Lalou Bize-Leroy took the most extraordinary step of declassifying all of her upper level wines to villages level, creating in the process the most striking examples that I have ever tasted for their respective appellations. Given the incredible range of vineyards that Domaine Leroy possesses, this is not surprising but it does raise the obvious question as to why Mme. Bize elected to do such a thing in the first place. Creating a superlative Vosne by blending in the entirety of the Richebourg and RSV isn’t hard to do but why do it at all? She explained that when her late husband Marcel Bize passed away, she became seriously depressed and found it difficult to take her normal interest her wines and even though she has a very capable team in place to look after them, she found the wines lacking in vibrancy and the level of quality with which she believes are what her clients deserve to find in the wines of the domaine. Thus, she elected to declassify all of them, including the wines from Domaine d’Auvenay which she owned  outright with her husband. After tasting through the range, I commented that the wines were astonishing and in response, Mme Bize allowed that perhaps she shouldn’t have declassified them after all. But then she brightened and noted, “yes but no one will ever be disappointed with wines such as these and even though it cost me plenty to do it, in the end, it’s good for everyone.” While it’s difficult to argue with that philosophy, when one sees the truly admirable quality achieved, it seems a mild shame that so many potentially wonderful individual wines were blended away. Still, as the scores and notes suggest, this is an incredible group of wines, particularly the Bourgogne and all of them are recommended. Allan Meadows, Burghound

Lalou Bize-Leroy could barely control her enthusiasm for the 2003 vintage, calling it a “magnificent millésime with near perfect balance and all the acidity that the wines need to age for a long time. We had normal yields (between 12 and 20 hl/ha), if you wish to call it that because our yields are always low, because we have old vines and they have adapted to the rigors imposed by la biodynamie, which forces the roots systems deeper into the soil. Thus, my vines had adequate nutrients and water sources to better withstand the intense heat of the summer. Sugars averaged about 13.5% and there were no additions of any kind.” Indeed, Mme. Bize’s sole concession about the quality of 2003 was that it was “perhaps” not as gifted as other vintageswith respect to transparency of terroir. As was the case with the Leroy ‘02s, both the d’Auvenay and Leroy ‘03s were bottled in July, which except for certain lower level wines at some producers, I believe this to be the earliest across-the-board mise in 2003 of any major domaine. As was the case with many growers this vintage, there was no particular qualitative pattern with this range of ‘03s. While the grands crus are clearly better as a group, some of them are not necessarily better than certain of the Leroy 1ers. Also, as was the case in 2002, the Nuits “Lavières” and “Aux Allots” were combined into a generic Nuits in 2003 because of the vinification challenges resulting from the miniscule yields from these two vineyards. Additionally, in Issue 13 I noted that certain of the‘02s were displaying a distinct oak char and I again bring to your attention that some of these ‘03s are displaying strong char, particularly aromatically as well. My scores assume that the oak will be absorbed with time as there is certainly sufficient density to do so. As an overall comment, this is a great group of ‘03s but there is perhaps more variation in quality than I found in ‘01 or ‘02. Allan Meadows, Burghound

2003 Romanée St.-Vivant: (from a 1 ha parcel planted in 1924). This is often my favorite wine in this remarkable collection of stars and the ’03 again puts for its candidacy for best in show as the dazzling nose positively explodes with a kaleidoscopic collection of spices and aromas that are breathtaking in their complexity followed by flavors that achieve an inexplicable combination of finesse and power. Rich, sweet, impeccably well-balanced and harmonious, this stains the palate with the powerful yet wonderfully detailed and precise flavors of flat out amazing intensity. This is a great wine and particularly so for the vintage. While the Chambertin is its qualitative equal, this RSV and the Clos de la Roche are my two favs in ’03. 95/2015+  Allan Meadows, Burghound

An expressive nose redolent of Savigny style earth with all of its pungency combines with black fruit that is spicy and pure and dissolves into textured, delicious and remarkably powerful flavors where the dry extract is palpable, all wrapped in a big and powerful finish that delivers a real sense of volume and terrific vibrancy. This is a big wine yet one that is balanced and relatively refined for what it is yet with the structure to age. (90-93)/2015+

