Wine Advocate (95)

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. Despite some reduction, there is clearly plenty of attractive ripe red berry fruit on the nose of Mugneret-Gibourg’s Ruchottes-Chambertin 2011: cranberry, wild strawberry and touches of blueberry. The palate is less masculine and reserved compared to when I tasted it at the domaine at the end of 2013. Here it feels more velvety on the entry. It has a cashmere texture with well-judged acidity and superb structure. The fruit is darker than Christophe Roumier's Ruchottes, but there is very good weight and persistence on the finish that bodes well for the future.

Jancis Robinson (19.5)

More youthful colour than many – mid garnet. Intriguing complexity with some violet notes. Really gorgeous breadth and balance with fruit and freshness. Still obviously gaining in interest and very long. Really smooth and with wonderful depth and persistence. The best 2011 so far in this tasting of top wines from that vintage. The sort of wine every burgundy drinker wants to find. Went on for a good minute…

Vinous (92)

The Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras shows the more sensual, caressing side of the vintage in its layered contours and soft, tender personality. Today, the is voluptuous and expressive, with no hard edges and fabulous overall balance. The Cras isn't super complex, but it is incredibly delicious, even at this early stage.

Vinous (92)

The Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras shows the more sensual, caressing side of the vintage in its layered contours and soft, tender personality. Today, the is voluptuous and expressive, with no hard edges and fabulous overall balance. The Cras isn't super complex, but it is incredibly delicious, even at this early stage.

Vinous (92+)

Roumier's 2011 Morey-Saint-Denis Clos de La Bussière is terrific. Dark plum and cherry notes meld into cloves, menthol and spices in a layered wine dripping with class. Veins of underlying minerality give the 2011 much of its energy and tension. Although Christophe Roumier's wines have become objects of desire for Burgundy lovers all over the world, the Clos de La Bussière remains the most under-appreciated of his wines, mostly because it is often much less charming young than the Chambolles. Readers who can cellar the 2011 are in for a real treat.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (94-97)

Good deep, bright red. Pungent aromas of small wild berries, mint, rose petal and orange peel, plus a whiff of jammy blackberry. Marvelously silky and sweet, offering an uncanny combination of sheer concentration and inner-mouth perfume and vinosity. This struck me as almost more powerful than its 2010 sibling, with more of an impression of weight. Finishes with palate-staining persistence, a hint of violet and great snap.

Dive into the world of elegance with the spellbinding Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 2011. Crafted meticulously in Burgundy, France, it's the epitome of the world-renowned Harmand-Geoffroy estate's wine-making mastery. A benchmark for Pinot Noir, the grapes went through meticulous manual sorting, followed by precise temperature-controlled fermentation. The wine matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, achieving a captivating equilibrium between fruit and firmness.

Gloriously mature, the 'Mazis-Chambertin' shows off an enthralling perfume of red berries mingled with subtle notes of earth and mushroom. The palate is complex and juicy, beautifully showcasing the soft tannins and a long, balanced finish. This wine signifies the essence of Gevrey-Chambertin, recognised for its power and longevity.

With only a limited production, the rarity of Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 2011 is alluring. A choice recommendation for those seeking a distinguished addition to their cellar.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (91-93)

Bright red-ruby. Rather brooding aromas of cassis, blackberry, smoke and licorice are pure and discreet. Surprisingly rich on entry, then lush and seamless in the middle, but with very good acidity framing and lifting the black fruit and game flavors. The powerful, rising finish features building tannins and a distinct thick-skinned character. The old vines in Boillot's parcel were strongly affected by millerandage, which largely explains this wine's extra measure of texture and concentration. Boillot noted that his 2011s generally have 3.8 to 4 grams per liter of acidity following the malos, which is quite healthy for the vintage.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (90-92)

Good bright, deep red. Blackberry, minerals and crushed stone on the nose. Densely packed and concentrated, with savory dark berry, floral and licorice flavors leading to a youthfully powerful if rather strict finish. Classic sturdy Nuits-Saint-Georges but with lovely energy and finesse to its fruit. The big tannins spread out on the back end, yet the wine maintains a light touch.

