Burdundy 2021 en primeur top wines score table

After tasting more than 1,300 Burgundy 2021 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 248 red and white wines wines that scored 94 points and above.

Wines are listed in score order.

Producer	Appellation	Score	Notes
Domaine Georges Roumier	Musigny Grand Cru	2021	99	TOP QUALITY This wine is consistently among the very best in Burgundy. As with nearly every year, it shows a superb depth of red and black fruit, earthy, mineral complexity and secondary character. It has depth allied with incredible silky structure, immense length and lovely concentration but no heaviness or awkwardness. It is a supremely delicious wine right out of the gate and one that will only improve with time. On track to being among the best wines in Burgundy.
Domaine Armand Rousseau	Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru	2021	99	RED WINE OF THE VINTAGE TOP QUALITY Comparing the Chambertin and the Clos de Bèze in Rousseau’s cellar, the Bèze is generally better received in cool years, which is the case in 2021. It is spicier and more open, the aromas more voluptuous, with ripe red and black fruit, plenty of earthy, mineral depth of flavour and complexity, and a texture on the palate that is plumper, riper and more ‘exhibitioniste’, according to Cyrielle Rousseau.
Domaine Armand Rousseau	Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	98	This wine figures prominently on my list for 'best of the vintage', edged out only slightly by its stablemate Clos de Bèze. It is a wine of great intensity, with pronounced, forward, brambly blackberry fruit, notes of lavender, smoke, a hint of wood spice, and compelling savoury complexity. The texture is firmly tannic and dense but not imposing. There is no lack of fresh acidity, yet everything is in balance, and the overall impression is one of seamless beauty.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti	La Tâche Grand Cru Monopole	2021	98	TOP QUALITY La Tâche is among the vintage’s top wines, with explosive ripe red and black fruit aromas ranging from plum and black cherry to mulberry, all accented with liquorice, clove and peppery spice, earth, leather and Havana cigar. The texture is powerfully structured, with ripe, supple tannins, fresh acidity and abundant extract, yet it’s not astringent or tight. Wait at least a decade before enjoying this, but it also has the substance to age further.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti	Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Monopole	2021	98	TOP QUALITY ‘In the future, there will still be good wines because there will always be great vineyards,’ said Bertrand de Villaine, nephew of retired Romanée-Conti estate co-director Aubert de Villaine. Romanée-Conti proves his point in a challenging vintage. Although the colour is light and the nose is a bit reticent, the fruit opens up on the palate with ripe mulberry, liquorice, truffle, mineral and floral notes. De Villaine compares the 2021 vintage to 1991, since both have more finesse and elegance than the year that preceded them. Hauntingly beautiful rose petal aromas continue to echo on the impossibly long finish – a triumph.
Domaine Armand Rousseau	Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Clos St-Jacques)	2021	97	This magnificent wine has a dark ruby hue, with effusive ripe plummy fruit, a pronounced earthy edge, and notes of liquorice and pepper. The texture is dense and firm, yet there is an elegance that makes the wine feel approachable. The depth of flavour here suggests ageing for at least five years before enjoying it since there is a lot of tightly wound complexity here. The grapes come from the 2.2-hectare parcel on the edge of the cooling influence of the combe that delivery a silky wine of great finesse and purity.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti	Richebourg Grand Cru	2021	97	Aromas of ripe blackberry fruit take center stage of this exceptional wine, with notes of lavender, menthol, and smoke and sweet spice notes from the cask ageing that will integrate with time. The texture is lush and supple, yet there is no lack of tannin or freshness – the structure gives the wine a lovely line, but it is very young and still quite exuberant. Bertrand de Villaine explains that the cellars where the Richebourg, La Tâche, and Romanée-Conti are kept are colder than the rest, and thus the wines age more slowly.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti	Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru	2021	97	As is often the case, there is a distinct departure with the DRC Romanée-St-Vivant; ‘another world of perfume’ in my notes, with very forward red and black fruit and a distinctively exotic floral note. The texture is lush and velvety, yet plenty of fresh acidity and grippy tannin support the copious fruit that continues to echo on the palate. As with the Echézeaux, there was a replanting campaign from 2012 - 2015 here (one-third of a hectare), and these young vines are not used in the final wine.
Domaine Bruno Clair	Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru	2021	97	TOP QUALITY Tasting in the cellar, I wrote, ‘Wine from another planet’; this is truly spectacular and worthy of notice – super-ripe plummy fruit with an undercurrent of ground coffee, smoke and spice on the nose. The texture is substantial and dense, with firm tannins and exceptional length. Despite the vintage, this has the proportions to age for decades. It originates from the superb 1.64ha parcel the domaine owns on the Morey-St-Denis side of the appellation. This terroir gives a more substantial, structured version of Bonnes-Mares, while the Chambolle side gives a bit more finesse. Not to be missed.
Domaine des Lambrays	Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru	2021	97	TOP QUALITY It is hard to overstate my enthusiasm for this wine, with its impressive ripeness, plump, plummy fruit with notes of black cherry and liquorice. The texture is densely structured, firm but not hard, and long but not heavy. There is still the freshness and finesse to make this among the best wines of the vintage. This is the reunion of all the old-vine parcels in the Clos and a pretty convincing argument for director Jacques Devauges’ assertion that Lambrays is the pinnacle of Morey-St-Denis.
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair	Richebourg Grand Cru	2021	97	TOP QUALITY The Richebourg is a bit reserved at present; the fruit only opens up on the palate, showing curranty, plummy fruit, hints of spice, menthol and mineral earth notes give great complexity. The texture is firm, tannic and dense, with impressive length. The wine comes from a half-hectare planted in the 1930s above the DRC holding at the southern end of the appellation. The grapes from these majestic old vines were fermented with 30% whole clusters and a very gentle extraction before ageing in new casks – superb wine at the highest level.
Lamy-Caillat	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Caillerets)	2021	97	The Caillerets from Lamy-Caillat is a monumental wine with a powerful nectarine and greengage plum fruit character and notes of salty minerality, spice, flowers, and smoke. The texture shows tension and concentration and a lasting persistence on the palate is rewarding indeed. The grapes come from a half-hectare that stretch from the bottom to the top of the lieu-dit. The grapes are crushed, pressed hard, and the must fermented in cask (after starting in stainless) before ageing over two winters.
Domaine des Comtes Lafon	Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	97	WHITE WINE OF THE VINTAGE TOP QUALITY Among the greatest white wines of the vintage; this is often the case with Lafon Montrachet. However, this vintage is different: with less alcohol and body than it has had in recent years, it shows an almost perfect balance. To be sure, there are super-ripe aromas of apple and peach with notes of marzipan, honey, mineral and butter, but there is a freshness and spice here that transcend the norm. Lafon farms 0.32ha on the south-facing Chassagne side; 80% of the vines come from a very old massal selection, planted in 1953. Monumental wine.
Domaine Georges Roumier	Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru	2021	96	This wine is among the most powerful Bonnes-Mares that I tasted from the 2021 vintage, with dark fruit aromas of plum and blackberry touched with earth, leather, and savoury game notes. The structure was concentrated and dense, with flavours that run deep on the palate and lead to a marvelously long finish. Two-thirds of his holdings are on the white marl ‘terres blanches’ at the top of the slope and were late to bud and thus less affected by the frost. This powerful wine should be among the most long-lived from the 2021 vintage.
Domaine Georges Roumier	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Amoureuses)	2021	96	I noted the 2021 Amoureuses from Roumier as ‘A bit more elegant and finesse than usual - not as voluptuous but every bit as good’. The aromas were more red fruit than black, and there was a lovely floral note; on the palate, the texture was fresh and lively, a bit lighter in body but not lacking substance. It is a wine of charm and depth that should open at a young age and drink well for twenty years. The grapes come from a parcel of 0.40 hectares on the steep slopes at the southern end of the appellation.
Domaine d'Eugenie	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	2021	96	Abundant ripe plum aromas with a distinctive violet and mineral edge are immediately appealing and amply backed up by fresh acid, grippy tannins, and an impressive amount of extract. The grapes come from the domaine’s 1.4 hectares of well-positioned old vines in the Clos. The youngest are declassified, and three-quarters of the rest were gently fermented on native yeasts as whole clusters to produce this wine that is undoubtedly among the best of the appellation in 2021.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti	Grands-Échézeaux Grand Cru	2021	96	In 2021 this superb wine displays a forward, lush plummy fruit that matches the exuberance of the Echézeaux, although there is more tannin and substance on the palate and a distinct increase in structure and length. The grapes come from the Domaine’s 3.5-hectare holding just up the slope from the Clos de Vougeot. Using primarily whole clusters in the ferment (85%) ensures vibrancy to spare and a wonderfully complex finish. Yields here were better because the vineyard was protected with candles.
Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier	Musigny Grand Cru	2021	96	The Musigny from Frédéric Mugnier is consistently among the very finest wines in Burgundy, exemplifying the sublime combination of power and elegance that is possible from this site. His 1.14 hectares is on the northern edge of the appellation, and most of the vines were planted from the 40s – 60s. The 2021 has a lovely plummy fruit with an intense mineral edge. The texture is structured and firm with a vibrant freshness, but the generous, supple potential is abundantly evident and the wine should age for decades.
Domaine Méo-Camuzet	Richebourg Grand Cru	2021	96	The Méo-Camuzet Richebourg showed abundant, silky sweet fruit in the 2021 vintage, with notes of pomegranate and raspberry, a hint of mineral and some smoke. It is a very pretty wine on the initial attack, and the wine is balanced and elegant. Méo has switched his oak program up: he dries the staves for three years and uses light toast almost everywhere. The effect is very elegant, even if here I can’t help feeling that it lacks a bit of substance in comparison to previous vintages, and that it will be ready to drink sooner than some.
Domaine Armand Rousseau	Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	96	Lovely, expressive, and ethereal, the Ruchottes has less heft than the Mazy, yet somehow more intensity. Despite its reasonably light colour and slightly reserved character initially, it opens charmingly on the palate, with expressive red and black fruit aromas, perfumed floral notes, and almost saline mineral quality. There is a lovely tannic line, yet the impression is lightness and elegance. The grapes come from the domaine’s monopole clos at the top of the Ruchottes slope. The wine is still ageing in cask (20% new) but shows excellent potential for cellaring.
Anne Gros	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	2021	96	Among the best wines made in the Clos this year, this wine shows pronounced aromas of ripe mulberry and plum with accents of earth and mineral. The substance and volume on the palate are astonishing for the vintage and complement the firm tannins and depth of fruit. Gros had us taste it after the Richebourg, and she was right. It is produced from her 80-year-old vines in Le Grand Maupertui, which yielded a gratifying 35hl/ha this year, more than most other sites.
Domaine Bruno Clair	Marsannay Longeroies La Murée	2021	96	A spectacularly delicious wine that you may never get to taste, but it is worth searching out. The surprisingly dark garnet hue and ripe mulberry fruit scented with spice, cedar, smoke and flint all seem out of place in 2021, yet this wine carries through to the end, with plenty of density and grip and remarkable length for the vintage. Three barrels are made using only the century-old vines from Clair's 1.6ha holding in Longeroies; the fruit is fermented entirely as whole clusters. New to me with this tasting.
Domaine Georges Roumier	Grands-Échézeaux Grand Cru	2021	96	Roumier’s Echezeaux is delicious, but seems the odd man out in his cellar. He ferments the wine from this tiny holding as 100% whole clusters with just a bit of destemmed fruit to get the ferment going. The wine is more massive and tannic than anything else in his cellar, full of super-dense cassis and blackberry fruit with a slight menthol character. On the palate, it is dense (particularly given the vintage) but lingers subtly on the palate to live up to the lineage of the producer.
Clos de Tart	Clos de Tart Grand Cru Monopole	2021	96	‘Classic Pinot Noir’ according to winemaker Alessandro Noli. He has spared no expense to produce a superb wine, declassifying to premier cru swaths of the Clos that didn't meet his expectations. The result has a lovely ripe, expressive mulberry and pomegranate fruit with accents of earth and sweet oak spice and a silky precision to the texture that is firm if less powerful than in recent years. The overall result is a beautiful expression of the Morey terroir.
Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair	La Romanée Grand Cru	2021	96	TOP QUALITY La Romanée is (as always) at another level of quality in 2021, with impressive depth of flavour and complexity. The aromas display super-ripe blackberry and mulberry fruit with notes of pepper, liquorice and a bit of menthol. The texture is dense and firm but not astringent, and the compellingly ripe black fruit explodes on the palate. Produced with meticulously sorted fruit (two tables, 10 people in total), Liger-Belair has included about 10%-15% whole cluster and delivered impressive depth and complexity.
Domaine d'Eugenie	Grands-Échézeaux Grand Cru	2021	96	Superb wine, on a par with the best in the appellation. There are perfumed fruit aromas of plum and black cherry with a bit of spice and some pleasant mineral notes – the initial impression is one of great elegance, and with time in the glass the wine reveals a depth of flavour and length that are truly rewarding. The half-hectare site between Echézeaux and the Clos de Vougeot is pretty protected, and frost damage was limited – they produced more wine in 2021 than in 2020. This wine should drink well young but will only improve with time.
Domaine Dugat-Py	Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	96	TOP QUALITY This stunning wine has immense depth of flavour with superbly ripe aromas of plum, black cherry and blackberry fruit with accents of menthol, earth, smoke and gunflint. The texture is substantial and fleshy, with superb density, supple and velvety tannins, and immense length. This wine will be the last bottled as it needs cask ageing to smooth its edges. Chambertin was among the vineyards least affected by the frost, and Dugat-Py lost only about 10% – 185 litres of this precious nectar was made instead of 205 litres.
Domaine Dujac	Clos de la Roche Grand Cru	2021	96	This wine is a contender for best in class and one of the very best of the vintage across all appellations. The colour is a fairly deep ruby hue, and the wine displays a lovely ripe plummy fruit with accents of mineral, cigar wrapper and earth on the nose. The texture is initially silky and approachable, but with time one sees that this is a powerful wine with lots of tannin behind that; it is a wine built for ageing. This wine has it all.
Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	2021	96	TOP QUALITY This graceful, elegant wine begins quietly. It is slightly closed on the initial attack, and there is a bit of reduction that wasn't present in the other wines, but the palate opens with super-ripe cassis fruit, notes of violets and earth, leading to a supple and fairly dense structure with firm tannins and a persistent finish. The wine comes from a small parcel of 0.3ha around the château, bought by Dr Georges Mugneret in 1953. Completely destemmed and gently fermented on native yeasts before ageing in cask (70% new).
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair	Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	96	Liger-Belair produced more wine in '21 than he did in 2020 from this site. The wine is utterly charming, with a lovely ripe cherry, rose petal nose, and savoury, mineral notes. The supple, balanced texture on the palate shows great elegance. The bunches were loose and the skins fairly thick and thus rot and mildew were avoided. The wine was gently fermented after removing the central stem, and the result is aging in untoasted casks bent with hot water, not steam to give the wine great elegance.
