Sarah Marsh MW continues her coverage of the 2021 Burgundy vintage with detailed tasting notes on the wines of the Côte de Nuits.
More in this series
2021 Burgundy: When the gods stopped smiling
2021 Burgundy: A guide to the sub-regions and villages
Related
2021 Burgundy: Chablis report and tasting notes
2021 Burgundy: Côte de Beaune tasting notes
2021 Burgundy: Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais, and Beaujolais tasting notes
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Marsannay
Domaine Bruno Clair
I tasted with Edouard and Bruno Clair who reflected on the similarities with 1991. The Clair family have vineyards on a wide stretch of the Côte, and they found that those on the hotter, thinner, limestone soils, including Rue de Vergy and Chambolle Véroilles, were most affected by the frost, as the buds were more developed when it struck. They used fewer whole bunches in 2021—one third rather than the half used in 2020—but increased pigeage, from between four and six punch-downs in 2020, to between eight and 14 in 2021. What a fabulous flight of wine from the Clairs.
White
Champ Forey is a very dry terroir. Savory, smoky, and mineral. 2022–26. 84
Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Rich and concentrated aroma, with salted caramel. A fairly full body, richly textured and lightly muscular on the palate. It has some heft for Marsannay. Savory, with miso-caramel notes. 2023–27. 87
Marsannay Les Longeroies
From two parcels, one toward the top on oolite blanche, the other nearer the bottom. Juicy and fruity. Really rather showy upfront, but it cuts in with wet-stone minerals. 2023–26. 86
Marsannay Source des Roches
This is 80% from Charme aux Prêtres, at the top of the lieu-dit. A straight palate, with a firm, savory bite and tension. A lean, sparse wine. Super-sappy, with slightly salty finish. Like it. 2024–27. 86
Morey-St-Denis En La Rue de Vergy
Very little topsoil. High-toned and upright, with a hint of mint tea. Quite severe and taut, puckering, salty and keen, racing on a clipped, straight line. Love it. 2024–32. 90
Red
All the samples were drawn from foudres. A small proportion of some wines is in barriques, which will be blended two months prior to bottling.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles
Worst-hit by the frost, as it budded early on the warm rocks, producing only 8hl/ha. Vibrancy. What a zesty jump onto the palate. More concentration than the Morey-St-Denis En La Rue de Vergy. Quite pithy and savory, with a touch of amertume; a good bitterness to finish. 2025–30. 91
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Charmes
A normal crop: 30hl/ha. Deep, succulent, and generous. Full and rounded palate. Smooth and deeply textured, with aromatic tarragon aromas on the finish. 2027–35. 94
Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
The parcel runs from top to bottom on the Morey-St-Denis side, on redder soils. But there is a section on white clay at the top, which needs picking a week earlier (with a parcel in the middle on rock), so the domaine makes it in two batches. Earthy, bloody aroma and a deep, dense, layered palate, underscored with savory minerality. An earthy, iron note on the persistent finish. It carries very well indeed. 2027–25. 98
Fixin
Champs Perdrix was not affected by the Fixin storms. The Marsannay section is up top, while the Fixin section is at the bottom of the slope where there is more clay. Dark fruit with some violet notes. Robust and grippy, with a hint of smoky graphite on the finish. Robust. 2024–27. 84
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Cazetiers
From a rocky parcel at the top, this is the Gevrey that always has lower acidity and higher pH. A lively, red-berry aroma; sweet redcurrant. This is lean and keen, with firm, talc-like tannins; salty, savory, and shot with oyster-shell minerality. A sparse, shaley character. 2027–35. 94–95
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Clos St-Jacques
More generous and deep than the Cazetiers. Rich rose-petal aroma. Enveloping, swathed in gorgeous red fruit and balanced with just delicious, sweet acidity. Supple texture, and it carries effortlessly onto the finish. 2029–35. 96
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Petite Chapelle
The lowest pH of the Gevrey range. A vital wine, a little muscular, with a cloaking of dark fruit. And it punches on the finish. Tip-top. 2028–35. 94–95
Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
A good surprise in terms of the yield: 35hl/ha. Two thirds of the vines were planted in 1912, and candles helped here, as the older vines were later budding. Sumptuous and deep, dense and intense, it homes in on a prolonged, richly supple, aromatic finish. 2030–40. 97
Marsannay
Light raspberry, ripe fruit, and floral aromas. Delicate, gauzy texture and fine tannin. From ten parcels, including some drier soils such as Champ Forey. Pretty, floral wine. 2024–27. 86
Marsannay La Charme aux Prêtres
More structure, intensity, and depth. Savory and flecked with glimmering, stony minerality. 2024–27. 86–87
Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes
The clay soil here is punctured with heads of rock. This is the richest and most tannic lieu-dit, partly because of the small berries due to virus. The large rocks that penetrate the surface run diagonally across the vineyard, and the name also refers to gras, as in fat, indicating the clay. Edouard Clair is careful not to extract too much. Sturdy and quite dense. Muscular, with punchy tannins and a bit of grip. A touch dry at the moment on the savory finish, but it clearly has good potential. 2025–30. 88
Marsannay Les Longeroies
One of the domaine’s oldest plantings, from 1924 and 1926. Alluring aroma and succulent, juicy attack. Quite pouncy and bold in the middle. A light bitterness, anise, and herbs to finish. Attractive. 2024–28. 86
Marsannay Vaudenelles
From poor, white soil, quite high up the hillside at an elevation of about 1,070ft (325m). Quite simple clays. Recently planted with some whites, Chardonnay three years ago and Aligoté last year. Light herbal aromas. Finely textured, light-bodied, with minty notes and a dusting of fine, salty minerality, with a herbal breath at the end. 2024–27. 85–86
Morey-St-Denis En La Rue de Vergy
Badly hit by frost. Red rose-petal aroma. Sweet fruit on the front, delicate, and a fine, silky texture. Pure and vivid wine, with lucid, limped transparency and, at the end, fine minerals. Love it. 2025–30. 90
Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru La Dominode
From 100-year-old vines. Only 20% whole-bunch, as the pH was already high and more whole-bunch would have exacerbated this. Super-smooth, succulent, and generous, with good depth and suede-like tannins. Quite yummy. 2025–30. 88–89
Vosne-Romanée Champs Perdrix
Perfumed with violets. Sweetness on the front-palate, juicy and intense and threaded with very fresh acidity. Sweet and bright and dancing on the finish. Just a delight. 2026–30. 91–92
Château de Marsannay
In 2022 the combined estates of Château de Marsannay and Château de Meursault became certified organic, making it the largest producer in the Côte d’Or to be so, with a total of 266 acres (107ha) under the stewardship of Stéphane Follin-Arbelet.
Fixin Les Petit Crais
Blackcurrant with violet notes. Chunky and robust. Rustic and honest wine, with plenty of dark fruit. 2025–28. 85
Marsannay Es Chezots
Floral aroma. A firm structure, good tension, and slightly licorice tannin. A snappy bite to finish. Cool and crisp. 2024–28. 86–87
Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru En Orveaux
Floral lift to an elegant and refined palate. There is tension, gossamer texture, and a shimmering quality to the finish. 2026–33. 93
Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Upright, austere, and salty/sweet, with a frosty grip of limestone. The savory, almost severe core, is encased in red fruit. A crushed-glass quality to the tannin. Very long and aromatic on the finish. 2028–40. 97–98
Domaine Sylvian Pataille
“I prefer this sort of vintage,” Sylvain maintained: “2014, 2013, 2007, and 1998. There is no dilution in 2021. It is much more powerful than I expected, but it needed time.” Sylvain has used a higher proportion of foudres in 2021, especially for the second part of the aging of the whites, with plenty of lees-aging to feed the wines. As ever, he uses almost homeopathic quantities of sulfur dioxide. Some of the wines were in a more oxidative stage when I visited in November, but Sylvain has it all under control. He ensures that he gets the best quality of fruit, by paying well over the asking price, and sprays the vineyards of his contract growers himself, to ensure all the vines are well-protected.
White
Bourgogne Aligoté
Aligoté from several vintners round the village with whom Sylvian has life-long contracts. Long aging on lees for 20 months in pièces, 600-liter barrels, foudres, and tanks. Juicy, lively, and citrusy, underscored with delicate minerality. This is affordable and accessible. A delicious Aligoté. 2024–27. 83
Bourgogne Aligoté Auvonnes
“From vines of my grandfather, who was not a vintner, but he had these to make his wine for the family.” Quite a broad palate, with dry minerality giving structure. The core is enveloped in aromas of tarragon. 2024–27. 85
Bourgogne Aligoté La Charme aux Prêtres
Lactic note, slightly sour in a nice way. It is straight, very smoky on the palate, with fresh bitterness and bite. The finish pushes through. 2024–28. 87
Bourgogne Aligoté Clos du Roy
An early place to harvest, as it is warmer. Fleshy aroma, with the appealing oiliness and butteriness of brazil nuts. Aroma and palate have plenty of concentration. Thicker texture and more glycerol. Warm, glossy minerality. 2024–28. 87–88
Bourgogne Mechalots
In front of Charmes aux Prêtres. A small slope at the bottom, yellow soil with sediment, which came down from the combe. Massal selection from Roulot. With a lightly rich apricot attack, this is amply concentrated for a Bourgogne, tightening into a pithy note to freshen the finish. Appealing. 2024–28. 85
Marsannay Blanc
Bright grapefruit attack, with a savory crunch to finish this energetic wine. 2022–27. 86–87
Marsannay Le Chapitre
“The acidity is always a little low, so I have to harvest it early and not keep it too long on the lees, I want to keep the freshness.” Grèzes litées soil. Fresh and sappy, with umami savory character. Almost sandy on the finish, and so salty. 2024–29. 87–88
Marsannay Chardonnay Rosé
In Blungeys, planted in 1949, with some younger vines planted in 2015 with a massal selection from the first vineyard. It is an old variety. Rather structural, firm, and straight. White, from a pink grape. Firm, phenolic note to finish. A tacky, tannic, biting food wine. 2024–27. 86
Marsannay La Charme aux Prêtres
Fresh bitterness and juiciness, with marzipan mid-palate. Nice tension and a puff of powered ginger at the end. 2024–30. 88
Red
Marsannay Le Chapitre
Straight and cool, with tension, firm, salty, and mineral. Light austerity to finish. 2026–30. 88
Marsannay Clemomgeots
Very superficial topsoil here, but the white clay beneath is sliced in small plates, so the roots can penetrate it. Light and delicate, this skims neatly on saline acidity and powdery tannins. 2025–30. 87
Marsannay Longeroies
100% whole-bunch. Sweet and juicy upfront, with a plump, softish palate. Supple depth of texture. Lightly sumptuous. 2025–30. 87
Marsannay La Montagne
Upslope from Longeroies, south-facing, quite a warm microclimate. Very perfumed and burly wine, with light muscle, slightly robust tannin, and an exotic note. 2025–28. 86
Gevrey-Chambertin
Domaine Denis Bachelet
Denis’ son Nicolas has managed the vineyards in recent years, but 2021 was a new experience, combating the effect of frost, worms eating the buds, coulure, a hailstorm in Evocelles, and mildew. Their sloped vibrating table allowed them to sort grapes in the rain. Bachelet made a little more extraction and longer vatting, using less new oak on the village wines.