Lalou Bize-Leroy calls 2005 an “excellent millésime in both colors. There is a harmony to this vintage that speaks of la grande classe and you can feel it in the quality of the tannins, which are refined and very ripe. The level of phenolic ripeness in thisvintage is really something yet there is absolutely no sense of surmaturité or heaviness. Overall, including the Bourgogne, we brought in just under 20 hl/ha, which for us is a good yield. Sugars were excellent at between 13 and 13.5% as were the acidities and the post malo pHs were also terrific at around 3.4. Overall, the vintage really has no direct parallel but I suppose it reminds me somewhat of 1996 or perhaps 1999.” In contrast to several recent vintages where the wines were bottled very early, Mme Bize told me that they would begin the bottling for the ‘05s at the end of November so I tasted them just before they were to be racked into 4 barrel groups for the mise. The Leroy ‘05s are exceptional by any measure and several of the 1ers are simply incredible and while it’s hard to call any wines that sell for the prices that these do bargains, if such a term can be applied to them then it applies to the best of these 1ers, in particular the Beaux Monts and Chambolle Charmes, which are quite simply mind bending. – Allen Meadows (Burghound)

Smoke-, humus-, iodine-, blond tobacco- and wet-stone-inflected aromas in Leroy’s 2005 Savigny-les-Beaune Les Narbantons suggest the almost Medoc-like elements that can accrue to wines from this site. With that usually goes plenty of structure, and the present example will disappoint no one in this regard, as there are abundant albeit fine tannins to chew on. Almost inevitably though, from stem to stern, this has the trademark Leroy sweetness and richness of in this case black cherry, and the plushness covering the tannins. It finishes with formidable cling of sweet fruit, tobacco, roasted meats, and wet stones. Wine Advocate # 171; Jun 2007 David Schildknecht 92

A compelling mix of wood and Vosne spice explode from the glass to complement the almost exclusively black pinot fruit aromas that also display touches of earth and toast that lead to very rich, fleshy and almost plump full-bodied flavors underpinned by suave and ripe tannins on the mouth coating finish. This is certainly a fine wine by any standard and even more so in the context of a villages level wine but I usually find it to be the class of the Leroy “lower level” wines yet it does not dominate in 2005. (89-91)/2013+

Lalou Bize-Leroy calls 2005 an “excellent millésime in both colors. There is a harmony to this vintage that speaks of la grande classe and you can feel it in the quality of the tannins, which are refined and very ripe. The level of phenolic ripeness in thisvintage is really something yet there is absolutely no sense of surmaturité or heaviness. Overall, including the Bourgogne, we brought in just under 20 hl/ha, which for us is a good yield. Sugars were excellent at between 13 and 13.5% as were the acidities and the post malo pHs were also terrific at around 3.4. Overall, the vintage really has no direct parallel but I suppose it reminds me somewhat of 1996 or perhaps 1999.” In contrast to several recent vintages where the wines were bottled very early, Mme Bize told me that they would begin the bottling for the ‘05s at the end of November so I tasted them just before they were to be racked into 4 barrel groups for the mise. The Leroy ‘05s are exceptional by any measure and several of the 1ers are simply incredible and while it’s hard to call any wines that sell for the prices that these do bargains, if such a term can be applied to them then it applies to the best of these 1ers, in particular the Beaux Monts and Chambolle Charmes, which are quite simply mind bending. – Allen Meadows (Burghound)

This is the first wine to have shown any appreciable reduction though the sappy, dense and powerful flavors are actually quite fresh and energetic as they display both power and precision on the muscled, focused and driving finish. This is completely different from the Reignots and does not have the same delicacy or refinement though it does have more obvious power. A qualitative choice but the reader should note that these are two very different wines. Tasted: Jan 01, 2009 Score: 91-93 Drink: 2015+ Issue 33 Allen Meadows; Burghound

Louis-Michel Liger-Belair told me that 2007 is a vintage of "extreme precociousness. Unfortunately, after May 15th we had one good day followed by a bad one and as a result, rot pressure was substantial. It was interesting to see that the vineyards that I took over in 2006 had more problems handling the rot than those that are mine and thus used to my viticultural approach. Exactly why I am not sure but I believe that mine are used to fending more for themselves. With the cool weather you absolutely had to have relatively low yields to obtain good phenolic ripeness. We began picking on September 1st and picked quickly, finishing on the 5th. We had excellent sugars at between 12.5 and 13.5% though yields were fully 30% less than a normal crop. I vinified the '07s about like I normally do. As to the wines, it's a good vintage to have after the more substantial vintages of 2005 and 2006 as the wines are generous, approachable and should drink well early." As the scores and comments suggest, the in-bottle '06s have turned out very well and while most of the wines in the range were not there in 2005, those that are were not far off the performance achieved in that great vintage, a high compliment to the quality of the Liger-Belair '06s.