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair	Nuits-St-Georges (1er Cru Les St-Georges)	2021	96	This is an epic wine in the cellar of Thibault Liger-Belair, tannic, powerful and deep. The fruit character is dark plum and blackberry with hints of smoke, leather, and cigar leaf. The texture is dense and tannic; the finish is long. Every aspect of this is substantial, yet it retains the elegance to appear perhaps even more sophisticated than the Clos Vougeot. In my opinion, it is certainly on the level of the grand cru wines.
Lamy-Caillat	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Champs-Gains)	2021	96	The 2021 Champs Gains from Lamy-Caillat boasts exotic fruits on the initial attack, with notes of pomelo, passionfruit, and hibiscus, along with a modest complement of spice and cream. The texture is ripe and supple yet very long, with exquisite balance and concentration. This vineyard is the lowest on the slope among the Lamy-Caillat vineyards. There are 0.11 hectares here, and the almost decadent richness pays testament to this origin. This wine will drink perhaps just a bit sooner than the others from this cellar and age a decade or more after that.
Bouchard Père & Fils	Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	96	The yield in Bouchard’s Chevalier-Montrachet vineyard was among those most severely impacted by frost and rain in 2021—the house produced only four barrels from 3.5 hectares. If you see a bottle of this wine, seize the day - it is absolutely superb. The initial attack features a piercingly concentrated lemony fruit with notes of white flowers, coconut, and exotic spices. There is incredible concentration here – the wine seemed ‘polished like a diamond’ in the notes I took. Doubtless, it will continue to improve for decades.
Domaine Michel Niellon	Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	96	In 2021, the domaine protected this site above all from frost but still lost half their crop, despite being surrounded by the also well-protected vines of Domaine Leflaive. Accessible almost even now, the aromas of green apple and passionfruit, coconut, butter, and baking spice are almost opening even now. There is a lovely freshness and silky texture, yet this is a powerful wine with impressive length and density at the end. This should open in five years and continue to improve for at least twenty-five more.
Domaine Ponsot	Morey-St-Denis (1er Cru Monts Luisants)	2021	96	The white Clos des Monts Luisants is a riveting wine, one of the great successes of the 2021 vintage. Intensely concentrated and complex aromas range from green apple and gooseberry to tarragon and crème fraiche. The texture is lively, yet there is the breadth and chewiness to ensure that this will age well into the next decade. The vineyard of Aligoté was first planted in 1911; approximately 15% was replanted in 2006, but work continues, and the walls surrounding these ancient vines have recently been restored to ensure that this wine will continue to delight savvy wine lovers.
Bouchard Père & Fils	Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	96	TOP QUALITY This is a wine of impressive concentration, with complex layers of fruit on the nose that range from citrus to green apple, apricot, quince and passion fruit. There are elements of cream, butter, flinty mineral and fresh flowers. The texture is dense and long, but there is no lack of freshness, and the balance seems nearly perfect. It is produced from 0.89ha of mature vines on the Puligny side, just south of the Ramonet parcel. Profound and ageworthy, it will doubtless also show well young.
Domaine des Comtes Lafon	Meursault (1er Cru Perrières)	2021	96	TOP QUALITY Tremendous – truly 'the grand cru of Meursault'. This has almost pungent aromas of grapefruit and passion fruit with hints of smoke and mineral. The fruit opens up even more on the palate to show hay, beeswax and cream. The texture is rich and broad, but a lively acidity also drives this to an intense, long-lasting finish. Lafon's 0.91ha are spread over three parcels: two in Perrières Dessous (old vines, massal selection, 0.77ha) and Perrières Dessus, which he calls Perrières Ginette (0.14ha). The blend is one of the great whites of the Côte de Beaune.
Maison Millemann	Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru	2021	96	TOP QUALITY Pierre Millemann has produced one of the most exciting Corton Charlemagnes of the vintage, with abundant smoky reductive notes on the initial attack, a bright, forward, lemony fruit, and a strong suggestion of salty minerality, opening on the palate with ripe green apple and floral notes. It is tightly wound, and one has the sense that with time the edges will soften and the aromas will develop further. For the time being, it is as focused as a laser beam, and the crisp acidity and rich phenolic charge drive the wine to a persistent finish.
Domaine Paul Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru La Romanée)	2021	96	TOP QUALITY This thrilling wine has a profusion of ripe nectarine, green apple and lime fruit aromas on the initial attack, with a pronounced saline minerality and reductive smokiness. It opens with a bit of time in the glass to give a more generous creamy impression. The concentration of the old vines planted by Pillot’s grandfathers almost directly on the rock is evident. There is a great purity of fruit here without so much as a single new cask to distract from the focused citrus fruit, and those who appreciate powerful, tense whites will be delighted.
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair	Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru	2021	96	This wine took nearly a year to finish its fermentation, and in the end has delivered robust ripe apple fruit and notes of butter, hazelnut and smoke. This rich, persistent wine is produced from the southern part of Languettes on the border with the Clos du Roi, separated from this vineyard by a fault in the limestone, where Liger-Belair farms a mere 0.12ha and produced only a single barrel this year.
Domaine Parigot	Beaune (1er Cru Grèves)	2021	95	Parigot farms a half-hectare of seventy-year-old vines on the steep slopes of the upper portion of Beaune Grèves between Bouchard and the Hospices. The well-drained soils have delivered a medium-deep colour and explosively aromatic aromas of cassis and blueberry with notes of liquorice and mineral. The texture is silky, with finely-grained tannins and balanced acidity that lead to a lingering finish. This wine will drink well young, yet will improve over the next five to ten years.
Domaine Rossignol-Trapet	Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	The ’21 Chambertin from Rossignol-Trapet is monumental wine. Medium-deep ruby in colour, it is a bit less open on the nose but explodes with red and blackberry fruit on the palate with hints of earth, mineral, smoke, and spice. The texture is silky and supple but not lacking grip or structure. This wine is a top-level Chambertin, produced from the domaine parcels totaling 1.60 hectares. The grapes were fermented with a large percentage of whole clusters and (contrary to custom) punched down to ensure adequate extraction.
Domaine Trapet Père & Fils	Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	As always, the Trapet Chambertin is among the reference standards for the appellation. The wine has a surprisingly deep ruby hue and abundant aromas of ripe blackberry and pomegranate with notes of earth, wild herbs, and flowers. Oak spice still marks the nose but should integrate with time. Both new wood and whole cluster inclusion was reduced this year, and the restraint suits the wine well, and the purity of the fruit shines like a beacon. Marvelous.
Maison Millemann	Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	This wine is complete, round, and very lovely. While it inevitably has less power than the 2020 vintage, it is a wine of impressive balance and elegance. There is an impressively ripe cherry fruit aroma with suggestions of lavender, earth, and smoke. On the palate, there is still plenty of power (particularly for the vintage), grip, and length. It is an impressive wine by any measure. While Millemann professes the gospel of drinkability, this wine shows he crafts wines for the long haul as well.
Domaine Bruno Clair	Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru	2021	95	This wine shows intense concentration and depth, with superbly ripe currant and black cherry fruit with great complexity, showing notes of violets and game, mineral and menthol, baking spice, and truffle. The texture is firm but not unyielding, although there is a formidable amount of tannic grip here and bright, fresh acidity that drive the wine to a lingeringly elegant finish. Two-thirds of the grapes are from vines first planted in 1912; the balance was planted in 1972. 30% whole clusters, ageing now in 40% new casks. Incredible wine in a tough year.
Domaine Lamy-Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Clos St-Jean)	2021	95	The Clos St-Jean had a medium deep ruby colour, a ripe mulberry fruit aroma with pronounced floral aromas, and a slightly rustic, brambly edge. The structure is firm and tannic, with plenty of fresh acidity that draws this wine to a lingering finish. The grapes come from a 0.30-hectare parcel planted with a lovely massale selection by Florence Lamy-Pillot’s grandfather. The grapes were completely destemmed in 2021 before a gentle fermentation and ageing in cask (25% new).
Domaine Armand Rousseau	Clos de la Roche Grand Cru	2021	95	This wine is sometimes overlooked because it is the only wine from outside Gevrey in the Rousseau cellar. The Clos de la Roche, however, is among the best values from Rousseau. In the 2021 vintage, the wine shows sweet cherry fruit with floral and mineral notes. The texture is supple and fleshy, and there is enough structure to carry this to a lovely finish. It is produced from one and a half hectares split between the lieux dits of the original Clos de la Roche and Les Fremières. The absence of new oak here assures an admirable purity of fruit.
Hubert Lignier	Clos de la Roche Grand Cru	2021	95	This delicious wine is consistently among the best wines produced from the Clos de la Roche. There is an attractively ripe blackberry and plum fruit with plenty of complexity from eucalyptus, liquorice, star anise, and lavender notes. There is appreciably more density than in the ‘classic’ Clos de la Roche that comes from the tiny grapes affected by millerandage. Laurent Lignier’s grandparents planted the vines in 1955 in Les Monts Luisants; this bottling is his homage to their memory.
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	2021	95	There are marvelous ripe mulberry and plum fruit aromas here with earth, mineral, and saddle leather notes. The tannins are firm but finely grained and silky; there is a supple, plump texture on the palate with no tart or astringent qualities. The grapes come from three-quarters of a hectare of old vines on the border with Echézeaux in Baudes Hautes. Liger-Belair relates that the wine is by nature very tannic, and by punching down fairly firmly, he can soften (‘enrobe’) the texture. His strategy has undoubtedly succeeded in judging from this lovely wine.
Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet	Échezéaux Grand Cru	2021	95	The texture is perfectly silky yet impressively dense at the same time, with nothing tart or acerbic to this wine. There is a delightful purity of fruit to the aroma of ripe mulberry and an edge of peppery spice and floral notes. The grapes come from three small parcels in the lieux-dits Les Treux, Quartier de Nuits, and Champs Traversins that total 0.21 hectares. The oldest vines are in Champs Traversins. Berthaut protected the vines with candles and thus did not lose an inordinate amount – she produced 2.5 barrels from her 0.21 hectares.
Domaine Cécile Tremblay	Échezéaux Grand Cru	2021	95	Cecile Tremblay produces a sublime Echézeaux from her two plots of Echézeaux du Dessus. These 0.18 hectares are located at the heart of the vineyard in what is arguably its greatest terroir. In 2021, the vines delivered a deeply-coloured displaying an intensely ripe aroma of blackberry and currant, with notes of earth and spice. The texture on the palate is dense and concentrated, with balanced acidity, medium-firm tannins, and great purity of fruit. The grapes were partially destemmed and fermented without punching down before ageing in cask (one-third new).
Domaine d'Eugenie	Échezéaux Grand Cru	2021	95	This supremely impressive Echézeaux is almost overwhelming with its sweet fruit on the initial attack with plenty of mineral, earthy depth, and a hint of fresh mint. On the palate, the wine is concentrated with grippy, fine-textured tannins balanced by the fresh acidity to deliver an overall impression of complete seamlessness. This wine one of the top Echézeaux produced in 2021. Because the vineyard was protected with candles, there were two more barrels than in 2020 – seven instead of five (of which five were new).
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti	Échezéaux Grand Cru	2021	95	The 2021 Echézeaux is an extraordinary wine, with forward, bright raspberry fruit aromas and floral notes, marked at this stage with spice from the cask ageing; Bertrand de Villaine notes that most of the barrels are from François Frères, with contributions from La Grange and Berthomieu. The texture has great, silky finesse, although some slightly drying tannins still need to be integrated. Although the immense holding centered in the lieu-dit Poulaillères is 4.67 hectares, not all finds its way into the blend since the young vines are blended into the Vosne-Romanée premier cru Duvault-Blochet.
Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair	Échezéaux Grand Cru	2021	95	On the initial attack, the Echézeaux from Liger-Belair has a super-ripe blackberry and cassis fruit with a startling complexity that combines elements of earth and mineral with a smoky, savoury side that continues to the palate with an almost salty tang. The density is palpable, and the firm tannins and lively acidity carry this to a lovely, lingering finish. 2021 is the first year that Liger-Belair has expanded his holdings to include a bit of Echézeaux du Dessus along with the Champs Traversins, Vignes Blanches, and Clos-St-Denis that he has been farming for some time, and the results are promising indeed.
Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg	Échezéaux Grand Cru	2021	95	The domaine lost 90% of their production in the lieu-dit Rouges du Bas, but 'only' 55% in Quartier de Nuits. The remaining wine is spectacularly delicious, with ripe, concentrated blackberry fruit, with flashes of fresh flowers and earth. The flavours are enlivened by crisp acidity and firm tannins that carry the wine to a lingering finish. One quarter of the grapes are fermented as whole clusters (the only wine in the cellar so treated), and the wine is ageing in cask (60% new, from four different coopers) to deliver this wine of dizzying telluric force.
Domaine Sylvain Pataille	Marsannay	2021	95	Lovely, expressive blackberry fruit is the first thing you smell, but not the last, with nuances of spice, earth, menthol, and smoke on the nose. The flavours continue to deepen on the palate, and there is a subtle, silky texture that is not jarring but impresses gradually with its near-perfect balance and length. The wine is blended from vines nearly a century old in the Clos du Roy blended with other venerable vines from the lieux-dits of Clémengeot and Les Ouzeloy, all fermented as whole clusters and aged in cask (50% new).
Domaine Armand Rousseau	Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	The ripe blackberry fruit, hints of spice, and firm mineral depth of this wine all clearly announce its grand cru status. Balanced acidity, firm tannins, and abundant extract support the aromas, leading to an impressive finish. This wine is built for ageing, although it should drink well at an early age. The wine comes from a half-hectare of old vines in Mazis-Bas whose grapes are destemmed and carefully fermented using judicious punching down and pumping over before ageing in cask.
Domaine Dugat-Py	Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	This wine is epic, with super-ripe red and black berry fruit aromas, and copious notes of fresh flowers, liquorice, and anise spice. There are both abundant depth and great finesse at the same time. It is a wine of extraordinary length and structure, produced from ninety-year-old vines planted at 14,000 vines per hectare. The 0.21-hectare plot is located in Mazis-Bas, and the grapes are fermented primarily as whole clusters. The extraction in 2021 was very delicate but firm, and the wine is now ageing in cask (mostly new). This wine will be truly exceptional.
Domaine Amiot-Servelle	Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	Surprisingly dark in colour for the vintage, with a pronounced ripe plummy fruit and notes of earth, menthol, and wood smoke. The texture is tannic and fresh, but everything is in balance. This is a muscular wine (more than most in this vintage) and should age very well. The grapes come from a 0.19 ha parcel of 60 – 70-year-old vines in Mazoyères; this is the first vintage that has been labeled as Charmes but with the designation ‘En Mazoyères’.
Domaine Dugat-Py	Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	At Dugat-Py, the Mazoyères comes after the Charmes; often, it seems slightly more imposing. In the 2021 vintage, however, I found it more open and supple, with a rich plummy fruit trimmed with aromas of mineral, menthol, and earth and an underpinning of ground coffee or dark chocolate. The texture is supple and softer, balanced acidity and ripe tannins, yet enough substance to draw it to a superbly long finish. Mazoyères was fermented with 80% whole clusters compared to 70% for the Charmes.