Bourgogne
Expressive floral aroma. A silky slip into the fresh and zesty palate. Vibrant red fruit, becomes crunchy redcurrant. Snappy. Yummy. 2023–26. 85–86
Côtes de Nuits Villages Queue de Hareng
The main part is Queue de Hareng at the top of the hill near Brochon. Red cherry and nutty, almond notes. Juicy and rich on the strike. Smooth and spicy fruit is undercut with bright acidity, and it’s lively and quite mineral to finish. 2024–28. 86–87
Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
Deep, red rose-petal aroma, succulent and generous. Lightly plump and rounded. Spicy and peppery, with a light licorice bite to finish. This year the Evocelles was blended into this cuvée, as the yields were so low because of the storm. 2024–28. 89–90
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Corbeaux
The terroir is deep, with lots of clay. It is next door to Mazis. Planted in the 1920s. Quite a wet place, with deep soil. Spicy red-fruit aroma, with red pepper. Broad, earthy, and generous, and just slightly grippy. It has a full, robust character and carries on good freshness. A little more rugged than in recent years, but good terroir definition. It has another winter in barrel to refine. 2025–33. 93
Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Alluring rose-petal aroma, deep and sumptuous, and this aroma flows into the scented palate. There is volume and intensity without weight. Slightly opulent, even in this cool vintage, yet detailed and lacy, too. Haunting, lingering, perfumed finish. Just three and a half barrels this year. Excellent Charmes. 2027–35. 98
Domaine René Bouvier
“Good density, elegance, and pleasure in 2021. It is very floral and spicy, with orange notes,” says Bouvier. Strict management in the vineyard, with spraying, he says, was key. “The date of the harvest and the selection were all very important. Fifty percent whole-bunch for all the reds and a little more pigeage in 2021. Flowers and elegance, like 2007… maybe the 2021 is better.”
White
Bourgogne Aligoté Vieilles Vignes
Half from Morey-St-Denis, half from Marsannay. Made in demi–muids. A savory aroma and a lightly rounded, nutty palate, with sapidity on the snappy finish. 2023–25. 83–84
Marsannay Clos du Roy
Savory and austere, with good tension. A hint of caraway, and I like the dry minerality. 2024–28. 88
Marsannay Longeroies
Ripe, slightly tropical aroma. Ample and punchy. Fresh and vigorous. Quite meaty. 2024–27. 87
Red
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Fuées
At the top of the vineyard. Intense fruity aroma. Ripe raspberry and cranberry. Well defined and clean-cut. Fine and light tannins. Straight, taut, and deep. Energy and intensity, with a saline finish. 2026–33. 94
Fixin Crais de Chêne
Near Petit Crais, and with the same character of stony terroir from the combe. A warm site, with the reflection off the stones. Ripe summer-fruit aromas. Seductive and ripely rounded, threaded with a sapid, dry, and mineral line. A good Fixin. 2025–28. 86–87
Gevrey-Chambertin
A blend of lieux-dits Justice and Jeunes Rois. Juicy and fruity. Fine-textured tannins, with minerality and a cut of acidity on the finish, which is well-sustained. They work together very well. 2025–28. 89
Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
In Mazoyères. Old vines, between 50 and 60 years old. Burly and dense. Combines muscle, power, and concentration. Oomph to the mid-plate and vitality on the finish. A good example, with plenty of personality and decent length. 2028–35. 96
Marsannay Au Champ Salomon
Near Château de Marsannay. Clay, with stone. Red rose-petal aroma and a firm, quite grunty palate, with grippy mineral bite and plenty of freshness. 2024–28. 87
Marsannay Clos du Roy Vieilles Vignes
Austere and sappy. Blocky and dense. Powerful and edgy. Marsannay with attitude. Draped with ripe fruit aromas, but firm beneath. 2025–29. 88
Marsannay En Ouzeloy
The stone of the combe. Summer fruits, juicy, rounded, and supple, with tight minerality at the end. 2021–23. 86
Marsannay Longeroies Vieilles Vignes
From 70-year-old vines. Brown clay, deeper soil. Ripe florals, to a seductive, rounded, and generous palate; supple, juicy, and bright. 2025–28. 87
Château de Laborde
Château de Laborde has 7.5 acres (3ha) of vineyards near Beaune and the same area of regional land near Volnay and Santenay. Hervé Kerlann also has a négociant business. He is clearly pursuing a lighter profile of Gevrey.
Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
Rather scented across the palate, with a supple texture. It is soft and light. Airy float to an aromatic finish. Accessible and charming. 2023–28. 87
Arnaud Mortet
Arnaud and his sister Clémence started this project in 2016, with 10 acres (4ha) which he farms himself, using the same team as the domaine. Mortet has used more whole-bunch, generally, in the 2021 vintage, to decrease the acidity. For the premier cru, the bunches are hand-destemmed in a laborious process, taking the main stem away but leaving a small part attaching the berry to the stem. Mortet refers to these “whole” bunches as pédicelles.
Gevrey-Chambertin Ma Cuvée
The parcels for this wine lie south and east of Gevrey, with 45% whole-bunch—less than for the following wines, as there is less acidity in Gevrey than in Marsannay and Fixin. Only 10% new oak. Perfumed and ripely brambly. Elegant and lively. Pure fruit, crisp and crunchy at the edges. Good tension, with a lively finish. 2026–30. 90
Gevrey-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes
Succulent upfront. Compact and layered mid-palate. A more tannic structure, savory graphite, with a cold finish. 2026–30. 92
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru La Perrière
Deep topsoil, one yard (1m) deep. There is always good maturity here, so Mortet picks in good time. Two parcels, of 45 and 90 years. The younger is destemmed and the older half has pédicelles. Black fruit and earthy, gamey notes. Full and generous, with plenty of matter and a black coal-like character. Dark and savory, and very smooth to finish. 2027–35. 94–95
Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
“This parcel is proper Charmes, next to Griotte, where the soil is lighter and the situation is cooler.” Perfumed and fine aroma, quite airy. Sweetness on the front-palate, with concentrated and intense red fruit; the lightly plump mid-palate ripples into an elegant and pure line, which is fresh and delicate and refined. 2030–40. 97–98
Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru
50% pédicelles and 30% new oak. Arnaud destems the younger, 40-year-old part and keeps the pédicelles on the older. Dark, spicy, and intense. A compact palate, layered and restrained. Plenty of vigor. This has shoulders and matter. A sappy, colder, mineral grip on the persistent finish. 2030–40. 96–97
Domaine Denis Mortet
There were 50 barrels here in 2021, whereas 140 barrels is the norm. The domaine has many parcels on the higher, north side of the village, which was affected by the storm as well as by the frost. Not only did Mortet use more whole-bunch, but he decreased the oak quite considerably, from 70% to 30% in the premiers and grands crus. He pointed out that he uses stems for the effect on acidity, to make it more balanced, rather than as a stylistic choice. The fruit is held in a refrigerated container before being put into tank at 57ºF (14ºC), where it warms up naturally. Mortet is not pursuing a cold soak or an extended vatting. “I stopped the pre-ferment maceration. I think the wine is more elegant and classic without it. Better to do more at the end, to keep terroir and freshness.”
Bourgogne
Spicy and juicy. Succulent, with crunchy red fruits and a fresh finish. Delicious. 2023–25. 86
Fixin Vieilles Vignes
70% whole-bunch and 10% new oak. Very juicy, with loganberry fruit and oodles of concentration. It is a little chunky, but smooth and aromatic to finish. 2024–28. 87
Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Cinq Terroirs
One third whole bunches and the parcels on the Brochon side. 10–15% new oak. A structured Gevrey, slightly austere and firm. Vibrant acidity, cold and reserved, with mineral bite on the finish. 2025–30. 91
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Champeaux
From 65-year-old vines. Lively pounce onto the palate. Crunchy tannins. Zesty acidity and an oyster–shell, salty minerality. Marine quality. It shivers. 2027–33. 94–95
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Lavaux-St-Jacques
One third pédicelles and one third new oak. Floral and elegant. Bright, wafting on a gauzy texture to a lightly saline finish. 2027–33. 94–95
Le Chambertin Grand Cru
This is the first time the wine has not been matured in 100% new oak; two thirds this year. Silky and discreet, pure and intense. Great presence and definition, with a truly superb finish. Spine-chilling. 2030–40. 99–100
Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
50% pédicelles and one third new oak. Ripe red-fruit aroma, with notes of milk chocolate and coffee bean. Succulent and juicy attack to a vigorous palate. Super-energetic, it pushes through on the exceptional finish, very persistent and grippy, with super-cold minerals. 2028–40. 98
Marsannay Les Longeroies
60% whole bunches and just 10% new oak. Flowers on the aroma. This glides into a supple palate, underscored with a keen line of acidity. Elegant and aromatic. Spot-on for the terroir. A charmer. 2024–27. 87
Echézeaux Grand Cru
50% pédicelles and one third new oak. Black satin aroma, with a smooth, deep, and silky glide into the palate. Slightly sumptuous, yet underpinned with savory freshness, a chalky vibrancy, and such liveliness on the well-sustained finish. An urbane wine. 2027–40. 95–96
Domaine Rossignol-Trapet
“A very aromatic vintage, with nice body, which makes it possible to keep the wines, but easier to open earlier than recent vintages,” remarked Nicolas Rossignol.
