France

The Majestic Vintage 2024 Burgundy Wines of Jerome Galeyrand Profiled on His Annual London Visit…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Good winemakers can make good wines in great vintages, but only great producers can make great wines in difficult vintages. This is what I saw when tasting Jerome Galeyrand’s 2024 wines at his new cellar in Gevrey-Chambertin in December 2025. I already commented the previous year, that he had produced some of the most serious Pinot Noir expressions in the “lighter and more accessible” 2023 vintage. But 2024 dished up an entirely different buffet of viticultural challenges, all of which Jerome seemingly brushed aside to produce one of the most complete and impressive line-ups of red and white wines of the vintage. 

But for Jerome, the hard work never ends, because as soon as his back breaking toiling finishes in the vineyards, it continues in his new winery in Gevrey-Chambertin where he vinifies all his wines. But that’s not where it stops. For the past several years, Jerome has made an annual pilgrimage to London after harvest to showcase his newly bottled releases with his exclusive UK agent Musigny Wines, alongside a selection of recent back vintages. This year, Jerome and Musigny Wines hosted two superb private client tasting dinners that I was gratefully invited to.

Andrew Pavli from Musigny Wines with Jerome Galeyrand.

The first event was held in London’s Wimbledon Village at Light on the Common restaurant. A relaxed jovial evening, Jerome used this setting to show off a stunning selection of his newly bottled 2024 wines. Tasting through Jerome’s finished bottlings, not only were my enthusiastic En-primeur barrel scores and reviews vindicated, but they started to look almost conservative in nature compared to how the wines were showing in their completed state. Sitting alongside two very big Burgundy collectors for the evening, their reaction to Jerome’s 2024 wines was very insightful – both of them were simply blown away with the quality of the wines, and this was after both had already tasted many of Burgundy’s top domaines’ new releases during January’s En-primeur tasting week.

Below is the stunning selection of 2024s presented by Jerome:

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Bouzerons Cran 2024

A classical expression boasting the complexity of this village, packing in musky talc perfume, limestone minerality, lemon bon bons and a chalky sherbety depth. The acids are intense and tangy, the fruit weight fleshy, concentrated and glycerol.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Marsannay Est-Ouest Rouge 2024

Deep and broody, this shows depth and beautifully perfumed complexity, full of black cherry, saline cassis, and wild strawberry. Super precise, steely and tightly wound with piercing length. Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Nuits Saint Georges Vieilles Vignes 2024

The 2024 NSG announces itself from the glass with aromas of damson plums, blueberries, Christmas spices, dark chocolate and delicate woodsmoke nuances. Medium-bodied, this impressive young wine is ample, fresh and perfumed with a sweet core of broody black berry fruits, powdery tannins, and an elegant persistence. This fourth vintage could be Jerome’s best yet.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice 2024

The aromatics resonate with rose petals, pink musk, lavender, and red cherry rock candy over subtle limestone nuances. The focus and the precision marry tart tangy acids, silky tannins and fleshy red and black berry fruits in a seamlessly balanced expression that rides high on its purity and finesse! Simply enchanting.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin En Billard 2024

An enticing aromatics of strawberry candies, violets, and cherry sherbet with a delicate undertone of limestone minerality. The concentration is massive with layers of unctuous black plum, black berry fruits, and strawberry jam nuances. Wow, what concentration and power. This is simply knock out.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin En Croisettes 2024

A seductive aromatics with a blueberry and black cherry lift, violets and saline cassis with a maritime nuance and a bloody, steely strictness. The concentration is intense, piercing with tart tangy acids and a rich, generous fleshy plummy finish. Very classy but also quite classically structured.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Marsannay Clos du Roy 2024

A mere 3 barrels (900 bottles) produced in 2024 of this benchmark expression that shows delicate notes of potpourri pressed violets, rose water and black cherry. The focus, purity and precision are phenomenal, seamless finesse, perfect ripeness, and a magical balance. This is not to be missed.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Cotes de Nuits Village Les Retraits 2024

This iconic vineyard next door to Frederic Mugnier’s Clos de la Marechale Monopole offers an intricacy and complexity almost unmatched. Layered aromatics with limestone, chalk, sapidity, wood spice and black cherry follow to a fully loaded palate packed with bramble berries, blueberries, piercing salinity and a velvety concentration that leaves you gasping for more. Massive concentration, effortless power, and undoubtedly one of Jerome’s finest Retraits expressions to date.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Meursault Village 2024