Domaine Georges Roumier	Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	The aromas of ripe mulberry and blackberry here are seductive and provide an alluring foil for the dense, supple texture on the palate and the softly lingering finish. This parcel of just over a quarter-hectare is in Mazoyères. Roumier was renting until 2017 and has now purchased the vines. Beginning last year, the wine is labeled Charmes-Chambertin 'Aux Mazoyères'. The grapes are fermented with a relatively high proportion of whole clusters and are now ageing in cask (25% new). The cooling influence of the Combe Grisard delivers a fresh and elegant result.
Domaine Ponsot	Morey-St-Denis (1er Cru)	2021	95	This wine of impressive concentration is one to buy in the 2021 vintage. A superb density of red and black fruit explodes on the palate. The power is evident from the dark colour to the dense, tannic texture. Yields in 2021 were meager in this part of the vineyard (8 hl/ha), and Alexandre Abel completed the blend with a half-barrel of Clos de la Roche, with the balance of the grapes coming, as always, from the 1.29 hectares in the Clos de Monts Luisants above the portion that goes in the grand vin.
Domaine de la Vougeraie	Musigny Grand Cru	2021	95	This delicious Musigny from Domaine de la Vougeraie opens with a lovely, bright mulberry fruit aromas with dark notes of earth, mineral, smoke, and menthol. The texture is lively and fresh, yet there is substance, depth and grip on the palate. The grapes come from two parcels totaling 0.21 hectares that are farmed biodynamically using a horse for vineyard work. The grapes are fermented entirely as whole clusters and will age two winters in cask (25% new).
Domaine Faiveley	Musigny Grand Cru	2021	95	This wine features an amazingly silky texture yet impressive density. There is abundant ripe pomegranate, currant fruit, and notes of rose petals and spice. The complexity and length on the palate ensure that this is among the vintage's top wines. It is produced from two small plots that total 0.13 hectares. The grapes are partly destemmed and fermented directly in the same cask in which the wine will age. Faiveley Musigny is a reference for the appellation and among their greatest reds.
Domaine de Courcel	Pommard (1er Cru Rugiens)	2021	95	This classic Pommard has deep plum and cassis fruit aromas scented with tobacco, cedar, and spice. The texture is massive, with abundant extract, firm tannins, and fresh acidity. The grapes come from just over a hectare at mid-slope, where the soil transitions from white marl to deeper clay soils. They are fermented as whole clusters with vigorous punching down and will age eventually for nearly two years in cask. This will take several years to open fully, but it will be magnificent in time, and should live for decades, even in the 2021 vintage.
Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat	Richebourg Grand Cru	2021	95	This brilliant wine is immediately impressive with a lustrous, forward, ripe cherry fruit with gorgeous notes of rose petal and spice and a mysterious earthy underpinning that starts on the initial attack and continues through the immense, lingering finish. The texture is firm, tannic, and rich, yet it is approachable while holding some of its potential in reserve. The grapes come from 0.30 hectares of seventy-year-old vines in Les Richebourgs, between Grivot and DRC. One of the great wines of the vintage.
Domaine Jean-Marc Vincent	Santenay (1er Cru Les Gravières)	2021	95	The Gravières from Jean-Marc Vincent is a tremendous achievement in a challenging year. There is a ripe mulberry fruit that is a bit restrained initially but opens well on the palate, with a nuance of earth, menthol, mineral, leather, and wood smoke. The texture is tannic and substantial, yet there is finesse and elegance here. The grapes come from 0.90 hectares planted to old vine Pinot here in limestone and clay soils; they are fermented with 60% of the grapes as whole clusters, and the wine is ageing now and will see perhaps 24 months before bottling.
Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair	Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Reignots)	2021	95	The yield was reduced in premier cru Aux Reignots by nearly 75% in 2021, but the remaining wine is sublime. It is surprisingly dark-hued for the vintage, and the aromas are redolent of ripe blackberry with a pronounced savoury, salty complexity that has an almost animal note. There is a touch of reduction, but this will disappear when racked. The texture is robust, with firm tannins, plenty of focus, and enough extract to carry the wine to a lingering finish. It is a superb wine.
Domaine Philippe Naddef	Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	UNDER THE RADAR Serious wine, with opulent red- and blackberry fruit aromas edged with floral notes, oak spice and earth. The wine is fully ripe on the palate, with pure plummy fruit, plenty of depth, great density, silky tannins and impressive length. The domaine has two parcels totaling 0.4ha, one in Les Mazis-Hauts and one in Les Mazis-Bas. The grapes are gently fermented with a modest percentage of whole clusters and aged in new casks.
Domaine Cécile Tremblay	Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	This wine is a hedonistic delight, like many of the wines from Cécile Tremblay. The wine has pronounced, ripe blackberry fruit aromas edged with spice and smoke. The texture is rich and dense, but the tannins are supple and fine-grained, lingering sensuously on the palate. The fruit shows striking purity on the finish – absolutely delicious. It is produced from a 0.36ha parcel in Les Gémeaux, downslope from Chambertin-Clos de Bèze.
Domaine Michel Mallard	Corton Le Rognet Grand Cru	2021	95	This wine is among the great surprises in Corton for this vintage. The nose displays a distinct mix of plum and mulberry fruit with a suggestion of fig and coffee that is very robust. There is also a bit of oak spice on the nose, since five of the seven barrels were new. The texture is complete, round and supple, accessible, but also very tannic and long. Mallard farms two parcels here totalling just over 1.2ha. The Rognet seems particularly successful in 2021.
Domaine Ponsot	Clos de la Roche Grand Cru	2021	95	A masterful rendition of the Clos de la Roche, made at the expense of tiny yields (9hl/ha). The dark plummy fruit is a bit closed and tightly wound up with hints of mineral and earth, but it will doubtless unspool in the bottle with time. The feel on the palate is similarly a bit hard, but there is dense extract here along with firm tannic structure and impressive length. With a bit of coaxing in the glass one sees the great potential of this vintage.
Domaine Rossignol-Trapet	Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	This delicious wine represents a distinct step-up in aromatic complexity in the portfolio, with aromas of pomegranate and ripe cherry, hints of violet and lavender, which continue to echo on the palate with an undercurrent of dark chocolate. The texture is approachable and supple, but the substance and structure are sufficient to ensure a long life. This is produced from a parcel of 0.7ha in the heart of Latricières. The grapes are given a cold soak and fermented without punching down before ageing in cask (about half new).
Domaine Sylvain Pataille	Marsannay	2021	95	Le Chapitre in Chenôve is among the finest in the northern Côte de Nuits, yet this is among the first vintages elevated to village status. Pataille farms just over a hectare at mid-slope with orange-brown rocky limestone soils (grèzes litées) which give the wine a pronounced mineral concentration. The fruit expression is pomegranate/ raspberry; there is a hint of reduction, which will pass, and a spicy depth to the nose. The texture is tannic and fresh, with plenty of substance and a lingering finish.
Domaine Alexandre Parigot	Nuits-St-Georges (1er Cru Damodes)	2021	95	The colour of the wine is deeper, and the ripe plum and blackberry fruit aromas in this wine are richer than one would expect in 2021. The texture has a lovely density and a good weight of ripe fruit with supple tannins and rewarding length. The 0.25-hectare parcel with vines trained quite high was purchased from a vigneron in Concoeur who rented the vines just below the parcel belong to Leroy. The first vintage from Parigot was 2019.
Anne Gros	Richebourg Grand Cru	2021	95	This wine should persuasively convince anyone with lingering doubts about the 2021 harvest. There are pronounced black cherry and lush violet aromas and an elegantly fresh texture that introduces a surprisingly deep, sweet fruit on the palate—lovely finesse and length. The wine is produced from the 0.60 hectares of old vines from the Gros parcel in Les Verroilles. Gentle extraction and a savvy picking date delivered a charming, seamless wine, although it will not be as long-lived as last year's blockbuster.
Benjamin Leroux	Clos St-Denis Grand Cru	2021	95	Leroux's Clos St-Denis is tremendous wine. Although there is a bit of reduction on the initial attack, it opens on the palate with savoury, salty notes that almost recall roast meat and a deep plummy fruit character with an earthy edge. It is surprisingly structured for the vintage, with firm tannins, fresh acidity, and admirable density of fruit that all lead to an impressive finish. It is produced from a 0.15-hectare parcel in the heart of the walls of the lieu-dit Clos St-Denis.
Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet	Gevrey-Chambertin Le Combe de Dessous	2021	95	The emphasis here is on perfume and elegance, with a bright, forward cherry fruit aromas and hints of lavender and ginger, light body, and fresh acidity. Nonetheless, there is enough substance here to carry the wine to a lingering finish and suggest at least mid-term aging. The half-hectare parcel is located just below the Route des Grands Crus, down the slope from Cazetiers. The grapes are mostly destemmed and gently fermented and the wine is now aging in cask (25% new).
Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet	Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Les Petits Monts)	2021	95	This is superb wine, with an impressive precision and depth of red and black berry fruit character, spice and mineral nuance on the nose. The texture is silky and very fine, yet the tannic structure is solid and will support aging. It comes from a remarkable collection of parcels totaling a half hectare planted with very old vines (some more than a century old) and worked by horse. Twenty percent of the grapes are fermented as whole clusters, and the wine is aging now in cask (30% new).
Domaine Bruno Clair	Savigny-lès-Beaune (1er Cru Les Peuillets)	2021	95	According to Arthur Clair (Bruno's youngest son), this is his favorite wine in the cellar, and it's easy to see why. The aromas lead with ripe plum and blackberry to hints of earth, mineral, and liquorice spice. The texture is impressively dense and concentrated for the vintage, and the wine is remarkably persistent on the palate. It is produced from the 1.1-hectare holding in the central portion of the premier cru Les Hauts Jarrons, initially planted in 1902. Bruno commented that the old vines didn't freeze, but any replacement vines scattered throughout froze in April.
Domaine Chandon de Briailles	Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru	2021	95	This lovely wine was one of the surprises of the vintage, with its richly aromatic nose of ripe cherry, liquorice, and rose petals. The wine is slightly reserved, tannic, and dense on the palate, although there is no heaviness here. With just a bit of patience, this should be among the best red Cortons from the vintage. It is produced from 0.28 hectares of biodynamically-farmed old vines at 310 metres planted on a steep slope in sandy marl soils. A name to remember.
Domaine de Courcel	Beaune (1er Cru Les Epenottes)	2021	95	Impressive, richly constituted, and substantial wine. The aromas are complex, with plum and mulberry fruit accented with earthy, meaty, savoury notes and hints of saline/mineral on the finish. The texture is dense, tannic, and firm, with lots of extract and a finish that lingers interminably on the palate. Although this is a classic Pommard in style, everything is in balance here and there is superb potential for cellaring - this will be better opened in a few years, and should age well over the medium- to long-term.
Domaine Dujac	Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru	2021	95	Intensely good wine. The colour is a fairly deep ruby, and the nose displays a lush, plummy fruit. There are no heavy, smoky aromas, just clean, pure fruit and floral notes. The texture is supple and dense with a lively acidity that carries this to a superbly ripe, long finish. Dujac has 0.59 hectares in total in two sections. They picked everything here on 25 September, in advance of their other grand crus, to spectacular result.
Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg	Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	This is a charming wine of substance and depth. It is all that remained after 80% losses in Ruchottes due to frost—there were only two barrels, not the ten that they usually have. 'It's difficult to make beef Bourguignon with only two pieces of beef' is how Marie-Christine Mugneret referred to the situation. They have nonetheless done marvellous work, producing this delicious wine with aromas of ripe black cherry, rose petals, and a suggestion of earthy minerality. The texture is firm and elegant, with tannin and freshness to spare.
Domaine Georges Roumier	Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	95	Substantial and tannic, this wine still has the elegance to deliver a wine of brilliance and depth. It showcases red and black berry fruit aromas with hints of spice, smoke, and earth and a firm yet fresh and ethereal texture. Roumier managed a paltry 16 hl/ha from the half-hectare of vines he rents from Michel Bonnefond in Ruchottes du Dessus that trace their lineage to the purchase from the Thomas Bassot holdings in 1976, using a cold soak and a moderate percentage of whole clusters with a gentle fermentation to achieve his silky results.
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair	Corton Les Renardes Grand Cru	2021	95	This engaging, lovely wine has lovely ripe cherry fruit expression and hints of rose petals and mineral. The texture is silky and supple, yet there is tannic power to spare. This 0.30-hectare parcel of old vines planted is now seventy years of age. The grapes ripen precociously, and he began to pick here on 21 September before the rains on the Corton Hill. This concentrated, deep wine should age well in your cellar.
Domaine Violot Guillemard	Pommard (1er Cru Grand Clos des Épenots)	2021	95	This classic Pommard has dark, briary fruit with hints of smoke, leather, and cigar leaf. The texture is firm but not hard or astringent, and the finish is long. As with the Clos des Mouches, this is fermented completely as whole clusters. The extraction is careful but active, and the aging is done in 30% new casks. The grapes come from a quarter-hectare of seventy-year-old vines in the brown, iron-rich soils of Petits Epenots. One of the top wines in this cellar.
Domaine Yvon Clerget	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	2021	95	A wonderful Clos Vougeot. This deeply-coloured wine has a lovely ripe plummy blackberry fruit and notes of spice, rose petals, and slightly herbal, earthy edge notes. The abundant complexity is complemented by a silky texture, balanced acidity, and impressive length on the palate. Produced from vines in the Grand Maupertuis section of the clos that were pruned very late and thus avoided frost damage. The wine was fermented as 50% whole clusters, and aged in 50% new casks. Marvellous.
Domaine Sylvain Pataille	Marsannay	2021	95	There is a lovely depth of flavour in this vibrant white from Chenôve, with bright citrus and nectarine aromas, refreshingly crisp acidity, yet enough body and extract to ensure impressive length to the elegant finish. It is produced from old vines (planted in 1955) in Pataille’s east-facing 0.70-hectare parcel. He presses the grapes as whole clusters without sulphur during the fermentation and ferments them in mostly-used casks to produce this elegant, concentrated wine.
Domaine de la Vougeraie	Vougeot (1er Cru Le Clos Blanc)	2021	95	This exotic, seductive wine is one of the specialties at Domaine de la Vougeraie. It features ripe pear and peach fruit with smoke, beeswax and floral notes. The texture is dense, with balanced acidity and plenty of extract that lingers on the palate almost like a Corton-Charlemagne. It is produced from the Domaine’s monopole of just over three hectares that is planted to chardonnay with a small admixture of Pinot Beurrot and just a drop of Pinot Blanc. The grapes are farmed biodynamically and pressed as whole clusters. The fermentation starts in tank and finishes in cask (about one-quarter new).
Domaine Alvina Pernot	Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	95	Alvina Pernot has produced a superb Bâtard. The terroir, which tends toward heaviness, seems well-suited to her style, which tends toward lean, racy wines. Here the combination gives the impression of ripe apple fruit with a suggestion of something more exotic; the texture on the palate reveals the density of the wine, with a rich, full body and flavours of butter and cream along with a mineral note. Pernot and her husband farm a half-hectare, and if this is any indication, they have particular success with this wine.