Beaune Premier Cru Les Teurons
Pretty raspberry aroma. A delicate slide onto the palate, crisp and lively, with light tannin and a slightly chalky finish. 2025–28. 88
Gevrey-Chambertin Etelois
The soil is light, deep, and well-drained. Deep, spicy, blueberry aroma. Smooth upfront, to a denser, fuller palate. The tannin has more sinew, and is firmer onto the finish. 2026–30. 91
Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
Quite a delicate aroma, with red fruits and some bramble notes. Powdery at first, light-bodied and charming, with a slight grip to finish. Fresh and a touch mineral at the end. 2025–28. 89–90
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Clos Prieur
Upright, peppery aroma. Quite a spiky attack. Skittish on the palate. Rather tart. Cranberry fruits. It is certainly lively. Herbal aromas, with some aniseed and tarragon lingering attractively on the finish. 2027–32. 92
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Petite Chapelle
Sticky rich clay. Pounces onto the palate. Vigorous. Chamois-leather tannins, which have richness and texture but are also soft and velvety. The texture is deep and cloaking. Bramble fruit on this rounded, lithely muscular, and most appealing Gevrey. 2027–35. 95
Chambertin Grand Cru
Scented, sleek, and fabulously focused. All the energy is channeled into a tremendously persistent line. It is cool-toned and very discreet. 2028–38. 98–99
Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru
Alluring raspberry cordial aroma. A debonaire wine, which glides on silky-supple tannins. Underscored with smooth, chalky minerality to a persistent, talcy finish. Maybe not as energetic as the Latricières, but undoubtedly refined, and a class act for Chapelle. The vintage becomes it. 2028–35. 97–98
Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru
Pink peppercorn combines with floral notes and wild strawberries. Pure and precise aromatics. Delicate and intense palate. Swift, pure, and neatly edged. Light-footed and focused, with a firm thread through the core, to a fine vibration on the finish. 2028–35. 97–98
Domaine Armand Rousseau
Cyrielle Rousseau says she did very little differently this vintage in the winery. Pigeage is by machine. The domaine sustained losses of 40%, largely to botrytis, which was more severe on the older vines and spread rapidly before the harvest, necessitating much sorting. They achieved between 12.5% and 13% sugar naturally, requiring a little tweaking, primarily to lengthen the fermentation.
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Cazetiers
The Cazetiers parcel is a slim slice from top to bottom of the hill, losing the influence of the combe, so it can ripen quite quickly. Dark fruit concentration. Shaley and fine-textured, with layering mid-palate and a bright and vivid undercut. Good tension and oyster-shell minerals to finish. 2027–33. 94–95
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Clos St-Jacques
In contrast, this has 80% new oak. Seductive and generous. A sunny profile, with chamois-leather tannins, supple and velvety, it ripples gently with just lightly sumptuous fruit on the lingering finish. 2028–33. 96–97
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Lavaux-St-Jacques
Cool and fresh aroma, to a lean, straight, and zesty palate. Quivers on the finish. A light and delicate wine. 2026–30. 93
Chambertin Grand Cru
Reserved and cool. Mineral, pure, and channeled. Long, precise, and streamlined. Austere. 2028–35. 98
Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
100% new oak. Rich, seductive attack and slightly exotic aromatics. Luscious texture, generous fruit, even a touch extravagant, settles into a spicy and well-sustained finish. 2027–33. 98
Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Vigorous pounce onto the palate. Assertive and compact and layered. Battened down. Needs time. Pushes on the finish. 2028–33. 95
Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Twenty percent new oak. Unexpectedly sweet up-front and juicy. Charming and beguiling before it cuts into a tight, lean, austere profile. The steely core is enveloped, but there is severity here and sweet/savory persistence. 2027–35. 97–98
Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Leathery, rich aroma, slightly sweaty saddle. Full-bodied, generous, and broad, with savory bite and tension. Long, spicy finish. 2027–35. 98
Domaine Marc Roy
Alexandrine Roy recalls, “It was a vintage of adaptation all the time, in the vines and in the winery. We had to be very strong, for it was so much work in the vineyard, and we didn’t know what the results would be.” Working largely with old vines, she harvested the Chardonnay after reds, for the first time, and used the lees to fatten up both. Good concentration, which she attributes to the millerandage. She likes a cold, pre-ferment maceration for the reds, “for the aromatic profile and juicy charm,” and destems but keeps whole berries, pressing with some still intact to give freshness of fruit. She usually filters the reds, but not this year. The white has no malolactic fermentation and is sterile-filtered. Everything was bottled last August. The blend of the best becomes Cuvée Alexandrine, which outpreforms its appellation status.
White
Marsannay Blanc Les Champs Perdrix
Her parcel is right at the top of the vineyard. White-peach aroma, with slight petal notes. Lightly plump on the front palate, it becomes keenly citrus as it straightens, with some serious, fizzling freshness, slippery stone minerality, and tension to finish. 2024–30. 86–87
Red
Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur
Perfumed aroma, but on the palate, it is more reserved and more muscular. Lithe muscle, crunchy tannins, and a peppercorn freshness to finish. A bit more weight and depth. 2025–28. 89
Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée Alexandrine
Lovely intensity of perfume. Succulence and depth, with a richness of texture, crushed velvet, spiced with aromas of culinary herbs and spliced with fresh acidity. Chased up with more aromatics. 2025–30. 92
Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice
A firmer structure, deeper and satin-soft, with a lovely ripeness of dark hedgerow fruits. Enwrapped in aromatics and lightly mineral on the finish. The most elegant of the wines. 2024–28. 90
Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
From 80-year-old vines. Wild-berry aroma, which is slightly peppery. Silky texture, with good concentration and ripeness, and a twist of spice. Very fruity and approachable. 2023–28. 87
Domaine Jean & Jean-Louis Trapet
An elegant flight of wines from the Trapet family. Plenty of activity in the vineyard, as Louis, Jean-Louis’s son, is converting to single-stake viticulture. This has always been an innovative domaine, with Jean-Louis Trapet among the first to convert to biodynamics, and his sons have inherited his sensibilities. It is necessary to drill into the limestone to put in the higher iron stakes in Chapelle-Chambertin. They have pulled back a little on whole-bunch in 2021, and Louis Trapet used more pigeage. There was lower toast on the oak, and here he is experimenting, too, with different vessels and sizes of oak.
Marsannay
Fresh, elegant, and juicy. Crunchy cranberry fruits, then a light and soft floral finish. 2024–26. 86
Gevrey-Chambertin 1859
A project of Pierre and Louis Trapet. Single-stave and 100% whole-bunch, from a vineyard purchased in 1859 on the Brochon side of the village. Old vines and 100% whole bunches. An elegant palate, woven with sweet acidity. Rather a sunny and concentrated feeling, with lively freshness to balance. Very charming, with a super-supple texture. Very good. 2024–30. 90
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Combottes
From the south side. Louis finds it easier soil to work than Latricières, where the Trapet parcel has more clay. Here it is pebbly and lighter. It is suave and sweeping. Red fruits and light tannins. Wafts into an aromatic and well-sustained finish. 2026–33. 93–94
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Corbeaux
The vines are on single stake. Black-satin aroma and a sumptuous texture. Purrs on the palate. Plenty of concentration, but comes up behind with cold grip. 2027–35. 94–95
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Ergrot
An enclave in Petit Chapelle, but greater depth of topsoil and there is no limestone. (I believe Domaine Ponsot also make a premier cru from Ergrot, which usually goes into a blend.) Previously this went into Le Capita. Smoother upfront than Petite Chapelle and softer. It more generous, well-mannered, and rather less burly. 2026–34. 94
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Petite Chapelle
White-pepper and garden herbal aromas. A vigorous wine, with body, muscle, and density. Meatier tannins, but quite smoothly done, and it punches into the finish. 2027–34. 94–95
Le Chambertin Grand Cru
Three parcels with different soil types, so a good view of the climat. Fine, streamlined, and pure. The most even and harmonious and longest of the three grands crus here. Great finesse, and yet strong and tremendously long. A thoroughbred. 2030–40. 99
Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru
Smoky aroma, which I sense is the limestone. Deliciously juicy, with lively sweetness upfront, quiet in the middle for now, and on the finish, lingering on savory and salty notes. Sweet and salt juxtaposed. A good Chapelle. 2030–40. 97
Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru
They pulled back on whole-cluster, from 100%, to 70% in 2021. This is focused, clipped, and chiseled. There is austerity. Cut-glass edges. Persistent, ringing finish. Love it. 2030–40. 98
Morey-St-Denis
Domaine Dujac
Jeremy Seysses comments, “There is something electric about 2021. There may be some elements of 2000, which has aged so well. It is not very tannic and reductive now, so there is a possibility that the wine may shut down aromatically in bottle for a couple of years.”
