Vinous (93-95)

The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru comes from 1.47 hectares that cover the four soil types within the vineyard; Magnien informed me that he is the only grower who has all four. The vines are Pinot Magnien and some are up to 100 years old. A gorgeous bouquet of pure black cherries, blueberry and light violet aromas bursts from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity, and lightly spiced, leading into a harmonious, persistent, mineral-driven finish. This should evolve into a gorgeous Les Cazetiers.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-97)

5 Stars. Now we come to the flagship wine. A beautiful glowing purple. This wine suggests a huge amount to follow, just waiting on the detail. The palate is magical however, not so much in the fruit descriptors but in the sense of class, the suavity, the balance and the persistence. No sign of heat, tannins perfectly integrated. Real muscle here for the longer haul. Beautiful. 13.6% alcohol Tasted: November 2021

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)

An even crimson ruby colour. The fruit is more immediate than the Ruchottes. This is seamless across the palate and leaves a gorgeously balanced feeling of little red fruits at the finish, entirely covering the tannins, which in any case are refined. There is a little minerality too as befits Cazetiers. Really a lovely stylish finale.

Burghound (91-93)

(from a .33 ha holding of ~55-year-old vines). A cooler and airier nose combines notes of red and dark currant with those of spice, earth and a whiff of game. The markedly more finely textured flavors exude an almost pungent minerality on the impressively persistent and beautifully well-balanced finale. This is pretty much textbook ESJ with its combination of power and finesse. In a word, excellent. (91-93)/2029+

Burghound (91-94)

(from a .33 ha holding of ~55-year-old vines). Once again, the wood treatment is discreet but not invisible on the ripe and very fresh aromas of poached plum, cassis and pretty floral wisps. The racy, detailed and intense middle weight flavors possess a more sophisticated mouthfeel thanks to the fine-grained tannins, all wrapped in a youthfully austere, balanced and impressively long finale. Excellent. (91-94)/2032+

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-95)

Medium crimson colour. Fine and racy, elegant pinot here on this very white soil. Then it kicks on really very well on the palate, a lacy touch, silky across the refined tannins and with a long graceful finish. Very good. Charles held back and picked the Estournelles on September 15th, a decision which seems to have paid off Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Nov 2024.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (91-93)

40 to 100 years plus, the oldest being a plot of Epointures planted in 1915, and mostly well placed above the road. The nose offers a depth and weight of dark fruit without too much detail. There is more in the way of plump ripe raspberry fruit on the palate, more juice and less structure at the back. Really continues through extremely well. Tasted: November 2021

Vinous (91-93)

A mixture of 40-year-old vines and vines a century old (the oldest planted in 1915), the 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, aged in 25% new oak, is perfumed and floral on the nose, displaying a melange of incense and iris flower with dark cherries and raspberry. Full of joie-de-vivre. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. It's quite fleshy and ripe but with underlying mineralité that pushes through on the finish. Excellent.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (90-93)

A depth of ruby purple. This is tenser and more backward, with more prominent tannins and good acidity. The fruit has a slightly darker raspberry feel to it. This will need significantly longer. The wood tannins are a little fresh. If you want a wine to drink a little earlier, then the straight Gevrey-Chambertin would be the choice. Drink from 2029-2034. Tasted Nov 2024.

The Henri Naudin-Ferrand Cote Nuits Villages Viola Odorata VV 2022 is the embodiment of finesse in French fine winemaking. Crafted in the historic Burgundy region, this elegant wine reflects the commitment and passion of its revered winemaker, Henri Naudin-Ferrand. An intriguing blend of dynamic fruit flavours, with an emphasis on cherry and blackcurrant, is at the heart of the wine's personality.

The wine undergoes a distinctive vinification process in the ancient underground cellars, where it matures in seasoned oak barrels, allowing for a delicate integration of oak-keyed influences. The climatic conditions of Côte de Nuits greatly contribute to the wine’s rich, elegant character. Profound and harmonious, the Henri Naudin-Ferrand Cote Nuits Villages Viola Odorata VV 2022 enthrals the palate with its depth, structure, and silky tannins. A true cornerstone of any wine connoisseur's selection, this fine spirit is the epitome of timeless elegance and artisan expertise.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

Coming soon.

