Reviews

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles

This has held up beautifully considering it's over a decade old. Iodine, lemon, quince, yellow pear, travertine, and saline notes all blend together in a medium+ delivery of succulent-meets-fresh…

Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses

Linear and tense, with a white fruit profile that dominates on initial entry. A bit strict at first, this young Preuses is insistent at first pass but relaxes enough that some alluring expansions of…

Hubert Lamy Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots Vieilles Vignes

There is a lot of promise here, but it is locked up pretty tight at the moment. Primary and mineral-driven, with a classically youthful Puligny profile, the Tremblots is a difficult wine to assess at…

Domaine Louis Michel Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

This hasn't changed much since my last having it a few years ago. There is notable acidity and a noble mineral streak that distinguish it from a number of other more bulbous 2018 Chablis. The tension…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

Two years since my last bottle. This has developed some nice iodine flavors that elevate the lemon and travertine notes here. Finishes with a nice bead of acidity to keep everything in harmony. The…

Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère

Solid performance. Ripe lemon flavors with beautifully placed saline, travertine, and white melon rind notes that keep it all in focus. No reason to wait on these. I mean, there's one reason not to…

Domaine Trapet Gevrey-Chambertin Ostrea

Dark berries, red-on-black fruit, dark spices, hints of loam. A little chewy in texture (which I like), giving it an extra tick of breadth; also clean and pure on entry. Can be drunk now but has the…

Yves Boyer-Martenot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret

From magnum. Fairly angular and foursquare, especially on the finish. Shows moments of imbalance, lacking an overall sense of seamlessness. Grilled lemon, melon, and olive oil. Less vibrant and fresh…

Domaine Henri Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet

At Single Thread.

Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Clos de la Chateniere Blanc Vieilles Vignes

Drinking nicely now, and held up over two days with solid persistence. Some riper and deeper yellow pear and lemon flavors show a little aging and the roundness of the vintage, but the acidity is…

Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet

Pure and clean on entry, fanning out with pear, fresh lemon juice, chalk, white melon, yellow apple, and additional hits of lemon juice and lemon pith, this Pernot is a beautiful balance between…

Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère

Starting out a little sleepy-eyed, this took an hour or so to open up and express itself with adequate speed and flavor expansion, intently pushing out ripe lemon, yellow pear, limestone, and fresh…

Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes

This bottle exhibited aged traits that signal a wine that ultimately seems to be past its prime. Air helped stretch its legs a bit, but it was fairly short-lived. Over the course of a few hours, it…

Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

Deep lemon and honey flavors, with touches of toffee and lamp oil. Fairly sherried in profile, with the oxidized notes becoming more pronounced on the finish, this still retains a decent amount of…

Etienne Sauzet Bâtard-Montrachet

Linear and focused, and in typical Sauzet fashion, initially quasi-sanitized in its chiseled and clean delivery overall. The purity of fruit and acidity are off the charts awesome, which is where it…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

Solid as before (a few years ago). A bit more advanced and ripe with this bottle, but equally as fresh and powerful. As is the case with Valmur, it carries brawn and flex, but no hard edges; drinks…

Domaine Darviot-Perrin Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières

A strong petrol note kicks off a reductive and slightly brassy entry, with medium-minus freshness and limited perception of acidic drive. Currently, this seems to be in hibernation in terms of fruit…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles

I popped another one of these because I recently saw a batch available at a reasonable price and was considering acquiring more. Normally I'd be all over this, but the 2022 vintage definitely has a…

Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

Grilled pineapple and iodine. With more air, this becomes brassy and tart. Completely lacks freshness and acidity.

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Hommage à Louis

Initially there is a shyness here that is marked by a thin veil of reduction and crème fraîche. It doesn't take long, however, for wonderful waves of salty oyster shell and iodine notes to take hold…

Domaine Taupenot-Merme Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Rouge

Still chugging along nicely. Decent depth and breadth, with a darker berry profile than I remember. In a good window now, with previous linearity seemingly resolved; quite approachable and appealing…

Domaine Launay-Horiot Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnières

I haven't had this in four years, and though I find this bottle well resolved and in a balanced drinking window, albeit with a bit of air, I do think it to be less exciting than when I had it back in…

Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières

Holy potent panther of ripe and ready profundity! All you Aubert and Kongsgaard cronies take note, as the 2019 Henri Boillot Folatieres is a double-barreled doozy of such volume and intensity that it…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles

Love this wine. My previous tasting note covers most everything, but I figured I'd put a note in here to accentuate my absolute appeal for the 2019 vintage with this producer. It is perhaps the best…

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune En Creuzilly

I thought this was "ok," but basically a pass-around-the-table kind of experience; nothing that I wanted to clutch in my paws and hide from the rest of the group. It's solid and all, but presents as…