White
Morey-St-Denis
Cool and fresh aroma, with a hint of apricot. Juicy and bright, with a good line of acidity. Quite spicy to finish. 2024–28. 87–88
Morey-St-Denis Premier Cru Les Mont Luisants
This was planted in 1998. Always the lowest pH in the cellar. Silky, keen, and straight. Clipped edges and slightly austere. Good intensity. Cuttingly savory. Pushes on the finish. I like it a lot. 2025–30+. 94–95
Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Combettes
Good concentration upfront, apricot and lightly tropical notes. Certainly some density. Softer acidity. Glossy and slightly exotic to finish. 2024–30. 94–95
Red
Chambolle-Musigny
A crisp, delicate, and energetic red-fruit Chambolle. Light-bodied and racy. Piquant, red peppercorn. Light, fine tannins. Pirouettes on the palate. Not that long, but a delight. 2025–28. 87–88
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Gruenchers
Perfumed and juicy. This has plenty of impact. Layered with spices, minerals, and fruit. It is overt and super-spicy to finish. Maybe not the most elegant. A showy, bling wine. Crowd-pleaser. 2026–33. 92
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Aux Combottes
Suave wine. Good intensity. Chamois-leather tannins, freshness, and vitality. Neatly woven. An impressive Combottes. Pushes through on the finish. 2026–35. 95
Morey-St-Denis
This has lean tension and vibrancy. Quite savory and spicy. Straight, bright, and clean-cut, with a sappy, dry finish. 2025–28. 88
Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Rich and austere. Flesh of fruit envelopes the firm, cool, stony core. Firm and powerful to finish. Austere, ripe, and grippy. Top-notch. 2030–40. 98–99
Echézeaux Grand Cru
Supple, gliding, and intense, with a crushed lemon-balm freshness, maybe coming from the whole bunches. It is light, flowing, and aromatic, with soft herbs of marjoram to finish. 2027–35. 95–96
Maison Dujac Fils & Pére
Jeremy Seysses used fewer whole bunches than usual in 2021, as the fruit wasn’t as good. But he comments, “There was much more density in the wines than I initially thought.” For the village wines, only remontage was used, with no punch-down this year.
Morey-St-Denis
Sweet red fruit on the attack. This has snap and crackle. Very fruity. Good tension and bite on the end. Really attractive. 2024–28. 87
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Cras
Made with fruit from Jeremy Seyesses’s favorite grower. “A perfectionist, he has impeccably tended vines and is now organic. Old vines with good yields and small berries.” Silky fine texture, slim and elegant. NSG with a salty line. Very trim. So pure. This has translucency to the terroir. 2025–30. 93
Domaine Michel Magnien
Frédéric Magnien has farmed biodynamically since 2010. He experiments with terra-cotta vessels for aging, from smaller, 160-liter clay jars, to 350-liter amphorae. About 30% is matured in older pièces.
Morey-St-Denis Blanchards
Attractive anise and floral aroma. Talc-smooth and slippery texture. Woven with a light, smooth, chalky minerality and a savory, lightly sapid finish. It has attractive fluidity. I like it. 2024–27. 88–89
Morey-St-Denis Premier Cru Chaffots
High-toned spices. White pepper and a touch of cinnamon on the upright aroma. A fine-boned, light, and lively palate, with a feathering of tannin, a marked orange-zest ping, and to finish, some pithiness. Delicate and appealing. I’d like to see it a touch longer on the finish, but it’s very stylish. 2024–30. 92
Chambolle-Musigny
Domaine Ghislaine Barthod
Ghislaine Barthod would usually have racked her wines in November, but not this vintage, as they were still gaining from the lees. She describes the vintage as “dentelle [lacy] and elegant,” finding similarities with 2001, “in the body and style, but with more sucrosity and a better quality of tannins.”
Bourgogne
Part was fermented and matured in tank, part in barrel. Elegant and juicy. Pure and fresh. Redcurrant fruit. Fine texture and fruit-forward. Very Chambolle in style. So pretty. 2024–27. 85
Chambolle-Musigny
A blend of eight parcels. Scented. Vibrant and delicate, sweet and vivid. Lightly intense, with lacy tannins and a pure, fresh, and floral finish. Spot-on for elegance. 2025–30+. 90
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Baudes
Broad palate. Full and chunky. Powerful. Smooth but rich tannins. It has some heft. Earthy and dark. 2026–33+. 94
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Charmes
A well-contained Charmes on the front palate, so fresh and lively. Grows on the mid-palate, where it becomes more obvious and opulent, but overall a more restrained and elegant feel. 2026–30+. 93
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Chatelots
Richness of texture. Satin depth, with lightly sumptuous fruit; slightly curvaceous. I like the attractive bitterness to finish. 2026–30+. 93–94
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Cras
Ripe but savory, too. Much more austere than the Véroilles. Sapid, with a dry, salty finish. Firm to finish. 2026–35. 94–95
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Fuées
Concentrated and yet bright. Lively tension and precision. It has depth and intension. More complex and layered than the rest. Warm minerals to finish. 2027–35. 95
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Gruenchers
So crunchy and vibrant. Zesty, with morello-cherry fruit. A slight bitterness, good tension and bite. Tacky quality. Pushes on. 2026–35. 94–95
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Véroilles
Focused and straight, yet it has such intense ripeness of raspberry fruit. So, it seems really quite sweet on the mid-palate, but well-balanced with mineral freshness. Ghislaine waited and picked this late. Delightful. 2025–30+. 93
Domaine Louis Boillot et Fils
I tasted for the first time with Clémence Boillot, who explained that he used less extraction and shorter macerations than usual—an 18-day vatting, rather than the normal 21 days, with just one pigeage. No new oak. Some parcels belonging to Domaines Barthod and Boillot are now managed biodynamically.
“A classic vintage,” says Clémence, “but as I began with my parents [Louis Boillot and Ghislaine Barthod] in 2015, I have not much experience with this kind of vintage, and it was a challenge for me to imagine how the wines will be in bottle. There was less fruit-maturity so, you cannot have powerful wines. We go the same way as the fruit, with low extraction.”
Bourgogne
Juicy, with crisp red fruit and crunchy to finish. 2023–24. 84
Beaune Epenottes
From 60-year-old vines. This village parcel is located between the border with Pommard and the premier cru part of Beaune Epenottes. Summer fruits, rounded, light and soft, with smooth tannins. Easy charm. 2025–29. 87
Gevrey-Chambertin
From vines between 50 and 60 years old, across 12 parcels. Silky texture, good freshness; light structure, fresh and mineral to finish. 2024–28. 88
Gevrey-Chambertin Evocelles
Frost and hail just before flowering resulted in a pitiful yield of only 6hl/ha. Glossy and quite concentrated, undercut with good freshness and a cherry-stone character. Finishes well, bitter and bright. 2025–29. 88–89
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Cherbaudes
This is vigorous and dense. Punchy and vital, with depth, density, and a firm follow-through. 2027–35. 94
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Pruliers
Super-juicy and really rather energetic. Damson-ripe fruit and creamy milk-chocolate tannins. Plenty of personality and a lightly punchy finish. Smoothly textured and supple for a south-side Nuits. 2027–32. 94
Pommard Premier Cru Les Croix Noires
The vines here are at least 70 years old. Rich aroma, juicy, fairly full and gutsy, with quite some concentration. A firm, more traditional Pommard style. 2026–32. 92
Volnay Premier Cru Les Angles
Quite nice substance, concentration, and layering here. Maybe not the finest texture, but I like the energy and the bite. Not bad at all. 2025–30. 91–92
Volnay Premier Cru Caillerets
Ripe summer fruits with a slightly exotic, litchee and grapefruit perfume; it flows into a tight, lean, and mineral profile, with a salty finish. Light-bodied, accessible, and quiveringly mineral. 2025–32. 93
François & Julien Millet
François Millet established a small négociant business with his son Julien in 2017. He was responsible for the cellar at Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé from 1989, his last vintage there being 2020. These days his winemaking space is a bit smaller, converted from the garage behind his house. The cellar is air-conditioned—excellent, in these hot summers, for the wine, but jolly cold for the wine writer. They were careful not to extract too much in 2021. “You had to adapt to the vintage and be very soft,” explained François. “We used pigeage on only one wine, the Fourneau. Everything was destemmed. It is a vintage that takes you directly to the land, with a lot of transparency. A good bridge between richer vintages.”
White
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune En Vallerot
Bright, grapefruit aroma, with a citrusy, lime palate. Straight, energetic, and fresh, with sherbet to finish. Really fizzles. It’s good. 2023–36. 85
Marsannay Croix de Bois
This lieu–dit is up-slope. Rich and juicy succulence, with surprising ripeness. Litchee notes, with sweet acidity and a lightly tropical finish. It’s from limestone and what is clearly a warm site. 2023–27. 85
Red
Bourgogne Le Rues
From a parcel where clay is mixed with limestone debris from the alluvial fan just on the border between Gilly and Chambolle. Lightly floral, with feathery fern-like notes. Fruity upfront. It’s slight, slim, fresh, and rather elegant. 2023–26. 85
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Petite Vigne
From a lieu-dit in Segrois. Lively, bright, crunchy wine, with crisp, morello-cherry fruit and snappy tannins. On the finish, a twist of spice. Yummy. 2024–27. 85
Chambolle-Musigny Les Fouchères
Raspberry-fruit and white-pepper aroma. A lively, dancing, and bright palate. Plenty of “light” in this wine. Fine-textured and powdery, with a lightly saline finish. There is freshness from the combe, but the vines are just above the premiers crus, so there’s some richness, too. 2025–30. 89
Fixin En l’Olivier
Strong, dark, and earthy aroma. Nicely ripe and even quite rich. More upfront than the Marsannay, but not as refined. Slightly gutsy and blocky. 2025–28. 85–86
Gevrey-Chambertin Croix des Champs
There is a higher proportion of clay here than in Le Fourneau, with debris from the alluvial fan. Generous and sturdy. Quite firm tannins. It has a fresh, earthy, iron note and plenty of vitality. “We didn’t punch this down. It could make an angry wine,” remarked François Millet. 2025–30. 87
Gevrey-Chambertin Le Fourneau
This parcel is located on a mound, after a small depression on the road from Morey to Gevrey, where there is more limestone. The texture is fine and the profile austere, despite the abundant red fruit. It has light grip and a lively, chalky tension to finish. Jolly good. 2025–30. 89
Marsannay Le Potey
This is a new wine for the father-and-son team, from a parcel next to Fixin on sandy soils. Aroma of orange zest and lavender. Rather intriguing. Fine-textured and light–bodied. Straight, lucid, and delicate, with a salty and lively finish. 2025–28. 86–87
Volnay Grands Poisots
Lightly perfumed aroma. Fresh cherry fruit, which is quite crunchy. Nicely fresh and bright on the finish. Lively snap. 2025–28. 87
Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier
“A classical climate comparable to 20 or 30 years ago, remarked Frédéric Mugnier of the 2021 vintage. “Not too hot. Relatively cold, with regular rain—the kind of year growers don’t like much, as the work is difficult, with the pressure of disease and the need to spray regularly. It was stressful… But wines from such vintages can be the most delicious to drink.”