Decanter (97)

Aromas of smoke and raspberry cede to a delightful mousse on the palate, with brisk acidity propelling complex notes of pear, melon and brioche. Well-judged, elegant and impressively long, this never wavers in its elegance. Platinum Medal.

Wine Advocate (99)

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2012 Hill of Grace Shiraz is a little reticent on the nose to begin, opening out to a somewhat paradoxically tantalizing Black Forest cake, beef dripping, fertile loam and tree bark nose with hints of black pepper, Marmite, bay leaves, eucalyptus, licorice and baker’s chocolate. The medium to full-bodied palate is a wonderfully intricate mélange of mineral, savory, dark fruits and spice layers, framed by velvety tannins and refreshing acidity, finishing epically. This is a truly great Hill of Grace that has just entered the first stage of its drinking window and should continue to develop beautifully over the next 25+ years.

Falstaff (100)

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, faint brightening on the rim. Notes of dried herbs, suede and sage mixed with blackberry confit, candied violet and a hint of dark pesto. Powerful, juicy, pronounced fruit component, fleshy without being opulent, silky, sustainable tannins, has enormous length, mineral, fine savoury nuances of anise, a hint of nougat, black forest berry fruit on the finish, despite its youth already seductive.

James Suckling (100)

This has a very complex nose, offering so many facets of spices and fragrance with florals and orange peel, as well as crushed stones, ripe black cherries, blackberries and dark cherries, earth, chocolate and more. The intensity and power here is very tightly held and it has a build of such precise tannins, which carry very intense and assertively ripe blackberries, dark cherries, ripe plums and blueberries. So much on offer here. This has a very bold, intense feel. Exceptional vintage. One of their finest. Try from 2028. Screw cap.

Halliday Wine Companion (99)

Australia's finest single-vineyard site? I think so. With its core of gnarled shiraz vines planted circa 1860 and its picture-perfect location alongside the Gnadenberg church, it is a much adored and discussed vineyard which has been producing stellar wines since the first single-vineyard Hill of Grace was released in 1958. Today, those original vines are bolstered with its 'young' 100+ and 35+yo kinfolk and aged in 83/17% French/American oak hogsheads (29% new) for 18 months. Grace by name, grace by nature; it's a perfectly framed, elegant snapshot of pristine fruit, site and season. Precisely ripened berry fruits are underscored with notes of Chinese five-spice, sage, jasmine, licorice, mocha, blackberry pastille, charcuterie, wild flowers and cherry clafoutis. Pitch-perfect and elegant on the palate, the tannin-acid architecture tuned and sympatico with the pristine ancestor-vine fruit and a very long, silken finish that resonates with style and place. My goodness it's lovely.

James Suckling (97)

Such a luxuriant, elegant and complex young wine, this is the younger-vine material from Hill of Grace Vineyard (27-year-old vines in 2015). Multidimensional with brown spices, such as cloves and allspice, dried sage, orange peel, red berries, camphor wood and roses. A succulent palate with elegance and focus, offering blue plums and a very fine core of tannin to support such intense, vibrant fruit. Light, espresso-washed chocolate flavors lie across the fine, long and polished tannins that shape the fresh, balanced finish. A great wine that shows the DNA of the Hill of Grace terroir in a humbler mode. Beautiful now, but this will age for more than two decades. Glass-stopper closure.

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

The vines were 26yo in '16, too young for inclusion in Hill of Grace, notwithstanding its undoubted quality, matured for 14 months in French hogsheads (30% new). There's not a single hair out of place in a perfectly framed, medium-bodied shiraz. Bred in the purple.