Domaine Pierre Vincent Girardin	Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	95	The Bâtard from Pierre Girardin is incredibly assured and masterful. The aromas initially seem slightly restrained, but it begins to open up nicely with ripe pear, white flowers, mineral, and smoke. The texture has incredible tension, but there is enough richness to bring everything into dynamic balance. The grapes come from a 0.125-hectare parcel of ancient vines that Girardin purchased in 2017 on the Chassagne side near the stone house. This wine will open in a few years and should continue to improve for decades in a proper cellar.
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey	Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	95	The Bâtard was curiously less expressive and a bit more reserved than other wines in this cellar. Still, however, pleasantly ripe pear and quince aromas with a subtle hint of white flowers develops on the palate. The texture is firm and broad, with structure in all the right places. The grapes come from the 0.08-hectare plot at the centre of Bâtard; they are lightly crushed prior to fermentation in large casks with a modest proportion of new wood for the appellation.
Domaine Alvina Pernot	Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	95	Ripe aromas of green apple, passionfruit, and melon dominate the nose and are given depth with shades of butter, chamomile, and spice. The texture is rich and deep, with a creamy feel but no sense of heaviness. The grapes are pressed as whole clusters and fermented on native yeasts, mainly in used casks, before ageing over two winters. This wine is elegant and fine, yet does not lack the substance for long ageing.
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru)	2021	95	The vineyards farmed by the domaine were so badly damaged by frost and rain in 2021 that the premier cru parcels in Chassagne (like the village-level vines) were blended together. At the premier cru level this includes Chenevottes, Caillerets, and Abbaye de Morgeot; the result was seven barrels instead of 25, but the quality of what remained was tremendous, with ripe apple and pear fruit aromas kissed with a floral edge and a firm mineral note. The texture showed pleasant density and nice 'shoulders' – admirable length, breadth and substance. This is impressive wine by any measure.
Domaine Paul Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Caillerets)	2021	95	Thierry Pillot grinned as we tasted his ’21 Caillerets: ‘I don’t feel the stress in 2021’. A nerve-racking vintage, to be sure, but he ended up delivering in spades. This wine is particularly successful, with bright lemony fruit, some aromatic floral notes, and a moderately strong smoky/reductive edge. The acidity is bright and lively but not acerbic, and the finish is long. It is produced from nearly a half-hectare at a high elevation in thin soils above 300 metres. This is top-class Chassagne in a fashionably racy style that will not disappoint.
Domaine Paul Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru La Grande Montagne)	2021	95	The minute quantities of Grande Montagne from Pillot are eminently worth seeking out, given the wine’s thrilling, electric lime peel and salty mineral nose and smoky reductive aromas. The texture packs a lot of concentration, extract, and length into a reasonably light frame. High-elevation vineyards are something of a specialty of Pillot; the two discontinuous sections of Grande Montagne high on the slope are a perfect example. Their tiny plot holding produced a single 350-litre cask in 2021.
Domaine Paul Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Grandes Ruchottes)	2021	95	Bright aromas of pomelo, lemon peel, and passionfruit aromas with a mineral accent feature prominently on the initial impression of the ’21 Grandes Ruchottes from Pillot. The texture is rich, supple, and fresh, and the complex flavours echo across the lingering finish. The wine is accessible, almost opening now, yet its concentration suggests it will age well indeed. The grapes come from 0.20 hectares at the top of the slope; they are pressed as whole clusters and run into large casks with most of their lees for fermentation and ageing over two winters to produce this intense wine.
Domaine Lamy-Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Morgeot)	2021	95	This is a fabulous wine, if somewhat un-Morgeot-like. Morgeot is well known for its reds, while whites run the risk of heaviness. Here, however, the contrary is true: the wine has a greenish cast to its lemon-yellow hue; lime peel and green apple fruit aromas are touched with a salty minerality. The texture is fresh and crisp, with plenty of acidity and perfect length. The grapes come from a third of a hectare total in Morgeot spread over three lieux-dits: 0.18 in Les Petits Clos, 0.05 in Fairendes, and 0.11 in Champs Jeandreau. The vines average fifty years of age and come from a quality massale selection—well done indeed.
Louis Jadot	Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	95	This is a beautiful wine, made at a heavy cost – only three casks were produced from a half-hectare. The results, however, are outstanding, with focused lemon peel, white flower, and mineral notes that open up to show a bit of oak spice on the palate. The texture has impressive concentration, and the flavours run deep on the palate. The grapes come from the Jadot-owned parcel at the top of the slope that was promoted from premier cru Cailleret. This wine may take a few years to open up but should last at least twenty years.
Bouchard Père & Fils	Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru	2021	95	Lemony and bright, this wine exemplifies the virtues of whites of the 2021 vintage. The initial impression is citrus peel, but there is a nectarine sweetness, some richer apricot notes, a salty mineral overlay, and some lovely floral notes. The wine has plenty of structure and length, but the freshness is well-balanced with the impressive level of extract. This wine will be better after a few years in the bottle and should age for decades. Bouchard’s four-hectare plot in thin white marl soils at the top of the hill consistently delivers grapes of concentration and bracing tension.
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey	Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru	2021	95	This dynamic wine is blended from grapes purchased from two parts of the hill of Corton – most of it is from En Charlemagne in west-facing Pernande-Vergelesses, while nearly a third comes from a parcel in Les Languettes high on the slope in Aloxe. The two are very complimentary, and there is more of chalky minerality from the Pernand fruit and a riper, sweeter fruit with almost a hint of coconut from the Aloxe portion. The ripeness extends to the palate, and a density here carries the wine to the next level.
Domaine Michel Mallard	Ladoix (1er Cru Les Gréchons)	2021	95	This lovely, concentrated wine is another example of a perfect alliance between the 2021 vintage and a terroir that can produce a somewhat ponderous style. Here the wine is powerful, long, and spicy, with notes of quince, ripe pear, marzipan, and subtle mineral shading. The texture is dense and concentrated yet avoids heaviness by dint of the lovely fresh acidity that pulls everything into balance. Mallard’s tine 0.11-hectare, south-facing parcel in Le Charlemagne has produced only one cask this year, and fermentation and ageing are in a single (new) cask. ‘Don’t be too enthusiastic’, he told me ‘I don’t have very much!’
Domaine des Comtes Lafon	Meursault (1er Cru Genevrières)	2021	95	I found the 2021 Genevrières to be the biggest of the Meursault premiers crus in the Lafon cellar this year, with aromas of ripe apple and peach and almost hints of cotton candy on the initial attack. The texture is lush and dense, with balanced acidity and impressive length. The wine is made from the old vine fruit in Lafon’s 0.55-hectare holding in Genevrières. The grapes are crushed lightly before pressing and fermented in cask with a modest proportion of new wood. This bottling is among my favourite wines from this premier cru.
Domaine des Comtes Lafon	Meursault (1er Cru Les Charmes)	2021	95	The ’21 Charmes from Lafon shows more definition and lemony freshness than customary for this lieu-dit, yet it is not lacking richness. There are pitch-perfect aromas of lemon peel and white flowers but also richer notes of nectarine and marzipan. The texture is silky and surprisingly vibrant. It will open to show its full potential in a few years and should age well for the next twenty years. The grapes come from a 1.71-hectare parcel in Charmes-Dessus near the border with Puligny.
Domaine Blain Gagnard	Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	95	2021 is a marvelous vintage for Blain-Gagnard’s Montrachet. The style is usually very ripe, and that element of the wine is undoubtedly here, with aromas of ripe apple and peach and a dense and creamy texture. Conditions in 2021 delivered a wine with more acidity than usual, bringing a lovely freshness to the wine – ‘very present, very discreet’ in the words of Jean-Marc Blain. This wine should age effortlessly for twenty years. The grapes come from two ouvrées (0.086 ha) on the Chassagne side between DRC and Fontaine Gagnard.
Domaine Jean-Marc Vincent	Santenay (1er Cru Les Gravières)	2021	95	Vincent’s Chardonnay vines in Santenay Gravières (0.33 hectares) are planted in high-density fashion (>14,000 vines/ha), which have given spectacular results, with aromas that range from ripe pear to pomelo with hints of hay and beeswax. Vincent works with a high percentage of lees to obtain a seductively velvety texture and enable him to use a minimum of sulfur (only at bottling). This wine will drink well young and improve over the next ten to fifteen years.
Henri Boillot	Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	95	TOP QUALITY An exemplary Bâtard and among the best wines of the appellation. There is a deep lemon-yellow hue and pronounced ripe apple and pear fruit aromas with hints of spice, cream, butter and toasted hazelnut. The texture is lush and dense, just this side of opulence, but there is enough acidity to balance everything out and lead it to a harmonious, lingering finish. It is produced from a domaine-owned parcel of one third of a hectare on the border between Puligny and Chassagne, fermented and aged in new casks.
Domaine Jean Chartron	Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	95	TOP QUALITY The jewel in the crown. This is lemony, tightly wound and incisive, but it is not all acidity and freshness since there is depth and substance here as well. This property has been in the family for more than 150 years, and is recommended by its neighbours – above the Marquis de Laguiche and just north of Maison Leroy. Unfortunately, Chartron produced just four barrels this year instead of the customary 12. A memorable wine.
Lamy-Caillat	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru La Grande Montagne)	2021	95	UNDER THE RADAR TOP QUALITY A majestic wine with immense ageing potential. There is a lovely apricot fruit here with notes of quince and spice, and a silky, almost waxen texture, but it's not heavy. It has lively acidity and a super-long finish. The intensity is marvellous, but one can sense that something is still in reserve. The wine is produced by blending the parcels in both La Romanée and La Grande Montagne, since La Romanée can take the name of Grande Montagne.
Lamy-Caillat	St-Aubin	2021	95	Quirky and unique, this is unlike anything else in the cellar. Initially, there is a sense of reduction that almost smells like grapefruit; Sébastien Caillat justifiably calls it 'petrol'. There is a lively acidity, medium body and a lingering mineral finish. He explains that the land here (nearly 0.4ha) was fallow for many years and was only planted in 2015.
Domaine Michel Niellon	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Clos de la Truffière Les Chaumées)	2021	95	TOP QUALITY Consistently among the top wines in the appellation for me, this was particularly successful in 2021. The fruit character blends the citrus and the tropical, with notes of lime, gooseberry and passion fruit, alongside tarragon, clove and smoke. The texture is dense and concentrated, yet the wine is exquisitely balanced and never seems heavy. It is produced from a 0.5ha plot of 100-year-old vines near the top of the slope. A touchstone for Chassagne.
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey	Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru La Garenne)	2021	95	TOP QUALITY This inspiring wine combines notes of citrus, ripe pear and green apples with hints of mineral, smoke and spice. The texture is lively and fresh but not without velvety charm – crisp acidity balanced by moderate body and extract leading to a lingering finish. Only one barrel was produced due to frost damage; it is still maturing in cask and will not be racked for bottling before the end of the second winter.
Domaine de la Vougeraie	Charlemagne Grand Cru	2021	95	From the only producer to use the AP Charlemagne label, this shows a lovely citrussy nose with hints of mineral and hawthorn flowers. The texture is compact but not heavy; there is abundant acidity to balance the impressive level of extract, and an immensely satisfying finish. It is produced from two parcels totalling 0.5ha. One faces south on the Aloxe side, and one faces west on the Pernand side. The combination is compelling and should not be overlooked.
Bouchard Père & Fils	Beaune (1er Cru Grèves)	2021	94	This wine is among the most successful Beaune premier crus in 2021. The aromas begin with mulberry and cassis fruit with notes of earth, menthol, and smoke. Rich and substantial on the palate, it features surprisingly full body, firm tannins and rewarding length. The grapes are from the Bouchard monopole of nearly four hectares within Beaune Grèves. In 2021, 30% were fermented as whole clusters to ensure complexity and freshness. This should open well with a few years in bottle and age over the next two decades.
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé	Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru	2021	94	This wine features spicy, intense blackberry and earth aromas, with an undercurrent of savoury notes and a smoky hint of ground coffee. This is more massive than the rest of the cellar. It remains a compellingly attractive wine, but seems more ‘Morey’ than ‘Chambolle’ in character, despite the fact that the domaine’s 2.7 hectares are clustered at the base of the slope at the southern tip of the appellation. After a careful sorting, the grapes were fermented with 50% whole clusters and the wine is currently ageing in cask.
Louis Jadot	Bourgogne	2021	94	The ripe plum and black cherry fruit aromas are surprisingly forward for Bonnes-Mares, although it does not have the depth of some wines from this vintage. Instead, it is warm and supple, with firm but finely-grained tannins. The grapes come from a 0.27-hectare parcel that runs the entire length of the vineyard from top to bottom. The fruit is mostly destemmed and fermented slowly on native yeasts before ageing in cask (half new) to produce an elegant, balanced wine.
Domaine Drouhin-Laroze	Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru	2021	94	This wine shows restraint and elegance, and yet everything is in the right place. The impression begins with ripe mulberry fruit aromas accented with notes of smoke, leather, and earth, yet there is no rustic edge. It is a robust wine, surprisingly deeply coloured for the vintage, boasting full body, plenty of tannic grip, and impressive density and length. It is produced from the domaine's outstanding 1.5-hectare parcel in the centre of the vineyard, running from top to bottom. 20% of the grapes are fermented as whole clusters, and the wine is currently ageing in cask (mostly new).
Domaine Joseph Drouhin	Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru	2021	94	This is a wine of elegance and power; there is plenty of tannin and structure, but it is not lacking fruit, with forward aromas of black cherry and plum coloured with exotic spices, a hint of smoke, and persistent earthy, savoury aromas from the terroir. The aromas are lovely and expressive. Along with the Amoureuses and the Griottes, this is consistently among the most successful of the reds. The structure is firm and fresh and leads to an impressively persistent finish, but there is nothing harsh or astringent here. Produced from a combination of estate-owned parcels and purchased fruit.
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair	Chambolle-Musigny	2021	94	This elegant wine sports a relatively light colour, but the aromas are fully ripe, with abundant floral shading to the ripe pomegranate and currant fruit. The texture is ethereal, yet the finish is persistent. Liger-Belair feels the 2021 vintage resembles the landmark 2010. As with that earlier vintage, this is produced from purchased fruit from old vines scattered across five village-level terroirs covering 0.70 hectares in Les Mal Carrées, Les Maladières, Derrière le Four, Les Fremières, and Les Gamaires. The grapes are partially destemmed and fermented on native yeasts before ageing in cask.
Domaine Georges Roumier	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Combottes)	2021	94	Ethereal finesse and lovely freshness were the hallmarks of this wine in 2021, with notes of bright red fruits and no sign of the slightly rustic side of the Clos de la Bussière. The grapes come from 0.27 hectares in Les Combottes (not Aux Combottes, further down the slope). In some years, it gives a wine of more substance and weight; this year, it is exquisitely delicate. It is fermented with 60% whole clusters and aged in one-third new casks to give a wine of purity and complexity.
Domaine Amiot-Servelle	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Derrière la Grange)	2021	94	The structure, tannin, and density on offer mark this as a serious wine. The fruit is a bit reticent on the initial attack, but one sees plenty of extract on the palate, and the wine should open admirably with time. The vines are located across the road from Les Fuées and just south of Bonnes Mares, and the grapes are fermented on native yeasts, with about one-third of whole clusters to bring complexity. The wine is ageing in cask (40% new) to another layer of spice and sophistication.
