2020 Domaine Guillon Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 3 x 750ml

Bouchard owns two parcels - one is very well placed, high on the slope next to the wall that separates it from Echézeaux. The other, less favoured, was not used in the domaine bottling. After a slow fermentation with a substantial percentage of whole clusters, the wine is aged in 50% new casks to produce this very aromatic wine, with ripe black cherry and bramble fruit with a suggestion of rose petals. The texture is structured and dense, yet mouth-fillingly rich as well. Drinking Window 2025 - 2050. (CC) ~95 Decanter

The 2020 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru derives exclusively from Bouchard's holdings in the upper part of the vineyard, as the lower-lying plots are being replanted. It's a high point of the range this year, unfurling in the glass with aromas of violets, wild berries, dark chocolate, plums and orange rind. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with velvety tannins and a long, resonant finish, it's the best Clos Vougeot I can remember tasting at this address. Technical director Frédéric Weber and his team have realized another fine vintage chez Bouchard Père & Fils, beginning harvest on 19 August and sorting to remove dehydrated berries. The vineyards fared well despite a significant hydric deficit, testimony to viticulture that's among the best of the big houses; indeed, organic conversion is underway, and canopies are now hedged to 1.30 meters, around 30 centimeters higher than the classic low rognage that still predominates along the Côte—forward-thinking innovations that will no doubt find imitators in short order among other big players. In any case, the resulting wines have turned out beautifully, with alcohols in the region of 13% to 13.5% and lower pHs than in 2019. Vibrant, intensely colored and beautifully balanced, there are plenty of cuvées here that I'd be delighted to own. White wines chez Bouchard, readers should note, are bottled under DIAM closures. (WK) ~94 Wine Advocate

A more floral-suffused nose freely offers up an array of rose petal, violet and lavender that add a touch of elegance to the earthy red and dark pinot fruit scents. There is an interesting mouthfeel that is at once caressing but powerful with notably better mid-palate density and fine length. This markedly structured effort is very promising. ~94 Burghound

The 2020 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a ripe redcurrant and kirsch scented nose, quite rich and opulent in style. The palate is powerful and dense, quite sturdy with a grippy, slightly dry finish. I would just like to see more elegance in this Clos de Vougeot - a bit stocky at the moment. (NM) ~92 VM