Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94)

Planted in 1946. Fine dense bright purple with good concentration. Significant weight of fruit, not one of the subtle latticework wines, fruit a little more concentrated at the front of the palate than the back, combines with its oak well. Note that this may have been dumbed down by just being bottled yesterday, and the score may be conservative. Tasted: March 2020.

Vinous (93-95)

Matured with 20% whole bunch and the same level of new oak, the 2018 Pommard Les Rugiens 1er Cru has an elegant, refined bouquet that gradually unfurls to reveal blackberry, briar and light wild strawberry scents, the stems lending a little pepperiness. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins and very well-judged acidity. Delivers impressive tension and structure toward the linear, very persistent finish. This is an outstanding Les Rugiens, one of the best you will find this vintage.

Vinous (94)

The 2018 Volnay Clos de Verseuil 1er Cru has a very charming bouquet that I feel has more delineation and precision than the Les Mitans at this premature juncture. Very focused with more mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with a very harmonious entry, dark berry fruit mixed with black pepper and a light gaminess towards the finish. Very fresh and vibrant, this is a superb Volnay from Clerget.

The Clos Chapelle Volnay 1er Cru Carelle 2018 is an outstanding Burgundy produced with great care on a small estate, located on the sun-drenched hillsides of Volnay, France. This fine wine, crafted solely with Pinot Noir grapes, exhibits the quintessential elegance of traditional Burgundian style. Harvesting is executed manually, respecting the integrity of the terroir, while ageing in oak barrels imparts a subtle toasty complexity.

Vividly expressive, the Clos Chapelle Volnay 1er Cru Carelle 2018 combines intensity with precision, blending rich cherry and dark berry aromas with a dash of spice. On the palate, supple tannins dovetail beautifully with enticing layers of red fruits and earthy tones, evoking hints of the limestone soil from which it springs, culminating in a refined, resonating finish. A testament to the expertise of the Clos Chapelle winemakers, this superb vintage marries power with delicacy, promising extraordinary aging potential.

Vinous (98)

The 2018 Clos de Tart Grand Cru was wonderful from barrel but now it seems to have gone up another level. It has an exquisite bouquet with wonderful mineralité infusing the brambly red fruit. Wonderful focus and quite profound complexity. You could nose this forever. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiselled tannins married with a killer line of natural acidity. Everything is perfectly proportioned in this wine, very persistent with layers of dark berry fruit laced with white pepper and tea leaf on the finish. Immense. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Vinous (98)

The 2018 Clos de Tart Grand Cru was wonderful from barrel but now it seems to have gone up another level. It has an exquisite bouquet with wonderful mineralité infusing the brambly red fruit. Wonderful focus and quite profound complexity. You could nose this forever. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiselled tannins married with a killer line of natural acidity. Everything is perfectly proportioned in this wine, very persistent with layers of dark berry fruit laced with white pepper and tea leaf on the finish. Immense. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Tim Atkin MW (94)

La Forge de Tart is made from the younger vines of the Clos de Tart, planted in 1999, 2005 and 2011 across the three levels of the Grand Cru. Firmer, spicier and a little less refined than the Grand Vin, but this is still an impressive Morey-St-Denis that fully deserves its Premier Cru appellation. Tangy, focused and refreshing with well-handled oak.

Vinous (94)

The 2018 Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts 1er Cru is showing some reduction on the nose, slightly smudged red fruit, leather and undergrowth. It does seem to gain clarity with modest aeration though. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, taut and crisp, quite linear with fine sapidity on the structure, backward finish. A Premier Cru with a long future ahead. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Cask sample. Pale blueish crimson. Lively and racy with real lift, though a tad rawer than the Clos des Epeneaux. A very serious Côte de Beaune by any measure.

Vinous (89)

The 2018 Auxey-Duresses Village has a pure, floral bouquet with perhaps a little more precision than the 2019. The palate is well balanced with very good depth for an Auxey-Villages, traces of liquorice infusing the red fruit with very good persistency. Excellent.