Aged for 14 months in barrel, 25% new oak, this is another very classy expression of Meursault with complex aromatics of green apple, lemon grass, and wet stone minerality. Youthful and punchy, the depth and power are eye-watering, full throttle tangy acidity, green apple cordial, white peach and a leesy, oatmeal biscuity depth. Phenomenal concentration, precision and harmonious balance. Undoubtedly Jerome’s best example yet.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Jerome’s second dinner in Chelsea featured a similarly stunning array of wines including a tighter selection of 2024 new releases alongside a line-up of slightly older vintages from 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023. As always, Jerome’s opening salvo came from his delicious and highly accomplished Aligote. The Les Blanches 2022 was outstanding and certainly merits being highlighted even when tasted alongside Jerome’s superb Meursault Au Village 2024 white.

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Aligote Les Blanches 2022

Few producers produce Aligote with the verve and vigour that Jerome Galeyrand manages to illicit from this Burgundian white grape. His beautiful Les Blanches 2022 is another evocative examples with pithy aromatics of lemon and lime peel, crushed limestone, lemon grass herbs and hints of saline brine. This 2022 vintage bursts with tangy, salty yellow citrus, delicately savoury maritime notes, a liquid minerality and a finish that’s loaded with zippy sour yellow plum nuances. Such incredible energy in this beautiful expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Three superb Lieu Dit Gevrey Chambertin.

As the Domaine Jerome Galeyrand wines sell out so quickly on allocation, I normally only get the opportunity to taste older vintages when visiting with Jerome at his cellar in Burgundy. The opening line-up of reds commenced with the Galeyrand Marsannay Combe du Pre 2019, a wonderfully characterful wine that possessed all the blue – black fruit power of the best Marsannay reds but with extra sapidity, spice and mineral complexity. After another taste of Jerome’s Nuits Saint Georges 2024 offering, a real treat – tasting a back vintage line-up of his Gevrey-Chambertin En Billard 2020, the incredible La Justice 2020, and a stunningly fresh, mineral and structured En Croisettes 2019, the Cotes de Nuits only producer labelled ‘En Croisettes” lieu dit. After another reprise for the sensational Cotes de Nuits-Village Les Retraits 2024, it was time to enjoy two big guns… Jerome’s first and second vintage of his epic Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru.

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2023

Big and deadly serious, Jerome moves into the big league and knocks it out the park with four barrels of Clos de Vougeot! Packed full of blue and black berry fruits, it shows effortless power, a piercing acid vibrancy and freshness, layered with violets, cherries and pink musk. An incredibly substantial wine with taut power, structure and depth from a vintage associated with accessibility and upfront opulence.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2024 (Tank Sample)

Only two barrels produced with 18 months of ageing in barrel and bottled in April 2026. The aromatics offer up a wealth of depth and breath with plenty of earthy savoury black berries, wood spice and smoky complexity. The palate shows weight and power, creamy mineral limestone mineral depth with chalky tannins and ample black plummy bramble berry length. A very complete wine.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Magnum of Marsannay La Combe du Pre 2020.

The fine wine market is on an eternal crusade, vintage after vintage, to find the next big thing… and in Jerome Galeyrand, you not only have the next big thing but also the complete real deal. I expect his masterful wines to become some of the most sought-after and allocated wines in Burgundy in the coming years, and rightly so. After the tremendous showing of Jerome’s 2024s, the opportunity to visit him again in Gevrey-Chambertin later this year to taste his 2025s, the first wines he will have produced in his stunning new cellar, will be a tasting not to be missed. Collectors and connoisseurs will be dazzled and delighted when they taste his new 2024 releases – the precision, purity and focus of the wines complemented by impressive structure, acid freshness, and textural polish. These are, quite simply, wines collectors are going to want in their cellar.

The iconic Les Retraits 2024.

