Chantal Lescure 2017 Bourgogne Rouge Les Verduns

The Chantal Lescure Bourgogne Rouge "Les Verduns" is from 45 year-old vines on a soil of "marnes blanches"  in this unusual west-facing parcel high on the slope adjacent to Pommard "Les Vignots." Vinification is with whole-clusters giving a firm structure to this very classy Bourgogne Rouge. The wine shows elegant high-toned  quite floral aromas of earthy Morello cherry and strawberry with hints of spice, mint and rose petal. The palate is earthy and mineral with saline acidity underlying ripe wild strawberry and red currant fruit. This shows the ripeness of 2018 but with lovely bright fruit and freshness.The finish is long and sappy, dominated by mineral and red currant  flavors that linger on the palate. This is not a fruit bomb, but is a very satisfying red Burgundy that will benefit from many hours of aeration or cellaring for 5 to 8  years. David Lillie

Chantal Lescure 2017 Cote-de-Beaune Clos de Topes Bizot Blanc

From vines high on the slope in Beaune just above the 1er Cru L'Ecu, facing east, in a terroir of clay and pebbles over limestone. Harvested by hand into small crates, slow fermentation (4 to 8 months) with wild yeasts, 15 month élevage in barrel, 10% new. The 2017 Clos de Topes Bizot is an elegant white Burgundy, reminding me of a good Pernand-Vergelesses, showing lime-flower, pear, herbal, almond and high-toned citrus aromas with a hint of oak. The palate is dense and very mineral with wet stone, white fruit, herbal and citrus flavors with crystalline purity and terrific length. This is a a real Burgundy of terroir at a very reasonable price! David Lillie

Chantal Lescure 2017 Cote-de-Beaune Clos de Topes Bizot Rouge

From vines planted in 1960,  high on the slope in Beaune just above the 1er Cru L'Ecu, facing east, in a terroir of clay and pebbles over limestone. The grapes from this high elevation vineyard are harvested late and undergo a short pre-fermentation maceration, aging is in two and three year-old barrels. The 2017 shows high-toned aromas of ripe black cherry fruit with rose, black pepper, earth and citrus, quite elegant. The palate is dense and earthy with sappy black cherry - intensely mineral with firm acidity, earth and black fruits that linger in the long finish. This is a quite elegant and "mineral" Burgundy at a very reasonable price, that will benefit from a few hours open or three to five years of cellaring.  David Lillie

Chantal Lescure 2017 Volnay

The Chantal Lescure Volnay is from 50+ year-old vines on sandy clay soils over limestone. Fermentation is with wild yeasts in cuve inox followed by 18 months in barrel, approximately 30% new, bottled without fining or filtration.The wine shows a deep red/garnet color with black cherry, blackberry and red currant aromas, quite floral and elegant with complex hints of earth,  brown spice and tea. With aeration, the palate shows a velvety, chalky texture backed by firm acidity with complex black fruits, mint, bitter chocolate and earth that continue in the long, sappy finish. This is a lovely "village" Volnay that is delicious, if a bit intense in its youth - decant if drinking now, this will really sing in three to five years and until 2030+. David Lillie

Chantal Lescure 2016 Pommard Les Vignots

From south-facing vines situated on the right hill of Pommard, on the Beaune side, in a terroir of clay-marl. These 35 year-old vines grow in high elevation, about 330 meters above sea-level. The grapes are hand harvested and undergo a long fermentation in stainless steel tanks, punched-down and vatted for 18-25 days. The wine ages in a cold cellar on lees in barrels, 30% of which is new oak. The 2016 features a melody of tobacco leaf, green pepper and red currant on the nose, elegantly followed by black pepper and cherry. The palate is fresh and dense with ripe plum and rich, velvety notes of licorice and blackberry. The 2016 is a Pommard of delightful acidity and ripe, plump texture, and these notes should shine through even more in a few years of cellaring. John David Crosby

Chantal Lescure 2016 Pommard 1er Cru Les Bertins

The Chantal Lescure Pommard 1er Cru "Les Bertins" is from a one hectare parcel of old vines on the Volnay side of Pommard, at the base of the slope in clay over hard  limestone and rocky debris. There is a pre-fermentation maceration followed by a long, slow fermentation with wild yeasts, with aging in 30% new barrels with one soutirage after 18 months. The wine shows a deep red/black color with bright, elegant aromas of blackberry and black cherry, deep and meaty with rose, earth and blood orange. The palate is dense and chalky with round, sappy blackberry and red currant fruit, licorice and minerals, lifted by bright acidity. The finish is long with saline minerals and black fruits lingering on the palate. Decant if drinking now - this very elegant Pommard will benefit from five years of cellaring, then enjoy until 2035. David Lillie

Chantal Lescure 2017 Beaune 1er Cru Les Chouacheux

From a 1.5 hectare parcel of 50+ year-old massale selection vines on clay/limestone soils rich in iron, in this excellent 1er cru vineyard at the foot of the slope in Beaune. The Beaune Chouacheux shows very floral aromas of ripe black cherry and plum, with hints of brown spice, citrus zest and earth. There is nicely sappy, chalky fruit on the palate - black cherry, plum, red currant - backed by firm acidity and the ever-present core of minerality found in the Chantal Lescure wines. Decant or open well in advance if drinking now, this beautiful Chouacheux should be best 2026 - 2036+.  David Lillie

Chantal Lescure 2016 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Damodes

From the village portion of Les Damodes on the Vosne side of Nuits St. Georges. Dark ruby verging on purple robe. The nose offers aromas of plum, blue fruits, blood orange rind, a touch of iron, with a bit of oak. The mid-weight palate has bright acidity, flavors of black currant, plum skin, cherry stone, and a pungent earthiness on a long, faintly grippy finish. This has good density and punch on the mid-palate with a fine core of soil notes. This is clearly young, but balances mouthwatering acidity, Nuits St. Georges tannins, and beguiling dark, ripe forest fruits. Decant now or allow the elements to knit. This has a lot of flair and should make for a classic expression of Damodes with 5-7 years in the cellar.

Chantal Lescure 2016 Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots

Nestled in between Richebourg and Romanée-Saint-Vivant and Echezeaux, Les Suchots is a premier cru break in the line of grands cru that runs from La Tache to Mazis-Chambertin, this is likely due to the small dip in the hillside that makes the climat cooler. But what a premier cru! The 2016 from Chantal Lescure is begulingly perfumed with aromas of tea roses, exotic spice, wild cherry, and a cool herbal topnote. The palate is lithe and racy with lovely flavors of red fruits and a game, with more of that Vosne spice and a fine grained structure that balances the lush fruit with bright acidity and framing tannins. This is delicious with a quick decanting, but should really shine with a few years in bottle. Gorgeous Suchots and attractively priced (relative to its neighbors). John McIlwain

Chantal Lescure 2016 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru

From 50+ year-old vines in the upper part of the Clos (Lieu-dit "Montiotes.") Terroir pebbly clay/limestone. The 2016 Clos Vougeot has a vividly deep ruby robe. The nose is circumspect via reduction and youth. With air aromas of  blackberry, black currant, and violets emerge. The palate is tightly wound with notes of espresso, mustard seed, cherry stone, Earl Grey, and ripe black fruit.The finish is long expansive and supple with mouthwatering acidity and a savory mineral character. This has structure to resolve, but the ripe intense fruit to knit with time in the cellar. Grand Cru class and a compelling Clos Vougeot for the patient. John McIlwain