As fans of the domaine will certainly notice, there are quite a number of new wines present at this domaine for 2006. As was reported last year, Louis-Michel Liger-Belair told me that there have been a number of recent developments as he has taken over a sizeable property which will expand his exploited vineyards from 3.2 to 8.7 ha, a big jump by any measure. 2.5 ha are in the appellation Bourgogne, which he has decided to sell under a different label than Liger-Belair. The higher level vineyards that are new appellations to the domaine include .6 ha in Echézeaux, .22 ha in Suchots, .12 in Brulées, .12 in Petits Monts and .37 ha in the fine Nuits 1er Les Cras. There will also be additions of .15 ha in La Columbière and another .60 in various Vosne villages parcels and finally a .13 ha parcel of the Nuits Lavières. Liger-Belair also noted that for the most part, these parcels contain very old vines that have low yields but very high quality. Moreover, in other developments the family lease arrangement with Bouchard Père et Fils terminated in 2005 so for 2006, the domaine will retain 100% of the production and commercialization rights for La Columbière, Reignots and La Romanée. The domaine is also constructing a new cuvérie to accommodate the increased volume.

With respect to 2006, Liger-Belair calls it a "really pretty vintage that surprised me by its excellent maturity. We waited a few extra days to begin the harvest on September 23rd and were rewarded with the same acidities that we obtained in 2005 but even higher sugars, which is to say between 13.2 and 14.2%. Yields were all over the place with fairly significant differences of between 20 and 38 hl/ha with an average of around 30. We really didn't have all that much sorting to do though there was some. There wasn't a lot of malic acid so the malos weren't a problem and overall, I very much like the wines and I'm very excited to be working with so many new, interesting and high caliber terroirs." As the comments suggest, it didn't take Liger-Belair long to make the most of his new appellations and 2006 is a most auspicious start. And as my reviews last year projected, the 2005s at this address are nothing short of brilliant. Both the Reignots and the La Romanée have turned out to be even better than I expected, and I expected quite a bit!

This is as reserved and cool as the Reignots but more complex, refined and sophisticated still as it just exudes class and breed with a fantastically broad array of spicy and pure black fruit aromas where the reserve and spice components are also reflected by the minerally, serious and delicious medium full-bodied flavors brimming with sève and extract on the very firm finish supported by buried tannins and huge length that doesn't stop. This isn't quite as concentrated and powerful as the '05 version but it's more than a respectable successor. Tasted: Jan 01, 2008 Score: 94-96 Drink: 2016+
- Comments: Don't miss! Issue 29 Allen Meadows; Burghound

This is very Vosne in character with beautifully spicy blue and black fruit aromas that complement the round, pure and velvety flavors that possess a silky texture on the long and relatively delicate finish where a touch of minerality surfaces. Lovely and understated. Tasted: Jan 01, 2009 Score: 87-90 Drink: 2012+ Issue 33 Allen Meadows; Burghound

Louis-Michel Liger-Belair told me that 2007 is a vintage of "extreme precociousness. Unfortunately, after May 15th we had one good day followed by a bad one and as a result, rot pressure was substantial. It was interesting to see that the vineyards that I took over in 2006 had more problems handling the rot than those that are mine and thus used to my viticultural approach. Exactly why I am not sure but I believe that mine are used to fending more for themselves. With the cool weather you absolutely had to have relatively low yields to obtain good phenolic ripeness. We began picking on September 1st and picked quickly, finishing on the 5th. We had excellent sugars at between 12.5 and 13.5% though yields were fully 30% less than a normal crop. I vinified the '07s about like I normally do. As to the wines, it's a good vintage to have after the more substantial vintages of 2005 and 2006 as the wines are generous, approachable and should drink well early." As the scores and comments suggest, the in-bottle '06s have turned out very well and while most of the wines in the range were not there in 2005, those that are were not far off the performance achieved in that great vintage, a high compliment to the quality of the Liger-Belair '06s.