He went on to make the following vintage comparisons: “I think of cold vintages like 2008, which was a crystalline vintage, and 2010, and maybe 2002, but in 2021 the grapes were riper than they were in 2002. My 2002s were pale at bottling and thinner in texture, yet developed in bottle and now they are quite dark and fleshier. I am more confident about the 2021s. For my wines, thinner vintages tend to put on weight, and big vintages slim down with time. Maybe it is my winemaking that makes these lighter wines thinner at bottling, while other producers’ wines show more flesh in the wines earlier. I use very little new oak, about 15%, and reductive winemaking must be part of it. Very few of the wines I have made in my 38 years are no longer alive. I have learned that wines often last much longer than you expect.”
White
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Clos de la Maréchale
Just three barrels this vintage, rather than the usual 14. Rich, ripe pear and nutty aroma, with spicy, marzipan notes on both nose and palate. Lots of texture in this sturdy and savory wine, which has thickness and density. “The grapes are always very ripe, and in this year the yields were also very low,” explained Frédéric. 2025–30. 93–94
Red
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Clos de la Maréchale
Dark fruit on the nose, with an iodine note. Juicy bramble fruits and a lightly robust texture, gravelly grip and freshness to finish. 2026–35. 92
Chambolle-Musigny
Expressively perfumed, with a lightly exotic purple note. Delicate and pure, with a gauzy drape of tannin. Light chalky minerality and salinity to finish. 2026–35. 91
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Amoureuses
Rich floral depths. A sumptuous aroma. Smoothly gliding, with a seductive texture. Sleek and purring, this is fleshier in the middle, so persistent and lively, with glossy minerality to finish. 2027–35+. 96–97
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Fuées
Smoky, graphite aroma. Sweetly ripe, with delightful raspberry fruits, concentrated yet so light and dancing. Silk-textured. High-toned and pure. Sappy, with racy tension and savory minerality on the finish. Love it. 2027–35+. 95–96
Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Deep, red-cherry fruit with floral notes. Anise, almond kernel, with some grip and plenty of vitality. Firm, glassy crunch to the tannin. Slightly muscular, but also edgy. Straight, strict finish, with a note of sappy bitterness adding freshness to the end. Intriguing. 2026–35. 95–96
Le Musigny Grand Cru
Finesse, precision, and impressive intensity. Great depth combined with superb elegance. Super concise. 2030–40. 99–100
Domaine Georges Roumier
“I have no fear that these wines will deliver great pleasure from five years,” remarked Christophe Roumier, adding, “but I am confident with the vintage for aging, too, as the wines are in balance. I think of the 2008s, which have now reached their peak and can be enjolyed. The 2008s have surprised me. I told everyone to drink them young, but in fact they have aged well. 2021 is unlike 2008 in style and quality, but alike in its capacity to age. I like to compare 2021 with 2007.”
Bourgogne
Yields were tiny, so there were only four barrels of this wine. Silky red fruit. Supple and juicy mid-palate, quite crisp. A light crunch to the finish and a touch of licorice. Pure and delicious. Excellent Bourgogne. 2024–30. 86–87
Morey-St-Denis Clos de la Bussière
Quite a spicy aroma. Succulent, plump, earthy, and lightly robust, with graphite minerality to finish. 2026–33. 89–90
Chambolle-Musigny
Delicious ripe raspberry fruit on the nose and front-palate. Delicate. Slim but intense. Very pretty and well-defined. Silky on the finish. A delight. 2025–33. 91
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Amoureuses
Red rose petal (the aroma of Parkdirektor riggers rose). A fairly full, lightly opulent, and supple palate. Sumptuous, intense, and focused. It has volume with airy lightness. Focuses to a long and tight, mineral yet aromatic finish, with a breath of soft garden herbs and the perfume of dried roses. 2027–35. 97–98
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Cras
Excellent intensity and focus of summer fruit. A direct, well-defined, neat, deep, and pure palate, with savory sapidity to finish. Quite salty. Intensity of pure fruit and salinity perfectly juxtaposed. Love this. 2026–35. 95
Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Since 2016, the breakdown of soil types in Christophe’s holdings has been 35% brown and 65% white. “I am very happy with the new proportions,” said Christophe. “With climate change, the white soil promises more tension and spark in the wine.” Dense and reserved black-fruit aroma. A full–bodied wine with a firm, verging on bullish, structure. Powerful and vital. Quite brutal. A powerful and well-sustained finish. 2028–35. 96–97
Le Musigny Grand Cru
A new 195-liter barrel from François Frères was made to measure for the minute quantity of this wine in 2021. An intense and profound wine. Combines immense power with a discreet and refined profile. Fabulously channeled. Wonderfully persistent. 2028–40. 99
Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Rich, full, and succulent attack. Generous and rounded, but light-footed and elegant, with clean-cut edges and precision. Super, supple, and smooth. A lively, aromatically persistent finish. Notably good persistence for Charmes this year. 2027–35. 96
Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Perfumed and upright. Straight, sparse, and lean. Lightly austere. Savory miso notes are balanced with a light intensity of ripe fruit. It has a firm and mineral core and carries well on a prolonged, gunflint, smoky finish. So lively. 2027–35+. 97
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé
Jean Lupatelli is the new chef de cave and winemaker here. He arrived in April 2021, after the frost. He immediately changed the picking, which was no longer into buckets but into back-baskets, then into a trailer, but in 22lb (10kg) bins, to avoid crushing. After the sorting table, the fruit was moved in bins by forklift into tanks. There is also a new and more accurate destemmer. Jean says this softer handling of the fruit gave him more options in the winery. The grapes have always been destemmed in the past, but in 2021 Jean started working with 50% whole-cluster. “The idea is to make fine and approachable wine, which you can open after ten to 15 years, but which still has the potential to age. “2021 is classic, dynamic and balanced, after the more concentrated recent vintages.”
White
Musigny Blanc Grand Cru
Bottled again as Grand Cru from 2015 vintage, when the vines were deemed to be adequately mature. Compact and tight, layered and stony. Lightly tropical. Surprisingly ripe, this is cut through with wet-stone minerality. A focused, fine, and sapid finish. 2028–30+. 95
Red
Chambolle-Musigny
Most of this wine comes from Les Porlottes, at the top of the bowl, but 10% comes from premier cru Les Baudes and Fuées. All of the fruit for this cuvée was destemmed. The blend was traditionally made before bottling, but this year Jean put the grapes together. Very direct. Edgy and nervy. Quite austere. Bright and ringing on the finish. 2028–32. 90–91
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru
Just two barrels this year, from vines less than 25 years old, located at the bottom of Grand Musigny. The balance of the vines are now older, so their fruit is added into the Musigny cuvée. An expressive aroma with vivid fruit and a rich, firm structure. Quivers with tension. There is vigor, power, and a crunchy sapidity. It is exuberant. 2028–35+. 95
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Amoureuses
Juicy, with density and energy. Crisp and vibrant, with translucent red fruits, it races to a vivacious, salty finish. 2028–35+. 96–97
Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Spicy and strict. Muscle, tension, and grip. Earthy and powerful. A tacky, licorice texture and an iron note on the vigorous finish. 2030–40. 96
Musigny Grand Cru
Intense but discreet aromatics. Focused, lithe, strong, and yet so refined. Channeled power on the honed finish, where it gathers momentum. 2030–40+. 99
Gilly-lès-Cîteaux
Domaine Mark Haisma
Mark Haisma harvested when he felt the pH was increasing, to soften the impression of acidity, mindful that 2021 would have less alcohol and opulence. His goal was to balance the acidity and lower alcohol. He extracted less and used whole-bunch, but not on Pommard or Volnay. He is searching for more aromatic and delicate wines. “A vintage for people who geek out on acidity, energy, and elegance.” There are now 10 acres (4ha) of domaine vines, which are all certified organic. The green typeface on Haisma’s labels denotes domaine wine, rather than specifying “domaine” in writing.