Domaine Amiot-Servelle	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Amoureuses)	2021	94	There is a lovely fresh quality to this concentrated wine's red and black fruit character that seems to offer both a lush, seductive fruit and substantial structure and length. The grapes come from a 0.45-hectare parcel of mature vines on the northern side of Amoureuses just below the Route des Grandes Crus and are fermented on native yeasts as 30% whole clusters before ageing in cask over two winters. Despite its obvious charms, collectors are advised to wait at least five years before opening.
Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Amoureuses)	2021	94	A marvel of intensity without weight, this lovely charming wine has bright black cherry fruit, fresh floral aromas, and a texture that is pleasantly rich but not at all heavy. The wine is made from just over a half-hectare of old vines planted in the ‘60s in the thin red clay Amoureuses soil. The grapes were destemmed and given a cold soak before fermentation and the wine is now ageing in cask. This marvelously balanced wine should age effortlessly for decades.
Louis Jadot	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Amoureuses)	2021	94	This ripe, classic Amoureuses features lush blackberry fruit aromas and hints of exotic spices and smoke. There is plenty of nuance and length on the palate, with a velvety structure but no lack of grip. The grapes come from the domaine-owned parcel of 0.12 hectares that produced a single 350-litre barrel in 2021. The fruit is mostly destemmed, and fermented with classic punching down to extract tannin and colour before ageing in cask (half new).
Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Feusselottes)	2021	94	This beautiful wine is consistently among my favourites from this vineyard. Its deep ruby colour and reticent aromas on the initial attack make it seem un-Chambolle-like. The wine is firm and substantial on the palate, but a lovely plummy fruit with plenty of depth opens up here. In this vintage, I like the balance between the acidity of the tannin and the maturity. The wine is made from nearly a half-hectare of old vines, whose grapes are destemmed and gently fermented on ambient yeasts before ageing in cask.
Domaine Armand Rousseau	Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	94	Rousseau's Charmes is the first grand cru tasted in the cellar. The emphasis here is on the purity of fruit and silky expression rather than the lush density of some growers. There is a hint of spice to the ripe, ethereal cherry aromas, but there is no new wood in the maturation here – 'you have to avoid crushing it with new wood', according to Cyrielle. It is produced from a combination of relatively young vines in Charmes proper with old vines from Mazoyères, which give a very elegant result.
Domaine Dugat-Py	Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	94	The '21 Charmes from Dugat-Py is a massive wine. There is a bit of reduction on the initial attack, but behind that is bright raspberry and pomegranate fruit with floral notes, and hints of menthol and earth. The texture is lively and fresh, with plenty of acidity, but all the structural elements balance with firm tannins and plenty of extract. This is a blend of the quarter-hectare the domaine owns in Charmes proper with some of their Mazoyères as well. Luckily for everyone, production was 'only' off by 25% this year so some wine will be available.
Domaine Lamy-Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Boudriotte)	2021	94	This wine has a ripe plummy fruit aroma with notes of earth and spice; the flavours gain complexity and depth on the palate. The texture is supple and rich, with fresh acidity and enough tannin to sustain it through a pleasant finish without a hint of astringency. For Sébastien Caillat, the solution was to avoid over-ripening the fruit, select only healthy bunches, and avoid extracting astringent tannins. The grapes come from a plot of 0.61 in Boudriottes; they were wholly destemmed in 2021 and fermented with very few punch-downs before ageing in cask (25% new).
Domaine Paul Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Clos St-Jean)	2021	94	The red from Pillot’s Clos St-Jean is a real treat, with concentrated plummy fruit scented with wilted rose petals, earth, and bramble. There is vibrant acidity, firm tannin, and no lack of intensity, yet there is elegance also. The combination of power and finesse made me write ‘almost bonnes-mares-ish’ in my musings. The family owns one hectare planted to Pinot; the grapes were entirely fermented as whole clusters in 2021 to deliver this impressive result.
Hubert Lignier	Clos de la Roche Grand Cru	2021	94	Although the vines of Clos de la Roche suffered from the frost, the results were particularly delicious, with bright red and black fruit and notes of lavender and spice. The wine shows admirable energy and an almost saline minerality on the palate. There is tension and freshness, pleasantly ripe fruit, and rewarding density. The complex interplay of flavours on the palate is superb. Wait five years before opening this; it should last another twenty beyond that.
Maison Millemann	Clos de la Roche Grand Cru	2021	94	Millemann’s Clos de la Roche displays a lovely concentration of powerful cassis and plum fruit with smoke, mineral, and eucalyptus notes. The aromas from the oak ageing are noticeable without being dominant. Millemann ages the wine in 100% new casks but uses Tronçais wood with a neutral toast to avoid overwhelming the wine. In the 2021 vintage, the texture of the wine is firm, almost slightly rustic, but there is more than enough ripe fruit and nuance to ensure that this ages gracefully for years.
Benjamin Leroux	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	2021	94	There is a lovely sweetness to the cherry and plum fruit here, with cedar, earth, and clove accents. The texture is tannic and structured, but there is enough substance to ensure a slightly fleshy, approachable suppleness on the palate. Good length. This wine is produced from a 0.15-hectare plot at the southern extremity of the Clos; Leroux produced two barrels in ’21. This Clos de Vougeot should age well indeed.
Domaine JJ Confuron	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	2021	94	This Clos de Vougeot is slow to open, but it is powerful and well-balanced on the palate, where a seductive blackberry fruit with earth and smoke notes begins to emerge. The wine is tannic and firm but not astringent and lingers pleasantly on the palate. It is produced from several well-placed parcels, notably in La Garenne and Quartier de Marei Haut next to Leroy, who purchased the Charles Noëllat estate, which was also the source of their land. The grapes are organically farmed and gently fermented before ageing in cask (one-third new each year).
Maison Edouard Delaunay	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	2021	94	Although this wine is a bit restrained initially, the deep colour and the firmly tannic and structured texture hint at the longevity of this wine. It is thoroughly ripe, balanced and powerful, and should age well. There were six barrels produced in 2021; grapes came from two parcels: one-third from Petit Maupertuis at the top of the hill behind the chateau, and the balance from a plot between the Château and the Château de la Tour. The grapes from Petit Maupertuis were destemmed; the balance not.
Domaine Amiot-Servelle	Clos St-Denis Grand Cru	2021	94	The 2021 vintage Clos St-Denis is delicious although I find in this year that it is eclipsed by the Charmes-Chambertin 'En Mazoyères'. The former wine seems slightly more angular and does not have as much finesse as the latter. The aromas show cranberry and pomegranate notes, and the fruit has a slightly herbal edge on the initial attack. The texture is less ripe and perhaps slightly astringent. The differences are relatively small, however, and both wines are worthy.
Domaine Dujac	Clos St-Denis Grand Cru	2021	94	This beautiful, racy wine is a superb expression of Morey terroir, with plenty of high-toned red fruit character and notes of menthol, earth, and smoke. The texture is fresh and crisp, with firm tannins that drive the wine to an impressively lingering finish. It lacks just a bit of the density and ripeness of the Clos de la Roche, but the ethereal perfume stands it in good stead. The grapes come from parcels that total 1.47 hectares in the lieux-dits of Les Chaffots, Calouière, and the traditional core of the Clos St-Denis itself, all picked on 28 September.
Louis Jadot	Clos St-Denis Grand Cru	2021	94	Lovely ripe cherry fruit with floral and spice notes and a bit of smoke and toast introduce this marvelous wine, one of the signal successes among the Jadot reds in the 2021 vintage. The wine is one of finesse and elegance; on the palate there is vivacious fresh acidity, but enough density to be substantial and long without being imposing. The wine is produced from the 0.17-hectare parcel in the original Clos St-Denis lieu-dit owned by Domaine André Gagey and farmed under a long-term contract by Jadot.
Domaine Comte Senard	Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru	2021	94	The Clos du Roi presents an exuberant nose with its sweet cherry and raspberry fruit and notes of violets and ginger. The grapes here were the healthiest that the domaine produced, and 10% were fermented as whole clusters. The texture is fresh and crisp, but the body is appropriately substantial. The balance between the sweet fruit, fresh acidity, and lush density is marvelous—among the best wines in the cellar.
Domaine Méo-Camuzet	Corton Clos Rognet Grand Cru	2021	94	For me, this delicious wine was the pick of Méo’s three Cortons (there is also a Perrières and a Vigne au Saint). The colour is dark and pronounced, accessible raspberry fruit aromas with a strong mineral cast provide the first impression. The flavours continue to expand on the palate, with floral notes gracing the rich, densely tannic wine. Méo reports no loss due to frost in this protected site – his portion of Le Rognet et Corton is a walled Clos planted to vines nearly a century old.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti	Corton Grand Cru	2021	94	The DRC Corton has less exuberance this year than many recent iterations. The vines struggled – yield in Corton was about 4.5 hl/ha; there will be fewer than 1,200 bottles. The wine produced was assembled solely from the old vines in all three climats. There are forward blackberry fruit aromas with hints of fresh flowers, oak spice, and smoke. The tannins are firm and the acidity is fresh and lively. There was still a very high proportion of whole clusters included after a rigorous sorting, but the extraction was very gentle, with less punching down than normal.
Domaine des Croix	Corton Grèves Grand Cru	2021	94	This seldom-seen lieu-dit is just south of much larger Bressandes and similarly exposed to the southeast. The parcel ripens well and has a lush, plumy fruit character with pronounced earth, smoke, and leather elements. The vines are sixty years old, and Croix has fermented about 20% of the small grapes as whole clusters. He picked in 2021 at 13% potential alcohol, and the wine is firm, tannic, and massive. This wine is an imposing effort given the vintage.
Domaine Chandon de Briailles	Corton Les Bressandes Grand Cru	2021	94	From its perch high on the slope, the 1.5-hectare domaine parcel of Bressandes has delivered a wine of deep colour with slightly reticent plummy fruit aromas coloured with notes of earth, smoke, and spice. The texture is balanced and elegant, and the inclusion of 80% of the fruit as whole clusters assures a good amount of liveliness (‘peps’, according to winemaker Claude de Nicolay). The lovely balance leads this wine to a subtly lingering finish that will drink young but should age brilliantly.
Domaine Michel Mallard	Corton Maréchaudes Grand Cru	2021	94	This delicious wine impresses on many levels. The deeply-hued wine is redolent of ripe blackberry and cassis with an overlay of smoke, leather, and salty minerality. The texture is firm and muscular, with plenty of firm, finely-grained tannins and impressive density that is carried by crisp acidity to a satisfying finish. The 0.30-hectare parcel near the base of the slope is planted with old vines in clay soils that deliver small berries and concentrated fruit. In 2021, Mallard fermented 70% of the grapes as whole bunches and aged two of the three casks in new wood.
Anne Gros	Échezéaux Grand Cru	2021	94	Forward, ripe aromas of blackberry and plum feature prominently in this wine. There is depth and complexity from hints of smoke, earth, and peppery spice as the flavours continue on the palate. The 2021 vintage has plenty of tension and freshness and grippy tannins that lead to a lingering finish. Gros harvested 30 hl/ha since her vineyard in the lieu-dit Les Loachausses had been protected with candles. The grapes were completely destemmed and fermented in stainless before ageing in cask (one-third new).
Philippe Pacalet	Échezéaux Grand Cru	2021	94	Pacalet’s Echézeaux is not as forward as some, but there is an earthy, complex set of aromas here with ripe black plums and notes of pepper, smoke, and leather. It takes a moment to open, but the wine is substantial, with rewarding density and length. The grapes come from a half-hectare of old vines in the lieu-dit Clos St-Denis, fermented largely as whole clusters and ageing now in cask, with a modest proportion of new barrels.
Domaine Marc Roy	Gevrey-Chambertin	2021	94	This wine features alluring ripe mulberry fruit aromas with hints of minerals and spice. The texture boasts impressive ripeness and density while retaining the freshness typical of the vintage, and firm tannins carry us to a lingering finish. The wine is produced from tiny grape clusters produced from six old vine parcels in En Jouise, Carougeot, Les Murots, Les Crais, Vignes Belles, and Les Seuvrées. The grapes are destemmed and gently fermented before ageing in cask (50% new). This wine is among the top village-level Gevreys of the vintage.
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair	Gevrey-Chambertin	2021	94	This cuvée is the opposite of the other Gevrey villages – it is planted in thin (30cm) soils directly on the limestone in the cooling influence of the Combe de Lavaux. It is produced from three parcels that total 1.4 hectares. The lime-rich terroir produces exotic black fruit and floral notes with a pronounced saline minerality. The grapes are completely destemmed and gently fermented. The wine is ageing now in cask, with five new out of eleven casks in total.
Domaine Rossignol-Trapet	Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Aux Combottes)	2021	94	The Combottes from Rossignol-Trapet is a superb value. With its lovely ripe black cherry fruit, subtle, earthy complexity on the nose, and elegant but firm structure, it is more powerful than the premier crus in the stable and should hold up to ageing almost as long as the grands crus. Its only defect is that the parcel, at 0.15 hectares, is small. It is partly destemmed and fermented on native yeasts before ageing in cask (25% new) over two winters.
Domaine Armand Rousseau	Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Cazetiers)	2021	94	The 2021 Cazetiers from Rousseau displays a bright, forward red currant and pomegranate fruit with an edge of violets and minerals. The aromas are high-toned and bright, suggesting the cool vintage, yet there is more depth and density and less acid tension than expected. The grapes come from 0.60 hectares down the slope from Bruno Clair. After cold maceration, the destemmed fruit was fermented on native yeasts and is ageing in used casks.
Domaine Bruno Clair	Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Cazetiers)	2021	94	This dark, powerful wine was made exclusively from the old vines in Clair’s 0.87-hectare parcel of Cazetiers. Clair explained, 'We only saw 4 barrels from 60 [planted] ares; the young vines were all pulled up because of problems with the rootstock. There is a compellingly ripe plummy fruit here, yet no loss of freshness on the palate. The texture is firm and tannic, with great length and a complex, subtle finish. According to Clair, the muscular texture comes from the grey marl soil: 'The vines have to struggle to grow'.
Domaine Philippe Naddef	Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Cazetiers)	2021	94	Surprisingly dark in colour, this has a smoky, ripe mulberry fruit with an earth and mineral edge. The texture shows admirable density, a silky feel, firm tannins, and impressive length. There is enough freshness here to carry the wine to an impressively long finish and enough density to ensure a harmonious balance. The wine is produced from 0.27 hectares of domaine-owned vines, with 20% of the harvest fermented as whole clusters.
Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet	Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Clos St-Jacques)	2021	94	The 2021 vintage was my first occasion to taste Berthaut’s version of Lavaux-St-Jacques, and it was a revelation. She tastes it right before the Vosne Petits Monts, but it is nothing like that wine. Instead, there is a bright, forward cherry fruit coloured with liquorice spice and lush floral notes. Because of the proximity of the cool air of the combe, it is the last to be picked, but the old vines here deliver a dense wine with sturdy tannins and plenty of depth. The vines come from her grandmother, the sister of Robert Sirugue from Vosne.
