Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn Hall sashays out of the glass with beguiling notions of warm black and red currants, fresh blackberries, black raspberries and boysenberries with touches of rose hip tea, forest floor, pencil shavings and violets. Full-bodied with a taut foundation of firm, fine-grained tannins and bags of freshness, it has layer upon layer of perfumed black and red fruits, finishing long and fragrant.

As I predicted from barrel, the 2017 Vosne-Romanée Village has the edge over its Chambolle counterpart this year, exhibiting a deep bouquet of wild berries, smoked duck, spices and creamy new oak. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a textural attack and good depth at the core, built around powdery tannins and lively acids.

The 2018 Ausone is composed of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot. The Merlot was harvested September 25 and 27, and the Cabernet Franc was harvested October 3, 8 and 9. Deep purple-black in color, it is an impenetrable wall to begin, unrelenting without persistent coaxing, at last uncoiling to offer glimpses at preserved plums, blueberry coulis, molten licorice and underbrush with emerging scents of lavender, iron ore, crushed stones, charcoal and Indian spices plus a waft of red roses.

The 2018 Pichon-Longueville Baron is made up of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot. The Merlot was harvested September 24-25, and the Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested October 3-10. The wine is to be aged 18 months in barriques, 80% new and 20% one year old, and production represents 50% of the harvest this year. Very deep purple-black colored, it begins a little coy, rolling slowly and languidly out of the glass with notions of baked raspberries, blueberry coulis, crème de cassis and incense plus nuances of lilacs, truffles, damp soil and garrigue with wafts of lavender and wild sage.

 Huge, cedary, cassis, lead pencil, menthol-like aromas soared from the glass. The black/purple color revealed no signs of lightening or amber at the edge. Full-bodied, rich, and super-intense, this was an a profound bottle of 1961 Mouton that would have stood up against the compelling 1959.... At its best the wine is a great Mouton.

97 Points! A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Pym-Rae displays a deep garnet-purple color and reveals wonderfully fragrant notes of candied violets, wilted roses, damp soil and black tea over a core of red and black currants, black cherries and warm blackberries plus touches of cigar box and camphor.

The 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ancegnières—which, like the higher appellations, had been racked and returned to barrel when I tasted it—is showing very well, wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, fresh peach, nutmeg and mandarin oil. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and textural, with good depth and weight at the core, tangy balancing acids and a mouthwatering finish. It's an attractively complete Chassagne from a parcel Colin owns that's located below Bâtard-Montrachet.

The 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot is one of the highlights of the range this year, unfurling in the glass with a classy bouquet of beeswax, Anjou pear, petrol, white flowers and subtle spices. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, pure and tangy with a tight-knit, nicely concentrated core and a penetrating and saline finish.

The 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ancegnières—which, like the higher appellations, had been racked and returned to barrel when I tasted it—is showing very well, wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, fresh peach, nutmeg and mandarin oil. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and textural, with good depth and weight at the core, tangy balancing acids and a mouthwatering finish. It's an attractively complete Chassagne from a parcel Colin owns that's located below Bâtard-Montrachet.

One of the more reserved wines in the range, the 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Baudines unwinds in the glass with aromas of white flowers, almond paste, green apple and Meyer lemon. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny textured and deep at the core, with a blocky, somewhat rustic profile underpinned by incisive acids. This bottling is produced from purchased fruit.