Reviews

Domaine François Mikulski Meursault 1er Cru Charmes

A much more animated and complex bottle when compared to the listless dud of a delivery that slugged from the 2018 Charmes earlier this summer, the 2017 has all of the liveliness one would desire,…

Hubert Lamy Santenay 1er Cru Clos des Gravières Vieilles Vignes

Plum and purple berry notes are swarmed by racy acidity and firm and fuzzy tannins. A mouth puckering experience right now, but the depth of flavor potential here is compelling. I'm 8 years old again…

Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots

Crimson red with a darker amber hue, the Chaignots makes you think it's a more aged wine at first glance. The initial aroma is funky earth and citrus rind, further fanning the belief that this is an…

Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Frionnes Blanc

Fresh squeezed lemon juice flavors perform a high wire act with lemon seed, substitute teacher's chalk eraser, crunchy yellow pear, green apple flesh, and white melon rind notes. Though the delivery…

Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets

A somewhat lean and reticent entry on the initial sip begins to slowly, fairly begrudgingly, unfold and expand into an earthy red berry concoction befitting hallmark Volnay. Medium on the mid-palate…

Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses

A young Grand Cru that still has some growing up to do, the Preuses shares qualitative similarities with its sibling Cote de Bouqueyreaux (dear lord, that's a mouthful) Bougros. Clean and pristine,…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis 1er Cru Montmains

Ironically, this bottle showed much more of an intense and muscular posture on the immediate pull of the cork. This tasted like a phat pull of a barrel sample, with what seemed like decent dollops of…

Patrick Piuze Chablis 1er Cru Les Séchets

A nice hybrid between the 2017 and 2018 vintages, this 2019 Sechets weds the viscous weight and expansive lemony succulence of 2018 with the push of energy of the 2017. There is notable persistence…

Domaine Servin Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

Yellow citrus, lemon curd, lime rind, cream, honey, and marshmallow make for a more wood-influenced production at this stage. Though quite tasty and decently powered, the display of the purity of…

Paul Pernot et ses Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles

At first a bit reticent and horizontal, the Pucelles takes some time and air to get out of first gear and increasingly, gradually, rev up to more expressive flavors of yellow and green citrus juice…

Domaine Servin Chablis Grand Cru Bougros

Well this was a nice surprise. Full of life and popping with energetic and succulent lemon everything, this Servin is quite the over-performing little monkey. The Bougros site is brilliantly…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

Another exceptionally powerful showing, with a flex of yellow citrus that commands the palate and delivers a serious dollop of viscous fruit flavor. Still blocky in cadence and texture, this is the…

Domaine des Malandes Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir

I keep testing this wine against my better judgment to see if I want to invest in a few more. It's quite delicious and has a nice tang of lemon and subtle lime flavors that offer pleasurable drinking…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles

The Droin Grand Crus in the 2019 vintage are simply crushing it with unreal purity, freshness, and succulent intensity. This is the best vintage of Droin I've likely ever had, with the Les Clos,…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

The Droin Grand Crus in the 2019 vintage are simply crushing it with unreal purity, freshness, and succulent intensity. This is the best vintage of Droin I've likely ever had, with the Les Clos,…

Domaine des Malandes Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey

Round and inviting, with a small push of added volume when compared to the bottle of this I had last year. A little less spunk and intensity, this will be a wine for nearer term consumption.…

Jean et Sébastien Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

Starting out muted and simple upon first opening, this Vaillons takes a bit of air and swirling to coax out what depth it's willing to show. Once it budges, deeper honeyed yellow citrus, almond skin,…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir

Fresh and satisfying, with a lovely density that provides both Grand Cru weight and breadth, this 2019 Droin Vaudesir takes the best of the 2018 and 2017 vintages and combines them to make a 2019…

Patrick Piuze Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent "QC"

Lemon juice, chalk, wet white travertine, and lemon pith are pleasantly zingy but also primary and linear. Here there is enough 1er Cru intensity to keep the breadth of delivery at requisite levels,…

Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte de Bouqueyreaux

As polished as most any wine I've had from Bougros, this Piuze version is a hyper clean and airy expression of the site, with the extra chalky minerality whipping the yellow citrus elements into…

Paul Pillot Chardonnay Bourgogne

A fairly unimpressive showing here. The first of two bottles I had was flawed. This second and last bottle I had showed basic...and I mean BASIC... yellow citrus flavors. It was more like ONE yellow…

Paul Pillot Chardonnay Bourgogne

Totally flavorless, with an odd aftertaste reminiscent of licking a stamp. I popped a second bottle just to make sure this wasn't some weird profile Pillot was kissing off for his Bourgogne Blanc.…

Domaine du Château de Meursault Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières

A total dud. Wet cardboard and fur on the nose. The palate is flat and near-tasteless, with an astringent mouthfeel. Almost no discernible fruit aromas or flavors. Alkaline and bitter on the finish.

Henri Germain et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Les Fairendes

Lemon creamsicle, clementine, meringue, vanilla, citrus juice, limestone, and lemon curd flavors cascade effortlessly, with a comparatively smoother and more undulating delivery than the spritely…

Henri Germain et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots

Similar to the '18 Charmes but with the lime juice and chalk flavors turned up an extra notch. Yuzu and faint kiwi notes add additional interest. This Poruzots is medium+ bodied and finishes a little…