FRENCH WINE

DECANTER 97 POINTS,
WINE ADVOCATE 94 - 96 POINTS,
JOHN GILMAN 95 POINTS,
BURGHOUND 93 - 95 POINTS
- "Divided into three separate parcels, two in Puligny and one in Chassagne, the Leflaive holdings in Bâtard amount to a more than satisfactory 1.5ha. Rich, concentrated and well upholstered, this is a plush, dense, palate-coating white that flirts with exotic fruit but finishes with focussed, chalky minerality. Drinking Window 2021 - 2027."

DECANTER 97 POINTS - "Bienvenues is generally less powerful than Bâtard at Leflaive, and that's certainly the case here. But what this impressive grand cru lacks in terms of weight, it more than makes up for with precision. Tangerine and pink grapefruit flavours segue into a fresh, textured finish embellished by oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2032."

WINE ADVOCATE 93 - 95 POINTS - "Like the Pucelles, the 2017 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is quite tensile and reserved, unfurling in the glass with aromas of green orchard fruit, iodine, orange rind and creamy new wood. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, textural and fleshy, but taut—even firm—at the core, with good concentration, tangy acid and a bright, chalky finish. Like all these releases, I'm looking forward to seeing it from bottle."

BURGHOUND 92 - 95 POINTS - "from 45+ year old vines, which are the oldest of the Domaine). As is often the case chez Leflaive, the nose is quite similar to that of the Pucelles with the only difference being that it’s a touch riper. The highly succulent medium-bodied flavors possess equally good mid-palate sap while delivering excellent depth and persistence on the focused, balanced and wonderfully long finish. This is class in a glass and very BBM in character."

WINE ADVOCATE 95 - 97 POINTS - "The 2017 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru delivers a vibrant but reserved bouquet of lemon zest, white flowers and crushed chalk that is still some distance from displaying all its breadth of expression. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and tensile, with a tight-knit core, searingly intense chalky extract and an electric sense of energy, concluding with a long finish. This is the most linear Chevaliers I tasted in the 2017 vintage, which was typically somewhat more open at the same stage in Anne-Claude's day, so it will be interesting to see how much plenitude it displays in bottle."

BURGHOUND 93 - 96 POINTS - "An all-but mute if cool and elegant nose only grudgingly reveals its aromas of wet stone, white flowers, tangerine peel and jasmine tea. There is almost painful intensity to the larger-scaled yet refined flavors that brim with both dry extract and a driving minerality before concluding in an equally long finish. This too is very clearly built-to-age and is a superb Chevalier that is going to require extended patience."

WINE ADVOCATE 92 - 94 POINTS - "

DECANTER 96 POINTS - "Bâtard can be a little too rich for its own good on occasion, but that's definitely not the case here. Elegant and pale in colour, this benefitted from early picking and careful winemaking to deliver freshness alongside pear and quince fruit and subtle 25% new oak."

WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "Aromas of clear honey, blanched almonds and pear mingle with hints of citrus blossom and orange oil, introducing the 2018 Montrachet Grand Cru, a full-bodied, elegantly textural wine that's supple and enveloping, with lovely depth and dimension at the core, underpinned by lively acids. Long and perfumed, this is an elegant, expressive Montrachet from Fontaine-Gagnard."

WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "Boillot's emblematic 2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère has turned out brilliantly, wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, hazelnut, dried white flowers, citrus oil, blanched almonds and smoke. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with terrific concentration, searing levels of extract and a long, mineral finish."

JAMES SUCKLING 99 POINTS: "The complexity and sheer magnitude of Montrachet is on full show here. A powerful expression of the largest holdings in the Puligny side of the vineyard. Grilled hazelnuts, grilled peaches, grapefruit and lemon citrus, as well as a layer of spiced nougat-like aromas. There’s a very long, concentrated and dense palate that starts out cloaked in flavors of rich peaches and glossy fruits. The flavors then peel away in layers as it sits on the palate, revealing a very focused, refined and essence-like citrus core with tremendous elegance and intensity. Drink or hold through the next decade. Or even longer if you desire."

BURGHOUND 95 POINTS: "DON'T MISS!"A strikingly pretty and layered nose reflects notes of mineral reduction, citrus peel, acacia blossom, spice and essence of green apple. There is excellent freshness and terrific intensity to the big-bodied and tautly muscular flavors that brim with impressive amounts of dry extract on the balanced and explosively long finish that really fans out as it sits on the palate. This is very much still a work in progress and I would recommend not touching a bottle for at least 5 years and 12 to 15 would be better."

WINE ADVOCATE 95+ POINTS: "The 2018 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is showing brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, honeycomb, white flowers, orange oil and wheat toast. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and muscular, with lively acids and an impressively structured, introverted profile for the vintage, concluding with a long, saline finish."

WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "A deep and complex bouquet mingling notes of mandarin, apple, pear and peach with nuances of toasted nuts, fresh pastry and nutmeg introduces Niellon's 2018 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, a full-bodied, rich and textural wine that's ample and muscular, with lively acids and a long, spicy finish. Reminiscent of a slightly livelier version of Niellon's 2015 Chevalier, this is quite open and expressive and will show well young."

WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS-"There are pure chalk and lemon juice notes intertwined with perfectly ripe, sunny white and yellow-fleshed fruit expressions (even hints of pineapples) on the bright, fresh, subtle but most of all highly elegant and nobly expressive nose. Altogether, that makes the 2007 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut an outstanding Salon that already shows its class without any reservation but also without any compromises to its refined and terroir-driven style. Compared to the powerful and structured 2006 that, from my memories, showed wet chalk flavors but almost no fruit in its youth, the weightless and delicate 2007 is a coolish, elegant and smoky gentleman dressed in a white tie and silk hat—Max Raabe singing Berlin chansons from the 1920s! The performance on the palate is pure yet concentrated, fresh and linear, very elegant and perfectly balanced, but most of all, it is extremely fine and stimulating! There is a chalky-dusty texture in the aftertaste that makes this a great Salon with sublime finesse and elegance. Lovely lemon flavors are displayed on the pure, fresh and concentrated finish. The radiant 2007 Salon is one of the greatest Champagnes I have had from this vintage. 57,000 bottles produced. Tasted from lot L93 SQ 28218 U in November 2018."