FRENCH WINE

The Chambolle-Musigny is a beauty made from several different plots located quite high in the Chambolle appellation south of the village – i.e. from a quite cool area. This translates into a gorgeous village – the bouquet is brimming with fresh red fruit with notes of red currant, pomegranate and forest strawberries – infused by a classic Chambolle minerality. On the palate very vibrant offering gorgeous mid-palate fruit brought forward by a fresh acidity and the filigree minerality. A truly lovely Chambolle village.

WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS "...opening reluctantly in the glass to reveal aromas of red berries, grilled meat and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, satiny but dense, with a deep, concentrated core and chalky structuring tannins. This will need more time than the comparatively precocious 2017 rendition."

BURGHOUND 91 POINTS - "A spicy mix of both red and dark currant combines with notes of violet, tea and clove. This is also exceptionally intense with excellent detail and punch to the medium-bodied, sappy and caressing flavors that deliver first-rate persistence for a villages level Vosne. This too is worth a look provided you have at least some patience."

This Bourgogne rouge is surprisingly charming and floral. This Pinot is a blend of seven different plots around Cote de Nuits, 50% from Chambolle Musigny appellation, 25% from Nuits Saint Georges, and 25% from Vosne Romanée. Flamboyant aroma of supple rose petal, wild strawberries, and raspberry. 60% whole cluster. Great lightness and gentleness.

VINOUS 96 POINTS: "The 2016 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a generous and pleasing nose with scents of strawberry preserve, crushed stone, rose petals and subtle orange-blossom. This is refined and transparent. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannins. Beautifully balanced, this has a symmetry that is beguiling and classic. A little austere finish suggests it will benefit from several years in bottle. Utterly beguiling with enormous ageing potential."

VINOUS 99+ POINTS: "The 2016 Clos de Tart Grand Cru, cropped at 35hl/ha, is the first year farmed biodynamically. This was completely breathtaking in barrel, and now, in bottle, nothing has changed in that respect. It has an ineffably complex bouquet, not as intense as it showed in barrel yet extremely deep and cerebral, black fruit mingling with forest floor, crushed stone and a touch of sea spray. The palate is perfectly balanced with a deceivingly understated entry, before a wave of black and red fruit crashes over the senses. It is framed by supremely fine tannin, the intensity building toward a crescendo as it fans out. The aftertaste is unbelievably long, remaining in the mouth 60 seconds after the wine has departed. The best ever - simple as that. Tasted at Clos de Tart."

eROBERT PARKER 97 POINTS: "The superb 2016 Clos de Tart Grand Cru confirms the promise it showed from barrel, unfurling in the glass with a striking bouquet of raspberries, rose petals, blood orange, black tea, spices and smoked meats. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, pure and ample, with a deep core of vibrant, searingly intense fruit that entirely cloaks its structuring chassis of satiny tannin, concluding with a long and captivatingly floral finish. More elegant and transparent than the richer and fleshier 2015, this is an exceptional vintage for Clos de Tart. That there are fully 27,000 bottles makes this one of Burgundy's rare confluence of quality and quantity."

The Domaine de Courcel, owned by the same family since its foundation 400 years ago, is located in Pommard on the Côte de Beaune, in Burgundy (France). The Domaine produces great Burgundy red wines. Its prestigious Pommard Premier Crus include Le Grand Clos des Epenots, Les Rugiens, Les Frémiers and Les Croix Noires. Tradition, modernism and excellence are the pillars of this family owned winery (or “Domaine”). Its wines are typical of the notorious Pommard Premier crus.

TIM ATKIN 95 POINTS - "Damaged by hail in 2014 and by frost in 2016, this is not the luckiest of Côte de Beaune vineyards but there’s no denying the exceptional quality of its best wines. Made with 66% whole bunches and 40% new wood, it’s a rich, smoky, densely layered wine with bloody, ferrous tannins and supporting fruit sweetness. 2022-32."

VINOUS 94 POINTS - "(one-third vendange entier; 40% new oak; just racked following a very late malo): Healthy medium red. Compelling aromas and flavors of redcurrant, iron, rose petal and minerals. At once silky and penetrating, with its sweetness perfectly balanced by harmonious acidity. Shows captivating rose petal perfume throughout. The seriously tannic, floral finish displays real length and grip. This wine should age beautifully but even today there's no hardness. The crop was reduced by about 30% due to the frost, noted winemaker Sieve.'

WINE SPECTATOR 94 POINTS - "The 2016 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens Cuvée Hubert apparently had a very late malolactic that did not finish until September or October. Similar to the previous two vintages, it comes from the lieu-dit "Les Rugiens-Bas." It has a complex and inviting bouquet with black cherries, crushed rose petals and undergrowth aromas, just a suggestion of dried blood emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied, the 40% new oak is absorbed by the fleshy red fruit, and it is adorned with a lovely, ferrous finish. Drink over the next 15 or 20 years."

VINOUS 93-96 POINTS - "(93-96) (vinified with two-thirds whole clusters and aged in 60% new oak; no frost damage here but the yield was just under 40 hectoliters per hectare): Healthy dark red. Explosive aromas of black raspberry, cocoa powder and espresso. Wonderfully sweet and savory, offering very intense yet silky flavors of black raspberry and minerals framed by harmonious acidity. Really outstanding inner-mouth energy and definition here! The resounding finish features firm, chalky tannins and terrific length and lift. This wine comes from vines at the top of this premier cru on hard limestone.

WINE ADVOCATE 93-95 POINTS - "The 2016 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Malconsorts includes two-thirds whole cluster and 55% new oak. It has a deep color and a very complex bouquet with blackberry, raspberry coulis, iris and touches of woodland, all reticent at first but unfolding with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and a fine line of acidity, fresh and vibrant with a gentle but insistent grip on the saline finish. It is a structured Malconsorts that deserves several years in bottle. This is on par with the excellent 2015 Malconsorts."

ROBERT PARKER 93-95 POINTS: "The 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Champeaux was not affected by frost and yielded a good quantity to the surprise of Arnaud Mortet —30 hectoliters per hectare. Matured with 50% whole bunch and up to 70% new oak, it has a generous, almost peppermint-tinged bouquet with great vigor and vivacity. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, good weight and plenty of blood orange-tinged black fruit. It is slightly attenuated right on the finish but this should flesh out once in bottle. This is how to make a great Les Champeaux."

Burghound -"A pretty and ultra-fresh nose flashes notes of black cherry, violet and a pretty array of spice elements. Not surprisingly the mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is notably more refined with both good energy and detail that continues onto the youthfully austere and solidly lingering finish that is firm and well-balanced. A good quality Vosne villages."