White
Bourgogne Aligoté
From Volnay on the plain and a parcel under Fixin. Upright. Fresh and zesty, a lively fizzle of energy and some ripe stone fruit mid-palate. A touch mineral to finish. Delightful Aligoté, with plenty of personality. 2023–27. 84
St-Romain Le Jarron
Apricot aromas on both nose and palate. A charming wine, gently rounded and creamy. Light–bodied and juicy. It’s quite airy this year. Pure, lively, and delicately salty on the finish. 2025–28. 86–87
Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Cru En Caradeux
Certified organic fruit, and Haisma uses his team to harvest it. Stone-fruit aroma. Good density and breadth, with a light cut of sapidity to finish. A bite to it. Lovely terroir expression. 2026–30+. 88–89
Red
Fixin
Blackberries, with perfume. Surprising succulence and supple richness of texture. Very juicy and bright at the end. I like the texture. Definitely more civilized than the 2020. It is a blend of parcels and it’s clear Haisma has fruit from fewer clay parcels in 2021. A good Fixin. 2024–28. 86–87
Gevrey-Chambertin
A blend of parcels. Spicy lift on the nose. A bright and light feel; slim and pure, almost racy. Scented. Fine-textured, with a sappy, fresh finish. 2025–29. 88–89
Gevrey-Chambertin En Pallud
The green label denotes a domaine wine. Floral aroma, it glides onto the scented palate, which is elegantly draped in light satin. Quite a sumptuous feel, with concentration from the old vines in this vineyard, which was planted before 1945. Seamless elegance, with a light and lively fluidity to finish. 2026–30+. 90
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Fonteny
From the top of the climat, on the rock, not unlike neighboring Ruchottes. Sweetness on the attack, maybe because it is on rock. A good intensity of dark fruit mid-palate. There is lithe muscle and some power here. A slightly wilder feel. Intention and direction on the finish. Demands attention. 2028–35+. 94–95
Morey-St-Denis Premier Cru Les Chaffots
Upright, tangy, and pure, it springs onto the palate and becomes racy and fine, with a slippery, talcy texture. High-wired, with crystal salt and dry-stone sapidity to finish. Light but intense. So very stylish. Love it. 2026–35+. 94
Pernand-Vergelesses Les Pin
Planted after 1945. This parcel is high up at the top of the slope in the valley, so although it is southwest-facing, it gets very little sun. Fragrant tea and soft culinary herb aromas. A light slice onto the palate. Light-bodied, with snap and bite. A touch of grip to the tannin. It twangs. 2025–39. 86–87
Volnay Le Cave
Vibrant redcurrant-fruit aroma. Scented and quite soft on the front-palate. Pretty pink rose-petal aromas on the palate. A waft of gauzy tannin is entwined with the perfume and there is a bright sliver of mineral to finish. Very well-executed. So pure. Top-notch. 2025–28. 88
Volnay Premier Cru Fremiets
This is a swan song from this lovely vineyard, as Haisma will not get the fruit again. Violets on the aroma. Delicate, sappy, crisp, and bright. Quivers. Neatly edged and singing to finish. 2025–30. 92
Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Expressively perfumed. Full-bodied and airy, with a light-footed feel and floral lift and an appealing stemmy freshness from the 60% whole-bunch. Haisma focuses on the fragrance and makes a more delicate, open style of Clos Vougeot. 2026–30+. 93–94
Vougeot
Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat
Charles Van Canneyt picked swiftly, in just three days, from September 22–24. He made no Malconsorts, but managed the other climats, despite having very little fruit, buying smaller vats in which to ferment. It is the smallest vintage in the history of the domaine. “Finally, the small yields have saved this vintage. I am happy with the result. It’s refreshing, after the ripe and even overripe recent vintages. A style that I like, as it goes back to the Pinot Noir I enjoyed when I started in Burgundy: more classic, pure, and precise.” Van Canneyt will bottle earlier than usual, before and after Christmas. I liked all the wines at this domaine.
White
Meursault Clos des Ecole
Ripe citrus fruit on the front; a lightly rounded mid-palate, with pithy notes and a fresh bite. Lots of candles in this vineyard saved the crop. 2024–28. 88
Red
Bourgogne
Snappy, red-cherry fruit. Fresh and lively. Crackle to the tannin. 2023–26. 84–85
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Charmes
Very Charmes, rounded and generous and succulent. Forward and silky. Just delightful. It shows the terroir perfectly. 2026–30. 93
Vosne-Romanée
Damson fruit aroma and exuberant fruit on the attack. Super-juicy. Very fresh and lively, with light, taffeta tannins. Nice plump depth to the mid-palate and it really sings on the finish. It includes a touch of Malconsorts, badly affected by frost, with sufficient grapes for only one barrel, so Van Canneyt put it in the village wine. 2025–30. 90–91
Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Beaumonts
Lightly sunny aroma. Fine, silk-to-satin texture. It gathers some density mid-palate and has a morello-cherry finish. Elegant and stretched on the finish. Refined. Really rather good. 2026–30+. 95
Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Suchots
Muscular, bunched feeling to the palate, but not as reserved as it can be at this stage. Layered and vigorous. Good matter. Firm structure and vitality on the finish. Very old vines, and in this vintage it helps with the density. Very good terroir expression. 2026–35. 96
Richebourg Grand Cru
Sumptuous floral notes. Generous, deep; full and structured, and yet airy. There is luminosity in Richeboug this vintage, and this wine illustrates this well. A cooler and vital note to the sustained finish. 2028–40. 98
Vosne-Romanée
Domaine Sylvain Cathiard
A plethora of cuvées from the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits at this domaine, which has expanded from about 10 acres (4ha) to 30 acres (12ha) with these additional parcels, many of which have very old vines planted between the 1940s and the 1970s. The Cathiards have constructed a vast new winery and cellar just for this production. The regional wines are quite glossy, with between 20% and 35% new oak. Sebastien Cathiard remarked, “In 2021 there is the salinity that I found in 2013. More fruity and juicy than 2013, so maybe a mix of 2013 and 2017. Less acidity than 2013, but you still have freshness.”
White
Aligoté
Largely from the Hautes-Côtes. Two thirds old vines from the 1940s. Just in tank. Litchee and pineapple character. Lightly exotic, underscored with a sappy cut. Attractive, dry, savory finish. I like it. 2023–25. 84
Red
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
A large 6-acre (2.5ha) plot. Mainly planted in the 1970s. More clay here, and it shows on the sweet, plump, and smooth palate, with a little spice on the finish. 2023–26. 84
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Les Dames Huguette
Spicy and expressive. Smooth and fruity mid-palate, this tightens to a mineral, bright line. 2024–26. 84–85
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Murgers
Small stones compared with Thorey, and there is more clay. Four barrels and 50% new oak. Ripe fruit and a rounder expression on the nose. Fuller bodied, with juicy succulence and slightly sappy, firm tannins, maybe from the oak, but these give a freshness and energy to the finish. 2026–30+. 92–93
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Aux Thorey
Violets on the aroma. Very attractive sweet fruit, lightly crisp, quite light-bodied and airy. An aromatic finish. Expresses its sense of place. An elegant, pure, and higher toned Nuits. Shows its finer boned structure in 2021. 2025–30. 93
Vosne-Romanée
Plump red fruit. Juicy and energetic mid palate. Plenty of succulence. Smooth texture and a generously fruity and aromatic to finish. 2025–30. 89
Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Malconsorts
A refined Malconsorts, with a lightly firm structure, fine-textured tannins, and just nicely ripened fruit, underscored with crisp acidity. It pushes into a lively, long finish. 2026–32. 95
Domaine Anne Gros
Julie Tollot-Gros, Anne Gros’s daughter, recalls saving most of the grands crus from frost using candles. Many of their parcels have a cooler exposure, so generally they have fewer issues with acidity, but rather more with ripening, except in Echézeaux, where the genetic material always gives lower acidity and a softer expression of this grand cru. Up in the village parcel of Barreaux, the opposite is true. This loses the sunset behind the hill, making super-nervy wine. Good Hautes-Côtes in both colors, from thin limestone soil below the cemetery in Concoeur.
White
Bourgogne Blanc
Peachy, rounded, lightly ample and smooth palate, with juicy acidity and a creamy mouthfeel. 2023–26. 86
Bourgogne Blanc Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Cuvée Marine
Ripe and lightly tropical, with notes of litchee and pineapple. It becomes more savory, sappy, and snappy to finish. I like it. 2023–26. 86
Red
Bourgogne
From four parcels in Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St-Georges. 50-year-old vines. Light, perfumed, and elegant. A charming, fruity, soft, and juicy Bourgogne. 2024–28. 85
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
450–460º altitude. Fresh and bright, with a light anise note and a zesty bite to finish. 2023–25. 85
Chambolle-Musigny La Combe d’Orveau
Light-bodied, bright, and aromatic, with fresh acidity. Pure and delicate palate, with a slight snap. 2025–28. 88
Vosne-Romanée Les Barreaux
From an old vineyard. Tight and straight, nervy and light. Piano-wire wine. Light-bodied and pure. 2025–28. 89
Richebourg Grand Cru
Big step up here. Depth and concentration. Compact, with layering of vivid fruit. Complex wine with intensity and transparency. A very persistent and fine finish. 2028–35+. 98
Clos de Vougeot Grand Maupertui Grand Cru
This has breadth, structure, and intensity. The tannins are just firm, but finely textured. There is light muscle with sapidity and intensity. Almost charming. Pushes into a persistent, savory finish, with bitter almond at the end. 2026–35. 94–95
Méo-Camuzet Frère et Soeurs
Jean-Nicolas Méo recommends drinking the 2021 relatively early, as the acidity is lower. “Take advantage of this approachable character.”
Chambolle-Musigny
Quite perfumed. Ripe summer fruits and freshness on the finish. Smooth tannins and a lightly glossy texture. 2024–26. 88
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Fuesselottes
Summer fruits with a touch of soft garden herbs on the nose. Succulent and juicy attack. Sweet fruit, generous and inviting, on the lightly ample and quite nicely concentrated mid-palate. Velvety tannins. Soft and mellow, with a tweak of sapidity to finish. 2026–30. 92
Domaine Méo-Camuzet
As ever, Jean-Nicolas Méo destemmed everything. “We saw the vintage was nice and light and we didn’t want to extract too much, or it could become thin and aggressive. A post-ferment maceration at 86ºF (30ºC) was important to solidify the links between color and tannins.” The wines were quite light when barreled down, but in the summer, he saw the depth and color had stabilized. “The delay between barrel down and the beginning of MLF was very important.” He finds them “a little like 2007, ripe without being high alcohol, fine and delicate and lower acidity. The result is not so far away.”
White
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc Clos St-Philibert
Fresh zesty, citrus aroma. Savoury wet stone minerality and the firm acidity is balanced with nice intensity. Good sapidity to finish and certainly lively. 2023–25. 84–85
Red
Bourgogne Côte d’Or Etienne Camuzet
Attractive forest-fruit aroma. Lightly burly, but with plenty of juiciness and a bite of tannins on the finish. Crunchy. 2024–26. 84–85
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Murgers
Rich, juicy, and concentrated. It is rather sumptuous, with milk-chocolate tannins; amply round and smoothly textured. Very inviting. 2026–30. 93
Vosne-Romanée
From the Barreaux and Commune lieux-dits. Sweet, pure, straight, and elegant. Crushed-glass textured. Light snap. 2025–30. 89
Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Aux Brûlées
Ripe and energetic attack to an exuberantly fruity palate. Finely textured tannins. 2026–30+. 93–94
Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Chaumes
Fresh and light, silky textured, with powdery tannin. I like the perfume on the finish. Really quite elegant. What a pretty and delicate Chaumes. 2026–32. 93
Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Cros Parentoux
Floral aromas. An elegant, silky textured palate, with freshness, fine red fruit, and crisp acidity entwined. Lively energy and precision. Delightful. 2028–35. 96–97
Richebourg Grand Cru
Depth of rose-petal aroma. Sumptuous, deep, and firm, but it also has an airiness. Smoothly structured. Supple muscle. Velvety. Intense rather than concentrated. This is contained and restrained and impressive in length. 2030–40. 98
Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
Excellent Vougeots. Strong but civilized. Plenty of depth and intensity. Broad but not at all burly. Sophisticated. Very intense and super-persistent. Lovely, long finish. 2028–40. 97
Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg
A little more new oak this vintage, as the yields were low. There are just one and a half barrels of the Nuits-Vignes-Rondes, and one was new. I spotted some quarteaux (quarter barriques) in the cellar, too.