Domaine Bruno Clair	Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Clos St-Jacques)	2021	94	Bruno Clair explains the supremely delicious nature of his '21 Clos St-Jacques: 'For truly great wines, there are no bad years.' This wine shows a lovely bright cherry fruit aroma with hints of rose petals, crisp, refreshing acidity, and firm-ish tannins. The grapes come from the domaine’s hectare from the Clos; one-third are fermented as whole clusters, and the wine is ageing now in cask (40% new). This should open at an early age but will easily bear at least mid-term ageing.
Louis Jadot	Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Clos St-Jacques)	2021	94	Although initially restrained on the nose, this opens nicely with time. It shows a medium-deep colour and ripe, lush cherry fruit with a floral edge on the palate. The tannins are firm but not overly so. As it is nearly every year, this is a reliable, rewarding example of this premier cru. It comes from the one hectare the domaine owns in the centre of the Clos. The grapes are destemmed and carefully fermented to achieve this subtle elegance.
Domaine Rossignol-Trapet	Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Petite Chapelle)	2021	94	This wine is densely perfumed, with prominent blackberry and rose petal aromas. Texturally, it is rich and lush, yet it also shows great finesse and elegance. There are reserves of tannin and plenty of density, but everything is fully ripe, and there is no astringency or tartness. This half-hectare parcel in rather heavy clay soils downslope from Chapelle Chambertin is in a sunny spot – in 2021, it was not affected by the frost and has delivered a delicious wine.
Domaine Trapet Père & Fils	Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	94	There is something about the cool 2021 vintage that ‘fits’ with Latricières, where the influence from the Combe Grisard is more pronounced. According to Pierre Trapet, ‘Latricières is the moon; Chapelle is the sun'. Initially, the result is somewhat restrained, with a charming pomegranate fruit emerging on the palate. The feel is linear and concentrated, with a mineral/saline character to the savoury fruit on the palate that carries this to a very long finish and the top level of Gevrey quality.
Domaine de la Vougeraie	Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru	2021	94	The spectacular old vine parcel in Mazoyères is among the treasures of Domaine de la Vougeraie; the 0.70-hectare plot was planted in 1901 and 1902. The domaine sells the wine as Charmes-Chambertin with a prominent mention of Les Mazoyères. The powerful wine has a robust, dark plum and blackberry fruit with a slightly rustic, earthy edge. The texture is firm, tannic, and impressively long on the palate. Fermented entirely as whole clusters it nonetheless shows a lovely elegance along with its manifest power.
Château de Chamirey	Mercurey (1er Cru En Sazenay)	2021	94	The east-facing slopes of Sazenay lie just outside the village of Mercurey; it is the rockiest site in the village. The wine boasts a ripe plummy fruit with leather, smoke, and earth notes. The mid-slope hectare of domaine-owned vines has produced a gloriously ripe wine, even in 2021. The texture is lush and dense. The wine should drink well young, but there is also at least a decade of ageing potential for this lovely wine.
Domaine Dujac	Morey-St-Denis (1er Cru)	2021	94	The nose of the the blended Morey premier cru from domaine parcels has pronounced and nuanced aromas of blackberry and raspberry fruit with a suggestion of spice and earth. There is a slight hint of reduction that should disappear at bottling, and the texture is pleasantly round and silky soft. The grapes come from a blend of lieux-dits that include Les Charrieres, Les Millandes, Les Ruchots, and Clos Sorbè; the total surface area is 0.82 hectares, all picked 27 - 28 September.
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé	Musigny Grand Cru	2021	94	When I tasted, new winemaker Jean Lupatelli was hard at work deconstructing the massive de Vogüé holdings in Musigny. The domaine is now moving to vinify each section separately in smaller tanks, and the results are bound to impress. We sampled three cuvées separated by vine age; their approximate blend was superb, with an expressive currant and blackberry fruit aroma, abundant notes of violets, and an accent of liquorice and mineral. The older vines brought density, weight, and tannin; the younger ones, lively energy.
Thibault Liger-Belair Successeurs	Nuits-St-Georges	2021	94	This delicious village-level Nuits features dark plummy fruit with earth, spice, and leather notes. The texture is supple and dense, and the finish is satisfyingly long. The grapes are sourced from a 0.70-hectare site next to premier cru Les Pruliers. They are partially destemmed and fermented on native yeasts before ageing in cask (half new). The wine has the substance to support this level of new wood, and the wine has the stuffing to age. Fortunately for Liger-Belair, the site was relatively untouched by the frost and produced two more barrels than last year.
Domaine Parigot	Nuits-St-Georges (1er Cru Damodes)	2021	94	This delicious wine has ripe blackberry and plum fruit with notes of violets and spice. The texture is dense and supple, with finely-grained tannins and impressive length. The grapes come from a relatively new parcel for Parigot that he purchased from a grower in Concoeur whose plot was just below those of Leroy. The vines are trained very high, and the grapes are partially destemmed before a gentle fermentation and ageing in cask (40% new).
Domaine des Lambrays	Nuits-St-Georges (1er Cru La Richemone)	2021	94	This substantial 0.89-hectare parcel is among the jewels in the new purchase by Domaine des Lambrays. The vines were planted in 1924. The lieu-dit is in the center of the premier cru band, located below Damodes and above Murgers, near the border with Vosne. This year they delivered an outstanding wine with an immensely aromatic pomegranate and black cherry fruit with a tropical edge and an intense floral perfume. The texture is ripe and concentrated with a velvety density that is infinitely gratifying. This wine is one of the outstanding achievements of this commune in 2021.
Domaine Parigot	Pommard (1er Cru Charmots)	2021	94	The 2021 vintage it delivered a deeply-coloured wine with ripe blackberry fruit and floral notes from this early-ripening parcel. The texture is supple and surprisingly dense with balanced acidity and supple but supporting tannins. The grapes come from a parcel exposed due south next to the premier cru Clos de la Commaraine. The grapes are partially destemmed and carefully fermented before ageing in mostly used casks—lovely wine.
Domaine Violot-Guillemard	Pommard (1er Cru Rugiens)	2021	94	The vines for the Rugiens from Violot-Guillemard are in Rugiens-Haut along the border with Rugiens-Bas. This wine is an appealing compromise between classic, almost tough, Pommard style with firm tannin and plenty of structure and a softer style that is lush and fine, yet long on the palate. The grapes are partly destemmed and gently fermented to produce this wine that has the depth and longevity of a classic Pommard along with a more approachable style. Suited for early drinking, this wine can also age for up to twenty years.
Domaine AF Gros	Richebourg Grand Cru	2021	94	This Richebourg stands out in the A.F. Gros cellar, with its lovely dense black cherry and plum fruit aromas with hints of fresh flowers, minerals, and spice. The wine is dense and compact on the palate, but there is no heaviness, instead, simply velvety power and length. Now that the Gros family has finished their swaps for estate planning, this domaine has 0.50 hectares (instead of 0.60), all in the lieu-dit Verouilles. The grapes are partially destemmed and carefully fermented on wild yeast before ageing in cask (60% new).
Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat	Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru	2021	94	An almost incredible rush of ripe plummy fruit with earth, mineral, and spice nuance leads to a texture that is at once dense, compact, and vibrant on the palate. This thrilling wine comes from 0.50 hectares of 100-year-old vines in the heart of Romanée-St-Vivant. The grapes are mostly destemmed before fermentation on wild yeast and ageing in cask (half new). This wine will open with a bit of time and should live for at least thirty years.
Domaine JJ Confuron	Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru	2021	94	This expressive, forward wine features lovely ripe cassis and black cherry fruit aromas with an edge of smoke, earth, and mineral notes. The tannins are firm but not excessively so, and there is a pleasantly savoury, almost salty character on the palate that adds depth. The grapes come from a half-hectare parcel planted in 1926 between Leroy and Hudelot-Noëllat. The quantity of oak seems high, but the ripe fruit easily supports it and is not overly marked by the elevage. The grapes are mostly destemmed and firmly extracted before ageing in cask (80% new).
Domaine Chandon de Briailles	Savigny-lès-Beaune (1er Cru Lavières)	2021	94	The forward, accessible plummy fruit with notes of violet, earth, and savoury complexity in this Savigny premier cru are immediately engageing. Although the body is somewhat light, the fresh acidity and supple tannins carry this to an elegant conclusion. The grapes come from a 2.61-hectare parcel at the top of the slope planted in thin soils over slabs (‘laves’) of limestone. Half of the grapes were fermented as whole clusters to add complexity and freshness—among my favourites from Savigny this year.
Domaine des Comtes Lafon	Volnay (1er Cru Santenots)	2021	94	The Santenots du Milieu from Lafon is marvelous wine and among my favourites among the Volnay premier crus, with its perfumed red and black fruit and pleasant floral notes. The texture on the palate is dynamic, with fresh acidity that carry the wine to a pleasantly lingering finish. There is enough extract and ripeness to the tannins to avoid any astringent notes. This wine represents the best of the 3.8 hectares of Santenots du Milieu in the heart of the appellation—a magnificent parcel that consistently produces one of the best red wines south of Corton.
Domaine d'Eugenie	Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Aux Brûlées)	2021	94	The mature vines in Aux Brûlées produced only two barrels in 2021 instead of nine the following year. Despite the minute yields of less than ten hl/ha, the result is superb, with a lovely, expressive ripe cherry fruit with pronounced rose petals and mineral notes. The texture is supple and fresh but not lacking in density. The grapes from the best part of the vineyard were partially destemmed and gently fermented before ageing in cask (one new of two).
Domaine Méo-Camuzet	Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Aux Brûlées)	2021	94	This is ripe and smoky up front, with a black cherry and mulberry fruit aromas and mineral and earth notes. The texture of the wine is dense and firm but enlivened by the fresh acidity of the 2021 vintage that carries it to a marvelous, lingering finish. The grapes come from Méo’s 0.72-hectare parcel planted in the 1930s. The grapes are destemmed and fermented on native yeasts before ageing in cask (half new). This will show well sooner than the grand crus but should also have the substance to age for several decades. Wonderful wine.
Domaine des Lambrays	Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Beaux Monts)	2021	94	This stunningly delicious wine is a ‘secret’ that will not be available for years. It comes from a recent purchase by the Domaine des Lambrays of a parcel of 0.45 hectares in Beaux-Monts Haut, exposed south. Because of an existing farming agreement, Lambrays will not be able to commercialize the wine until after 2030, but already the results are wonderful, with complex aromas of ripe blackberry fruit with hints of menthol, cigar leaf, smoke and earth. The texture is ripe and supple, but firmly tannic and very long.
Domaine Méo-Camuzet	Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Les Chaumes)	2021	94	The Vosne Les Chaumes from Méo opens a bit slowly, but eventually it shows a lovely, expressive blackberry fruit with mineral and floral notes. The texture is substantial—firm and tannic with fresh acidity and a lengthy finish. The grapes come from two parcels that total just over two hectares, located just below Malconsorts. The vines are very mature and produce small clusters of concentrated, tannic fruit that Méo is not afraid to punch down and age with 50% new casks in order to deliver this muscular, dense wine.
Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat	Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Les Suchots)	2021	94	The ancient vines in the domaine’s 0.45-hectare parcel of Suchots were planted more than a century ago. They give a wine of impressive density and a lush, ripe red and black fruit sweet berry fruit character that exemplifies what the French call ‘sucrosité’—sugary-ness. Still, this wine has the structure, depth, and grip to bring everything into balance. This wine is an outstanding example of Vosne premier cru that has the potential to improve for twenty to thirty years in the cellar.
Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair	Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru)	2021	94	The catastrophic conditions of 2021 have produced this wine, a blend of the premiers crus Petits Monts, Suchots, Chaumes, and Brûlées blended (usually, they are vinified and bottled separately). However, the low yields of the year have delivered a wine of great concentration, with open, lush blackberry and plum aromas with floral and mineral notes on the attack. The texture is vibrant and fresh, but there is substance here as well, and this should age well for two to three decades. This wine is an impressive effort in a challenging year.
Domaine Alexandre Parigot	Savigny-lès-Beaune (1er Cru Les Peuillets)	2021	94	UNDER THE RADAR TOP VALUE This is a marvellous Savigny, with ripe plummy fruit and hints of liquorice, spice and earth, and a ripe, dark density and firm tannic grip on the palate. Impressive wine with lovely balance and power, this represents Parigot’s ideal: ‘I love reds that are super-ripe but retain their freshness’. It is produced from a parcel next to the winery of Bouchard Père et Fils; the grapes are fermented on native yeasts with 40% whole clusters and gently but firmly managed. The wine is still ageing in cask (30% new).
Château de Chamirey	Mercurey (1er Cru En Sazenay)	2021	94	UNDER THE RADAR TOP VALUE This delicious wine shows impressive quality and elegance for the vintage, with lush aromas of blackberry and plum, a firm mineral note and hints of earth and cedar. The texture is firm and structured, but the fruit is fully ripe, and there is no astringency. It is produced from the rocky hectare of vines at a higher elevation facing east/southeast. Proprietor Amaury Devillard notes, ‘the glory of time is to understand, and we finally understand this site’ – he used to blend grapes from here into the Mercurey rouge, but now it stands on its own.
Domaine Pierrick Bouley	Volnay (1er Cru Clos des Chênes)	2021	94	UNDER THE RADAR Impressive wine, showing dense plummy fruit with notes of earth, spice and mineral on the initial attack. There is a robust, structured feel on the palate with plenty of tannin and extract, yet everything is in superb balance here, and the wine lingers elegantly on the admirable finish. Bouley assembles two parcels totaling 0.37ha. The grapes are destemmed and given a week’s cold soak before a gentle fermentation with minimal extraction and ageing in cask (two new barrels out of seven).
Domaine Trapet Père & Fils	Gevrey-Chambertin	2021	94	This impressive wine features pronounced, forward aromas of ripe black cherry with prominent spice and earth notes. The texture is fresh and tannic, and a clear salty mineral note comes through on the finish. It's produced from four parcels on the border with Brochon, the oldest of which was planted in 1913 – even with replanting, the average age is 90 years. The plots total 1.5ha; ‘Ostrea’ refers to the oyster shells found throughout the limestone soils. There is a bit less whole bunch inclusion in 2021, but this maintains the classic, elegant Trapet style.
Domaine Alexandre Parigot	Beaune (1er Cru La Perrière)	2021	94	This Hautes-Côtes is a surprisingly deep garnet colour, with attractive cherry fruit aromas and floral accents, a supple texture, bright acidity, and a rewarding depth and ripeness on the palate. The weight is fairly light but the balance and elegance carry the wine. The grapes are from a spectacular five hectare clos at 400 meters elevation with old vines planted low to the ground and picked by hand before a gentle fermentation with a small percentage of whole clusters and aging in cask (30% new).
Domaine Amiot-Servelle	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Borniques)	2021	94	Les Borniques is a step up in the Amiot-Servelle portfolio, with a lovely raspberry/blackberry fruit, ample floral notes, and just a touch of menthol and attractive, lightly bitter accent notes that give impressive complexity. The texture is fresh and crisp, but there is a sweetness to the fruit that imparts a velvety sensation and leads to a wonderfully lingering finish. The fruit from the 0.11-hectare holding is fermented directly in cask, yet has swallowed up the wood tannins to present a seamless whole.