A complex bouquet combining apricot, dried fruit and almonds. A suave wine with beautiful length on the palate. Refined, with an aristocratic bouquet and rich, luscious aromas, accompanied by a hint of acidity.

A discreet lashing of wood frames slightly riper aromas of peach, pear and apricot but a touch of mango that complements the very rich, lush and opulent medium plus-bodied flavors blessed with ample amounts of dry extract and excellent length. This is not classic in style but there is impressive depth and overall harmony of expression here. 91/2010+ Allen Meadows; Burghound Issue 31

Louis-Fabrice Latour and winemaker Jean-Pierre Thomas (Jean-Pierre Jobard has now retired) told me that 2006 had a "great June and July, a difficult August and near perfect September. July was quite dry and with the humidity in August, the grapes swelled with some rot pressure, which made the cleanliness of the grapes an issue in some parcels, particularly in the Côte de Beaune. As such, you really had to sort carefully. Initially, the reds seemed hard and unapproachable before the malos finished but after that, they became relatively agreeable quickly and are much less taciturn than we feared. We tried to preserve the freshness and the fruit as that is the essential quality of the vintage and as such, we're bottling about two months earlier than we usually do. As to our négociant activities, we certainly bought in less red than we did in 2005 and it's become hard to find high quality sources for reds." To this end, Latour told me that 2006 was the most expensive vintage ever for the grands crus, red or white. Allen Meadows; Burghound Issue 31

This is one of several outstandingly good value French wines imported by former Foster’s marketing man  (and before that sommelier) Nicholas Crampton of Fourth Wave Wine Partners. Balance is the key to this lovely Burgundy Chardonnay. Its clean and fresh , with hints of lemon and honey from fruit, and nutty lees-derived Scents, while oak is barely noticeable. The palate is fine and tight, superbly balanced and light for easy drinking, but It certainly doesn’t lack intensity. Utterly delicious. Huon Hooke

It’s an AC Bourgogne from Macon and Haute Cote de Nuits (wear the fox hat) and a jolly good one at that. The importer glibly commented earlier today that I, and indeed we, seem to score all imports a couple of points lower than the local offerings: I’m sure that’s something with which most importers would have no trouble agreeing…ho ho ho. Importer: Fourth Wave Wine Partners. It’s a fruitier expression of basic Burgundy and offers a fetching whiff of peaches (almost candied in their presentation), lemon and tasteful cinnamon spice oak. It has excellent flavour, although relatively subdued, a slight flinty mineral character and a light spicy lemon squash tang on exit. Most importantly though, it drinks beautifully, and is of such an affable, quaffable, not least affordable, nature that you can’t help but fancy a bit of it. Gary Walsh; Rated : 91 Points; Tasted : Dec09 Alcohol : 13% Closure : Screwcap; Drink : 2009 - 2011

A drinkable burgundy at an affordable price? Sacre bleu! But this one ticks all the boxes and is undeniable French. It's medium-bodied  with cherry and red berry fruit characters, has subtle oak, hints of forest floor characters, earthiness and softness. There are a lot of Australian pinots at two or three times the price that are not half as good. Absolutely delicious and a great bargain .

This is another partnership between Nicholas Crampton (Foster’s will rue the day it set him free) and a Frenchman - this time, with Bernard Schurr. The idea is “to make a good value Burgundy with professional winemaking”. The grapes are grown in Marsannay and the Cotes de Nuits. It was matured in oak for eight months and is bottled under screwcap. Lovely combination of structure and fruit. Mineral and cherry and tannin. Simple formula, done well - a combination of words not often used with pinot noir. Everyday, easy-going, highly drinkable wine - I must have been enjoying it, because I scribbled ‘quaff on!’ in my notes, which sounds very 2005, when I’m usually stuck in 1995. Or 1985. In any case, you get a good Burgundy fix here for not a great deal of dollars.  Campbell Mattinson; Rated : 89 Points Alcohol : 13% Closure : Screwcap Drink : 2009 - 2012