Bourgogne Lutenière
In 1935, the vines for the Bourgogne were declassified from Vosne-Romanée status. Delicious red-fruit aroma. Bright, fresh, and vibrant, and yet so supple and silky. Spot-on. 2023–26. 86–87
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Feusselottes
Ripe aromatics of wild-berry fruit. Juicy attack to a succulent and generously fruity palate. A jelly-bean underbelly, which is energized and pepped with sweet acidity. 2026–35. 93
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Chaignots
Perfumed and inviting. A bright and zesty palate, with a taffeta texture. Quite spicy and sparky to finish. 2026–32. 93–94
Vosne-Romanée
Very spicy aroma. Bright attack to rather a perfumed palate, with a light thread of acidity and smooth tannins. Loganberry fruits to finish, sweet, fresh, and succulent. 2025–28. 90
Vosne-Romanée Colombière
Lovely concentration and richness from these 90-year-old vines, which is balanced with vibrant acidity. This has plenty of vitality on the finish. Certainly more matter here. 2026–30. 91
Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
Restrained power and muscularity. It is broad and quite dense, but equally it has freshness, energy, and a more lifted and elegant feel. 2028–35. 96
Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Clear, pure, upright aroma. Sweet ripeness of redcurrant fruit just lightly swathes the tight steel-wire core. Very finely textured. Cool savory minerality comes through on the very well-sustained finish. Quite a delicate but intense Ruchottes. It is very precise and salty at the end. 2028–35. 97
Nuits-St-Georges
Domaine Bertrand Ambroise
A rather mixed bag from this producer. Having wanted to be a shepherd, Bertrand Ambroise found it easier to enroll at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune. He married into a winemaking family, subsequently extending the domaine to 55 acres (22ha). He has made wines for 30 years in a rather extracted style, with generous new oak. His son François is now making the wine and the style remains fairly hefty.
White
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc
The exotic pineapple aroma contrasts with more the interesting, sappy, savory palate, which has a dry chalky bite to finish. I quite like it. 2023–25. 83
Red
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
Light, fresh, and bright. It’s crunchy. Slightly bitter morello-cherry fruit. It pings on the palate. Simple but rather appealing. 2023–26. 82–83
Côte de Nuits-Villages
Black-forest fruits. It’s earthy and has miso and coffee notes. Robust and full. It packs a punch. 2024–27. 82–83
Domaine de L’Arlot
Géraldine Godot remarked, “The weather was capricious, sometimes sunny and then colder with rain.” The domaine lost 60% of its whites. The fruit from young vines, planted in the early ‘90s, which have been bottled as Gerbotte, have gone into L’Arlot in 2021, and will continue to do so. No whole clusters in 2021, because the maturity, says Godot, was, like the weather, capricious. Also this year, she used only pumping over. “I wanted to take the fruit and not to extract aggressive tannins.” The first year for both these approaches. “We don’t have the same analysis and we must experiment.” A fine and precise flight of wines.
White
Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Le Mont
From a lieu-dit above Clos de Fôrets. The domaine owns around 2.5 acres (1ha) here, and the upper two thirds are planted to Chardonnay. 15% new oak. A light, floral and citrus aroma. Silky, straight, bright, and racy, with pithy grapefruit to finish. Really like it. 2023–24. 86
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Clos de L’Arlot Blanc
Wet-stone minerality and light citrus notes on the aroma. Neat and trim and lightly rounded, with fresh-grapefruit acidity. Apricot and flowers on the finish. 2024–29. 92
Red
Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Le Mont
Just three barrels of the red this year, one of them new. Violet and redcurrant-fruit aroma. Bright energy on this fresh and crunchy palate. It has quite a snappy feel. Sour-cherry notes and a lick of licorice at the end. Most attractive. 2023–25. 85–86
Côte de Nuits-Villages Clos du Chapeau
Ripe, wild-berry fruits, succulent and juicy, this has a bright splash on the palate. It fizzles with spices and tangy orange zest. Light bite to finish. 2024–27. 86
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Clos de L’Arlot
From 60-year-old vines. A light and flowing, silky textured palate, threaded with freshness. Airy. Finishes with some tension, on an attractive aniseed note. Delicate and long. So much finesse. 2025–35. 94
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Clos des Forêts St-Georges
A wilder feel to this wine. Firm, taut, and quite muscular. Earthy and savory. Full-bodied, strong. There is light chew to the texture, and smoky graphite to the punchy finish. Bold wine. 2027–35+. 94
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Cuvée Mont des Oiseaux
From younger vines in the upper part of the Arlot vineyard. Quite upright. Very finely texture. Icy crackle. Has a crystal character to the texture. Lively redcurrant fruits and floral note to finish. 2026–30. 91
Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Suchots
Deep red fruit, red rose petal, and some spice. Sumptuous and velvety; full-bodied and generous. The fruit gently cloaks the palate. Almost a caress. Quite unusual for Suchots at this stage. The floral softness continues onto the persistent, aromatic finish. Gorgeous. 2026–40. 96
Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru
Floral aromas. Distilled rose petal. Uber-intense and focused; streamlined and concise. Tight energy. Fine, silky texture. A beautiful, lingering finish, with fine vibration. Sensational. 2029–40. 99
Jean-Claude Boisset
White
Fixin
Attractive almond aroma. Slim, straight, and savory, with piquant acidity and sappiness. Good energy and intension. A touch of tannin on the finish. What’s not to like? Snappy white Fixin. Spot-on. 2023–25. 85–86
St-Aubin Premier Cru En Remilly
Gentle aroma of litchee, and the lightly exotic theme continues with pineapple on the palate. Quite concentrated. I’d like to see more layering mid-palate and more of En Remilly’s racy tension. A bit exotic and lacking a little energy, but the finish is well-supported by the sappy oak tannin. 2024–28. 85–86
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Overtly oaky aroma; vanilla, Brazil nut, and cappuccino. Slightly exotic fruit to boot. Rich attack, concentrated, savory, rich marzipan and a buttery texture. Very showy. Good depth mid-palate. The oak comes through with freshness on the finish, which is rather well-sustained with sweet saltiness. Not bad at all. 2027–35. 96
Red
Nuit-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Pruliers
Dark, woodland aroma and an earthy palate. Leathery, chunky tannins, with notes of licorice in this beefy palate. Full-bodied and robust, with decent follow-through, this shows good terroir typicité. 2025–33. 92
Pommard Premier Cru Les Arvelet
Ripe blueberry fruit, with some oak giving vanilla and cinnamon notes and creaminess to the palate. An agreeable, smooth-textured Arvelets, very relaxed, with some tannic bite to the end of the modest finish providing balancing freshness. 2025–29. 90–91
Domaine Jean Chauvenet
“A very red-fruit vintage, except in Vaucrains, and the acidity makes it very energetic. Not a heavy vintage,” remarks Christophe Drag, who used a slightly shorter vatting this year. When the density reached 1010, he just pushed the cap beneath the surface. As ever, no stems. A super-reliable domaine.
Bourgogne
Such an appealing and expressive, fruity wine, with blueberry, raspberry, and cherry aroma. Luscious. Very fruity, with a lively, fresh, and licorice bite. 2025–27. 86
Nuits-St-Georges Lavières
Perfumed, red-fruit and red rose-petal aroma. Silky swath on the palate. Slightly peppery tannins. Delicate and precise, and so pure on the finish. 2025–28. 90
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Bousselots
Sand and gravel and white clay, 20–24 inches (50–60cm) deep. Six barrels rather than the usual 11. 35hl/ha. Mid-slope, so not as impacted as Damodes. Spicy aroma of cherries and cinnamon. Succulent and generous. Quite plump on the mid-palate, with lush depth of texture and muscle, while being lively, bright, and fresh to finish. 2026–32. 92
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Damodes
Very impacted by the frost. Just two barrels. High-toned, upright blueberry aroma. Juicy attack. Good intensity and supple-suede texture. Lively sweetness and acidity come together on the finish. Focused and energetic. A lighter and delightful NSG. Spot-on. 2026–32. 92–93
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Perrières
Uptoned aroma with garden herbs. Such a silky texture on this refined and elegant NSG. Lively fluidity and delicacy. Light, minty note. A Nuits of fine aroma and texture. Wait for the minerality to come through with some bottle age. So stylish. 2026–33. 94
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Rue de Chaux
Rue de Chaux shows the terroir impression exactly the same way each year. A southeast exposure but it has the cold draught of the combe. Always small berries, with millerandage. Red soils, with pieces of iron, 16–20 inches (40–50cm) above the bedrock. Always very consistent, and better in this respect than Vaucrains, thinks Christophe. Both climats have clay and get muddy in the topsoil in a vintage like 2021, but in Vaucrains the oolitic limestone appears at 6–8 inches (15–20cm). Spicy, dark-forest fruits. It is straight, channeled, and savory on the palate. Neatly edged. Elegant. Slate, smoke, and quartz on the finish. 2026–32. 92–93
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Vaucrains
Only half the normal production, four of eight barrels. Intense aroma, with red fruit and black pepper. Satin-textured. It is deep and dense, with a firm core enveloped in sweet succulence of fruit. Lithe muscularity. A persistent and smoky graphite finish. 2026–35. 95
Edouard Delaunay
White
Meursault
Ripe citrus and almond aroma, probably from the oak. Also quite light, but slightly rounded, creamily textured; buttery, with a hint of marzipan richness. It has a sharp mineral note to finish. 2024–26. 88
Puligny-Montrachet
High-toned aroma, with aniseed, delicate citrus, and elderflower notes. Light-bodied, straight palate, with some vibrancy. An edgy, bitter-lemon, pithy finish. Just a touch steely. 2024–26. 88
Red
Marsannay En Combereau
Upright red-cherry aroma. Perky, fresh, and rather vibrant. Slim body. Crunchy tannins and a light bite to finish. 2023–28. 85–86
Morey-St-Denis Premier Cru Les Millandes
Blueberry fruit. Lightish, fresh, and tart attack, with a hint of astringency. Somewhat herbaceous on the palate, but it is tangy and energetic. The tannins are quite fine and just the right side of green. 2024–28. 88
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Aux Argillas
The oak rather dominates in the purple spice aroma and on the palate. But it has plenty of sappy freshness and a cool, bright line. There is a lean, edgy, finely textured, and elegant wine fighting to get out. Decent finish, with sapid chalky minerality. Not bad. 2026–30+. 92
Pommard Premier Cru Les Chaponnières
Spicy, black-fruit and pepper aroma. Full-bodied and punchy personality. I like the vigorous freshness. It’s rounded through the middle, with a herbal, fresh thyme bitterness on the finish. 2026–30. 90–91
Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
Full-bodied and lightly muscular, with smooth, sweet tannins and plenty of summer fruit on the mid-palate. It’s well-mannered and rather polished. Silky graphite freshness supports the palate and extends the finish. A polite Clos de Vougeot. 2027–35. 94–95
Maison & Domaine Joseph Faiveley
The domaine vineyards in Nuits-St-Georges are managed organically. The difficult 2021 vintage convinced Erwan Faiveley to convert the whole domaine to organic production. He recalls, “We burned candles, one per vine, in Bâtard–Montrachet for three nights. It worked, but we couldn’t do it everywhere. It is very expensive. We used a little more oak than usual. The more tannic the vintage, the less oak we use; and in the less tannic vintages, we use more.”
