The harvest began very early, on the 5th September, and lasted 9 weeks. This made is possible to reflect all the diversity of a year in which both flowering and veraison were very spread out. Picking began especially early at Yquem in 2014. Some 25% of the crop was brought in before the 15th of September, providing a rare and precious background of acidity.

Within Kiedrich’s Gräfenberg Grand Cru lies a small 0.5-hectare parcel once known as the Gräfenberg-Lay. Sitting in one of the steepest portions of the vineyard, the Lay is located at the transition between Gräfenberg and Turmberg and is known for having the highest concentration of phyllite slate on the hill. The vines here are now between 40 and 60 years old. This site was originally purchased by Dr Robert Weil in the 19th century, using the dowry from his marriage to Emilie von Vacano (a descendant of the Vacano family in Lombardy). The wine from this parcel, called Monte Vacano (the Hill of Vacano) was always produced and bottled alone. It was used only for celebratory occasions and never released for sale. Following Weil's death in 1921, the tradition of Monte Vacano fell dormant, and the fruit was incorporated into a regular Gräfenberg bottling. Compared to the Gräfenberg GG, Monte Vacano trades power and richness for exceptional purity, elegance and detail. Resurrecting the old custom, 2021 marks the fourth Riesling in a century made solely from this special lieu-dit. It was harvested in October, and the grapes were whole bunch-pressed into two ancient refurbished Stückfässer (1,200-litre casks) where the wine fermented wild and spent almost two years on lees before bottling.

Valmur is known for being one of the more powerful of the seven Chablis Grand Crus, but in the hands of Moreau Naudet, this power is tempered by elegance and crystalline finesse. Their small patch within the cru vineyard is steep and shaded, that leaves a cooler, more minerally imprint on the final wine. There is wonderful intensity and drive, citrus and grapefruit crunch and if finishes smooth and long. Gives immense instant pleasure but be in no rush to drink this excellent cellaring prospect.

Grand Cru Cuvée du Kalimeris Corton-Charlemagne Driven by a predilection that deems the sum far greater than its individual parts, Laurent Ponsot has blended across plots on this venerated hillside, all Grand Cru, to deliver a masterpiece. The essence of the terroir, as he sees it. Loads of toasted nuts, nougatine and the inflection of lemon oil, yellow plum and lime curd that so often defines the finest Corton-Charlemagne. A confluence of precise mineral vibrato and almost unctuous power, melded as a curvaceous whole of thrilling length. Make no mistake, this should be buried in the cellar.