Exuding a sense of refinement, the Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvee Brunet 2011 is crafted with meticulous precision, embodying the epitome of expert Burgundy winemaking. Esteem of the prestigious Hospices de Beaune vineyard, located within Burgundy's acclaimed Beaune region, lends delegates this sumptuous offering.

This exquisite blend is a result of a steadfast commitment to quality and tradition, assembled through exploiting the famed terroir. By meticulous orchestration, the wine sees 14 months in new French oak barrels, culminating in a tantalising harmony of rich fruit and nuanced wood complexity.

The Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvee Brunet 2011 captures the very essence of Beaune, with a complexity, elegance and robust structure which does justice to its intricate origin. Encompassing expansive layers encased within tranquil subtlety, this vintage reflects the dedication of the winemakers and the superior quality of the 2011 grape harvest.

Vinous (91)

The 2011 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru has a very appealing, harmonious bouquet with ample red cherries, crushed strawberry and subtle undergrowth scents that gain vigor with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a rounded, quite sensual entry: red fruit laced with white pepper, blood orange and subtle leafy notes. It gradually unfurls towards the finish maintaining adequate freshness and with a detailed bitter orange-tinged aftertaste. Excellent. Tasted at Flint Wines Burgundy 2011 tasting.

Vinous (93)

Good medium red. Reduced, slightly decadent aromas of strawberry, spices, underbrush and game: this could only be Burgundy! Seriously silky, pliant and glyceral, with a lightly liqueur-like quality to the plush flavors of red fruits and spices. Quite sweet on entry, then more restrained on the back half. Finishes concentrated, spicy and long, with broad, suave tannins and terrific spicy persistence. A major mouthful in the context of the year.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (93-96)

(vinified with some whole clusters, but a lower percentage than was used to make the RSV and Clos Vougeot): Medium red, a bit less saturated than the RSV. Reticent but rather wild aromas of red berries, smoky underbrush and caraway seed. Sweet and smooth in the mouth; larger than the RSV but less demonstrative and complex today in spite of possessing very good energy. Most impressive today on the rising, palate-staining finish, which features terrific grip and serious spine for two or three decades of aging. Fairly powerful for a wine from this producer, particularly given the essentially gentle style of the year.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (92-95)

(25% vendange entier): Good bright, full red. Complex, inviting nose combines raspberry, rose petal and orange zest. Intensely flavored and sharply delineated, showing excellent lift and verve to its red fruit and soil flavors. An element of medicinal red cherry and emerging minerality suggest that this silky, deep wine will enjoy a graceful evolution in bottle. Finishes with substantial ripe tannins and lovely rising perfume. With time in the glass, this wine demonstrated its firm spine more clearly.

Crafted within the distinguished region of Burgundy, J Thevenet Bongran Vire-Clesse 2011 is an exquisite testament to the mastery of its revered producer. Thevenet's acclaimed low-yield vineyard practices offer a rarity in the world of Chardonnay, yielding a rich, powerful expression. The painstakingly hand-harvested, native-yeast fermented grapes, matured on the lees in old oak barrels for up to two years, deliver an extraordinary opulence, its incredibly high natural sugar levels balanced by naturally occurring, ice-wine like acidity.

Bongran Vire-Clesse 2011 displays a luxuriously golden hue, capturing the essence of ripe apple, pears, and quince on the nose, with nuances of honey, marzipan and delicate spices. The wine intrigues the palate with its immense concentration, ushering in a kaleidoscope of complex flavours that carry through to a prolonged, invigorating finish. Remarkably age-worthy, the J Thevenet Bongran Vire-Clesse 2011 is an absolute gem of the Mâconnais district.

Jancis Robinson (18.5)

A little bit of reduction but great intensity. Almost rudely flamboyant. Full of fruit and allure although all on a very transparent scale. More intense than the Bonnes Mares. Racy and opulent within its own terms.

Vinous (92)

The 2011 Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées is almost uncharacteristically deep, intense and voluptuous. Sweet red berries, flowers and hard candy all take shape in the glass. In 2011, the Fuées is racy and sensual to the core. All the elements are woven together in a fabric of unusual elegance and pure finesse.

Jancis Robinson (19)

Some vines planted in 1940s, and others between 1958-1963. A little darker than the rest. Gamey nose (nothing to do with reduction). Juice and freshness and intensity and real life and savour. Quite firm fine tannins underneath but masses of mind-blowing elegant fruit. Sinewy. All in the same register as the village wine. A gold-standard wine. But some will find it tight at this stage.