Jancis Robinson (18.5)

Cask sample. Quite a price! Transparent crimson. Very dense nose with more layers than most of the 2018 red burgundies I have tasted so far. Pretty rich with grand cru density. Very well done. Actually the best Clos des Epeneaux I remember tasting en primeur. Long, rich, opulent but all in a convincing structure. Very long in fact.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Cask sample. Polished and velvety without the energy of the Auxey Premier Cru. Sort of splits the difference between its two stablemates but I’m not sure wholly satisfactorily for the price.

Vinous (96-98)

The 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is a limpid deep purple. It has a heavenly bouquet distantly related to the Les Amoureuses, offering precocious but detailed blueberry, black cherry, crushed iris petal and crushed limestone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with an edgy, marine-influenced opening, a tang of shucked oyster shells infusing the black and blueberry fruit, leading to a detailed, tensile, lightly spiced finish. A long tail of white pepper lingers on the aftertaste. This is absolutely divine.

Vinous (96-98)

The 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is a limpid deep purple. It has a heavenly bouquet distantly related to the Les Amoureuses, offering precocious but detailed blueberry, black cherry, crushed iris petal and crushed limestone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with an edgy, marine-influenced opening, a tang of shucked oyster shells infusing the black and blueberry fruit, leading to a detailed, tensile, lightly spiced finish. A long tail of white pepper lingers on the aftertaste. This is absolutely divine.

Vinous (92-94)

The 2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, from the young vines in Musigny, has more intensity than the Village Cru, coming across slightly more opaque and secretive. The palate is beautifully balanced with saturated tannin and a fine thread of acidity. Full of energy that flows through the sorbet-fresh finish, and silky-smooth in texture. This oft-overlooked cuvée comes highly recommended. Superb.

Vinous (97-99)

The 2018 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is even darker than the Bonnes-Mares. It has a spectacular bouquet of intense black fruit, blueberries and shucked oyster shells, the mineralité heightened over the Bonnes-Mares and lending a great deal of precision. The palate is medium-bodied with blueberry, boysenberry and black currant fruit, extraordinary tension, razor-sharp acidity and a dash of white pepper on the crystalline finish. One of the finest Musignys I have tasted from barrel at de Vogüé.

Vinous (97-99)

The 2018 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is even darker than the Bonnes-Mares. It has a spectacular bouquet of intense black fruit, blueberries and shucked oyster shells, the mineralité heightened over the Bonnes-Mares and lending a great deal of precision. The palate is medium-bodied with blueberry, boysenberry and black currant fruit, extraordinary tension, razor-sharp acidity and a dash of white pepper on the crystalline finish. One of the finest Musignys I have tasted from barrel at de Vogüé.

Vinous (97-99)

The 2018 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is even darker than the Bonnes-Mares. It has a spectacular bouquet of intense black fruit, blueberries and shucked oyster shells, the mineralité heightened over the Bonnes-Mares and lending a great deal of precision. The palate is medium-bodied with blueberry, boysenberry and black currant fruit, extraordinary tension, razor-sharp acidity and a dash of white pepper on the crystalline finish. One of the finest Musignys I have tasted from barrel at de Vogüé.

Vinous (97-99)

The 2018 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is even darker than the Bonnes-Mares. It has a spectacular bouquet of intense black fruit, blueberries and shucked oyster shells, the mineralité heightened over the Bonnes-Mares and lending a great deal of precision. The palate is medium-bodied with blueberry, boysenberry and black currant fruit, extraordinary tension, razor-sharp acidity and a dash of white pepper on the crystalline finish. One of the finest Musignys I have tasted from barrel at de Vogüé.

The Comte Liger Belair Nuits-Saint-Georges 2018 is a testament to fine winemaking techniques, hailing from exclusive vineyards in one of Burgundy's most respected regions, known for exquisite Pinot Noir. Crafted by Count Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, a descendent of a noble French family with a rich winemaking heritage, this vintage from the venerated Liger-Belair estate harmoniously combines tradition with innovation.

