(92-95 points) I tasted from two barrels seemingly destined for the 2018 Saint Joseph les Pierres. One was full-bodied, plush and long, with notes of mocha and black cherries, while the other showed explosive red fruit...

Blackcurrant, pine cone, walnut, crushed gravel and dried flowers on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Sleek and refined. Try from 2023.

It’s rare to taste gamay from Moulin-à-Vent and think of Volnay. And, as much as I would praise the beauty and grandeur of this wine, a pure extract of the earth, I wonder what that association with the Côte de Beaune is...

A lifted hint of oak toast is faint on the fresh nose of this wine. On the palate, the dense fruit strikes first and takes center stage. This wine brims with ripe, crunchy red-cherry notes, framed and help by firm...

Aromas of blackberry, plum, cocoa, iodine, clove and graphite. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Tightly wound and mineral at the moment, with dusty gravel and graphite notes, yet with focus and...

(91-94 points) 30 year old vines from first class massale selection. Dominique tells me that there are very many small stones here despite it being theoretically a clay rich site. Glorious purple. Svelte luxury strawberry...

A great success in any vintage, but a marvel in a difficult year, this superb wine offers a deep, dark, red hue. The perfume, with its blend of flowers, licorice, garrigue, spices, cherries and plums is gorgeous. Richly...

Complex nose, blending notes of elderberries, black cherries, spices, cedar,and violets. It’s full-bodied and structured with elegant tannins and a fleshy texture. Flavorful, savory finish. Try after 2024.

The 2018 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru does not quite have the amplitude of Magnien's Clos Saint-Denis, but it displays more vivacious red fruit, clarifying with aeration and eventually develops quite an ethereal quality...

Rotem and Mounir Saouma’s aim with Omnia is to build complexity from the diversity of their nine parcels spread out over all five of Châteauneuf’s villages. The diversity continues in the cellar, where Mounir puts the...

Ripe melon and pear aromas and flavors are singed by vanilla and toasty oak in this white, which is balanced and fluid overall, with adequate acidity to balance its rich character. Drink now. – BS

(93-97 points) Really intense glowing fresh purple. This is super sumptuous from very old vines, swamps the back of the palate with its ripe dark raspberry character, even a little bit of spice. Much less structural...

(96-99) I’ll taste the 2018 Le Pin from barrel again in April for en primeur, but I was thrilled with this early look, and it appears to be a step up over the 2017. Boasting a vivid purple color and magical notes of...

(91-93 points) Glowing bright purple. This has a superb nose with vivid lively raspberry fruit, fresh, after which I am expecting good acidity and getting it. Classic balance here, really intense fruit without a sensation...

This chunky red is permeated with black cherry, blackberry, earth and spice flavors, backed by a robust core of tannins. It's balanced, ending with a burly impression and fine length. Best from 2022 through 2032. 240...

(91-94 points) The Georges Lignier plots are scattered throughout Clos de la Roche, mostly in Mochamps and Chabiots. Medium depth of purple. This is cooler, fresher wine, with noticeably more precision, with some wood...

(92-96 points) Immense dense purple, almost prune juice. Picked by the vigneron who picks late! 30% whole bunch, maybe saves the day. It is an immensely powerful wine in a very distinct late picked style. Not unbalanced...

From various vineyards in the centre of the appellation, on both sides of the main road: Platière, Puits de la Baraque, Crais, Charreux, Champerriers. Full deep purple, with a luxurious ripe, but balanced fruit, an extra...

(91-93 points) Planted at the same time as Craipillot, Au Closeau offers a brighter deeper richer purple. This is luxurious but not clumsy, with a little spicy touch, from 50% whole bunch. Works very well here, with a...

The 2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Hauts Doix is showing beautifully, unwinding in the glass with a deep bouquet of black raspberries, exotic spices, dried flowers and incense, mingled with carnal nuances of grilled...

(90-92 points) A very ripe though still reasonably fresh nose offers up notes of sauvage-inflected dark pinot fruit along with floral, earth and forest floor nuances. There is excellent intensity to the equally sleek and...

Fragrant, fluid and seductive for the silky texture, with cherry, floral, sandalwood and oak spice aromas and flavors. Well-structured yet deftly balanced, this feels effortless and graceful overall. Reveals licorice and...

Open and aromatic with honeysuckle flowers, dried apples and mangoes, as well as white peaches and stone. Full-bodied, this grows slowly on the palate with an intense, powerful finish. Lots of cream, cooked apples, lemons...

(98+ points) Coming all from the pure granite soils of the Bessards lieu-dit, on the western side of Hermitage, the 2018 Ermitage Le Pavillon is 100% Syrah that was all destemmed and aged 18 months in just 15% new French...

Another clean pale colour, a little softer, still with some sandalwood showing on the nose, but not so spicy. Really beautiful and Puligny in style throughout, with dainty little bits of fruit pervading the palate...