David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

You know you’re drinking Meursault from the first sip with the chalky minerality and saline. The body is round, thick & waxy. Green apple w/ plenty of skin, lime zest, lemon, tropical melons, grapefruit & white stone fruits. Some honey notes, crumbled chalk, sea fossils, sea spray, limestone marl, mid white spice, honey notes, white field of spring flowers with greens, round, rainfall acidity and a round, lush, well balanced, elegant finish that lasts two-minutes falling on minerality, excellent white spice and soft used barrel notes.

Another point or two with cellaring. — 15 days ago

Adam Gäfvert

9.0

Classiclly styled CdP with violets, lavendel, dark cherries, rasberry and a silky texture. — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

The Henri Giraud “Hommage au Pinot Noir” is a love note of sorts to, you guessed it, Pinot Noir. And true to the house style, this Blanc de Noirs from Aÿ sees no stainless steel in the process. Instead, this wine is aged on its lees for 54 months in a combination of small oak barrels and amphora before resting in the bottle. The results are quite remarkable.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over a few hours. In the glass, the wine has a very pretty straw color with medium viscosity and a persistent mousse. On the nose, the wine is developing with a combination of intriguing autolytic and oxidative notes on the initial pour. Over time, the wine seems to brighten up and reveals a lovely mix of white peach, strawberry, raspberry, lemon curd, lightly toasted brioche and limestone minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with high acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, rich, creamy and hugely satisfying. Dare I say this is Krug-esque? Compelling stuff. Drink now. No disgorgement data. — 6 months ago

DUSTIN SUGASA

9.3

Very good. Outperforms expectations. — 2 months ago

with Katie

Gladys Xiques

8.9

Minerality and refreshing. — 3 months ago

Alan Weinberg

9.3

In the zone. Screaming minerality and acids that reverberate on the palate and last and last. — 5 months ago

carl thornblade

9.4

Great nose. Complex and smooth as velvet. — 8 months ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 2005 Vieux Château Certan was picked from September 12 after cool nights had led to a slow accretion of concentration. "There was a lot of drought in 2005," Alexandre Thienpont recalls, "and it was a season a bit like 1982." This has a winsome bouquet, more powerful than the preceding 2004, as you would expect, laden with predominantly red fruit laced with anise and wilted rose petals. Impressive delineation and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins, fresh and sapid in style, more open than the bottle tasted four years earlier. It veers towards a more savory finish. Subtle, ferrous, almost meaty notes lend complexity and typicité. Persistent on the aftertaste, this is a VCC that is just getting going. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2024)
— 2 months ago

David Koenen

9.3

Starts out grumpy and stubborn, ends up pretty classy! Grilled pepper, creamy black and red fruit. — 5 months ago

Delectable Wine

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9.2

The NV Blanc de Craie is 100% from Aÿ and Louvois, based on the 2020 vintage. Readers will find a brisk, nervy Champagne that sizzles with tension. Lemon peel, crushed rocks, mint and white pepper are all beautifully delineated. I very much like the energy and tautness here. In fact, this is one of my favorite wines in the range. Dosage is 5 grams per liter. Disgorged: December 18, 2023. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, March 2024)
— 6 months ago