Exuding an ethereal perfume of red cherries, crushed violets, and a French forest in autumn, its allure is irresistible. Succinctly structured, this fine wine resonates resonant tannins and bright acidity, underpinning the luscious fruit core, climaxing in an enchanting, long-lasting finish. It promises further mystique and elegance with careful cellaring.

In ideal climatic conditions, handpicked clusters of organically grown grapes ensure minimal intervention to maintain the grape's inherent character. Aged meticulously in French oak barrels, the Comte Liger Belair Nuits-Saint-Georges 2018 encapsulates the splendour of Burgundian terroir perfectly.

Vinous (92+)

The 2018 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is slightly leathery on the nose and this detracts from the brightness and delineation of the aromatics. Yet there is decent fruit here. The palate is vibrant and poised, with quite a heavy layer of oak yet it feels in proportion to the fruit. This is a Clos Vougeot that just requires time to cohere, however the constituent parts are in place. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Vinous (95)

The 2018 Echézeaux Grand Cru has a precocious, exuberant nose with vibrant red fruit intermixed with orange pith, potpourri and dried herbs - complex and very well delineated. The oak is seamlessly integrated both here and on the palate. It is finely sculpted, fresh and almost minty in character for a period, before the finish delivers quite intense blood orange infused red fruit on the finish. Real pedigree here. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Vinous (98)

The 2018 La Romanée Grand Cru shows quite a bit of new oak on the nose at the moment and this slightly obscures the terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, beautifully structured, silky-smooth with palpable energy, tension and precision towards the finish. The aromatics might be entering a dumb phase, but the palate evidences a Grand Cru with serious ambition. This is an ethereal La Romanée that seems to care little for the summer heat of that year and just goes about its job. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Vinous (98)

The 2018 La Romanée Grand Cru shows quite a bit of new oak on the nose at the moment and this slightly obscures the terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, beautifully structured, silky-smooth with palpable energy, tension and precision towards the finish. The aromatics might be entering a dumb phase, but the palate evidences a Grand Cru with serious ambition. This is an ethereal La Romanée that seems to care little for the summer heat of that year and just goes about its job. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Vinous (94)

The 2018 Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Cras 1er Cru has quite a heavily reduced nose with a touch of Wellington boot. Don't worry about that - it just needs time. The palate is medium-bodied with blackberry, raspberry and tobacco scents. I think it should pull through with time. Gritty tannins, a fine bead of acidity, quite linear and poised with fine weight on the finish. One of the standouts of the appellation in 2018. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Vinous (95)

The 2018 Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots 1er Cru has another rather reduced bouquet, but there is plenty of red fruit here, touches of blood orange and hints of violet and after 20 minutes there is a palpable sense of exuberance. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, quite fleshy with fine grip and backbone. Fresh and delineated on the finish, this is a lovely Vosne-Romanée that should age well in bottle. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Vinous (90-92)

The 2018 Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château feels a little smudged by comparison to the La Colombière, offering scents of dark berry fruit plus wilted iris flowers and incense. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, plenty of rich blueberry and black fruit and fine salinity toward the finish. This exhibits excellent length but it will require 2–4 years in bottle.

Vinous (89-91)

The 2018 Vosne-Romanée La Colombière shakes off a little reduction to reveal slightly earthy red berry fruit laced with clove and bay leaf. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannins and a fine line of acidity. Quite saline in the mouth, with a taut, linear finish. Good potential for one of the domaine's entry-level cuvées.

Vinous (89)

The 2018 Monthélie Les Duresses has a tightly wound bouquet, the fruit a little darker than I find on the nascent 2019, yet still well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red berry fruit, quite compact and saline. A touch of black pepper enlivens the slightly broody finish. Cellar this for 2–3 years.  

Vinous (93)

The 2018 Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er Cru, which was bottled earlier than the Champans, has an intense nose of black cherries, blueberry, seaweed and iodine. The palate continues that theme: saline on the entry, dense and grippy, and very nicely focused with a lively, lightly spiced finish. Real succulence here, and very good persistence; the elegance is only apparent after the wine is slipping down the throat.