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 104 red wines wines that scored 96 points and above.
Wines are listed in score order.
| Producer | Appellation | Score | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domaine de la Romanée-Conti | La Tâche Grand Cru Monopole | 2020 | 100 | La Tâche was the most open and accessible of the 2020 vintage wines tasted at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, showing extra layers of depth and complexity that lifted this wine to an even higher plane than usual. There is a beautiful fruit, a silky texture that is dense but not heavy. It is tannic but not hard; strict and straight, yet producing ‘fireworks’ (to use Bertrand de Villaine’s phrase) on the palate. Simply superb, this is one of the best young wines I tasted all year. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2080. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Georges Roumier | Musigny Grand Cru | 2020 | 100 | Despite being marked by the cask at this point, the wine is absolute perfection. Less forward than Roumier's Amoureuses, the wine reveals itself more complex as it opens up, darting from mulberry to pomegranate accented with smoke, mineral and spice along with an almost pungent floral essence. The texture is also perhaps a bit reserved: it is concentrated and firm, with tannic reserves and the extract to carry it through decades of ageing - a tour de force of winemaking. In 2020 Roumier had enough Musigny to produce one cask (new) and a quarter-cask (used) of Musigny. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2080. Click to see full details | |
| Anne Gros | Richebourg Grand Cru | 2020 | 99 | A great Richebourg, without a doubt, it is also a wine that needs time. This is firmly extracted and reveals itself only on the palate with a substantial density and structure. The fruit is not lacking, but it takes time to develop and is strongly coloured by mineral, earth and spice notes. Despite the tannic structure, it still shows a subtle, silky texture on the immensely long finish — a wine to last 50 years. Produced from the 0.6ha that Anne Gros owns (mainly in the lieu-dit Les Véroilles). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé | Musigny Grand Cru | 2020 | 99 | The mature vines in the domaine’s immense holding (5.56ha of old vines) have given us a wine with the youthful, plummy exuberance of Chambolle but with added precision and depth, revealing saline mineral notes, plus hints of flowers and spice. On the palate, the silky texture initially beguiles, and with time the firm structure and long finish become evident. Ageing in 35% new casks helps the wine retain an admirable purity of fruit. The 2020 vintage was the last vinified by François Millet, who took his retirement at a high point in his career. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac | Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 99 | This is a genuinely epic wine: concentrated, tannic and impressively persistent on the palate. Delightful complexity, with lush, approachable red and black fruit, superb minerality and a luxurious floral edge. Packed with substance, this will age for decades to come. The domaine crafts its Chambertin from just over 0.29ha, although most of the vines are located in the Clos de Bèze near the top of the slope, and there is a smaller parcel at midslope at the southern end of Chambertin itself. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2070. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faiveley | Musigny Grand Cru | 2020 | 99 | A stunningly beautiful wine from two small plots that total 0.13ha. The grapes are fermented as 50% whole clusters and since there is so little fruit, the wine is fermented directly in the same cask it will age in (fermentation integrale). There is more than enough substance to overcome the oak, however, and this has profuse aromas that range from pomegranate to black cherry and plum, accented with floral notes of rose petal and peonies, then exotic spices such as star anise and liquorice, along with a bit of smoke from the casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Georges Roumier | Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Amoureuses) | 2020 | 99 | One expects a rich wine, with a profusion of floral and red fruit aromas, and Roumier certainly delivers. 'The surprise of the vintage is the freshness,' according to Roumier. This bright character is brilliantly on view here to perfectly balance the silky density and create a wine of seamless elegance. The clay and limestone soils downslope from Musigny produce a wine that is sometimes seen as the archetype of Chambolle premier cru and the wine produced by Christophe Roumier is consistently among the very best. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat | Richebourg Grand Cru | 2020 | 99 | This is wine of another order. Hudelot-Noëllat farms 0.28ha of Richebourg in the heart of the appellation, next to DRC. His is a Richebourg of elegance rather than power, with extraordinary purity of bright cherry fruit aromas, with hints of rose petal, exotic spice and a mineral depth on the nose. The texture is dense, not heavy, but silky and very fine. With the 2020 vintage, he has achieved a new level of deliciousness with this wine - the intensity and depth of flavour make this one of my top red wines of the vintage. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Jean Grivot | Richebourg Grand Cru | 2020 | 99 | A 'grand cru-plus', this is truly extraordinary wine, with expressive red and black fruits which show a saline minerality and floral notes. The texture is dense but unbelievably silky. Behind that are very firm tannins and substantial extract. A stunning bottle of wine. The grapes are from a parcel of 0.31ha that is upslope from Hudelot-Noëllat and next to Thibault Liger-Belair. The vines were planted in 1949. The grapes are destemmed and gently fermented. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2080. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair | Richebourg Grand Cru | 2020 | 99 | Simply spectacular. Profuse aromas of blackberry and plum, scented with rose petals, peonies, liquorice, spice and salty mineral notes. The texture is opulently rich on the initial attack, but has a formidable amount of tannin and structure behind it. Should age forever. This half-hectare parcel was planted between 1931-1934. It is located on the southern portion of Les Richebourgs just above DRC. Liger Belair ferments one-third of the fruit as whole clusters with a very gentle extraction, using limited punch-downs and a three week cuvaison. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2070. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Trapet Père & Fils | Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 99 | The 2020 Chambertin from Trapet is sublime. It owns 1.85ha over three parcels in a variety of soils and 15% of the vines are trained high on stakes ('en echalas'). This diversity gives a complex fruit expression, from plum and black cherry to pomegranate and red currant, shot through with floral notes, spice and mineral. However, it is also a wine of power and depth, with the tannin and extract to live 80 years or more. One certainty: Trapet has mastered the art of Chambertin. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Maison Pierre Millemann | Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 99 | A super-dense wine, with rich plummy fruit, showing notes of smoke, mineral and earth. The texture is dense and concentrated, yet there is an elegance here as well. As Millemann commented: 'Drinkability is key; a wine is born good, and must be good when it is young'. The grapes that Millemann sourced for the Chambertin come from vines which are more than 70 years of age. The condition of the grapes was such that he could use more than 70% whole clusters in the fermentation. