A strikingly pure cool and airy nose is comprised by notes of the essence of red pinot fruit floral and discreet forest floor wisps. There is almost painful intensity to the chiseled and overtly stony medium weight flavors that... Read More

This too is quite firmly reduced. The sleek and intense medium weight flavors possess very good tension as well as a lovely minerality that becomes more apparent on the slightly firmer youthfully austere finish that is also moderately... Read More

Notions of sweet strawberries plums red berries and spices preface the 2020 Mercurey Le Châpitre a medium-bodied lively and refined wine with a bright core of fruit powdery tannins and a long mouthwateringly mineral finish. Checking... Read More

60% new wood 40% one year old. Rich dense fresh purple nose has a punchy fresh fruit too shows the oak more than most and there is a faint smoky bandaid tone behind with a few tannins at the edge. But clean and pure. On the palate.... Read More

100% new wood. Rich purple just a little bit meaty. There is a wealth of fruit from the start on the palate very clean fills the front of the mouth then continues through to managed wood tannins at the back. Good long clean finish.... Read More

Black with a bit of purple. The bouquet offers a similar style of ultra lush raspberry that we saw in the Bourgogne. An explosion of fruit with density some firm structure behind not too much acidity but all a cohesive unit with... Read More

Rich full purple a heady but attractive nose holding up well. Still mostly in the raspberry register but there is a firm structure and some freshness to the finish. 20% whole bunch is helping. Good long finish. An early malolactic... Read More

3 new barrels in 11. Just as deep and dark purple with a powerful nose that is nonetheless a little bit less lush. Only a bit though as the very dark fruit takes over with firm tannins and good acidity or even salinity. Blacker... Read More

Thomas has enough fruit to vinify two vats using 40% whole bunches for Les Violettes and none for Quartiers de Nuits to make 20% for the whole cuvée which is assembled as soon as the wine goes to barrel. Vibrant purple a very... Read More

A mildly toasty nose surrounds the cool red currant cherry and raspberry-scented aromas. There is good minerality and excellent punch to the nicely detailed and delicious medium-bodied flavors that possess a bit better mid-palate... Read More

This red has underlying power along with a smooth texture that frames its black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors. Offers accents of licorice oak spice and tobacco that add depth. Fine length. Best from 2024 through 2033. 500... Read More

As was the case with both Beaune bottlings at the time of my visit the 2020 Gevrey “Vieilles Vignes� was also already assembled in tank for bottling at the

The old vine bottling of Ostrea which hails from four parcels of vines that lie near the Brochon border in Gevrey many of which were planted all the way back in 1919. These very old vines seem to be less bothered by seasons with... Read More

The Domaine Trapet Marsannay is always so good that I asked Jean-Louis on this trip if the family ever held back any bottles in the cellar to see how the wine evolved with age. He laughed and said “no it is something we really... Read More

Firm reduction renders the nose impossible to properly assess. More interesting are the finer but not richer medium weight flavors that offer solid depth and length on the balanced finale. While this will need a few years of cellaring... Read More

This is also quite spicy with slightly cooler aromas of plum dark cherry violet lavender and hints of exotic tea. The sleek intense and serious medium-bodied flavors culminate in a firm complex and impressively long finale. This... Read More

This too is very fresh and restrained with its softly spicy but overtly floral array of poached plum and exotic tea nuances. There is fine density and power to the vibrant and even robust medium-bodied flavors that offer very... Read More

A restrained and cool if quite pretty nose reluctantly offers up its array of spiced tea red currant plum and a top note of violet. There is good generosity to the rich and succulent yet still reasonably well-detailed flavors... Read More

Rich deep purple, this also has an almost too ripe nose but more in ultra ripe grapes rather than prunes, and the acidity is good. This will fill out nicely, there is already a wealth of flesh backed by a few tannins, so all should... Read More

A mildly toasty nose speaks of poached plum game underbrush and plenty of sauvage character. The delicious intense and well-detailed flavors flash even more minerality on the sappy austere and balanced finish that is sufficiently... Read More

A wine of great elegance and bright fruit. The structure is lively and fresh but in a hot year like 2020 there is enough extract here to satisfy. Les Charmois is a village-level lieu-dit located to the south of the village facing... Read More

The 2018 Santenay Gravité is a blend of the oldest parcels (0.35-hectares) of low-yielding vines that suffer court-noué in two Premier and one Village Cru vineyards. It has a gentle nose that unfolds with aeration pure blackberry... Read More

Firm reduction blocks an evaluation of the nose though there is good verve to the sleeker but not necessarily denser medium-bodied flavors that display noticeable rusticity on the slightly more structured finish that also exhibits... Read More

The 2020 Vosne-Romanée from Maison Joseph Drouhin was showing even better potential at the time of my visit at the end of November

Once again the expressive and layered nose is notably ripe while managing to retain good freshness to the baked plum cassis and spice aromas. There is excellent density to the intense sappy and palate coating medium-bodied flavors... Read More

The Champs Saint Etienne bottling from the Roty family is made from a parcel of vines that are over fifty years of age. The 2019 version is another excellent Marsannay in the making delivering a fine bouquet of black cherries... Read More

Full red-fruit aromas with a touch of smoky oak plus a generous tannin structure make a bold statement. Slightly robust on the mid-palate but more polished at the finish. Drink or hold.

Toasty spicy aromas introduce this rich silky red whose black cherry and blackberry flavors and texture envelop fine-grained tannins. Lively and well-integrated with a lingering aftertaste of licorice mineral and spice. Best from... Read More

The last vineyard to be picked though with global warming the Evocelles cuvée is less strict than it used to be. The 2019 offers racy cherry and raspberry notes medium density but notable persistence showing its limestone soil.... Read More

The 2019 Monthélie Rouge comes from seven parcels in five different climats. It has a delightful red cherry and blueberry bouquet that is very floral in style. The palate is well balanced with succulent blue fruit light spicy... Read More