backward and should keep well. Drink from 2027-2033

Vinous (91-93)

The 2021 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Cailles 1er Cru has a succinct nose, the 50% whole bunches are neatly embroidered into the red berry fruit, with touches of iodine developing over time. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, very harmonious, velvety smooth with deftly integrated oak towards the surprisingly concentrated, blueberry-tinged finish. One of the pleasant surprises from Bouchard Père this vintage.

Vinous (93)

The 2018 Meursault Charmes-Dessus 1er Cru has a clean and precise bouquet. Understated at first, it opens with crushed rock, white flowers and touches of citrus fruit. It appears to build in intensity. The palate is quite oaky on the entry, although that should be subsumed with time. Good substance, slightly reductive, yet judiciously spiced with ample depth on the satisfying finish. Great potential. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting.

Vinous (94)

The 2018 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru is very harmonious on the nose. Yellow flowers, Japanese yuzu, quince and orange zest open with aeration whilst maintaining superb focus. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh with a welcome bitter lemon note that upholds tension and salinity on the finish. I like where this Perrières is going - one to watch. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting.

Wine Advocate (90-92)

The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Chabiots (négoce) wafts from the glass with aromas of peonies, orange oil, sweet red berries and spices. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and charming, it's lively and precise, concluding with a penetrating finish.

Wine Advocate (90-92)

A cuvée that's purchased as wine for Lignier's négociant business, the 2020 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos Baulet (négoce) offers up aromas of cherries, sweet berries, licorice and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, lively and charming, with tangy acids, powdery tannins and a saline finish, it's a fine complement to the range.

Wine Advocate (92-94)

The 2020 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru La Riotte opens in the glass with aromas of cherries, warm spices, wild berries, peonies and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, rich and velvety, with lively acids and melting tannins, it concludes with a long, saline finish.

Burghound (91-93)

Once again firm reduction buries the fruit and its nuances. There is excellent volume and mid-palate density to the quite full-bodied flavors that possess almost as refined a texture though the underlying muscle seems more obvious on the sappy, austere and built-to-age finale. This is very Baudes in character with its robust yet reasonably refined delivering.

Burghound (92-95)

Reduction masks the underlying fruit though there is a really lovely inner mouth perfume to the punchy and gorgeously textured middle weight flavors that brim with minerality on the sappy and wonderfully complex finale that flashes first-rate length. This firm effort is presently quite compact and a wine that is going to need at least some bottle aging to further flesh out, though it is already very classy.

Burghound (92-94)

Notably ripe yet nicely fresh and even cool aromas of poached plum and dark berry fruit coulis are trimmed in hints of earth and the sauvage. The palate impression of the big-bodied and powerful flavors is one of contrasts as the mid-palate is actually nicely refined if dense whereas the wonderfully persistent finish is robust, muscular and borderline rustic, as well as exceptionally firm. Once again, I would recommend not touching a bottle for at least a decade and this beauty should repay almost two.

Burghound (90-93)

Pungent aromas of wood and reduction lead to almost painfully intense middle weight flavors that also possess an appealing texture that is at once rich and nicely detailed, all wrapped in lingering finish that is appealingly complex. This is very pretty and while it will likely need 12-ish years to arrive at its apogee, it should be approachable after only 5 to 7.

Burghound (91-94)

"Outstanding" An exuberantly spicy and very Vosne nose of plum, dark fruit coulis, exotic tea and sandalwood aromas beautifully complement the sleek and detailed if not especially dense flavors that still possess good richness on the dusty, very firm and youthfully austere finale. This too is absolutely going to require at least some forbearance.

Burghound (90-92)

Here too the reduction is dense enough to hide the fruit. Otherwise, there is a caressing but punchy mouthfeel to the detailed and refined middle weight flavors that exude plenty of minerality on the mildly austere, firm and sneaky long finale. This is very Petits Vougeot in character with its elegant and understated style.

Wine Advocate (92-94)

Opening in the glass with aromas of cassis, plums, rose petals and sweet soil tones, the 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Mitans is medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, concluding with a perfumed finish.

Wine Advocate (93-94)

The Potel 2005 Vosne-Romanee Les Gaudichots offers a nose of cherry, red raspberry and spice box. Cinnamon and white pepper are among those that hitch a ride on the creamy palate, where intensely ripe, sweet red fruits, raw meat, and suggestions of caramelized root vegetables expand to fill all recesses of the mouth. Concentrated and complex manifestations of meat, roasted root vegetables, and mineral along with distilled red fruit suggestions inform the superbly long, multi-registered finish. Amazingly, there are three whole barrels of this.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Nicolas Potel's négociant wine. 'No chaptalisation and no filtration therefore the most natural wines we've made for years. Some winemakers make a comparison with 2003 – but there were more than 100 days between flowering and picking in 2007 and 2008. 2007 was less delicate than we thought; I was tempted to bottle in September but found the wines were not ready.' Much more delicate than the Clos St-Denis. Wild strawberry fruit aromas plus delicate spice, and then more marked spice on the palate. All in a restrained and scented style and leading to a lingering finish and very fine tannins.

Wine Advocate (93+)

My favorite premier cru in the range this year is the 2018 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux, a lovely wine that wafts from the glass with aromas of citrus oil, green apple, pear, oyster shell and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, taut and structured, with fine concentration and chalky extract, it concludes with a mouthwateringly saline finish.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (91-95)

Pale colour with green tints, very fresh, there is even a little bit of noble reduction. The 2018 Forêts delivers an absolutely scintillating, crystalline purity. There is impressive weight on the palate, balanced by a refreshing greener element to the fruit.

Wine Advocate (93-95+)

The 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Tête du Clos is one of the high points of the range this year. Exhibiting aromas of pear, waxy citrus rind, freshly baked bread, white flowers and wheat toast, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and incisive, with a satiny attack and a racy spine of acidity, concluding with a long, saline finish.