James Suckling (98)

So much forest-flower character to this on the nose, together with bark, mushroom, tile, and blackberries. Dried plums, too. Full-bodied, yet so tight and composed, with a compact palate. Fresh five spice. Pepper and clove at the finish. Fantastic. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Glass stopper.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2018 Hill of Roses Shiraz is sourced from a block within the Hill of Grace vineyard that was planted in 1989 with the intention of being a nursery bloc. The planting there is known as the Post Office Block. While the vines are, at this stage, too young to be considered for inclusion in the Hill of Grace, the wine is considered special and warranting its own bottling. Personally, I feel the young vines lend an energy and vigor to the wine, and I like the red fruited clarity that it shows each year. It matured in a combination of new (25%) and seasoned (75%) French oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to release. The nose and the palate are totally aligned: red licorice, raspberries, crushed rocks, red velvet, sage, squid ink, aniseed/anise, quartz and brine. There's the telltale black tea and minerality of the Eden on show, too. This is a sensational wine. This is texturally svelte and seamless (the nod to red velvet above is a textural observation). I love it. If ever I was going to fall for this wine, it would be here, in this clear-spoken, gracefully enunciated 2018 vintage.

Halliday Wine Companion (95)

Matured in French and American hogsheads (18% new) for 18 months. The bouquet does indeed bellow from the glass like that a euphonium. It has a swag of red, black and purple fruits all in tune, something very different for drinking now.

Matthew Jukes (18)

I am particularly partial to Keyneton Euphonium, and it is a genuinely noble creation in 2017. The 2017 is a tighter, more structured style than the expansive 2016, and yet I like it enormously for very different reasons. There is no need for this blend to load muscle and weight on the palate, even though many wines do just this. Imagine, if you will, a KE sporting a perfectly tailored three-piece suit, broad across the shoulders and nipped in at the waist – this is the silhouette of 2017 Euphonium. Elegant, controlled and suave, this is a perfumed wine with a gorgeous, smoky, red-fruited feel. The acidity is mouth-watering, making this intense red wine feel refreshing and savoury. I am extremely impressed and if you consider the diminutive price tag, this is a work of genius. While I appreciate that it could not be more different in delivery than the mighty 2016, I find its balance and elegance exceptionally alluring. You could indeed open a bottle today and enjoy the flavours from the off, but there is a rigidity and poise here buried in its core that will enable this wine to mellow for a good ten to fifteen years.

James Suckling (95)

Spicy and creamy shiraz-based blend with velvety tannins framing a silky core of dark fruit, licorice, cloves, grilled herbs and spices. Five spice and smoked paprika coming through. Full-bodied yet elegant. 65% shiraz, 23% cabernet sauvignon, 9% cabernet franc and 3% merlot. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Halliday Wine Companion (95)

“Matured in French hogsheads (28% new) for 18 months. While the wine still has a long way to go, some of the tannins have softened, and hints of violets and gentle spices add to the bouquet. It should really open up as it nears its 10th birthday.”

The Real Review (98)

Deepish red colour with just a trace of purple in its rim, the bouquet is pungent raspberry, squashed overripe raspberry, classic Mt Edelstone. The wine is succulently fruit-sweet: gorgeously extravagant fruit floods the palate. It's almost jammy, the fine but persistent tannins just pulling it together on the finish so the aftertaste and follow-through are clean and balanced and refreshing. Lush fruit flavour, astonishing texture, very old-viney, a very impressive Edelstone. A stand-out vintage for this wine.

Vinous (98)

The 2016 Shiraz Mount Edelstone offers robust layers of blackberry and sandy earth with warming alcohol. It is a bold and muscular expression of site, with impressive fruit power, minerality and tannin density. The finish is strong, tannic and beautifully composed. This will be fabulous in time.

Matthew Jukes (19+)

This is a genuinely outstanding Mount Edelstone, with glorious fruit and multi-layered complexity. The nose sings of the Eden Valley with a sage and black fruit cocktail of flavours, and the texture is pure velvet. This is a cracker of a wine and a classic Mount Edelstone to boot, and it is already bafflingly precocious. But don’t worry because behind the exultant volleys of pristine fruit lurks muscle and crunchy tannin that will propel this wine forward for two decades and more. As time ticks on I become more and more enamoured by Mount Edelstone and this is another release that will handsomely reward those who manage to track down stock.

Wine Advocate (90-92)

The 2015 Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes includes 55% whole bunch fruit and it was matured in 30% new French oak. It offers bright redcurrant and cranberry scents on the nose that is well defined and offers plenty of freshness and vitality. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, structured in style with more crunchy black fruit here than the aromatics, sous-bois and white pepper towards the finish. This is premier cru in quality—excellent.