Domaine Cécile Tremblay	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Feusselottes)	2021	94	This alluring wine has a fragrant, spicy floral nose with more black fruit than red and hints of clove and peppery spice. The colour is relatively deep, and the texture is impressively dense. What is most striking, however, is the sweet fruit and floral notes that persist on the palate in a way quite uncharacteristic of 2021—produced from the domaine plot of nearly a half-hectare that comes from the Edouard Jayer estate (uncle of Henri Jayer).
Chateau de la Tour	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	2021	94	A superb effort in 2021 has produced stunning results at Château de la Tour. This ripe, aromatic wine features dark blackberry and plum fruit with earth, mineral, and smoke notes. The texture is firm and tannic, with admirable balance and finesse, given the vintage conditions. The Labet family decided to forgo their 'Hommage à Jean Morin' cuvée this year and put all of this old vine fruit into the 'Vieilles Vignes’ bottling to produce this delicious result.
Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	2021	94	Bright and forward, this is a very appealing wine in 2021. Even if it is still just finishing its malolactic conversion, one can see the charm in this wine with its forward cherry and raspberry fruit with its floral and mineral notes. The texture is supple and approachable, but it does not lack tannin or substance. It is an exquisite expression of the Clos, produced from purchased grapes that the team at Liger-Belair cares for themselves in a plot near the southern extremity of the Clos.
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Amoureuses)	2021	94	This wine is a lovely, textbook example of Amoureuses, with fragrant red and black berry fruit, rose petal floral notes, and a bit of spice. The texture is plump and approachable without the reserve of the Bonnes-Mares. It has supple tannins, balanced acidity, and a luxuriously long finish. Production is extremely limited since Lupatelli has convinced the owners to replant one-third of the vineyard. The winemaking is also being renewed and is now done in small vats keyed to the size of the holding. The attention to detail is evident in this wine.
Domaine de Montille	Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Malconsorts)	2021	94	This wine is a standout version of this appellation with reliable quality even in a difficult vintage. The wine shows a dark ruby colour and intense blackberry and fruit aromas with plenty of earthy, spicy nuance. There is a bit of reduction that will undoubtedly vanish during aging. The texture has tension, structure, and length, but there is enough ripeness here to ensure a very rewarding generosity, and intense sorting assures the admirable purity of the fruit.
Domaine Joliet	Fixin (1er Cru Clos de la Perrière)	2021	94	This wine continues to be a touchstone for the northern Côte de Nuits. The wine is still aging, so we tasted each component separately. The northern part of the vineyard is a bit less forward; it is more tannic, and the acidity is sharper. The southern part is more generous and fleshy. An approximate blend shows deep colour, lush, plummy fruit, plenty of spice and menthol, and a firm, dense structure that retains a velvety approachability and lingers on the palate. Delightful.
Domaine Dujac	Gevrey-Chambertin (1er Cru Aux Combottes)	2021	94	This wine makes one stand up and take notice with its lovely cherry/floral fruit expression and plenty of depth on the nose. The texture is firmly tannins, with plenty of freshness and impressive depth. The ripe fruit echoes on the lengthy finish. For me, this is often the best value in the portfolio; that may be true this year too. It is produced from a 1.16-hectare site acquired in 2005 (making them the largest owner in the appellation). This year they picked the fruit on 29 October.
Edouard Delaunay	Nuits-St-Georges (1er Cru Argillas)	2021	94	This wine is a perfect example of a Nuits premier cru, with its medium-deep ruby colour and pronounced aromas of cassis and curranty fruit with an edge of rose petals and a bit of smoke. The texture is supple and relatively dense, and the finish is long. This site on the north side of the village, with eighty-year-old vines planted in clay soils, is subject to the windy influence of the combe, producing a classic Nuits profile.
Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat	Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Les Beaumonts)	2021	94	The Beaumonts from Hudelot-Noellat has ripened well despite the vintage and the location, showing a lovely plummy fruit with rose petal notes on the nose and a supple texture with silky tannins that are firm but not astringent and impressive length. The parcel that Charles van Canneyt farms is 0.30 hectares at the top of the slope in very thin soils, but he has worked wonders this year.
Domaine Jessiaume	Santenay PC Les Gravières Numerus Clausus	2021	94	This special selection from the eighty-year-old vines from the domaine's impressive 5.5 hectares of Gravières sets a new standard for Santenay Les Gravières. The wine has significantly more ripeness and depth of blackberry fruit flavours along with marvellous nuances of earth and mineral, liquorice and clove, leather, and menthol on the nose. There is a lovely supple density on the palate and imposing length. Impressive wine by any standard.
Domaine Michel Lafarge	Volnay (1er Cru)	2021	94	An almost tragic cuvée – Lafarge did not produce enough wine to make any of his premier cru wines from Volnay as a stand-alone appellation, and all five are blended here into a single premier cru bottling. The result has a fairly deep ruby hue, a lovely plummy fruit, and lots of aromatic intensity. It is a wine of outstanding quality, given the circumstances, with fresh acidity, good density and supple tannins. Lafarge remarked 'It has both the generosity of the Clos des Chênes, the minerality of Taillepieds, and the noblesse of the Clos du Château des Ducs.’
Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg	Nuits-St-Georges PC Les Chaignots	2021	94	After drought limited production in 2019 and 2020, 1.27 hectares of old vines at the top of the slope in Chaignots were damaged by frost, losing 55% of the potential harvest, although rot and mildew were not as endemic here. The fruit that remained produced lovely wine with a deep ruby colour and perfumed aromas with pronounced blackberry fruit and floral notes. There is impressive ripeness on the palate balanced by fresh acidity and a solid core of tannin that carries the wine to a lingering finish
Philippe Pacalet	Corton Les Bressandes Grand Cru	2021	94	During COVID, the Pacalet family worked the eighty-year-old vines themselves in the Corton-Bressandes plot they rent. The east-facing site, almost directly on the bedrock, has delivered a powerful but elegant wine in 2022, with ripe blackberry fruit coloured with hints of earth, smoke, and leather. This wine is lush and wine, but there is an essential sturdiness to the tannins and fresh acidity that is still very 'Corton' – an excellent introduction to the Pacalet style.
Domaine Georges Roumier	Morey-St-Denis (1er Cru Clos de la Bussière)	2021	94	Roumier’s Clos de la Bussière is consistently among the best values among the top flight of Burgundy producers. The 2021 vintage is no exception, with its lovely density of plummy fruit on the initial attack, nuance of liquorice and clove, and hints of smoke and earth. The texture on the palate has a beautiful density without heaviness, marvellous length, and enough structure to let this wine age gracefully. Roumier has extracted carefully but firmly, using half whole clusters and punching down and pumping over carefully to ensure optimal concentration.
Domaine Georges Roumier	Chambolle-Musigny (1er Cru Les Cras)	2021	94	This lively, energetic wine sparkles with freshness and balance. The aromas are more black fruit than red, with hints of fresh rose petal, menthol, spice, and earth. The tension on the palate is evident, with fresh acidity and noticeably firmer tannins. The wine manages impressive length without being heavy. It is produced from Roumier’s impressive 1.75-hectare parcel in the lime-rich soils near Les Fuées and fermented with 60% whole clusters.
Domaine Yvon Clerget	Pommard (1er Cru Rugiens)	2021	94	This delicious Rugiens encompasses all of Pommard's firm, tannic appeal, but there is a silky, velvety side as well. The plummy fruit is very forward on the nose and shows a charming nuance of earth, cigar leaf, and mineral. The texture is lush and sensuous without lacking any of the typicity of Pommard. Thibaud farms 0.85 hectares of 45 year-old vines in Rugiens Haut. His yield was seven barrels instead of the customary twenty, which he fermented as 20% whole clusters and is now aging with no new casks.
Domaine Yvon Clerget	Volnay (1er Cru Clos du Verseuil)	2021	94	The expressive fruit character of this wine displays notes of ripe cherry and rose petals, and a texture on the palate that is mineral and bright. It is a wine of great elegance, not as robust as the Rugiens or the Clos Vougeot in the same cellar, yet with a charm all its own. The grapes from the seventy-year-old vines in this 0.45-hectare monopole behind the winery in the center of the village are usually destemmed 100%, and one senses the depth of flavour despite the light elegance of the wine.
Benjamin Leroux	Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	94	This wine is among the high points in the Leroux portfolio in 2021. It avoids the rigours of the vintage to deliver a classic experience of Bâtard, with lush aromas of ripe apple, butter, and hazelnut accented by some smoky reductive notes and a hint of minerality. The feel on the palate is big for the vintage – ripe and round, with more richness than most, and a supple, silky side that brings balance to the lengthy finish. From Leroux’s 0.16-hectare parcel on the Chassagne side between Domaine de la Vougeraie and the Hospices de Beaune.
Domaine Blain-Gagnard	Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	94	This superb rendition of Bâtard has surprisingly ripe notes of quince and melon de Cavaillon, acacia flower, and spice. The texture is dense and rich but kept lively by the fresh acidity of 2021. The grapes come from three parcels totaling nearly a half hectare. Two are planted with vines more than fifty years of age, and all three are in Chassagne near the border with Puligny. This year Blain stirred the lees (not always done) to give the wine a bit more density and depth.
Domaine de la Vougeraie	Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	94	This lovely wine boasts aromas of ripe apricot and quince fruit with a suggestion of honeycomb and hay. The palate demonstrates power and depth of flavour, and the wine continues to impress with abundant extract, balanced acidity, and a wonderfully balanced finish. The grapes come from three plots that total 0.38 hectares; they are slowly pressed as whole clusters, settled overnight, fermented in cask (one-third new), and aged over two winters.
Domaine Jean Chartron	Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	94	This Bâtard stretches from exotic aromas of passionfruit to ripe apple and pear with rich hints of butter, cream, and baking spices. The texture is classic Bâtard, creamy and rich with balanced acidity and impressive power. The grapes are located from a small parcel on the Chassagne side near the cabotte at the top of the slope. The grapes are lightly crushed before fermentation in older casks. This wine will open soon and should drink well for twenty years.
Louis Jadot	Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	94	Although this wine is made from purchased grapes, it is given the same care and attention as the domaine parcels. The texture on the palate is dense and creamy—a classic Bâtard feel—yet it is enlivened in 2021 by the vintage’s acidity; the ripe peach and pear fruit aromas are liberally accented with butter, spice, and smoke. I recommend you give this a few years to open and drink it over the next decade.
Domaine Faiveley	Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	94	Although the Bienvenues is not as powerful as the Bâtard, it has an elegant balance that excels its richer neighbour. The wine boasts aromas of ripe peach and melon with a pleasant hint of chamomile and an almost salty mineral note. The texture is concentrated and dense, but the silky elegance and superb balance also come through. The grapes come from a half-hectare parcel acquired in 2008; they are firmly pressed and fermented on native yeasts with most of their lees in cask (60% new), where they stay over two full winters.
Domaine Sylvain Pataille	Bourgogne (Aligoté)	2021	94	This is great white Burgundy that happens to be made from Aligoté. The wine boasts aromas of ripe pear, exotic spice, and fresh tarragon; the texture is dense and deep, with crisp acidity equally balanced by enormous extract. The wine is made from ninety-year-old vines in Chenôve’s Clos du Roi vineyard planted in thin clay soils with high iron content and limestone pebbles (grèzes litées). Pataille works the vines with a horse, and ‘weaves’ the vine shoots rather than cutting them. The result of these labours of love is an absolutely superb wine.
Domaine Lamy-Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet	2021	94	The village-level Chassagne from Lamy-Pillot is particularly engageing. The wine has a green cast to the lemon-yellow fruit and a ravishing saline edge to the lemon peel and leesy fruit aroma. The texture is chiseled and dynamic, with fresh acidity and medium body at most but a marvelously lingering finish. The grapes come from four lieux-dits : Les Houillères, Les Essarts, Les Pierres, and Les Champs de Morgeot. The grapes are gently pressed and fermented in cask (25% new).
Domaine Lamy-Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet	2021	94	The second village-level Chassagne from Lamy-Pillot comes from one of their favourite lieux-dits near the top of the slope, Pot Bois. These are the highest vines in the village, and they give a wine with a powerful, focused lemon fruit aroma, a bit of smoky reduction, and a salty mineral tang. The texture on the palate is racy and fresh, but there is enough extract to bring the wine into balance and carry it to an elegant, lingering finish.
Domaine Paul Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet	2021	94	Pillot’s village-level Chassagne is a delightful wine that can boast ripe lemony fruit, floral notes, a hint of smoky reductiveness on the attack, and impressive density balanced by citrusy acidity on the palate. The wine is blended from two old-vine parcels in the Morgeot sector: Les Chaumes and Les Plantes Mornières. The fruit is picked early, crushed and fermented with most of its lees to deliver this wine with more tension and edge than most at this level.
Domaine Paul Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet	2021	94	With its lemony quince fruit aromas and floral notes and the combination of vibrant acidity and lean body on the palate, this wine is tightly wound and refreshing. The combination of intense aromas and concentration on the palate ensures that this wine will be refreshingly crisp from release and able to age as well. The grapes are from Les Masures, a top-notch source for village-level grapes located at the base of the slope under premier cru Champ Gains.
Lamy-Caillat	Chassagne-Montrachet	2021	94	This wine is an extraordinary example of a village-level Chassagne. The aromas add lovely floral and spice notes to a green apple fruit character, while the texture on the palate feels substantial but still very elegant. This wine of undeniable weight and concentration has a balance and delicacy that one does not find every day. The grapes come from the lieu-dit Pot Bois, the highest vineyard in Chassagne. They look east and take the cold sun in the morning—definitely worth discovering.
Domaine Michel Niellon	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Champgains)	2021	94	Lucie Cotoux relates that the domaine picked their 0.44 hectares of Champgains in three hours since there was so little fruit on the vines. The concentration, however, was superb, with focused citrusy fruit, plenty of mineral and white floral notes, and a bit of spice. The texture shows a lovely density and weight and a long, powerful finish—this is a very distinctive wine, that should show well fairly early and continue to improve for at least a decade.
Domaine Michel Niellon	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Clos St-Jean)	2021	94	The domaine owns nearly a hectare in Clos St-Jean, planted to Pinot (base of the slope) and Chardonnay (at the top). In 2021 these latter vines delivered an ample, ripe wine with ripe apple and quince fruit character, balanced acidity, and impressive concentration and length. The fruit is lightly crushed, pressed very gently, fermented and aged in cask. This wine should open up in two or three years and drink over the next decade at least.
Domaine Paul Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Clos St-Jean)	2021	94	Thierry Pillot makes both red and white from his premier cru Clos St-Jean. The white is among his richer wines, with ripe apricot and marzipan aromas on the nose and a firm mineral underpinning. The wine is rich and dense but not lacking freshness and draws on to a satisfyingly long finish. The domaine has 1.2 hectares of Chardonnay at high elevation in this climat. The grapes are pressed as whole clusters and run into 350 litre casks for fermentation.
Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru La Dent du Chien)	2021	94	This tiny lieu-dit is located just up-slope from Le Montrachet, against a sheer cliff. Coffinet-Duvernay is the largest of four producers. The 2021 vintage has ripe apple, apricot, and peach fruit aroma and notes of butter, white flowers, and salty minerality. The texture is dense but very well-balanced by a lively acidity, creating a muscular, luxuriant feel. The vines are located on a solid slab of limestone with little soil, helping grapes ripen early, even in a year such as 2021, creating this superb wine.
Domaine Paul Pillot	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Champs-Gains)	2021	94	Ripe nectarine and gooseberry fruit lead the charge, rounded out with floral notes and a suggestion of fresh cream. There is more ripeness and less tension to this wine than for many in this cellar, making it well suited to the vintage. The balance between the fresh acidity, complex fruit aromas, and rich feel on the palate draws the wine out to a lingering finish. It is produced from 0.38 hectares of vines on the gentle slope of this climat.
Domaine Michel Niellon	Chassagne-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Chenevottes)	2021	94	The Chenevottes is richer and riper than the Champgains – it is straightforward to see the distinctive nature of each climat in the Niellon cellar. Here the aromas are more floral and green apple than citrus; the texture is silky and very fine. The grapes come from 0.17 hectares at the base of the slope near the border with Puligny. They are lightly crushed and pressed slowly before being run into primarily old oak casks for fermentation and ageing.
Domaine Chandon de Briailles	Corton Grand Cru	2021	94	This magnificent wine initially has a bright lemon peel note, but as it opens up, there is something riper and richer, with quince, apricot, and hazelnut aromas. The texture is waxy and dense with lots of extract, yet the richness is balanced by the crisp acidity of the year. In 2021, the grapes came from Bressandes in Aloxe, giving a rich result; normally, grapes from Chaumes are blended in as well. The yield here was good – 20 hl/ha, giving seven barrels, one of which was new.
Domaine Comte Senard	Corton Grand Cru	2021	94	Slightly closed at first, the white Corton opens on the palate to show a complex aroma that includes hints of marzipan, ripe pear, and quince with an almost chalky minerality that lingers on the palate. This intriguing wine is a blend of 85% Chardonnay with 15% Pinot Beurot (AKA Pinot Gris) planted on 0.40 hectares of the monopole Clos des Meix. The grapes are pressed as whole clusters, and the juice is fermented in large casks (half new).
Domaine Alvina Pernot	Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru	2021	94	This Corton-Charlemagne is striking for its vibrant acidity and lemony charm, with salty mineral notes and white flowers. There is also a richness and breadth that are very appealing. The grapes come from a friend in Pernand-Vergelesses; typically, they exchange Puligny Folatières two-for-one for the Corton Charlemagne. It is worth the premium, although this year, their friend could only part with enough for a single barrel. The grapes were gently pressed as whole clusters and fermented in a used cask. The result is a wine of limpid purity that lingers seemingly forever on the palate.
Domaine Génot-Boulanger	Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru	2021	94	The Corton-Charlemagne from Génot-Boulanger is a triumph in 2021. The wine has lovely aromas of ripe apple and pear, along with acacia flowers, spice, and mineral notes. The palate has impressive concentration and enough freshness to balance the considerable extract. The wine is produced from a parcel of 0.29 ha in Le Charlemagne; the grapes are gently pressed as whole clusters before fermentation and ageing for a year in cask (less than 30% new) and another six months in tank—marvelous wine.
Louis Jadot	Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru	2021	94	The Jadot Corton-Charlemagne came into its own in 2021 with ripe apple and apricot aromas, hints of white flowers, and a bit of spice. The texture is supple and dense, but the vintage's freshness brings the wine balance, elegance, and finesse that can elude this bottling in some years. It is produced from the same mid-slope, southeast-facing parcel in Les Pougets that provides their red. The grapes are pressed as whole clusters and fermented in cask before ageing to produce this lovely rendition.
Philippe Pacalet	Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru	2021	94	Describing his 2021 Corton-Charlemagne, Pacalet noted ‘This was not a vintage for beginners, but there is substance here all the same’. The wine has a lovely lemon zest attack followed up by notes of chalky, saline minerality and white flowers. It is a vintage of finesse rather than power, and the impressions on the nose and palate are a bit restrained, yet this wine should age well. The grapes come from an old-vine parcel on the Pernand side at mid-slope—lovely wine.
Domaine Blain-Gagnard	Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	94	The Criots has less richness than the Bâtard but more elegance, with notes of ripe pear and hawthorn flowers and a greater sense of minerality. The aromas open up on the palate, which is still grand cru-rich but less massive. The freshness lifts the creamy, nutty flavours and sustains the wine without heaviness through the lengthy finish. The Criots will open more in a few years and will continue to improve in bottle for at least twenty years.
Domaine Joliet	Fixin (1er Cru Clos de la Perrière)	2021	94	This exciting, vibrant wine is lemony and fine, with pronounced citrus fruit aromas and a salty mineral edge. The lively texture has plenty of tension but no lack of density or length. This year it is being given a bit more luxurious maturation, with 30% new Vosges barrels, but there is plenty of substance to support this. According to Benigne Joliet, the Chardonnay is planted at the base of the combe, exactly where the monks planted it in former times.
Château de Chamirey	Mercurey (1er Cru)	2021	94	This white Mercurey premier cru was among my favourite whites from the Côte Chalonnaise in the 2021 vintage. It boasts ripe apricot and quince aromas and notes of acacia flower, mineral, and beeswax. The texture is concentrated yet still very fresh and lively. This wine will open in a couple of years and should age well for ten to twenty more after that. The grapes come from a monopole next to Clos du Roi, planted with low-yielding eighty-year-old vines that are gently pressed and fermented on native yeasts in classic Burgundian barrels (15% new)—definitely a wine to seek out.
Domaine des Comtes Lafon	Meursault	2021	94	There is more ripeness to the Clos de la Barre monopole, with an exotic fruit character ranging from grapefruit to passionfruit and hints of coconut. Despite the opulent aromas, however, there is a lively, fresh acidity that draws the wine to a lovely lingering finish. The grapes come from a 2.1-hectare clos behind the domaine in the village, whose oldest vines date to 1950. This wine is a significant step above the already high standard set by the blended village-level Meursault.
Domaine des Comtes Lafon	Meursault (1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or)	2021	94	The ripe apple aromas of the ’21 Meursault Gouttes d’Or are lush but do not veer into tropical. The texture is rich, but the acidity of the year ensures a pleasant balance despite the substance and weight of this powerful wine. With a few years in bottle, it should show even better, and it will undoubtedly hold 10 – 20 years in a proper cellar. The wine comes from a 0.40-hectare parcel in fairly deep clay soils, accounting for the density of the wine it provides.
Domaine Joseph Drouhin	Meursault (1er Cru Perrières)	2021	94	This wine offers a lovely intensity of ripe apple and spice aromas with pleasant mineral notes that lead to a feel on the palate that balances nicely the crisp acidity and abundant extract that lead the wine to a lingering finish. It has all of the intensity and depth of the appellation; this is a worthy Perrières. This wine was produced from purchased fruit. Drouhin was about to lose supply due to a change of generation, although they have retained the contract for now.
Domaine des Comtes Lafon	Meursault (1er Cru Porusots)	2021	94	This wine boasts forward, ripe passionfruit aromas with hints of acacia flower, mineral, and spice. The complexity and depth of flavour only increase on the palate, sustained by the wine’s crisp acidity; this freshness, along with medium body and pronounced fruit character, make for a dynamic wine that lingers on the palate. The grapes come from nearly a hectare in metayage from René Manuel. This wine should drink well and will only improve with cellaring.
Domaine Thenard	Montrachet Grand Cru	2021	94	The 2021 Montrachet from Baron Thenard has lovely aromas of ripe apple, white flowers, mineral, and spice. On the palate, a note of honey develops, yet there is acidity to balance the rich fruit. The texture remains lush and decadent and has the unmistakable density of the appellation. The domaine is the second-largest proprietor after the Marquis de Laguiche; the vines are all located on the Chassagne side, up-slope from DRC and Lafon. This vintage of Thenard’s Montrachet is not the biggest or longest-lived but should provide pleasure for many years.
Domaine Dujac	Morey-St-Denis (1er Cru Monts Luisants)	2021	94	This stylish and elegant wine is a medium lemon yellow; although Jeremy Seysses disapproves of the colour, I enjoyed the fruit aromas that ranged from ripe apricot to gooseberry and quince, all coloured with a firm minerality. There is plenty of freshness (with a pH under 3.0), but there is enough density and length to bring everything into balance. One new barrel out of 4.5 rounds everything out with just a bit of spice.
Domaine Jean Chartron	Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Clos du Cailleret)	2021	94	Chartron’s Clos du Cailleret is a regal premier cru. This emblematic cuvée of the Chartron family is particularly successful in 2021, with exotic aromas of guava and pomelo, lemon, and spice. The texture is concentrated and rich, with no lack of acidity but an equally impressive richness in extract for balance. The vines come from the Chartron parcel of nearly a hectare at the northern end of the Clos. The grapes are lightly crushed and slowly pressed before fermentation in cask (25% new)—genuinely delicious wine.
Domaine Alvina Pernot	Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Les Pucelles)	2021	94	This wine was my favourite of the premier crus from Alvina Pernot’s cellar. The fruit character was still primarily focused on citrus, but there are also notes of ripe apricot and spice. The texture is rich and deep, with more extract balanced nicely by crisp acidity and a mineral edge on the palate. The Pucelles is produced from her family's holdings in this lieu-dit, whose fairly heavy clay soils deliver a solid, concentrated wine. I suggest waiting a few years to open and then enjoying this over the next ten to twenty years.
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey	St-Aubin (1er Cru Chatenière)	2021	94	Aromas of ripe apple, hazelnut, and butter grace the initial attack of this lovely wine from the south-facing lieu-dit of La Chatenière. The texture is more substantial than nearby Champlots, and the grapes have marvelous maturity. The site is a bit further down the slope than the former and is sheltered from the wind. Colin presses the grapes gently and runs the must into cask without settling to craft this delicious wine that easily recalls his more famous appellations.
Domaine Lamy-Pillot	St-Aubin (1er Cru En Créot)	2021	94	This sheltered site overlooks the village of Saint-Aubin and faces south, sheltered by the steep slopes that lead to the Hautes-Côtes. The wine has a marvelously ripe lemon and green apple fruit with a nuance of marzipan and butter. The texture is dense and concentrated, and the final impression is one of impressive balance and elegance. Lamy-Pillot farms 0.62 hectares of south-facing vines in white marl and limestone soils; the grapes are gently pressed and fermented in cask (20% new). This St-Aubin premier cru outperforms expectations at every turn.
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon	Mâconnais (Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine)	2021	94	TOP VALUE Perhaps the finest site for Lafon in the Mâconnais and a reference for the region. This lower-elevation vineyard at mid-slope has delivered ripe apple aromas with rich notes of cream and butter, and accents of acacia and flint. On the palate it feels richer than many this year, with medium body, balanced acidity and a lush, ripe fruit character. It will not disappoint fans of this vineyard.
Domaine de Montille	Meursault (1er Cru Perrières)	2021	94	This thrilling wine shows typical Perrières quality in the best Meursault style, starting with a fairly marked smoky reductive note and lots of lemony fruit on the initial attack with an underpinning of mineral and floral notes. The texture has lots of tension and freshness but enough plump density to prevent it from seeming shrill. It was made from the parcel of nearly a half-hectare at the top of Perrières acquired with the Château de Puligny-Montrachet.
Domaine de Montille	Puligny-Montrachet (1er Cru Caillerets)	2021	94	This wine was among my favorites in the de Montille tasting, with piercingly lovely aromas of lemon peel, flint, spice on the initial attack, impressive concentration, and a delicate balance between tension and density on the palate that lead to a lingering finish. The protected location of the 0.85-hectare de Montille parcel touching Montrachet ensured that there was comparatively little damage from the frost here, and the quality comes through in the glass.
Henri Boillot	Meursault (1er Cru Clos Richemont)	2021	94	The 2021 vintage represents continued strong performance for Boillot with his recently-acquired clos within premier cru Les Cras. The wine shows ripe green apple and lemon peel aromas with intense minerality and hints of acacia and marzipan. The texture is lively and fresh, but there is enough extract to ensure a lingering finish. The grapes come from sixty-year-old vines purchased in 2019 from Henri Darnat that are planted in this southeast-facing vineyard between Les Plures (thus Volnay Santenots) and the village of Monthélie.
Domaine Jean-Marc Vincent	Puligny-Montrachet	2021	94	I pick very late here, and it gives grapes with great phenolic maturity – almost like a red' according to Jean-Marc Vincent. The result in 2021 was exquisite, with aromas of quince and ripe, almost honeyed apricots. The texture was broad and supple, balanced acidity and a long finish. This wine should open with time to become even more expressive. This interesting wine is produced from a quarter-hectare at the base of the slope just over the border from Meursault.
Domaine Jean-Marc Vincent	Santenay	2021	94	This wine shows a bit less concentration than some of the Vincent offerings but exhibits lovely aromas of lemon peel and apricot. There is balanced acidity, moderate extract, and admirable balance and length on the palate. The 0.27 hectares of young Chardonnay vines are planted up-slope from the Pinot Noir and were replanted at high density eleven years ago to the best available clones (548, 1067 and 1066). The result is a wine of elegance and impressive length.
Lamy-Caillat	Bourgogne	2021	94	Riveting wine, this starts with aromas of ripe peach, apple, and floral notes and opens gradually on the palate to reveal notes of hay and beeswax. The wine has a lively, fresh acidity, but the ample extract completely balances it. The fruit comes from a regional-level vineyard called Les Grands Corvées. The grapes are crushed, given a hard press in an old mechanical Vaslin press, and fermented on native yeasts - a Bourgogne of exciting proportions.
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey	St-Aubin (1er Cru En Remilly)	2021	94	This enchanting wine display a lovely ripe apple fruit with an almost tropical edge and notes of butter, spice, and gentle white flowers. The texture is round and supple, almost plump, yet there is enough freshness to keep everything balanced and draw this into a silken finish. It is crafted from three parcels, each bringing a different character: young vines at the top of the hill; older vines at mid-slope, all fermented in cask, about 30% new.
Domaine Sylvain Pataille	Bourgogne (Aligoté)	2021	94	Clos du Roy is another outstanding terroir in Chenôve that Pataille farms. He has a small 0.18-hectare site that was planted to Aligoté Doré between 1932 – 1948 in thin, gravelly limestone soils. He weaves the vine tips together (‘tressage') and farms with a horse. The resulting wine has incredible complexity and depth of flavour, with notes of gooseberry, tarragon, mineral, and hay and a million exotic flavours that reveal themselves on the palate. Truly a delight.
Maison Verget	Mâconnais (Pouilly-Fuissé)	2021	94	This top Pouilly Fuisse is eminently worth seeking out. It is produced from seventy-year-old vines in Pouilly-Solutré planted at high elevation in a parcel with both north-facing and south-facing locations that were picked separately to ensure optimal ripeness that have delivered ripe apple and pear fruit aromas touched with honey and hay. The texture is supple and silky, yet there is still enough acidity to balance the richness and lead to an incredible finish.

See also

Burgundy 2021: full report and top scoring wines