The wines of Jerome Galeyrand are exclusively imported into the UK by his agent Musigny Wines. For more allocation and pricing information, contact: andrew@musigny.wine

Rating and Reviewing Another Pair of Classy 2022 Bordeaux Releases from Chateau Tour Baladoz and Chateau Haut Breton…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

With many international critics releasing their new ‘in bottle’ scores for the 2022 Bordeaux vintage, it has become patently clear that this is indeed a very highly lauded vendange worthy of consumer attention. The only caveat was that on the whole, it was certainly not a cheap vintage with many Cru Classe Chateaux pushing the limits with release pricing.

But while the vintage quality was nearly universally high, some producers erred on the side of caution in a slowing market and released their wines at affordable prices. The below two wines from the De Mour stable are two sterling examples of this.

The word was out early that the Bordelais felt they had something special in 2022, long before the world’s wine merchants arrived to make their own assessments at En-primeur. Heatwaves and drought are not usually parents to high-quality wines. However, the wines in barrel confounded merchants’ expectations, with most agreeing that the 2022 vintage was indeed a special one across Bordeaux. Despite the lack of water, the vines did not seem to suffer terribly, remaining in leaf and in good health right up to the harvest. The berries were small and so yields were restricted. All varieties were beautifully ripe, so much so that some properties felt no need to produce any second wines, many opting rather to increase the proportion of press wine in the final blend, such was its quality. Predictably, release prices were very high!

Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere 2022, Margaux, 13.5% Abv.

The aromatics on this 2022 show a youthful allure, densely packed with layers of creme de cassis, black cherry and sweet black plum over an already well interwoven wood spice. The palate is sleek and lithe with beautifully polished tannins, a really plush light touch salty black and blueberry fruited concentration, finishing with a delicate acidity and a long, fine vein of graphite minerality. The essence of classic Margaux! Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Tour Baladoz 2022, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe, 14% Abv.

Dark and opaque in colour, this wine looks immediately deep and inviting, offering up aromatics of caramelised plums, ripe black berry confit, creme de cassis and vanilla pod spice. The palate is plush, accessibly fleshy and opulent with a plump sweet black and blueberry density, invigorating glassy acids, creamy dry tannins and a kiss of brûléed espresso and brown breakfast toast nuances on the finish. An utterly thrilling expression once again. Drink from 2025 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The De Mour wines are exported direct to merchants from the Chateaux. Contact: anthony_crameri@orange.fr

The Age of Bourgogne Aligote: Part 3 – Another Amazing Aligote Discovery – Tasting the Superb Nicolas Faure Bourgogne Aligote ‘La Corvee de Bully’ 2017…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Followers of my blog will know that there are a couple of more obscure wines I follow with close interest and try and feature regularly. One such wine is the poor cousin in Burgundy, Aligoté. With the stellar rise of prices across Burgundy over the past decade, every plot of land has had to pay its way and that includes gnarled old plots of once unfashionable Aligoté. But of course, the grape is experiencing a complete renaissance, one that I am following with great interest.

At a recent new release En-primeur 2017 tasting, I had the pleasure to meet Nicolas Faure, a passionate and driven winemaker running a small negociant business alongside an equally small domaine in Meuilley in the Hautes Cotes de Nuits. But he is also a member of a 50+ producer grouping called “Les Aligotéurs” who champion top premium quality Aligoté from Burgundy. Created by the French Chef Philippe Delacourcelle and winemakers Sylvain Pataille, Laurent Fournier, Pablo Chevrot, Anne Morey and Nicolas Faure, members are required to have some track record of Aligoté production and the wines need to be quality wines of note. April 2018 saw the first professional meeting of Les Aligotéurs in Burgundy in Flagey-Echezeaux. Nicolas’s 2017 is another worthy addition to the premium ranks of collectable Aligoté.

Nicolas Faure Bourgogne Aligoté ‘La Corvee de Bully’ 2017, 13 Abv.