“The vintage that first comes to my mind is 2007. Conceptually, very aromatic and very light in tannins, and very well-balanced. I am very optimistic about the 2021 vintage, even if it is not a vintage to put aside for your grandchildren. I expect we will have drunk all of our 2021s before the 2015s and 2016s, but it will give a lot of pleasure.”
White
Meursault Premier Cru Blagny
Lemon and white peach. Vivid and flighty; the straight, crisp, and light palate shimmers with minerals. 2024–30. 92
Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru
A broad and generous palate. Concentrated, deep, juicy, and vigorous. Expressive and inviting. Really quite vivacious on the well-sustained finish. 2027–35. 96
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Le Corton. East-facing. Lost 70–80%. This is strong, austere, and straight. Powerful and slightly severe. Long, savory, sparse finish. 2026–35. 94–95
Red
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Damodes
Very pretty floral aroma. High-toned, with lively red fruit and a frosty edge to the tannin. Straight and well-edged. Crisp and crunchy. Light and pretty. Delightful Nuits. 2025–30. 91–92
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Cazetiers
Good intensity of forest fruits and violets on the aroma. Light satin texture enfolds a rather strict, cool, even steely core. The finish brings together warm aromas and sapidity, and there is a light vibration on the finish. A little austerity is nice. “The is the swan song of Cazetiers, as many old vines didn’t survive in 2021.” In 2022, the vines planted by Ewan Faiveley’s grandfather in the 1960s and ‘70s were pulled out. The domaine owns 10 acres (4ha), so there will still be some production. 2027–35. 94–95
Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Lavaux St-Jacques
Red-peppercorn aroma. Fresh red-fruit burst on the attack, to a straight, light-bodied palate. Fine core wrapped in rather exotic aromatics. Floaty, silky texture and slightly mineral to follow through. 2025–30. 91–92
Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru
Vibrant aroma of wild strawberries. Super-fine gossamer texture on the intense, cool, and focused palate. Taut and well-defined. Very refined. Lively tension on the persistent and streamlined finish. 2026–35+. 96
Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Dark, woodland aroma, with glimmering highlights. Vigorous attack to the fullish palate, which is deep, rather compact, and layered with earthy and graphite minerality. Plenty of vitality on the finish, which pushes through very convincingly. 2027–35+. 96
Echézeaux Grand Cru En Orveaux
Rich, satin fluidity to the palate. Streamed with a fresh and cool acidity. A very harmonious wine, which glides into the well-sustained finish. A good expression of this cooler situated lieu–dit. 2027–35. 95–96
Musigny
Intense aromatic. This is destemmed by hand, leaving only the pédicelles. The finely woven, silky texture envelopes the firmly structured core. It is surprisingly expressive, with deliciously succulent, almost opulent, fruit. Expressive, even exuberant, yet profound. Superbly long and ringing finish. 2028–40. 98
Domaine du Clos Frantin
This 18-acre (7.3ha) domaine is owned by Albert Bichot.
Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Malconsorts
Gingerbread and compost aroma. Succulent, with a rich, earthy undertow. Plenty on the front-palate, including oak. Quite a showy wine, which finishes relatively well, but I would like to see a little more layering and complexity for this top-notch climat. Bling, but perhaps a bit short on substance this vintage. 2026–30+. 91–92
Slightly exotic perfume, together with ripe redcurrant fruit. Muscles in with a large frame. Modest depth and layering mid-palate. It has punch and grunt, showing decent typicité, and is crisp and crunchy on the finish, with lime-zest freshness. 2026–30+. 92
Domaine Henri Gouges
Only a very light remontage to preserve the fruit. Just a 10-day vatting period. The wines are certainly light, elegant, and rather perfumed. It is only when you reach the premiers crus Vaucrains and Les St-Georges that you find some of the grip and muscle, albeit light. I rather like to see more in Nuits-St-Georges. I particularly like the white premier cru Perrières.
White
Bourgogne Blanc
Exotic pear aroma, which carries to the palate. A heady, purple feel, with more fruit than terroir, but it finishes on a sapid note. 2023–25. 86
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Perrières
Henry Gouges was very instrumental in drawing up the appellation rules for Nuits-St-Georges, so the authorities (the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, as it was then), in recognition of this help, gave him special permission to plant his mutant Pinot in 1936. A pungent graphite aroma combines with spicy pear. Textural and firm, the palate is enveloped in a cloud of aromas from the spice market. The underlying core has edge, and the firmness carries the finish. 2023–30. 92
Red
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Les Dames Huguettes
With a peppery and upright aroma, this jumps onto a perky, bright palate. 2022–24. 82–83
Nuits-St-Georges Clos de La Fontaine Jacquinot
Perfumed and high-toned. Ripe cranberry, with anise. Quite spicy. Light crunch. Red peppercorn with lively acidity. Piquant to finish. The most interesting village wine of those I tried here. While the other cuvées were destemmed, this had 20% whole-bunch. 2022–26. 87–88
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Chaignots
Light and floral aroma. A fine-textured and aromatic NSG. Flows elegantly and lightly on a medium-bodied palate, with a perfumed puff to finish. 2024–28. 90–91
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Chênes Carteaux
A little reserved on the nose, but I like the suede-soft texture and sweet fruit, which combines with a firm line of freshness. 2025–28. 93
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Clos des Porrets St-Georges
The 9-acre (3.5ha) Clos des Porrets is a monopole of the domaine. Low-toned, tarry aroma; asphalt and yet also floral. A succulent and juicy attack to the generous palate, which is quite opulent for 2021. Richer, darker, and thicker tannins than most. Not the most refined, but the muscle is quite well-toned. Modest finish. 2025–28. 92–93
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Vaucrains
Succulent and supple. Smooth and fruity. A surprisingly accessible and generous Vaucrains for both the climat and the vintage. Low swing and depth mid-palate. An underbelly. Velvety and deep, with milk-chocolate tannins and a fresh, earthy finish. 2026–31. 93–94
Maison Henri Gouges
I found these wines a little mixed, some rather too lean. While they do not show the depth and intensity of the domaine wines, a couple were quite attractive.
Côte de Nuits-Villages
Bright fruit and a juicy palate, with a garden-compost note to finish. Attractive. 2023–27. 82
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les St-Georges
A slight level up in terms of refinement, intensity, and energy. Raw-silk texture. This is precise and clean-cut, with a proper, firm and well-sustained finish. 2025–35. 94–95
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Vaucrains
Succulent upfront, with plenty of red fruit and a zesty mid-palate, and a snap to the tannins. Lighter bodied and less intense than the Domaine Vaucrains and just slightly, but not unpleasantly, astringent to finish. 2024–28. 88
Château Gris
This 8.5-acre (3.5ha) walled vineyard is a monopole belonging to Albert Bichot.
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Château Gris
Lively aroma of dark chocolate and black pepper. Svelte unfurl, with finely edged bitter-chocolate tannins. Love the silky fine texture and intensity, underpinned by sappy freshness. Silky smooth stretch on the finish. A sophisticated Nuits. 2027–35. 94–95
Domaine Lécheneaut
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Damodes
Energetic, lightly plump, and attractively juicy and fresh, this has smooth tannins and some tension to finish. 2025–30. 91–92
Domaine des Perdrix
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Aux Perdrix
A quasi-monopole, the domaine having all but three rows. A velvety aroma and a surprisingly sumptuous attack. A lightly glossy, satin texture. The fruit is chased through with plenty of freshness and a lick of licorice. A well-sustained, bitter-cherry and mineral finish. 2026–35. 94
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Terres Blanches
A refined and detailed Nuits-St-Georges. Silky and pure, with a fine, talcy texture, it ripples to a nicely extended finish. Delightful. 2025–35. 94
Domaine de la Vougeraie
Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle
A new acquisition for the domaine, previously made by Jadot. The broad palate is dense, spicy, and concentrated, flecked with notes of cinnamon and toasted hazelnuts. It’s underpinned with freshness and tension. 2025–30+. 93–94
Clos Blanc de Vougeot Premier Cru
Expressively fruity aroma, with apricot and grapefruit, while the palate is powerful, concentrated, and compact, and much more savory. Muscular layering. It has an appetizingly dry and nutty persistence. 2026–30+. 94–95