Vinous (92-94)

(harvested on September 12, with potential alcohol of 12.8%; from an east-facing, cool site at the top of the hill, just under the trees, where phenolic maturity usually comes before sugar ripeness): Pale, bright, green-tinged yellow. Pungent, raw aromas of crushed stone, pepper, truffle and earth: very white soil in character. The impression of rawness continues on the tight, leanish palate, which offers pure flavors of crushed stone, pepper and saline minerality. With less stuffing here than the Montrachet, this penetrating, soil-driven wine comes across as austere. But its lingering perfume suggests that it will reward extended cellaring.

Wine Advocate (95)

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Musigny 2011 from Jacques Prieur displays more red fruit on the nose compared the blue fruit found elsewhere in this flight of blind Chambolle Amoureuses and Musigny 2011s. It is beautifully defined, perhaps a touch earthier than its peers, with a slight meatiness developing in the glass, subsequently wild heather and broom. The palate is medium-bodied with supple ripe, quite toasty tannins. There is impressive depth here, although it does not quite possess tip-top finesse and delineation on the finish. Still, this is very fine and here, under blind condition, out-maneuvered some of the more revered names.

Vinous (92)

The 2011 Nuits St. Georges Les Hauts Porrets is beautifully centered focused. Here it is the wine's density and power that stand out most. Hints of leather, plum, mint and sweet spices add complexity in an impeccable, utterly delicious Burgundy. It's all there in the 2011 Les Hauts Porrets.

The Jean et Sebastien Dauvissat Chablis Saint Pierre 2011 is an exquisite offering from the highly esteemed Dauvissat estate in the historic French winemaking region of Chablis, Burgundy. This old-world Chardonnay encapsulates the robust minerality characteristic of the Kimmeridgian soil it's cultivated in.

Masterly hand-harvested and handled with paramount precision, this wine is a testament to the savoir-faire of the winemaking duo, Jean and Sebastien Dauvissat. They adhere to traditional wine-making techniques, ageing the wine in old French oak barrels, which bestow onto it a subtle grace and complexity with notes of crisp green apple, pear and chalky minerals.

Structured and elegant, the Jean et Sebastien Dauvissat Chablis Saint Pierre 2011 is testament to the estate's reputation in producing Chablis wines that are distinguished by their superb quality and exceptional longevity.

Vinous (92-94)

A dark, powerful Burgundy, the 2011 Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots is another wine deeply marked by site. Black fruit, smoke, tar, incense and scorched earth all come together in this decidedly masculine, brooding wine. Ideally, the 2011 is best cellared for at least a few years, but it will always remain full-bodied and intense.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (90-92)

(tasted from tank): Good medium red. Cool perfume of blackberry and violet. Lush, sweet and charming, especially for Clos Vougeot, offering a rather soft texture to its dark fruit, floral and mineral flavors. This seamless wine builds nicely on the finish, which features fine-grained tannins and lingering sweetness of fruit.

Burghound (93)

Much like the Musigny, this is really beautifully spicy but here there are intense earth and sauvage undertones to the mostly wild red berry fruit scents. There is excellent volume and plenty of minerality to the focused, energetic and overtly powerful large-scaled flavors that culminate in an austere finish that displays noticeable gas which accentuates the firmness of the tannins. Even so, this is clearly a long-distance runner and like the Griotte, I would strongly advise buying this only with the intent to cellar it for at least a decade.

Vinous (91-94)

Medium red with ruby highlights. Very fresh, highly aromatic nose combines blackberry, black cherry, violet and crushed rock. Juicy and tightly wound on first taste but essentially creamy in the middle palate, displaying lovely black fruit and floral perfume. Very fine-grained and long, finishing with firm tannins, well-integrated acidity and resounding savory and mineral qualities. Just a tad warm today at 13.5% alcohol but this should turn out very well.

Vinous (90-92)

Good dark red. Very shy nose hints at crushed stone, menthol, flowers and licorice. Then surprisingly round and charming in the mouth, with a distinctly silky, open-knit texture to the fat dark berry fruit. Not hugely complex but developing nicely. This should give pleasure early.