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Château de la Tour, Hommage á Jean Morin | Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | This is a wine of immense potential, yet one that is far from ready to drink. It is made as always from the bunches nearest the trunk of the vines that are more than 80 years of age, giving a super-concentrated wine with tons of substance and depth. It is at present a bit closed, but there is a lovely density of cassis fruit and floral notes that develops on the palate. This is a wine with great intensity, length and tannic grip, but there is still plenty of freshness and elegance. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de la Romanée-Conti | Richebourg Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | As is often the case with this wine at this stage, I find a bit of reduction that comes across as a slightly exotic, savoury and smoky element that I think of as sauvage. The texture initially seems silky and very fine, and the finesse doesn't disappear but with time one sees that it is firm, dense and powerful. As is often the case, picking for DRC began with Richebourg, on 23-24 August (at 13.5% potential alcohol). The old vines in its 3.51ha parcel in the lower lieu-dit of Les Richebourgs ripen well. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2075. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Denis Bachelet | Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | There is an intense black plum aroma, with hints of ginger, liquorice, violets and earth. The concentration of old vines allied with the freshness brought by the Combe Grisard is a sublime combination. The texture of the wine is not heavy nor over-extracted, yet the finish lingers liltingly on the palate seemingly forever - a superb experience. There are two parcels in Aux Charmes that total 0.43ha. Bachelet notes that after three drought years the vines are suffering, yet these old vines (planted between 1907-1917) continue to make epic wine despite these challenges. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair | Échezéaux Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | Headily aromatic, with currant and blackberry fruit, rose petals and anise. The texture is compact, very dense and intensely moreish. The Liger-Belair Echézeaux is among the very best in the appellation. It comes from several different parcels (many in métayage from the Lamadon family), including Les Cruots, Champs Traversin, Clos Saint-Denis and now Echézeaux de Dessus from this year (many of these vines are 70-80 years old). The grapes are gently fermented with the lightest possible pump-overs to avoid over-extraction, and a modest inclusion of whole clusters to maintain the purity of the fruit. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2080. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair | La Romanée Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | The ripe, plummy fruit bears the mark of the robustly warm and dry vintage, but there is immense complexity, with notes of spice, smoke and mineral. There is also a savoury, almost sauvage animal note and a hint of wild herbs. The wine is concentrated and tannic, yet it is still approachable. In all likeliness, it will shut down in the interim, but the potential is enormous and this should be a wine for the ages. Among the best I have had from this site. As with all truly great wines, La Romanée from Liger-Belair is always unique. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2080. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dugat-Py | Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | Dugat-Py used almost 90% whole clusters in the fermentation in 2020, but the wine has no rustic edges, and the focus remains on the finesse and depth of the ripe plummy fruit accented with mineral notes plus a hint of violets. The wine is concentrated, complex and long, yet it retains a consummate elegance despite the power. Dugat-Py produces one of the rarest bottlings of Chambertin, but it is certainly worth seeking out. The wine is produced from a tiny 0.05ha plot of vines planted in 1910 near the top of the slope. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2070. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac | Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | After fermenting as whole clusters and ageing in 70% new casks, the wine has an exotic perfume, with a pronounced pomegranate and black cherry fruit, hints of anise, liquorice, mineral and a savoury, smoky edge. It is tannic and firm, dense with extract, and very long on the finish. Superb. Dujac now farms more than a half-hectare of Bonnes-Mares, including the historical parcels of the domaine on the terres rouges (red clay) soils at the bottom of the slope, as well as the terres blanches acquired further upslope due to the Moillard transaction. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac | Clos St-Denis Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | A vibrant and fresh wine, with bright red cherry fruit, a hint of rose petal and liquorice. The texture is silky yet dense, and the finish lingers impressively on the palate. This superb wine is a perfect response to those who disregard this grand cru. Dujac’s 1.47ha of Clos St-Denis is spread over several parcels and consistently produces one of the most emblematic grands crus of the domaine. In 2020, the Seysses family began picking on the 21st of August to retain freshness. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2070. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac | Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | A spectacular result - nuanced and spicy, with a slight reduction that gives the lush blackberry fruit an exotic, slightly animal edge to it. There are further hints of menthol, earth and leather that in time will make this a wine of tremendous complexity and depth. Simply superb. The 0.17ha of Romanée-St-Vivant has consistently been among the most sought-after from Dujac. In 2020, the harvest started the week of the 21st August. The grapes were primarily vinified as whole bunches with the gentlest possible extraction and ageing in about half-new barrels. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faiveley | Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | This is a tremendous wine, with a ripe, spicy plum and blackberry fruit, touched with notes of mineral and earth. The complexity and depth of flavour only continue to open on the palate which is structured yet approachable, very elegant and round. A delight. This is produced from nearly one hectare of vines in three parcels that they refer to as 'Grands Rangs', 'Clos de Bèze Haut' and 'Vieilles Vignes'. The wine is fermented with a large proportion of whole clusters and is aged in two-thirds new casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faiveley, Les Ouvrées Rodin | Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | The structure is massive, yet the wine still shows accessible aromas of raspberry, mulberry and blackberry liqueur, with a mineral undercurrent and a profusion of floral notes, giving it outstanding depth and nuance. This wine has the substance to age for decades. Faiveley owns several parcels in the Clos de Bèze that total 1.3ha. The Ouvrées Rodin account for one-third of a hectare, a broad swath in the centre of the vineyard. The vines were planted in 1966 and deliver today a wine of incredible concentration and power. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Georges Roumier | Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | Ripe plummy fruit of exceptional purity, suggestions of mineral, smoke and wild roses. Despite the perfumed, ethereal aromas, the wine is broad-shouldered, tannic and powerful. This truly has the substance to age for decades. Domaine Roumier farms 1.6ha of Bonnes-Mares spread over four parcels. There is a mix of the white marl ('terres blanches') at the top of the slope and the red clay ('terres rouges'). Most of the fruit is fermented as whole clusters, extraction is gentle, and the amount of new wood is modest. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Ponsot | Clos de la Roche Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | A stunning wine. One sees the richness of the year in the ripe, dense, plummy fruit, yet it avoids over-concentration and has a lovely freshness as well as impressive depth of flavour. Superb. This wine is one of the touchstones of Morey-St-Denis. Ponsot is the largest landowner in this grand cru, with 3.4ha, two-thirds of it in the historic Clos that forms the core of the appellation. The average age of the vines is 65 years and they were planted using massal selection. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Hubert Lignier, Hommage | Clos de la Roche Grand Cru | 2020 | 98 | Inky dark in colour, showing a ripe, brambly, blackberry fruit, with sweet spice and a marked mineral note. The wine is dense and concentrated, more muscular than some renditions, yet a refreshing acidity brings the wine into a lovely balance. In 1955 the grandparents of Laurent Lignier planted a small parcel in the lieux-dit Les Monts Luisants. Laurent uses the best fruit here to produce this hommage to his grandparents, which is among the top wines being made in the Clos de la Roche today. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Benjamin Leroux | Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Sourced from a 0.15ha parcel on the white marl soil near the top of the slope, with those soils bringing a pronounced mineral note, alongside an element of violets and a high-toned currant fruit. The texture on the palate is tannic and very firm, with ample extract and enough acidity to carry this to an incredibly long finish. This is always one of the highlights of this cellar, and in 2020 it certainly does not disappoint. The grapes are fermented with 15-20% whole-cluster. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Clos de Tart | Clos de Tart Grand Cru Monopole | 2020 | 97 | A towering achievement. The new vintage of Clos de Tart demonstrates the nobility of this terroir with its immense depth of flavour, profoundly ripe red and black fruit, exotic spice, earthy elements and a saline/mineral touch. The texture is dense and firm, yet it is almost palpably voluptuous and still enlivened by a lovely freshness. There is definitely a touch of oak, but not enough to cover up the beauty of the wine. Lovely and special. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Bruno Clair | Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Bruno Clair has a large plot in Bonnes-Mares (1.63ha), with most of it on the Morey-St-Denis side of the vineyard, and largely on the white marl soils called terres blanches. These give a very expressive wine, with a lovely, high-toned raspberry and rose petal nose shot through with notes of mineral and smoke. The wine is done with 30% whole clusters in the ferment and is aged over two winters in cask (30% new) to deliver a wine of purity and elegance. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Bruno Clair | Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | The colour is deep in 2020, with ripe plum and cherry fruit scented with spice and minerals rolling from the glass on the initial attack. The texture on the palate is concentrated but never heavy, with tannic reserves that suggest that this will age for decades. Superb. One of the great treasures of the house, Clair has nearly one hectare here, planted in 1912. The fruit is is chilled after picking and the fermentation starts slowly, with about 30% whole clusters. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Comte Senard | Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | For me, this is the most complete of the Cortons from the domaine. The plum and cherry fruit is forward but discreet, with subtle, earthy nuance and well-integrated oak spice. The texture is silky and elegant yet not lacking at all in structure - an outstanding effort. This Corton is produced from 0.64ha in the centre of the slope between DRC and de Montille. Half of the grapes are vinified as whole clusters after a brief maceration and the wine ages 18 months in cask (40% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine d'Eugénie | Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Powerful dark plum and cassis fruit, with impressive structure and power. Despite the stuffing, this wine never loses sight of its elegance. Bravo! Domaine d’Eugénie is the current proprietor of this parcel which was once owned by Domaine René Engel. It is a 1.34ha plot that averages 60-70 years of age even with some interplanting; the youngest vines are all declassified. The parcel is not far from the Mugneret-Gibourg vines, but the style is very different. 70% whole-cluster. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine d'Eugénie | Grands-Échézeaux Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Displays a deep colour and very ripe red and blackberry fruit, but there is also great finesse and elegance within a fine-grained tannic structure and long finish. Domaine d’Eugénie has long been famous for its Grands Echézeaux. Its half-hectare sits at the end of the appellation next to Echézeaux and upslope from the southern end of the Clos de Vougeot. This site is under the influence of the alluvial fan from the Combe d'Orveaux, making it a cool site. 'Very elegant and ethereal,' in the view of winemaker Michel Mallard. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de la Romanée-Conti | Grands-Échézeaux Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | This year the 'Grands Ech' is a standout. I find it more aromatic than usual with an almost tropical element and a lovely sweetness to the fruit without sacrificing any density or length. A particularly successful Grands Echézeaux which was produced from the domaine's holdings of more than 3.5ha in the central portion of the appellation, just upslope from the Clos de Vougeot. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2075. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de la Romanée-Conti | Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | The 2020 vintage is strikingly bright and fresh given the heat of the year, with expressive, silky cherry fruit and a rose petal edge, crisp acidity yet a lovely balancing ripeness, and a lingering persistence that is a model of finesse and elegance. The days of considering the Romanée-St-Vivant at DRC one of its ‘lesser’ bottlings is long past. The 5.29ha purchased from the Marey-Monge family in 1988 and replanted are delivering today one of the great wines of the appellation. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Comtes Lafon | Volnay (1er Cru Santenots-du-Milieu) | 2020 | 97 | A monumental wine, with super-ripe black cherry and currant fruit accented with rose petals, liquorice, smoke and minerals. Dense and full-bodied in texture, yet vibrantly fresh and superbly long- a marvel. Anyone who thinks Lafon is only about white wine is missing this epic experience. Volnay Santenots is arguably among the top red wines of the Côte de Beaune, and Santenots-du-Milieu is the best portion of it (Lafon owns nearly half of this appellation). He destems the fruit, does a cold soak and punches down regularly before ageing in cask (one-third new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Lambrays | Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Jacques Devauges keeps each portion of the Clos des Lambrays separate throughout the growing season, winemaking and maturation. The final assemblage of each part, however, is synergistically better than any of the separate sections, and there are elements of lovely bright fruit, impressive complexity and dense structure along with fresh, lively and youthful exuberance that all co-exist. A tour de force of winemaking that manages to express the profound nature of the Clos des Lambrays. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac | Clos de la Roche Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Complex and aromatically nuanced, showing well-developed plummy fruit, with accents of earth, leather, smoke and spice. The initial feel on the palate is tannic and concentrated, but the wine is still approachable and supple, with a lovely, long line to the lingering finish. Superb wine. Dujac owns nearly 2ha here, scattered across six parcels and five of the different lieux-dits, including the original Clos de la Roche, Les Froichots, Les Fremières, Monts Luisants and Les Chabiots, giving a balanced view of this grand cru. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Duroché | Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | A compelling interpretation of Bèze, with spicy and concentrated blackberry fruit showing hints of rose petal and peony. On the palate, the wine has it all: concentration, depth of flavour, a silky texture and impressive length. This should easily age for 40-50 years. Sublime. Pierre Duroché farms 0.25ha of the Clos de Bèze, with vines planted in 1920 that go from the bottom of the slope to the top. The fruit is mostly destemmed and gently fermented over a fortnight (both punching down and pumping over). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Duroché | Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Must be tasted to be believed. Copious, forward red and black fruit aromas of great purity are given nuance by a mineral depth from the stony soil. The texture is dense, fleshy and substantial, with a tremendous, compact depth that expands on the palate. Sublime. This tiny production issues from a 0.02ha parcel which, in many years, produces only 100 bottles. The vines were planted in 1923 and yielded a miserly 12-15 hl/ha. As with most cuvées of this size, it is entirely fermented as whole clusters and is aged in used casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faiveley | Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Lovely plum and blackcurrant fruit, with notable floral aromas, a bit of mineral, then hints of spice and smoke. The texture has a lovely richness, with plenty of structure and a firm tannic line, yet it remains approachable and supple. Faiveley owns 1.56ha in Mazis, which they picked at 13.5% potential alcohol in 2020. The grapes were partially destemmed and fermented with a very gentle extraction prior to ageing in 50% new casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg | Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Made from fruit which is wholly destemmed and gently fermented before ageing in cask (70% new). Despite the élevage, the silky dark fruit decorated with aromas of spice and flowers comes through quite clearly, and there is nothing astringent about this marvellous wine. The Mugneret-Gibourg parcel in the Clos de Vougeot yields one of the best wines in the Clos. It was purchased by Dr. Georges Mugneret in 1953 and replanted the following year. It begins at the road leading to the château and descends the slope about halfway, ending before the deep soils at the bottom. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Georges Roumier | Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | Roumier farms 0.27ha of rented vines in Mazoyères-Chambertin that he labels as Charmes 'Aux Mazoyères'. The vines are located under the cooling influence of the Combe Grisard. The influence of this location delivers a wine that has a bright, very floral nose, with an elegant, high-toned pomegranate fruit showing an edge of smoke and minerals. The texture is tannic and crisp, but the wine lingers moreishly on the palate. Superb. In 2020 the fruit was partially destemmed and fermented in cask (25% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat | Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | A wine with a rich cassis fruit, where mineral and earth notes come through. There is great purity of fruit allied to a superbly silky, voluptuous texture. Hudelot-Noëllat is always among my favourite wines from the Clos. The domaine owns a superb 0.70ha at the top of the slope in the lieux-dits of Chioures and La Garenne. Charles van Canneyt was careful to ensure he didn't over-extract: 'We didn't want to do the 2005 vintage over again,' he says. This year, he has succeeded brilliantly. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat | Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | The initial attack opens with ripe cassis and mulberry fruit, then reveals hints of peonies, violets, a bit of liquorice and a firm mineral underpinning. The nuance continues to grow on the palate, and although the wine is silky and fine, it is as long as anything in the cellar. This is a marvellous wine that should age for decades. The domaine farms a half-hectare of century-old vines in Romanée-St-Vivant, between Liger-Belair and Jean Mongeard. As with many wines from the domaine, the whole-cluster inclusion is 20% and the wine is aged in 50% new casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Jean Grivot | Échezéaux Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | A very elegant expression of Echezeaux, with a velvety black plum and rose petal fruit. There is a lovely freshness and so much finesse that the tannin and structure might surprise you at the end. This has the substance to age for decades. Produced from a 0.84ha parcel in Cruots next to Comte Liger-Belair. The vines were planted in 1954 and the destemmed fruit was gently fermented. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Michel Lafarge | Volnay (1er Cru Clos du Château des Ducs) | 2020 | 97 | Surpassingly elegant mulberry and black cherry fruit, with notes of spice, smoke and a saline mineral firmness. Lovely concentration and plenty of tannic grip, yet it is very subtle at the end. This half-hectare clos is a monopole of the domaine, located right in the village of Volnay. Certified biodynamic, it is a wine that consistently unites elegance and power. Frédéric Lafarge destems the fruit and ferments on native yeasts before ageing in older casks (only 15% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Simon Bize | Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | This is perhaps a bit closed initially, but it opens with time to show an elegant, restrained black plum fruit, with hints of mineral, mint and a savoury, smoky character. The grapes are fermented entirely as whole clusters, punched down by foot and pumped over before ageing with minimal new oak. The result is a tannic wine that will take time to open, but has the potential for greatness. Produced from the 0.33ha parcel that runs the length of the slope near the northern end of Latricières. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Rossignol-Trapet | Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | The dark plum and blackberry fruit is accented with notes of smoke, spice and rose petals. The texture is velvety and very fine. It is not lacking structure, but may be the most subtle and elegant of all the Chambertins tasted. Marvellous, supremely elegant and sumptuously hedonistic. This is produced from a total of 1.6ha in two parcels that run from the bottom of the slope to the top. The fruit is harvested fully ripe but not over-ripe, is carefully sorted and fermented as 50% whole clusters after a brief cold soak. Only pumping over is used to ensure the extraction. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair | Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | A wine with big shoulders; it is rich, dense, tannic and a bit firm. The fruit is a touch reserved, but the potential is amply in evidence. Liger-Belair owns three-quarters of a hectare at the southern limit of the Clos. He separates the grapes into three parts: 25% on limestone at the top, a central portion on fairly deep clay, and the bottom on silt. 60% of the vines were planted in 1944 and are vinified as whole clusters; the balance is destemmed by hand. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair | Nuits-St-Georges (1er Cru Les St-Georges) | 2020 | 97 | A spectacular result, with dark fruit showing a firm, pronounced mineral and earthy note. There is impressive intensity here, lots of tannic grip and extract, and a finish that goes on seemingly forever. Thibault Liger-Belair owns just over 2ha of Les St-Georges - nearly a quarter of the entire lieu-dit - at the centre of the appellation. The soil is deep clay, and there is a fault in the limestone in the middle which gives the soil a crystalline nature. The grapes are vinified with 40% whole clusters and will be given nearly two full years in cask (half new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Trapet Père & Fils | Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | A stunning wine, with black cherry fruit aromas of incredible concentration. There is a lovely sweetness to the fruit and a beguiling suggestion of roses on the nose. Masterful, with the power to age for decades. The Trapet family has owned a large chunk of Latricières since 1904. Grapes ripen late here since it sits in the Combe Grisard, bathed in the cool winds from the Hautes-Côtes. However, the alluvial soil ripens fruit well. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Hubert Lignier | Clos de la Roche Grand Cru | 2020 | 97 | A concentrated wine, with a powerful black plum and blueberry fruit, replete with notes of mineral, rose petal, smoke and spice. The texture is very dense and powerful, yet the wine never loses sight of its essential elegance and finesse. This 'regular' cuvée of Clos de la Roche is a blend of two-thirds Monts Luisants and one-third Fremières, all 60-70 years of age. 30% of the fruit is fermented as whole clusters and the wine is aged in 30% new casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Maison Joseph Faiveley | Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru Monopole | 2020 | 97 | The grapes are vinified partly as whole clusters and punched down each day before ageing for 18 months in cask (half new). Despite the fairly aggressive vinification, the wine has an enchantingly lovely, forward fruit character and a delightful, silky approachability. From my experience, this will continue to improve for decades. The Clos des Cortons Faiveley has been a monopole of the house since 1874. They have 2.77ha planted to Pinot Noir here, north of Renardes in this distinctly separate climat of the lieu-dit Le Rognet. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Albert Bichot, Domaine du Clos Frantin | Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Malconsorts) | 2020 | 96 | The wine shows a pronounced aroma of ripe black cherry and floral notes the winemaker describes as peony, mingled with notes of mineral, spice and smoke. Initially somewhat reserved on the palate, the texture is silky and with time reveals substantial but fine-grained tannins, good freshness and impressive length. Bichot owns two parcels of Malconsorts that total 1.75ha at the southern extremity of the lieu-dit bordering Nuits. Picking began on the 31st August, right after the first small shower that refreshed the vines. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Anne Gros | Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | As always, this is a knock-out. Produced from the 80-year-old vines in the Grand Maupertuis section of the clos, this is perennially at the top of my list in the Clos de Vougeot. Aged in one-third new casks using barrels from Damy, François Frères and Ermitage-Berthomieu, the result is balanced and elegant, with a well-integrated smoky, spicy character, and impressive of purity of fruit that lasts through the lingering finish. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Benjamin Leroux | Pommard (1er Cru Rugiens) | 2020 | 96 | After his years at Comte Armand, Leroux is something of an expert on Pommard, and this Rugiens does not disappoint. This is from Rugiens Haut, which is not considered as good as Rugiens Bas. This version, however, succeeds completely, with a bright, forward cherry fruit, touched with notes of mineral, earth and leather. There is abundant freshness, firm tannins and plenty of concentration on the palate. The grapes were picked on the 20th of August, partially destemmed and fermented in open-top fermenters. Classic Pommard: earthy and elegant. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Benjamin Leroux, Petit Maupertuis | Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Benjamin Leroux has been able to consistently source from the same parcel in Petit Maupertuis, located at the southern end of the Clos at the top of the slope. He fermented the 2020 vintage with three-quarters whole clusters to retain a maximum of tension and freshness. The result, however, avoids the menthol and wild herb notes of this practice, instead showing a lovely, bright currant and cherry fruit that remains focused, vibrant and lively. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Château de la Tour, Vieilles Vignes | Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Given the old vines and low yields here, the wine is powerful and tannic, redolent of plum, fig and cassis, touched with notes of earth and menthol. This is a bit forbidding at present, but it should age incredibly well for those who wait. Produced from vines at least 80 years of age. Because ripening was blocked by the drought conditions, Château de la Tour waited until the end of August to pick. The fruit from the top of the slope and the bottom was destemmed, resulting in 70–80% whole-cluster fermentation. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Amiot-Servelle | Clos St-Denis Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | On the initial attack this is marked by elegant black plum and rose petal aromas, with haunting nuance provided by notes of mineral, spice and smoke. The texture has a delicacy and elegance that truly sets it apart. In 2020 this seems to outperform the producer's Charmes, at least in terms of finesse. Clos St-Denis is all too often overlooked, but this is tremendous wine. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Claude Dugat | Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Picked in August to retain freshness, this sees a fairly vigorous vinification. The result is powerful and slightly imposing. It is perhaps less charming than the Charmes, yet there is no lack of ripe blackberry fruit on the nose. The fruit shows a distinctly spicy, mineral edge and less of the floral perfume of the other Gevreys from this domaine. There is an almost imperious density, tons of extract and immense length. A really impressive wine, with time it should soften into one of true beauty. From the small (0.16ha) domaine-owned holding in Griotte. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Comte Armand | Pommard (1er Cru Clos des Épeneaux) | 2020 | 96 | The final blend of this is superb, including both the energy of the young vines and the density of the old. They deliver a lush, spicy fruit with a strong mineral underpinning, a dense texture, firm but supple tannins and an infinitely rewarding finish. The Clos des Epeneaux is produced from a monopole of 5.23ha located at the juncture of Grands Epenots (20%) and Petits Epenots (80%). The clos is divided by regisseur Paul Zinetti into four main subdivisions by age of vine and underlying soils which are farmed and vinified separately. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé | Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru) | 2020 | 96 | This 2020 is extraordinarily good, with a bright, youthful cherry exuberance that almost sings in the glass. The texture is a silky delight that in no way lacks substance nor depth, yet excels in finesse. As many Burgundy lovers know, de Vogüé declassifies its Musigny after replanting for 25 years, selling it as Chambolle-Musigny premier cru. This exquisite wine's quantity is set to reduce by half since the vines are now mature and will be sold as Musigny. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé | Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Amoureuses) | 2020 | 96 | This is, to my taste, every bit as complex as the Bonnes-Mares, but completely different in character. This is less structured and almost imposing, showing a lush quality to the mineral-scented black cherry fruit, and a supple, silky texture on the palate that is softer but not lacking in structure. A wine of surpassing elegance and marvellously hedonistic. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Comte Senard, Clos de Meix | Corton Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The proximity of Corton Perrières brings a minerality to the wine, which shows a ripe currant and plum fruit, plus an edge of spice and smoke. The tannins are firm, almost strict, but there is density, finesse and enough fruit to ensure that this will drink well with a bit of time. The 1.64ha Clos des Meix is the iconic monopole of Comte Senard. It is mostly in Les Meix, with a bit of Le Meix Lallemand. 0.4ha are planted to white grapes and some of the vines are over 70 years of age. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine d'Eugénie | Échezéaux Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | This marvellous wine shows very approachable, juicy cassis and spice-scented fruit on the initial attack - a 'vin de plaisir' - but with time the tannin and the extract reveal themselves, and one sees that it is not lacking in complexity nor depth. The texture on final analysis demonstrates grippy structure and impressive length. The half-hectare of old vines (60-80 years of age) for the Domaine d'Eugénie Echézeaux are located in the Combe d'Orveau. 70% of the small, ripe bunches were vinified as whole clusters and the wine was aged in cask (80% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de la Romanée-Conti | Échezéaux Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Forward, spicy and richly textured, displaying concentration and density, leading to a lovely, lingering finish. DRC Echézeaux seemed to take a step forward this year in seriousness and intensity, in contrast to its normal demeanor of youthful exuberance. The largest share of the 4.67ha holding is in Poulaillères, next to the heart of the vineyard in Echézeaux du Dessus. The grapes were picked on 30th August and 1st September, between two small rainstorms that helped the fruit finish its ripening to perfection. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2075. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Montille | Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Super-ripe blackberry and plum fruit touched with leather, spice and smoke. The texture is impressively dense and concentrated, yet the wine never loses its silky elegance which lingers invitingly on the long finish. This is a really impressive Corton Clos du Roi. The domaine owns a parcel of 0.83ha in the centre of the vineyard at midslope. The organic-certified vines are fermented with a substantial proportion of whole clusters and aged in 30% new casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Montille | Pommard (1er Cru Rugiens) | 2020 | 96 | This is a superb wine, among the best of the appellation, with a pronounced plummy fruit touched with aromas of smoke, spice and floral notes, plus a texture that is firm, dense and tannic but in no way hard or astringent. Lovely. Rugiens-Bas is considered the best part of the vineyard and the domaine has a hectare here, just north of the Hospices, low on the slope in the heart of the iron band. The 50-year-old vines produced a lovely, ripe harvest in 2020, and the grapes were fermented entirely as whole clusters and aged in 40% new casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Montille, Cuvée Christiane | Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Malconsorts) | 2020 | 96 | A bright, fresh nose with copious red and black fruit aromas underlined by accents of earth and smoke, with a pleasant hint of violets and spice. There is a rich, lush texture on the palate and evident extract, but there is also enough tension and structure to age for decades to come. From the 0.49ha parcel bordered on the north and west by La Tâche, the grapes are picked four or five days later than the rest of the Malconsorts. In 2020, the wine was vinified with 80% whole clusters. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2075. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair | Nuits-St-Georges (1er Cru Cras) | 2020 | 96 | Lush, plummy fruit scented with spice, smoke, floral notes and a silky texture that reveals, with time, plenty of density and grip. Marvellous. This wine is a superb example of the Vosne (northern) side of the appellation. It is located downslope from Les Damodes and south of Les Boudots. Liger-Belair has 0.37ha of very old vines here in métayage from the family of François Lamadon. The grapes are carefully fermented with a proportion of whole clusters and aged in new casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair | Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Reignots) | 2020 | 96 | Lying just up the slope from his iconic monopole of La Romanée are 0.73ha of vines in Aux Reignots. The grapes are mostly destemmed and gently fermented, allowing the fruit to slowly infuse its essence into the wine. The results are similar to its elder sibling downslope, but much more savoury, with an almost salty, animal tang. Ultimately it is the lush fruit that wins the day. According to Liger-Belair the fruit is the characteristic of the vintage. Hors Classe. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dugat-Py | Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The fruit has retained a lovely delicacy and elegance, with aromas of ripe plums touched with liquorice and rose petal. There is a bit of reduction at this stage, but this will doubtless disappear with time. The texture is silky and very fine, with an approachable sensuality and a delightfully lingering finish. Dugat-Py owns five different parcels of Charmes for a total surface of 0.24ha; they own double that in Mazoyères. This bottling is two-thirds Charmes and one-third Mazoyères. In 2020 the picking began on the 20th August to restrain the alcohol and retain tension. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac | Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The mostly whole-cluster fruit is fermented with a very gentle extraction to produce this surprisingly dark wine, with impressive blackberry and plum fruit scented with peonies. On the palate the wine is firmly tannic, with surprising density and extract that lead to a pleasantly persistent finish. Lovely. Produced from four parcels spread between Charmes and Mazoyères that total 0.7ha. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac | Échezéaux Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Bright notes of raspberry and redcurrant. The texture is silky and dense but there is no lack of freshness here. The overall impact is one of velvety complexity and a generosity that lingers on the palate. From 0.68ha in Champs Traversin; the grapes were picked early to control alcohol and maintain acidity, and it seems to have worked (13.5%). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Dujac | Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Malconsorts) | 2020 | 96 | A dense, almost creamy, concentrated cassis fruit, adorned with notes of smoke, spice and salt. Focused, with plenty of tannin and extract, this is a wonderful wine. 2020 saw tiny yields from Dujac's 1.55ha in Malconsorts - no more than 10-15 hl/ha. The fruit was partially destemmed and fermented slowly prior to ageing. The wine gets the same 16 months in 70% new casks that the grand crus receive. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Duroché | Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | A lovely wine, with dark plummy fruit, mineral and spice. The texture is plump with extract, yet chiselled by tannin and freshness. Marvellous. The domaine farms 0.4ha spread over five parcels, but all are in Aux Charmes. Two are up against Griottes and three are at the bottom. This is the lieu-dit normally picked first; the grapes are mostly destemmed and carefully fermented to avoid over-extraction. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Duroché | Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The fruit is mostly destemmed and gently fermented to produce this wine with a disarmingly pretty perfume of red fruit and floral notes up front. However, the fruit is explosively complex on the palate, with a profusion of aromas that range from mineral to spice, leather and smoke on the palate, along with plenty of density, good grip and impressive length. There are 0.27ha in Latricières, right on the border with Chambertin. The vines are old and low-yielding, giving no more than two barrels in 2020. This is a superb wine, picked the last week in August. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faiveley | Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The wine has an inky dark colour and pronounced aromas of blackberry, fig, smoke and spice. The texture is lush, yet there are firm tannins and the wine never seems overbearing or aggressive - everything is kept in elegant balance. Faiveley is the proprietor of three parcels that total 1.27ha in the Clos de Vougeot, including a portion in Grand Maupertuis and two parcels nearer the bottom. The fruit was picked very ripe (14.5%) and partially destemmed before fermentation, with a very careful extraction and ageing in cask (half new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faiveley, En Orveaux | Échezéaux Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | 20% of the grapes are whole-cluster fermented, and the wine has bright blackberry and floral notes on the nose. The cool site imbues the wine with a lovely freshness and firm tannic structure. This will open with a few years in bottle and should age well. This is produced from 0.83ha of domaine-owned vines planted in the white marl soils of the Combe d'Orveaux (and labelled as such). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg | Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | An impenetrably deep violet hue, then a bright, forward nose of blackberry and violets. The texture is very silky and yet there is impressive density here, balanced by fresh acidity. The overall effect is one of almost startling concentration and depth; a remarkable wine. From the 0.6ha parcel purchased by Dr. Georges Mugneret in 1976. The grapes are destemmed and given a cold soak followed by gentle punching down and then ageing in cask (75% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Georges Roumier | Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Combottes) | 2020 | 96 | In 2020, half of the grapes were fermented as whole clusters to give this wine a supple, rich plum fruit touched with liquorice, spice and floral notes. As Roumier remarks, it is 'douceur toujours' (always softness). This parcel of 0.27ha is in Les Combottes, next to Charmes (as opposed to Aux Combottes, further down the slope). This is among the most complex and dense of the premiers crus. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Georges Roumier | Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Cras) | 2020 | 96 | A lovely, bright raspberry and mulberry fruit, touched with mineral and floral notes edged with saline. The wine is extremely expressive, with a bright acidity on the palate but also a silky, perfumed feel that lingers elegantly on the finish. Marvellous. Roumier's 1.75ha of Les Cras are at the northern limit of the appellation on white marl soils, with a large amount of active calcium in the soils. As with his other premiers crus, the fermentation was 50% whole-cluster in 2020. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Georges Roumier | Échezéaux Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Shows a great purity of raspberry and plum fruit, with a subtle edge of violets. The texture is silky and perhaps a bit soft, but there is enough substance to age for a decade at least. The Echézeaux from Roumier comes from a rented 0.13ha parcel at the base of the slope in En Orveaux, which yielded 1.75 barrels in 2020. The fruit was fermented entirely as whole clusters. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Georges Roumier | Morey-St-Denis (1er Cru Clos de la Bussière) | 2020 | 96 | Roumier's Clos de la Bussière remains one of the best values in Burgundy. The red and black berry fruit character is charming, with hints of spice and flowers in the trademark Christophe Roumier style. The aromas are ethereal yet still pleasingly plump, and the texture substantial but always underscored by a lovely freshness (due in part to half the fruit being fermented as whole clusters). Marvellous. This 2.59ha monopole is located on the southern edge of the village, downslope from the Clos de Tart and the Morey section of Bonnes-Mares. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Gérard Mugneret | Échezéaux Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The fruit is partially destemmed and gently fermented to produce this lovely, super-expressive wine, with pronounced strawberry and currant aromas which show lots of spice and floral notes. The texture is approachable and supple - not at all forbidding - and it has lovely length. Very successful. Pascal Mugneret farms 0.64ha of vines in métayage for his cousins at Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg, all in the lieu-dit Quartier de Nuits. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat | Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Malconsorts) | 2020 | 96 | The wine is inky dark, with profuse aromas of ripe black cherry and plum fruit, supported by a complex array of aromas from rose petals to ginger, and baking spice to minerals. The first impression is one of finesse, but there is also substantial length and a quality level just below the grands crus. Hudelot-Noëllat farms 0.14ha of Malconsorts, planted in 1950. In 2020 the grapes had a manageable 13.5% alcohol. Charles van Canneyt ferments 20% as whole-cluster and ages in half-new barrels. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Jean Grivot | Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Reignots) | 2020 | 96 | Charming and elegant, with a silky black cherry fruit and lovely freshness on the palate. This tiny 0.07ha plot, planted in 1954, yields a single barrel. This year it was new, so Grivot 'washed' it with a bit of Chardonnay for three weeks to reduce the impact. The destemmed fruit gets a cold soak and then a gentle fermentation. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Jessiaume, Selection | Santenay (1er Cru Les Gravières) | 2020 | 96 | Ripe black plum fruit, with engagingly earthy notes on the nose and a pleasantly brambly edge. There is impressive richness and depth here, with firm tannins and plenty of extract - no one in search of value should overlook this serious wine. Jessiaume owns 5.5ha of Gravières, one of the best premier crus in Santenay. From the 2020 vintage, they are making an old-vine selection of 80-year-old vines done exclusively with vines planted using massale selection. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Joannès Violot-Guillemard | Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | A wine with lush, dense cassis fruit and undercurrents of mineral, earth, smoke and spice. There is plenty of aromatic depth here and no lack of substance on the palate, yet the tannins are very finely grained, and the wine is velvety soft yet quite substantial. This is the second vintage for this wine from rented vines in Corton Clos du Roi. The fermentation is entirely done with whole clusters and aged with a modest amount of new wood. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Joannès Violot-Guillemard | Pommard (1er Cru Clos de Derrière-St-Jean) | 2020 | 96 | Exquisitely silky, with a lush, spicy black fruit character that is immediately approachable – quite the opposite of the standard conception of Pommard. Marvellous. This 0.09ha clos is behind the winery, next to the swimming pool. It is planted to vines trained high on stakes ('en echalas') and woven ('tressage') instead of hedged. It produces 400-500 bottles of incredibly seductive wine each year. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Marquis d'Angerville | Volnay (1er Cru Clos des Ducs) | 2020 | 96 | One-quarter of the harvest is whole-cluster fermented and ages in entirely used casks, producing a wine of lovely density and a dark plummy fruit, with a pleasant floral perfume, silky tannins and great finesse. This is from a super 0.18ha parcel at the foot of Bonnes-Mares planted in 1960, where the rows run north-south, perpendicular to the slope. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Michel Lafarge | Volnay (1er Cru Clos des Chênes) | 2020 | 96 | The wine has a voluptuous, dark blackberry fruit, with exotic spice notes and a dense, velvety texture. Notably rich in extract and length, this 2020 is a standout, even for what is a consistently impressive wine. The domaine parcel of nearly a hectare is at the northeast corner of this premier cru, next to Taillepieds and just across the street from the intersection of Champans and Cailleret - Frédéric Lafarge maintains it partakes of all these characters. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Michel Mallard | Corton Le Rognet Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Lush blackberry fruit shines through, with limpid floral notes and a firm mineral underpinning. The texture is silky and dense, the tannins substantial but finely-grained; a delightful wine. Mallard is the largest owner here, with several parcels totaling 1.27ha exposed mainly to the southeast in the centre of the slope. Extraction is meticulous and the grapes are vinified without sulphur until bottling. Nearly three-quarters of the fruit is vinified as whole clusters before ageing in cask (70% new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Michel Mallard | Corton Les Renardes Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The wine is a bit closed, but shows serious potential as it opens. Marked by the wood at this stage, there are ripe black plum and cherry fruit aromas, with shadings of earth, mineral and menthol. The wine is tannic and tightly wound, but with a bit of time in the bottle this will no doubt shine. Mallard has three parcels of old vines here that total 0.65ha. He ferments three-quarters of the fruit as whole clusters before ageing in 70% new casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Ponsot | Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | There is a delightful sucrosity to the ripe cherry fruit, with rose petal notes and a supple lilt to the fresh, approachable texture. This should drink well young but have the substance to age as well. The domaine owns nearly a half-hectare of Chapelle, which is in the lieu-dit Les Gémeaux, just north of En la Chapelle. Winemaker Alexandre Abel has been working hard to ensure proper ripeness: he notes it is often among the first picked and the last pressed off. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Rossignol-Trapet | Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The nose is a bit closed and the texture on the palate is very structured. With a bit of time, however, the sensual nature of the wine develops and the complex, earth-scented black plum fruit comes to the fore. The domaine has a total of a half-hectare in Chapelle, three-quarters of it in Grande Chapelle (aka En la Chapelle) and one-quarter in Les Gémeaux. The vines are among the earliest to ripen and there is very little soil over the limestone, yet the grapes did not suffer from heat stress. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Rossignol-Trapet | Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | True to form, the wine is subtle and understated, particularly on the initial attack. With time, a lovely black plum and cherry fruit, with accents of mineral and fresh violets appears. The wine is approachable, but complex and firmly structured. There is a freshness here that balances the tannic grip and leads to a pleasantly persistent finish. This magnificent parcel of 0.75ha with stony soils produces a wine with a bit more reserve. The grapes are picked ripe and carefully fermented without punching down before ageing in 45% new casks. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Trapet Père & Fils | Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Jean-Louis Trapet has referred to this parcel as the 'Musigny of Gevrey' and it is easy to see why, with its lush mulberry and cassis fruit, scented with violets, rose petals, liquorice, ginger and smoke. The texture is silky and lush - not a hard edge anywhere - yet there is impressive density and silky tannin as well. A wonderful wine. This 0.6ha Trapet parcel of Chappelle is located in the section known as Grande Chapelle (En la Chapelle). The oldest vines here were planted in 1945 and have long been worked biodynamically. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2070. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Trapet Père & Fils | Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Aux Combottes) | 2020 | 96 | An enchanting result, with a lilting raspberry and blackberry fruit, showing notes of peony, violet, ginger and an almost salty minerality. The texture is silky and fine, yet there is enormous extract here and huge upside potential for those patient enough to age it. From 2020, the domaine has decided to bottle Combottes separately and it is easy to see why: the vineyard is surrounded on every side by grands crus. It has been completely converted to stakes ('echalas') and is cultivated without hedging. The fruit is fermented as 100% whole clusters, with almost no punching down. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Louis Jadot | Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | The wine is massive, with grippy tannins, full body and an interminable finish. 'A great vintage to taste in 20 years,' according to winemaker Frédéric Barnier. The 0.27ha Jadot parcel (owned by the house itself) is in a strip that goes from the top of the vineyard to the bottom, and thus includes both terres blanches (white marl) and terres rouges (red clay). The fruit character is black plum and cassis, with a firm, mineral and earthy element. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Louis Jadot | Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | A lovely wine, with spicy, expressive fruit that recalls wild strawberries, flowers and spice. The texture is ethereal and perfumed, yet the wine is not lacking in substance nor length. Although it seems approachable even now, there is definitely great ageing potential here. The 0.42ha of the Clos de Bèze belonging to Jadot came from the acquisition of Domaine Clair-Daü in 1985. The grapes were destemmed and gently fermented. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Philippe Pacalet | Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | An exuberant, silky wine, fermented mainly as whole clusters and aged without new oak to give this a softer feel than many and allow the lovely cherry fruit to shine. This is delicious and very approachable. Pacalet rents five rows (0.28ha) on the Vosne side of the Clos that go from the bottom of the slope to the top. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060. Click to see full details | |
| Thibault Liger-Belair Successeurs | Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru | 2020 | 96 | Abundant aromas of blackberry, fig and spice, within a texture that is silky and super-dense, but not at all lacking in tannin, freshness or structure. Marvellous wine. This impressive wine is made with fruit purchased from a 0.3ha site planted in 1946 in the lieu-dit Aux Charmes, right at the border with Latricières-Chambertin. Liger-Belair removes the main trunk of the stem but leaves the rest. 70% of the fruit is fermented as whole clusters and the wine is slowly fermented before ageing in cask (half new). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2050. Click to see full details |