Vintus

Grand Cru, Côte de Beaune White

Montrachet
2004 Vintage Reviews
“A chameleon, this young white shows hints of mint, pine forest, honey, citrus and mineral aromas and flavors, ever-changing. Light-weight, but not light, with an oily texture. Balances all its elements, building to a long, butterscotch finish that reveals the potential.” 95 Wine Spectator, December 2006

“Nectar-like aromas of exotic apricot, iodine and clove. Fat and sweet but with plenty of energy to leaven the impression of sheer richness. A wine of great concentration and weight. Uncanny mounting finish leaves the palate buried under a wave of fruits, spices and minerals. Saouma notes that this wine went through a viognier-like apricotty stage before the class of the vineyard emerged.” 94-95 International Wine Cellar, Sept/Oct 2006

“Arguably the freshest nose of the bunch with an elegant, airy and high-toned nose that offers incredible breadth, from naturally spicy ripe orchard fruit to floral notes to limestone nuances that continue onto the much more reserved yet superbly intense flavors that are still linear on the fantastically long finish. Like many '04s, this is unusually detailed for a classic Montrachet and at present, actually resembles a fine Chevalier though the material is so impressive here that I suspect it will begin to broaden once in bottle.” 92-94 Burghound, July 2006

2002 Vintage Reviews
"A hedonistic appeal, with seductive caramel and buttered rum aromas and flavors settling into an intense array of hazelnut, pastry and mineral notes that just keep coming. A tad hot now, but this will get better with both air and age." 94 Wine Spectator, June 2005

Batard-Montrachet
2005 Vintage Reviews
"Reticent steely aromas of crushed stone, clove and honey. Offers a sweet impression on entry, then an explosively spicy, tangy, honeyed character and a texture just this side of viscous. A highly concentrated, powerful wine with a tactile, dusty texture giving it an almost solid impression. Finishes virile and very long, with a note of marzipan. More soil than primary fruit showing today. Saouma noted that most of his 2005s finished with between 2.5 and 3 grams of residual sugar. "Acid levels were high in 2005, and it was necessary to wait until the acids went down before harvesting," he explained. "Today the richness of the '05s is hiding their very strong acidity. People talk about the greatness of the 2005 reds, but we had the same conditions for the whites." 93-95 Stephen Tanzer, Sep/Oct 2007

2004 Vintage Reviews
“Fine richness and heft mark this round, smoked, meat-tasting white. Floral, citronella and mineral notes complete the flavor spectrum. Balanced and bordering on elegant, it expands on the long finish, with an aftertaste of smoke and mineral.” 94 Wine Spectator, December 2006

“Deeply pitched nose hints at creme brulee, clove, flint and earth. Fat, rich and layered, but with a firm acid spine and solid minerality giving shape and verve to the nut oil, creme brulee and buttery flavors. Huge, dense, slow-building finish is at once saline and remarkably sweet. This, too, is about 14% alcohol. A potentially great Batard.” 93-94 International Wine Cellar, Sept/Oct 2006

2003 Vintage Reviews
"This smells smoky, yet it's clean and green, even in color. Fresh and evoking citronella, green plum, hazelnut and mineral. Lean for the vintage, this shows structure, intensity and promise. Fine, mouthwatering finish." 93 Wine Spectator, July 2006

"Very pure aromas of lemon, minerals and spices. Sweet, rich and shockingly fresh, with piquant flavors of pineapple and grapefruit. Very long on the aftertaste. This, too, should last a long time. Left behind a trace of smoked meat in the empty glass. These grapes were harvested on August 20." 92-94 Stephen Tanzer, Sep/Oct 2005

Corton Charlemagne
2004 Vintage Reviews
“Initially mute nose opened somewhat with aeration to reveal apple, tangerine, minerals, wet stone and a whiff of resiny oak. Densely packed, chewy and bright, with impressively tactile flavors of minerals, citrus peel and nutmeg. Mounts slowly and lingers impressively on the back. But this painfully backward wine is a bit brutal today (Saouma describes it as "a big rock"). In comparison, the Meursault Perrieres is more floral and more gentle. Incidentally, Saouma did almost no lees stirring in 2004, and no racking until bottling, with the result that the wines retained high levels of CO2, which should help to keep them fresh in bottle. All of them were aged in 100% new barrels. Saouma believes that this vintage will be for drinking anytime over the next 20 years, and that the wines will never go through a seriously sullen stage.” 93+ International Wine Cellar, Sept/Oct 2006

“Mild reduction and pain grillé set off green apple, pear and white peach aromas that merge into rich, concentrated and very powerful full-bodied flavors that possess superb levels of dry extract and a strikingly long and driving finish that really stains the palate. This too finishes bone dry and will require extended cellar time to see its apogee.” 91-94 Burghound, July 2006

"Expresses great terroir. Exudes a strong mineral flavor, with lemon, apple and vanilla notes adding dimension. Vibrant and precise, with a long, resonant finish. As elegant as it is powerful." 94 Wine Spectator, March 2007