Located in Volnay, just south of Beaune, this winery boasts some of the most prized red wine producing vineyards of the Côte de Beaune.  From their holdings in Volnay and Pommard, Hubert and Etienne de Montille (father & son) craft some of the most sought after Pinot Noirs in all of Burgundy.  In fact, their wines can be found on the lists of virtually every three star restraurant in France.  In 1993 they acquired a little more than a hectare of the prestigious Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret vineyard.  This prized vineyard is located adjacent to the famed Montrachet.  In just a few short years, this wine has become one of the most sought after whites from the region.  In 2003 there were more additions to the Volnays and Pommards.  They were able to purchase over two hectares in the prime Beaune Premier Cru vineyards.  2004 will see yet another addition.  This will be the domaine’s first Grand Cru vineyards.  One hectare located in the famed Corton-Charlemagne vineyard was added this year.  It is planted half in red and half in white.

The vinification at this estate is traditional with a large emphasis placed on punching down the cap during the peak of the fermentation.  The stems are left in in percentages of 0-25% depending on the vintage, and the maceration is quite long (12-16 days).  The percentage of new oak used never excedes 25%. 

This is more elegant still and slightly finer with detailed, expressive and pure aromas of earth, black fruit and plum that dissolve into beautifully complex, refined and balanced flavors that also display ample finishing minerality and better overall phenolic ripeness. A really lovely effort that should age effortlessly. Tasted: Jan 01, 2006 Score: 89-91 Drink: 2012+ Comments: Sweet spot Outstanding! Issue 21 Allen Meadows; Burghound

Frédéric Mugnier, who now has his new cuvérie up and running, told me that he was "extremely happy with the efficiency of it and his new team. We're doing much improved vineyard work because before taking back the Clos de la Maréchale, I had 1 vineyard worker for 4 ha and now I have 9 for 14 ha, 6 of which are permanent. Thus, when something has to be done immediately, I have people available to address the problem whereas before, there were sometimes scheduling issue delays. For example, because 2004 was such a challenge, particularly treating regularly and controlling yields, I'm not sure exactly how I would have managed without the team that I have in place now. We have stopped using herbicides in the Clos, which is consistent with how we treat our other vineyards but it also requires more work, which is again another reason why I am happy to have a quality, and permanent, team in place. We also changed the system of pruning in the Clos, another project which was exceptionally labor intensive. As to 2004, we began picking on September 23rd and there weren't really any serious sorting problems save for some from the hail, particularly in Bonnes Mares. We also didn't really have much trouble with oidium except again in Bonnes Mares. Overall, it's amazing giving the growing season but 2004 produced the highest sugars that I have ever seen, and that includes 1990, 1997, 2000 and 2003. Indeed, we obtained over 14% in one section of the Clos. In terms of vinification, I changed almost nothing and as an aside, I find myself changing it less and less no matter the vintage. The vintage is the vintage and as we have discussed before, it has an important role in determining the character of the wines. I don't want to diminish that character just so that I am happier. For example, even though 2003 is a style of vintage that I don't like very much, I would rather have it express itself and retain its individuality than try and standardize everything to a vision of what I like. Overall, 2004 is a lovely vintage that I like very much. It's floral and very fresh with round and complete flavors that will permit the wines to be drunk young but they will last for at least 20 years, perhaps longer because there are solid tannins beneath the fruit. In fact, I find the '04s to be more tannic than '02s." Fans of the domaine have been waiting breathlessly for word on the quality of the "new" Clos de la Maréchale and my initial impression is that the sophistication and elegance that Mugnier brings to all of his wines has worked brilliantly here. I am extremely impressed by the quality he has obtained for a first vintage, especially when you consider that Mugnier does not know the terroir well yet and it will be sometime before he fully understands its nuances and particularities, what sections give the best fruit and the kinds of wine that result from each sector. But I have every confidence that he will learn the inherent subtleties and be making even finer wine from the Clos going forward Note that there is also a Nuits villages made from young vines Clos de la Maréchale.

The Nuits St Georges Premier Cru, Clos de la Maréchale 2004 bottling is very fine, very pure in the Mugnier style with a pretty nose and beautiful balance, but it’s not cheap. Jancis Robinson