After tasting more than 1,200 Burgundy 2020 en primeur samples, Charles Curtis MW has given his full verdict on the new vintage.
Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for the 102 white wines that scored 94 points and above.
Wines are listed in score order.
| Producer | Appellation | Score | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domaine des Comtes Lafon | Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 99 | Abundant aromas of ripe apple fruit, with a full complement of butter and spice underpinned with a pronounced minerality, but there is no excess here. The wine is powerful and dense but not heavy, and the balance and definition are sublime. A towering achievement. Lafon remarked that the Montrachet took its time to ripen, yet there was enough water to sustain the vines. Indeed, the wine fermented out to just 13% alcohol instead of many vineyards which were at or above 14%. Fermentation was in 45% new casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Bouchard Père & Fils | Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | This wine has everything. Bouchard farms 0.89ha of well-positioned vines in Montrachet – south of Ramonet on the Puligny side (and north of the first DRC block in Chassagne). The grapes are pressed slowly as whole clusters before fermentation in cask (only 15% new) to accent the purity of fruit. The exquisite aromas range from citrus and green apple, to riper apple, apricot and peach, with hints of chamomile, cream and bitter underpinned with a firm minerality. This vintage truly has an impressive depth of flavour and persistence on the palate. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard | Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | The aromas begin with ripe apple and pear, then there are shades of citrus and tropical fruit that range from passionfruit to pomelo. On the palate, the aromatic profile expands to include hazelnut and butter suffused with a firm saline minerality - lovely balance overall, with more freshness than Bâtard and a stunning finish. This wine is an elegant, sophisticated version of Montrachet that avoids all excess while expressing the full range of aromas and flavours of Montrachet. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Henri Boillot | Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | Extraordinary precision and concentration. The aromas begin with ripe pear, apple, acacia flower and chamomile, and with time expand to include hazelnut, struck flint and beeswax. There is an alluring convergence of mouthwatering acidity and dense, compact extract that make this a wine which will age for decades. As attractive as it is in its youth, the wise will wait until this opens to show all its potential. This is produced from grapes purchased from a parcel on the Puligny side, crushed and pressed in the basket press prior to fermentation and ageing in cask. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey | Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | This beautifully delineated wine has a lush nose of peach pit, apricot, ripe apple and and touches of quince. Still, all of this ripe yellow fruit is tempered by a citrusy freshness, mineral notes and a subdued baking spice from the élevage. On the palate, the wine has the richness of Bâtard but more structure and a dynamic sense that is not as apparent in the wines further down the slope. The domaine works 0.11ha of rented vines in Chevalier to produce this, one of the most expressive wines from Chevalier-Montrachet. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Comtes Lafon | Meursault (1er Cru Genevrières) | 2020 | 97 | Almost ethereal, impressively complex and long, showing a real presence in the spicy aromas and ripe orchard fruit. In the end, it is the elegance that is truly stunning. This wine is from Lafon's holding of more than a half-hectare in Genevrières Dessus. Three-quarters of the vines were planted in the 1940s, the balance was replanted in the 1990s. The fruit is pressed as whole clusters and run into mostly older casks - with a large proportion of lees - for fermentation. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Comtes Lafon | Meursault (1er Cru Perrières) | 2020 | 97 | Profuse aromas of ripe apple, marzipan, acacia flowers and smoke, with a suggestion of butter and cream. The texture on the palate is dense, long and powerful, with a complex array of flavours that linger on the endless finish. Lafon enjoys nearly one hectare of vines in this preeminent premier cru of Meursault. His holding is in Perrières Dessus and much of it is more than fifty years of age. In 2020 it was picked at just 12.5% potential alcohol. The grapes were lightly crushed and run into cask (20% new) for fermentation and ageing. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Michel Niellon | Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | This is always among my favourite Chevaliers, with its super-concentrated style. The aromas tend more toward fresh apricot than apple, with ample shading of saline mineral notes, floral aromas, a bit of spice (from the 40% new casks used for maturation), and a touch of cream and butter. The texture is powerful, dense and long. Not to be missed! Drinking Window: 2023 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Paul Pillot | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru La Romanée) | 2020 | 97 | A monumental wine. Great concentration and purity, featuring aromas of lemon peel, pear and gooseberry, touched with mineral and smoke. There is a perfect balance between the tension and richness on the palate that should thrill for years to come. This parcel of nearly a half-hectare is located at the top of La Romanée, and the vines were planted by Thierry Pillot’s grandfather in 1950. Fermented, like all Pillot’s premier crus, in large casks (only about 10% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Roulot | Meursault (1er Cru Perrières) | 2020 | 97 | This is assuredly the grand cru of Meursault in all but name. The wine is spicy and rich, with a complex nose that combines lemon peel and green apple, with notes of mint, herb and mown grass, along with beeswax and a suggestion of honey. The palate is equally complex, with a waxy texture and great richness, but also a truly astonishing, lively and fresh acidity that carries this to a tremendous finish. The difference between this climat and the rest of the village is really apparent here. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | There is an elemental freshness here that is truly lovely, with ripe William pear and floral notes, plus a suggestion of citrus and silk; there is incredible balance here for a Bâtard. Bravo! Above the Bienvenues on the Puligny side, this is located just down the slope from the Montrachet of the Marquis de Laguiche. It faces southeast and Riffault insists: 'this isn't south-facing'. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Bienvenues is poorly understood: this is great wine. It lacks the power of Bâtard, the structure of Chevalier (and the 'everything' of Montrachet), yet it is a wine of exquisite elegance, with a marvellous nose of quince and ripe pears, touched with just a hint of spice, mineral and floral notes. The texture is subtle and silky - it is truly classic and eminently worthy of its grand cru neighbours. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Maison Pierre Millemann | Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | This spectacular, showy wine comes from young vines planted high on the slope (380m) in stony soils. The 2020 vintage has a lovely lemony fruit shot through with notes of smoke and flint. The texture is dense, almost chewy, but it should age gracefully for decades. Millemann believes in a vigorous crushing of the grapes and maceration on the skins, before a firm pressing. The must is barrelled down in 500-litre casks with most of the lees to extract an almost tannic texture from the Chardonnay, assuring a marked reduction in the wine that disappears only with time. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Benjamin Leroux | Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Wonderful, with a rich apple fruit, beeswax, butter and hazelnut notes. There is admirable freshness on the palate, and the wine lingers elegantly without heaviness. From Leroux’s 0.16ha parcel on the Chassagne side between Domaine de la Vougeraie and the Hospices de Beaune. The fruit is pressed gently as whole clusters and fermented in cask (just the two of them). Since 2016 it is bottled only in magnum. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Bouchard Père & Fils | Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | This is truly a classic of the house, which owns a total of 2.3ha spread over all four terraces of Chevalier. Each parcel is vinified individually to produce this magnificent wine that shows lemon peel and mineral notes on the initial attack, but continues to open up aromatically on the nose and on the palate, revealing rich flavours of marzipan, butter and beeswax. This is richer than the producer's Corton-Charlemagne, and lingers delightfully on the very impressive finish. Superb wine, not to be missed. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Baron Thénard | Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Baron Thénard is the second-largest proprietor of Montrachet after the Marquis de Laguiche. To taste through in advance of blending, it is necessary to taste all eight barrels in the cellar. These run the gamut from buttery and rich (but not heavy), in a cask from Seguin Moreau; to the Rousseau barrel, more maked by the wood, to the Chassin barrel, which is spicy, rich and lovely, to the Cadus, which is almost tropical, with exotic coconut aromas. The final assemblage will no doubt contain all of these. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Blain-Gagnard | Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | This is marvellous. Blain crushes the grapes lightly and avoids sulphur until after malo. His way of working produces this subtle, elegant wine with notes of ripe pear touched with acacia blossom, a touch of smoke and his trademark minerality. The texture is dense but never heavy, and the wine lingers elegantly on the finish. Blain explains the difference between Bâtard and Criot, just across the street: Bâtard has deep clay, while Criots has a stonier soil and one always senses the minerality. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Comte Senard | Corton Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Lovely density and richness, with a nose showing ripe apricots, a hint of lemon peel and just a bit of butter. The texture is creamy and dense but not lacking in tension. Regal, substantial, but always elegant. This is made with the white grapes from the Senard monopole of the Clos des Meix, now biodynamically farmed. It is a blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Beurrot (Pinot Gris). The wine is rather quickly pressed and vinified without sulphur until the malolactic fermentation is complete. Ageing is in 350-litre casks (half new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac | Morey-St-Denis (1er Cru Clos des Monts Luisants) | 2020 | 96 | This wine is not what you'd expect from such a hot and dry year, yet the concentration of the grapes concentrated the acidity, too, and the result is a wine of tension and power that should age exceptionally well. No one will blame you, however, for opening a few bottles early. Unlike the white premier cru from Ponsot in this appellation, this is 100% Chardonnay from the 0.6ha Dujac holding. The wine is fermented in tank and aged in used casks. In 2020, the wine took me by surprise with its vibrant, lemony fruit and minerality. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faiveley | Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Aromas of ripe pear and quince, with a strong mineral component. The buttery, pleasantly plump side comes out on the palate, but there is no heaviness and the wine stays silky and very fine. The grapes are gently pressed and fermented in cask (half new) with a large percentage of the lees. There is plenty of fruit to support this maturation, however. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard | Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Complex nose, with classic Bâtard aromas such as ripe apple, butter, spice and cream, but there is also a slightly resinous quality that adds complexity. The texture is ripe and lush, amply demonstrating the effect of the warm year. There are four separate parcels in Bâtard that total 0.4ha, all on the Chassagne side. The grapes are lightly crushed and fermented in cask with most of their lees. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard | Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The gentle handling and reductive ageing of the wines here gives an easy-to-love result, with clean aromas of ripe pear, butter and spice, plus a supple yet elegant feel on the palate that is less powerful but more elegant that its neighbour, Bâtard. Céline Fontaine farms this 0.33ha Criots parcel under the influence of the combe that leads to St-Aubin. Although the climat is next to Bâtard it is very different, with red marl and more limestone pebbles than one finds there, giving this wine lovely minerality. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard | Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | An exquisite wine, the nose is almost delicate, with ripe apple and floral notes, and the texture of the wine is astonishingly crisp and fine. There is nothing heavy here and the finish lingers seductively. Rich, typical Bâtard, but with uncommon elegance. Picked on the 24th of August, and the early picking date worked well here. The grapes were lightly crushed and then fermented in cask (40% new). Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Joseph Faiveley | Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The pebbles of Bienvenues leaven the soil somewhat, introducing elements of minerality and a bit more freshness into the wine. It is certainly still a ripe year, with aromas of apples, spice and a hint of butter, but it never tips over into heaviness. The texture is very creamy, yet there is plenty of finesse and elegance. This parcel of vines was acquired from Jean-Pierre Monnot in 2008. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Michel Niellon | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Clos de la Truffière Les Chaumées) | 2020 | 96 | Complex nose of lime peel, green apple, mineral and flint. The texture is intensely fresh, but there is a marvellous old-vine richness as well that lends density and length. Definitely near grand cru quality. Niellon has a half-hectare of century-old vines here at the top of the slope just before St-Aubin. In the words of winemaker Lucie Coutoux, these old vines can give you some very good surprises. She crushes the grapes lightly before pressing them slowly, then starting the fermentation in tank before running them into cask to finish. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Paul Pillot | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru La Grande Montagne) | 2020 | 96 | Both sections of Grande Montagne are among the highest elevation premier crus in Chassagne. The altitude means the wines are almost more Puligny in style, with plenty of tension and what Thierry Pillot rightly describes as 'peps', winemaker-speak for a peppy, lemony tang that is perfect for the purity of the Pillot style. There is still majestic richness to this wine, with a concentration on the palate that testifies to the wine's ability to age for decades. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Paul Pillot | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Grandes Ruchottes) | 2020 | 96 | With its ripe apple citrus fruit and hints of beeswax, marzipan and smoke, this is an elegant wine with great finesse. However, it is not one lacking in tension or structure. The use of large old casks and the long ageing ensure the purity of the fruit, while the careful reductive fermentation and ageing give us the substance to guarantee a lovely balance and length. This 0.2ha parcel from the top of the slope near Grande Montagne has produced a wine of uncommon richness for this site. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Roulot | Meursault (1er Cru Clos des Bouchères) | 2020 | 96 | As with neighbouring Gouttes d'Or, the Clos de Bouchères - a 1.37ha monopole acquired in 2011 - is a precocious, early-ripening site, picked earlier in 2020 than its neighbours, with more potential alcohol (13.65%) and less acidity. Despite the richness, there is a lively character here that makes the wine perhaps more dynamic than its neighbour, even if it doesn't quite reach the depth of Perrières. Roulot vinifies with moderate use of new wood - and his habitual winemaking savvy - to yield an unforgettable wine of charm and distinction. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair | Corton Les Renardes Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | This is assuredly the grand cru of Meursault in all but name. The wine is spicy and rich, with a complex nose that combines lemon peel and green apple, with notes of mint, herb and mown grass, along with beeswax and a suggestion of honey. The palate is equally complex, with a waxy texture and great richness, but also a truly astonishingly lively and fresh acidity that carries this to a tremendous finish. The difference between this climat and the rest of the village is really apparent here. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | This Chevalier-Montrachet is an impressive monument of a wine, with aromas that range from lemon peel to passionfruit. The texture is creamy, round and dense, yet balanced by fresh acidity to produce a powerful impression and a lingering finish. Although produced from purchased must, Benoît Riffault has the input necessary in the vineyard to ensure top quality and it shows. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet, En La Richarde | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Folatières) | 2020 | 96 | This has a piercing purity of citrus peel and passionfruit, with a lovely saline and mineral edge on the attack, followed by impressive richness but almost without weight - a truly perfect balance. En la Richarde is technically a part of Les Folatières. There are only four producers: Jadot and d'Auvenay in the section classed as village; Arnaud Ente and Sauzet in the section classed as premier cru. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Guffens-Heynen, Premier Jus des Premiers Crus | Mâconnais (Pouilly-Fuissé) | 2020 | 96 | This is a lush and complex wine, with an evocative nose of ripe pear, mineral, smoke and flint, that opens up to show great density and length on the palate. Superb. The Guffens style of winemaking is to choose ripe fruit, crush prior to pressing and then press in one single go, barrelling down with most of the lees and fermenting in 25% new casks. This selection of the best terroirs produces a rich result, with a very smoky, reductive side. As Guffens notes: 'It is the grapes and the method that make the difference.' Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Henri Boillot | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère) | 2020 | 96 | The primacy of the citrus and green apple fruit is dramatic, but there is depth and nuance here as well, not to mention fresh acidity and enough extract to make the finish linger enticingly on the palate. Boillot’s Clos de la Mouchère is a monopole of nearly 4ha in the lieu-dit Les Perrières. The vines are more than 80 years of age, and each section is vinified and matured separately in cask (70% new). This wine has surprising volume, concentration and length – assuredly close to grand cru in quality. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Henri Boillot | Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | This is produced from a 0.32ha parcel that lies right on the border between Puligny and Chassagne. The wine also seems to be a balance between the two, with a bit of the power and depth of the Chassagne side, opposite some of the silky finesse and elegance of Puligny. Fermented and aged in 50% new wood, this is a wine that has a seamless integration of citrus and orchard fruit, floral notes, and a richer, creamy, buttery side that will age spectacularly well over time. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey | Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Exquisite, with notes of fresh flowers, ripe pear, spice and butter. The texture is rich but not overly so, and there is plenty of crisp acidity to bring it into balance, and ensure that the finish is long. The domaine owns 0.08ha in the very centre of Bâtard, on the Chassagne side but on the border with Puligny. The grapes are lightly crushed and gently pressed before fermenting in a proportion of large casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey | Meursault (1er Cru Perrières) | 2020 | 96 | The wine is super-rich and concentrated, with pronounced aromas that range from lemon peel to passionfruit. It is an impressively powerful wine, but there is a creamy, delicate side to it as well. Marvellous. The domaine completes the work in the vineyard for this 0.25ha parcel of vines, although in the end Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey purchases must, not grapes. Despite this difficulty, it manages each year to produce an exemplary Perrières. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Albert Bichot | Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 95 | A wine with subtle ripe pear and floral notes that are refreshingly not overly marked by the wood. The texture is silky and fine, and despite the warmth of the year there is very pleasant tension and balance. Well done. Made from purchased grapes picked on the 24th of August. The grapes were gently pressed and briefly settled before fermentation in used casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Bouchard Père & Fils | Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru | 2020 | 95 | At the very top of the hill planted on white marl, this four-hectare parcel is typically the last one to be picked - there is the elevation but also a wind that is always blowing here. The nose has a pronounced lemon peel and green apple fruit with a delightful, saline minerality. There is not a lot of oak spice or malo notes - only 20% new wood is used for the fermentation. On the palate, there is a laser focus and impressive finesse. With time it opens to show a lovely depth and complexity. Really top. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Château de la Tour, Blanc de Clos de Vougeot | Vin de France | 2020 | 95 | According to the research of Edouard Labet, there is potential for white wines in the Clos de Vougeot. He has planted a small amount of Pinot Beurot [aka Pinot Gris], which he will commercialise as a Vin de France. The aromas are exotic, spicy, and dense, with a nose of ripe pear and almost a bit of the velvety feel of Alsace to it. The wine is matured for 18 months in cask (30% new) to produce this delightful and refreshing result that should also age well. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Blain-Gagnard | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Caillerets) | 2020 | 95 | Round, complete and marvellous, yet does not lack the pleasant tension that carries it to the next level. The nose features a combination of citrus and tropical fruit that reflects the nature of Caillerets as a 'millefeuille de calcaire' in the words of Jean-Marc Blain. The parcel in Caillerets stretches all along the lieu-dit, from the white marls at the top of the slop to the darker terres rouges near Boudriotte. The holding totals 0.56ha. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Blain-Gagnard | Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 95 | A lovely, balanced and rich effort. Although the nose is a bit closed, the wine opens up nicely on the palate, with a very buttery and rich fruit character that is totally typical of Bâtard. From nearly a half-hectare of old vines aged between 50-70 years in three separate parcels in Bâtard. One of these has been recently replanted, and in general the estate does not want all old vines. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Montille | Meursault (1er Cru Perrières) | 2020 | 95 | Opens with a focused laser beam of lemony fruit, with saline mineral notes, a bit of smoke and spice. There is plenty of tension and freshness on the palate, but there is also no lack of the typical Meursault richness and depth. Very impressive. From the 0.45ha parcel in upper Perrières formerly farmed by the Château de Puligny-Montrachet. After pressing, the wines are fermented in a combination of large and small casks (30% new). Drinking Window: 2023 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Montille | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Caillerets) | 2020 | 95 | The stony soils here have produced a wine of admirable substance and depth, yet also of extraordinary balance. Citrus fruits and just a suggestion of honey on the nose, a bit of creamy richness from the maturation in 30% new casks, and impressive, minerally salinity, with a marvellous, lingering finish. The domaine owns a 0.85ha parcel here that touches Montrachet, just up the slope from Les Pucelles. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Montille | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Folatières) | 2020 | 95 | Displays lovely concentration of bright passionfruit and lemon peel, with a hint of spice and plenty of salty mineral notes. There is abundant tension on the palate between the crisp acidity and the admirable breadth that leads to an impressive finish. The half-hectare in Folatières is sandwiched at midslope between the holdings of Domaine Leflaive and Domaine Leroy in clay and limestone soils, just behind the small patch of trees here. The fruit is lightly crushed before pressing and is fermented and aged in cask, 30% new (all from the Damy cooperage). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Comtes Lafon | Meursault (1er Cru Les Charmes) | 2020 | 95 | Rich and powerful, with aromas of ripe apple, butter and toast. The wine is certainly dense, yet there is no lack of balancing acidity and the wine remains vibrant and fresh, even in a hot year like 2020. This is from a magnificent holding of 1.71ha on the southern (Puligny) end, next to the Combettes of Sauzet. The grapes are lightly crushed and gently pressed prior to fermentation in cask (one-quarter new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Comtes Lafon | Meursault (1er Cru Les Porusots) | 2020 | 95 | Lovely purity of fruit, with ripe apple, apricot and quince aromas, then hints of white flowers, citrus peel and spice. The texture is rich, waxy, and long; a superb wine. Lafon has nearly a hectare in Porusots, acquired from René Manuel in a métayage agreement in 2010. In 2020 the grapes were picked at 13.5% potential alcohol and lightly crushed prior to being run into cask (25% new) for fermentation and ageing. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Caillerets) | 2020 | 95 | A wine of great finesse, showing bright lemony fruit, with hints of acacia flowers and marzipan on the nose. On the palate, the wine retains admirable acidity and an effortless lightness on the finish. Caillerets is actually an umbrella for grapes from En Caillerets, Combards, Chassagne and Vigne Derrière; Jean-Noël Gagnard is in the first two lieux-dits. Caroline Lestimé remarked that the vines suffered incredibly from the heat in 2020 and ripening was blocked for a time, although she considers this a 'top-level' premier cru. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Joseph Faiveley | Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 95 | The aromas of ripe apple, butter and honey all stem from the natural richness of Bâtard in conjunction with the heat of the year. Abandon yourself to hedonism and enjoy. Picked on the 20th of August, this 0.35ha plot at the northern (Puligny) end of Bâtard was acquired in 2008 from Jean-Pierre Monnot. Faiveley used all its knowledge of canopy management to avoid over-ripeness. The wine is certainly rich, but many will appreciate this. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Paul Pillot, Les Masures | Chassagne-Montrachet | 2020 | 95 | Ripe pear and quince aromas, a hint of smoke and mineral, plus an understated buttery aroma. On the palate there is a rich, creamy texture balanced by fresh acidity and tension that leads to a lingering finish. This village-level lieu-dit lies in the centre of the appellation just south of the village, on the other side of the road from Les Champs Gain. The fruit was picked early in 2020 to ensure proper balance, and the grapes were gently pressed and fermented in large used casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Champ-Canet) | 2020 | 95 | There is ripe apple fruit, a bit of honey and some walnut on the nose. The texture shows a bit more richness and warmth, yet it retains an essential elegance and balance that carry it to impressive length. Well done. Emilie Boudot and Benoît Riffault farm a hectare here, near the border with Meursault. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Champ Gain) | 2020 | 95 | This has a lovely buttery nose and a ripe pear fruit, with a lovely minerality that comes through. The texture is compact, tightly wound, but not overweight at all. A lovely effort. High on the slope, Sauzet farms 0.28ha at the same elevation as Blagny. Yet, this is an early-ripening site that was picked at 13.5% potential alcohol in 2020. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Henri Boillot | Meursault (1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or) | 2020 | 95 | The slightly reductive winemaking has kept a bright, lemony freshness to the wine, yet it is not at all lacking mineral depth. Recent years have seen much less new wood - this is about 25% - and the wine has a compelling purity. Still, there is traditional Meursault richness here, and some hazelnut and butter on the finish. Very well done. From a domaine-owned parcel of 4 ouvrées (0.12ha), this is among the most impressive Gouttes d'Or that I have tasted this trip. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Henri Boillot | Puligny-Montrachet | 2020 | 95 | Lovely, smoky mineral and citrus peel notes on the nose, then a lively, vibrant tension on the palate, even in a hot year like 2020. Well done. It's a particularly good village-level wine produced from the 1.18ha of domaine-owned vines in Puligny that are spread across Les Enseignères, Les Charmes and Les Houillères. The grapes are gently crushed and pressed before being run into cask with much of the lees for fermentation and ageing. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Louis Jadot, Duc de Magenta | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Clos de la Garenne) | 2020 | 95 | Clos de la Garenne is located within Champ Canet, above Clos de la Mouchère, where Domaine Duc de Magenta has 0.84ha of 80-year-old vines that Jadot rents. Lightly crushed and fermented in cask (25% new), this gives a powerful wine, citrusty and crisp, with immense concentration and a very lively balance, even in the heat of 2020. A marvellous wine and something to seek out. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Louis Jadot, Les Demoiselles | Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 95 | A wine of impressive tension and length. The aromas begin with lemon peel and a saline minerality, before growing in richness to include fresh quince and ripe apricots. The best whites in 2020 - such as this one - balance acidity with richness and are a treat. This plot of Chevalier, just a bit over a half-hectare, was upgraded to grand cru from premier cru Caillerets. In times of global warming, this location at the top of the slope is perfect for Chardonnay. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru La Garenne) | 2020 | 95 | A wine with a lovely mineral freshness and plentiful citrus aromas. The is very crisp and refreshing. Delightful. One of two wines in the cellar (with the Chevalier) that are from purchased fruit. The total surface represents 1.1ha, located high on the hill. Despite the altitude, the fruit ripened to 13.5% alcohol, and the grapes were lightly pressed and fermented in cask (20% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru La Truffière) | 2020 | 95 | This domaine-owned parcel stands slightly apart from the rest of the cellar. It seems much more focused on delicate floral aromas, with an almost iris or lilac note on the nose, although there are still elements of citrus, smoke and mineral that come through. It is priced somewhat higher than the other premiers crus (except Combettes) and is an intermediate stage before the grands crus. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Combettes) | 2020 | 95 | This wine is decidedly a bit more tropical than many of the others in the cellar, with notes of passionfruit and almost coconut on the initial attack. The parcel is located at an altitude between that of Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet. There is still impressive depth and complexity here, and a supple, balanced feel on the palate which avoids the trap of heaviness. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Perrières) | 2020 | 95 | A buttery, ripe apple fruit, with a hint of mineral and a suggestion of beeswax. The palate is rich and hedonistic, although it lacks a bit of the lemony freshness some will love. Sauzet farms 0.6ha in Perrières at the bottom of the premier cru band that gives a rich, dense result. The grapes are lightly pressed and fermented in cask (20% new) before ageing two winters. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Referts) | 2020 | 95 | Here at the base of the slope, Sauzet farms 0.7ha in fairly dense clay soils. The result is a wine that is rich indeed, with ripe apple fruit, an element of honey and roasted hazelnut. The palate is massive, almost fat, although it is not flabby - there is still acidity here, yet it is rich. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey | St-Aubin (1er Cru Chatenière) | 2020 | 95 | Aromas of ripe pears and acacia blossom. There is a rich, waxy buttery quality on the palate and plenty of depth. This wine has the concentration and charm of Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey's more famous crus at a much more accessible price. The south-facing slopes that line the left side of the road to Chagny provide a climate that ripens fruit well – this is essentially a continuation of En Remilly. In 2020, the ripeness was perfectly correct, with an alcohol of approximately 12.5%. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Caillerets) | 2020 | 95 | From a parcel of 0.17ha at the very top of the slope in thin chalky soils over the mother rock. The location brings ripeness while ensuring the grapes retain a lively acidity, and the result opens with lemon peel and ripe apricot aromas, complemented by saline mineral notes. There is tension and structure on the palate, but a supple ripeness as well. Lovely. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Benjamin Leroux | Meursault (1er Cru La Pièce sous le Bois) | 2020 | 94 | Lemony and bright, with pleasant mineral notes from the thin, rocky limestone soils. The wine has plenty of structure, and there is richness countered by freshness. A dynamic and delicious wine. Leroux farms 1.65ha in Blagny for white wine. The grapes in 2020 were picked at 13.5% potential alcohol and pressed as whole clusters without crushing. The juice was run into used casks with a large percentage of the lees for fermentation and ageing. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Bouchard Père & Fils, Clos St-Landry | Beaune (1er Cru) | 2020 | 94 | At mid-slope underneath the Montagne Saint-Désiré near the southern extremity of the appellation, Bouchard has almost two hectares on this relatively flat site with marly soil that ripens fruit well. There is a nice balance between the apricot and citrus tendencies on the nose, which is less marked by the wood, yet still reveals spice, hazelnut, and brioche notes. The texture is dense without being in any way heavy. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Bouchard Père & Fils | Meursault (1er Cru Genevrières) | 2020 | 94 | Bouchard is the owner of two parcels of Genevrières that total 2.65 ha: 1.65ha on the thin soils of the steeper part of the slope that gives a more mineral result, and another hectare below that in deeper soils. The combination produces a classic Meursault with a ripe apple fruit, notes of butter and hazelnut, and a rich, dense structure but always (even in 2020) a pleasantly saline minerality. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Bouchard Père & Fils | Meursault (1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or) | 2020 | 94 | The grapes for this wine are from the half-hectare on the border with Porusot. Despite its midslope location, this ripens late. The fruit is pressed as whole clusters and fermented in cask, with no more than 15% new. Rather surprisingly for the vintage, there is a lovely green apple and citrus fruit on the nose here and surprising freshness on the palate, although the wine never loses its typical Meursault richness and density. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Bruno Colin | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Blanchots Dessus) | 2020 | 94 | Lively, crisp fresh fruit with notes of citrus, green apple and hints of white flowers on the attack. On the palate the wine is crisp and elegant, yet there is enough richness and depth to ensure that this will age for years to come. This tiny parcel of 0.13ha yields marvellously concentrated grapes that are lightly crushed prior to pressing and then briefly settled before fermentation. The ferment is on native yeasts and starts in tank before being run into cask (15% new) to finish. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Bruno Colin | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru En Remilly) | 2020 | 94 | This is a wine of extraordinary balance and complexity that begins with aromas of lemon peel and minerals, then moves on to ripe apricots and white flowers. On the palate there is a refreshingly crisp acidity, but the lasting impression is one of density and length. This is not far off grand cru quality. This particularly interesting premier cru touches the top of Chevalier-Montrachet and leads to St-Aubin at the other end. Colin farms 0.47ha and picked at 13% potential alcohol in 2020. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Bruno Colin | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru La Truffière) | 2020 | 94 | The wine has a pronounced lemon peel and mineral nose of impressive concentration, and on the palate there is a lively, fresh acidity tempered by pleasant richness and breadth. The dynamic equilibrium leads this to a lingering, satisfying finish. Bruno Colin farms nearly a half-hectare of vines in Puligny La Truffière, located far up the slope, almost in Blagny. The grapes are gently pressed and fermented in cask (15% new) before ageing for 17 months. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Bruno Colin | St-Aubin (1er Cru Charmois) | 2020 | 94 | A lovely, unexpectedly good and elegant wine of considerable concentration, with ripe apple and citrus notes, pleasing nuance developing on the palate, and a texture that is dense yet weightless. This wine is made from a 0.18ha parcel of St-Aubin on the east-facing slopes opposite En Remilly. The vines were planted in 1959 and are sustainably farmed. Pressing is gentle, and the wine is fermented in 350-litre casks (no more than 25% new). In the 2020 vintage, the alcohol level ended up under 13.5%, with a pH under 3.2. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Chanson | Corton-Vergennes Grand Cru | 2020 | 94 | Beguiling, with great purity of pear and apple fruit, hints of mineral, spice, and a suggestion of buttery richness. The texture is waxy and dense, and the wine should age well for years to come. This vineyard represents the northern limit of Domaine Chanson. It is also one of the smallest parcels: there is just a half-hectare in one parcel at the foot of the slope, down from Le Rognet in poor, stony soils. The fruit is gently pressed and aged 12–14 months in cask (25% new). Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Comtes Lafon | Meursault | 2020 | 94 | Ripe and lush, with notes of hazelnut and butter enlivened by aromas of ripe apple and citrus; this wine is among the great classics of the Côte de Beaune. It is a blend of village-level lieux-dits such as En la Barre (next to the house) and En Luralue, with the younger declassified fruit from premier crus such as Charmes and Genevrières. This represents a total surface of just over 2.5ha. The fruit ripened to an average of 14% alcohol in 2020, and the grapes are lightly crushed then run into cask for fermentation. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Clos de la Barre | Meursault | 2020 | 94 | Possesses a forward, opulent nose, with notes of citrus and smoke rounded out with riper elements and a bit of spice. The texture is structured and fresh, but there is no lack of density. An exemplary and superb Meursault. This iconic, village-level monopole of the domaine covers more than 2ha just behind Lafon's house in Meursault. The original vines date to the 1950s, with replanting since then. The slope is fairly shallow in thin clay soils directly over limestone. The fruit is lightly crushed and settled before being run into tank for fermentation (maximum 10% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Désirée | Meursault | 2020 | 94 | A wine with all the butter and toasted hazelnut aromas that one could want from a Meursault. The texture is rich and dense, with impressive length but a bit less tension than some of the other offerings from this domaine. This wine is from a parcel of 0.45ha in Plures - if it were planted to Pinot Noir it would be Volnay Santenots. Lafon prefers the 19th century name of Désirée to Plures and for this he gave up the premier cru designation. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Comtes Lafon | Meursault (1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or) | 2020 | 94 | The wine shows aromas of ripe apple and quince, with elements of chamomile and grapefruit. It shows definite presence on the palate, with rich extract and notable persistence on the finish. Lafon's Gouttes d'Or are located on 0.4ha a bit lower on the slope in somewhat heavier clay soils. This brings a richness to the wine that many will find very appropriate in this appellation. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac, Blanc | Morey-St-Denis | 2020 | 94 | Shows a lovely ripe apricot and lemon peel fruit, with a hint of spice, in a waxy, dense texture that is broad on the palate but not heavy. Dujac has planted Chardonnay in a 0.65ha parcel of village-level vines. The grapes are lightly pressed and fermented in tank prior to ageing for a year in cask (20% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Combettes) | 2020 | 94 | 60-year-old vines deliver plenty of richness, but there is also a very fresh side here, with a lemony fruit, a mineral edge and a hint of smoke - very 'Puligny'. The texture recalls the density of a Meursault with the crisp nature of a typical Puligny and it's a charming balance. Dujac farms a parcel of 0.62ha in Puligny Combettes near the border with Meursault. The grapes are lightly crushed and fermented in cask (20% new), where it will stay for 16 months (with a further six in tank). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Ferret, Hors Classe Tournant de Pouilly | Mâconnais (Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Les Reisses) | 2020 | 94 | Shows a pronounced ripe apple character, with hints of hazelnut and chamomile. On the palate, there is density, power and length—a noble wine. In the language of the house, this has long been labelled 'Hors Classe - Tournant de Pouilly'; it is known officially as premier cru Les Reisses. The soil is very chalky and sits on a low-fertility foundation of Bathonian limestone. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru La Romanée) | 2020 | 94 | This is a superb wine for those who appreciate fresh acidity and minerally finesse. The aromas open with a distinct saline, lemon peel nose and expand out with a bit of time. Lively and crisp on the palate, it is tightly focused but not lacking in depth. Marvellous. This east-facing parcel of 0.35ha is at the very top of the hill where the slope is steep, the soil is thin and can't hold water. Accordingly, it is normally the last to be picked. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson | St-Aubin (Les Perrières 1er Cru) | 2020 | 94 | Lemony and fresh, with impressive finesse, concentration and minerally power; a wine which never loses its essential elegance. This is a supremely refreshing wine that lingers elegantly on the palate. Superb. Exuberant and expressive, this is from younger vines on east-facing slopes in the village. The fruit is lightly crushed prior to pressing and run into cask (10% new) with most of the lees for fermentation and ageing. No sulphur is used prior to bottling. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Clos de la Maltroie) | 2020 | 94 | Notes of passionfruit and coconut, with a hint of grapefruit on the initial attack. The aromas are somewhat marked by the oak at present, but this should resolve with time. This is produced with grapes located in a 0.34ha parcel in the lower part of Maltroie. Lestimé esteems it a 'second level premier cru' and in fact it lacks the incisive energy and vibrant acidity of the sites higher up on the slope. The grapes are lightly crushed prior to pressing, and the must is run into cask (one-third new) for fermentation. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Petits Clos) | 2020 | 94 | Shows expressive tropical aromas, with an edge of hazelnut and mineral. On the palate there is a silky texture enlivened by crisp refreshing acidity that leads the wine to a pleasantly persistent finish. This 0.32ha parcel is a premier cru of the 'top level' according to winemaker Caroline Lestimé. It is located in Morgeot, but higher on the slope, and has thus taken the name of the specific lieu-dit in recent years. She has fermented part in tank and part in cask this year (one-third new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Paul Pillot | Chassagne-Montrachet | 2020 | 94 | This is an elegant and stylish wine, with lemon-scented fruit but no lack of depth. It is produced from two parcels of 50-year-old vines that total a half-hectare in the Morgeot section on the southern border, including the lieux-dits Les Chaumes and Les Plantes Mornières. The grapes are lightly crushed before pressing, and fermented in primarily used casks to produce this delightful example. Among the best village-level Chassagnes out there. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Paul Pillot | St-Aubin (1er Cru Charmois) | 2020 | 94 | An impressive, citrus-scented wine, with saline mineral notes and a texture that has surprising depth, persistence, and length. The domaine owns the parcel of 50-year-old, east-facing vines just south of En Remilly which produced this delicious wine. The wine was fermented on native yeasts in 350-litre casks (10% new). Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Paul Pillot | St-Aubin (1er Cru Les Pitangerets) | 2020 | 94 | Lovely density, with good freshness and definition of citrus and green apple fruit, mineral notes, plus a hint of smoke. Lovely. Thierry Pillot farms just over a half-hectare in Pitangerets, on south-facing slopes on the edge of Chassagne. According to Pillot, it is a cool, stony site, yet in 2020 it produced a result with a fair amount of richness. The must is lightly settled and fermented in large, older casks with a long maturation. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Pierre Vessigaud | Mâconnais (Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Les Reisses) | 2020 | 94 | A nice mix of lemon peel and passionfruit, with a texture that is both silky and firmly fresh, almost chiseled. A super wine. The Vessigaud holding in the east-facing premier cru Les Reisses has now increased to 0.5ha of vines between 60-80 years of age. The wine handling has also evolved, using a shorter settling to ferment and with more lees. This gives the wine a beautiful texture and a lovely point of 'good bitterness'. The must is fermented in old 600-litre demi-muids to preserve the purity of the fruit. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Puligny-Montrachet | 2020 | 94 | Pleasantly ripe apple and floral notes. There is not too much tension, but the acidity is not really lacking - the wine is refreshing but not brisk. Well done. This is large cuvée - 12 parcels spread over seven lieux-dits. The grapes were picked on the 22nd August at pH 3.2. Lightly crushed and settled, then fermented in cask (15% new). Drinking Window: 2023 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Etienne Sauzet | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Hameau de Blagny) | 2020 | 94 | There is a definite citrus peel element to the aromatics here, but also a lovely note of acacia flowers and spice. The texture is fresh and lively, and the weight and balance are very elegant, particularly for the 2020 vintage. This comes from a parcel that is a bit lower on the slope than La Garenne. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Henri Boillot | Meursault | 2020 | 94 | A wine with an incredible purity of citrus fruit and just a hint of reduction, plus a buttery note and a creamy texture that come out on the palate. Marvellous. This textbook Meursault is produced from domaine-owned parcels such as the Clos du Cromin, En la Barre and Casse Têtes, as well as fruit purchased from Narvaux, Tillets, Limosin, Chevalières and Petits Charrons. The grapes are lightly crushed and pressed in a state-of-the-art vertical press with the cage sealed. The must is fermented in cask (20% new). Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Henri Boillot | Meursault (1er Cru Genevrières) | 2020 | 94 | The result is a bit closed initially, but with time the fruit begins to take shape - ripe pear, beeswax, mineral and marzipan. The texture is very subtle and elegant, retaining a surprising level of acidity that leads it to a lovely, lingering finish. Produced from a domaine-owned parcel of 0.16ha, the fruit is lightly crushed and pressed in a vertical press, prior to fermenting in cask (25% new) and ageing for 14 months. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Henri Boillot | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Folatières) | 2020 | 94 | The wine has a bright nose of green apple, with an edge of acacia flower and a suggestion of honey. The texture is dense and substantial, but far from being heavy, the wine is opulent yet deftly balanced. Produced from purchased fruit that was crushed lightly prior to pressing and run into cask (50% new), with a good proportion of lees for fermentation and ageing. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Henri Boillot | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Combettes) | 2020 | 94 | The domaine owns 0.45ha of 50-year-old vines here, next to Girardin. This is nearly always among the ripest vineyards of the property. Here the result has aromas of ripe apple, toast and hazelnuts, and the reductive winemaking contributes to the lively freshness and density on the palate. Although this seems approachable early, it will undoubtedly age well too. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Henri Boillot | Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Pucelles) | 2020 | 94 | Reductive handling in the winery has produced a wine with bright lemon peel and apple fruit, along with hints of smoke, mineral and just a touch of struck match. The texture is fresh and lively, lighter than the Folatières for example. The balance between the crisp acidity and the rich extract draw this to a lovely, lingering finish. Should age well. Boillot owns just over a half-hectare of 50-year-old vines in Pucelles that has produced a wine of great elegance and depth, despite the heat in 2020. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Clos du Four | Mâconnais (Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine) | 2020 | 94 | A ripe apple fruit tending slightly towards the tropical. The fruit is pressed as whole clusters and fermented in large casks to give a wine of lovely concentration, complexity and expressiveness - one of the top wines of the Mâconnais. Lafon has 1.4ha in the Clos du Four, which is considered one of the premier sites in the Mâcon appellation. The east-facing vineyard with its stony soils is planted mid-slope at about 250m, making it one of the later-ripening sites, but the fruit ripens well here. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Louis Jadot | Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 2020 | 94 | It is classic Bâtard, rich and almost honeyed. The wine avoids heaviness, however, and simply tends toward the richer side of the spectrum. This is made from fruit purchased from the Puligny side, most of it from very old vines. It is done in large, double-sized casks to reduce the influence of the wood. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Louis Jadot, Domaine Gagey, Le Clos Blanc | Beaune (1er Cru Grèves) | 2020 | 94 | Bright lemony fruit, hints of acacia flower and chamomile. The texture has a waxy and rich texture, but there is plenty of freshness to balance this weight. A very nice success. Domaine Gagey has 1.1ha in Beaun Grèves that made lovely wine in 2020. The grapes were very lightly crushed and pressed prior to fermentation in cask (25% new) and ageing on the lees. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Maison Chanson | Corton-Vergennes Grand Cru | 2020 | 94 | A lovely wine, with notes of green apple, ripe apricot and quince, coloured with floral and mineral accents. The texture is broad and deep, with a substantial heft to the wine, but enough freshness to balance the inherent richness.This half-hectare, single-block parcel of white Corton represents the northernmost vineyard of the domaine. A further 0.15ha of the stony soil has recently been replanted. The grapes are gently pressed and fermented in cask (one-quarter new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Maison Chanson | Pernand-Vergelesses (1er Cru En Caradeux) | 2020 | 94 | There is an abundant green apple fruit, with an edge of lemon peel and mineral. There is plenty of tension and freshness, but the wine is still ripe, broad and well-built. Lovely. Chanson has 1.88ha here, making it the largest landowner. The vines face due east at midslope in a stony, silty soil on a very steep slope, making this a very cool terroir. The grapes are pressed as whole clusters without crushing, settled briefly, and fermented in cask (20% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey | Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot) | 2020 | 94 | The fruit is lightly crushed before being slowly pressed and briefly settled prior to fermentation in mostly neutral casks. The result is less lemony than many of the Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey bottlings, and this shows lovely aromas of ripe apricot, hay and beeswax, within a creamy, dense texture that is classic Chassagne. This subsection of Morgeot is on the gentle slopes below Les Grands Clos and Les Petits Clos, where the domaine has just over a half-hectare of vines. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey | St-Aubin (1er Cru En Remilly) | 2020 | 94 | Ripe apricot fruit, with hints of quince and spice on the nose, this is superbly elegant, with a subtly plump texture and impressive length; a superb wine. Colin owns 0.65ha spread over three parcels in this lieu-dit. The grapes were lightly crushed and fermented mostly in large neutral casks, with a high proportion of lees. Malo finished in March, with no batonnage at all. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Verget, Sur la Roche | Mâconnais (Mâcon-Vergisson) | 2020 | 94 | There is a supremely lively lemony freshness on the nose, accented with a saline minerality and subtle shadings of white flowers. The aromas carry over on the palate, particularly the minerality. Despite the cool climate here, the wine is not lacking richness - the Guffens style, ably executed by winemaker Julien Desplantes, sees to that. This site near the Rock of Vergisson is exposed to the northeast. Further around the rock to due north would be St-Veran. These are high-altitude, poor soils directly on the limestone and this is always the last parcel to be picked. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Verget, Le Haut de la Roche | Mâconnais (Pouilly-Fuissé) | 2020 | 94 | This Pouilly-Fuissé is produced from a site at the top of Sur la Roche, part of which is premier cru. The top of the lieu-dit, however, was not classified, hence the name. Here the soils are more directly on the limestone and the combination of this soil, the altitude and the south-facing slope gives the wine an exquisite balance between lemony freshness and a rich, almost tropical, orchard fruit character. Elements of mineral, butter and spice mingle on the lingering finish. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details |