Another exciting Aligoté discovery, this time made from old vines planted in 1914. Nicolas Faure farms 0.13 hectares of the total lieu dits block of around 4 hectares of La Corvee de Bully. The grapes were picked on the 17th September which is more than a week later than most other Domaines. The grapes were vinified using wild yeast natural fermentation in old 4th and 5 fill 228 litre Burgundy barrels and the results are truly profound. There is an incredible aromatic complexity with serious layers and nuances. The nose is packed full of white citrus, cut straw, dusty minerality, bruised pears and a leesy savoury earthy yellow orchard fruit depth. The palate is no less tantalising, showing impressive artisanal winemaking that has captured the fantastic old vine fruit concentration perfectly with incredible stony minerality and a delicious depth of flavour. Everything you could possibly expect and hope for from a top Aligoté… serious vigour, balance, finesse and an almost Chardonnay-like premium Burgundian complexity. Very classy expression indeed and a wonderful new discovery. Drink now to 2024+

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

When It Comes to Classic Premium Cuvee Champagne Few Can Match the Desirability, Personality and Consistency of Dom Perignon…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The past few months in the fine wine trade have seen a quite a few epic new premium Champagne releases including Salon 2007, Comtes des Champagne 2007, Heidsieck Cuvee Blanc des Millenaires 2004, Roederer Cristal 2008 and Dom Perignon 2008. But a wine that preceded them all was the mainstream and bigger production Dom Perignon 2009.

As with many houses including Louis Roederer, the decision was taken to release the more opulent, fruity, accessible 2009 vintage expression before the 2008 which although older, was a very serious vintage that showed much more tension, a tauter texture and closed up fruit characters.

The 2009 represents a deadly serious expression of Dom Perignon that is rich, complex and eminently age worthy… but is also slightly more accessible and overt. A delicious noteworthy wine that I’d still buy to cellar for at least 10+ years and drink over 20 or more.

Moet et Chandon Champagne Dom Perignon 2009, 12 Abv.

Plenty of sunshine throughout the month of August and into early September helped to shape an excellent harvest that commenced on the 12th September. Released before the tighter, more closed 2008, chef de cave at the time, Richard Geoffray described the 2009 vintage as a forward, fruit laden vintage. Still eminently youthful, the wine has an overtly floral nose of lemon blossom, white flowers, grated green apples, honeysuckle, dusty limestone minerals and a pronounced maritime briny sea breeze kiss. The palate is full, elegant and fleshy with a precise, focused lemon creamy vinous texture and complex notes of honey brioche, glazed red cherries, spicy yellow grapefruit and salted sour dough. Lovely density, impressive classy balance and a youthfully creamy fine beaded mousse that charms with premium Champagne style.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Jean-Luc Jamet Re-Establishing His Own Brand of Greatness in the Northern Rhône Valley…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Many Cotes du Rhône reds are produced from the blended cast off components of bigger appellation cuvees. For Jean Luc Jamet, now working exclusively under his own name since 2013, his L’Enclave 2016 is produced from 1 hectare of pure young Cote Rotie Syrah vines grown on clay and schist soils in the Le Champon and Bonnivières terroirs and delivers an impressive level of quality as you’d expect.

Jean-Luc Jamet Cotes du Rhône L’Enclave 2016, 13 Abv.

The aromatics of this sexy red are exotic and seductive, loaded with sweet caramelised black cherries, a kirsch liquor lift, sun dried cranberries, loganberries and subtle complexing notes of blood and graphite. The wonderful fragrant aromatics are complemented by vibrant, tart sour plum notes, hints of savoury cured meats, iron fillings and a smokey, crushed rock mineral finish. There is a suggestion of sappy resinous spice on the sleek finish which admittedly lacks the extra power and depth associated with some older vine cuvees. But this wine does show admirable terroir pedigree, intelligent winemaking and delicious varietal typicity from this more elegant, soft spoken vintage of 2016. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Julien Schaal Releases His 2017 Flagship Grand Cru – Tasting the Schaal Riesling Rangen de Thann Volcanique…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

I recently review Julien Schaal’s new Riesling Rosacker Grand Cru 2017 – a very impressive wine in its own right. There is no doubting the pedigree of the Rosacker vineyard which is home to one of Alsace’s greatest wines, Trimbach’s Clos st Hune. But when you want extra muscle power and frame, mineral austerity, age-ability and intensity in your Riesling, you can do no better than the Rangen de Thann Grand Cru vineyard.

Often regarded as the grandest of all the Grands Crus, this is the only Cru vineyard located on volcanic rocks. This volcanic soil, combined with a 60 degree slope results in tiny yields of hard-won fruit – but the results are worth the struggle and the concentration and depth of the Riesling wines produced can be extraordinary. This exceptional 2017 is a vintage not to miss!

Julien Schaal Riesling Rangen de Thann Grand Cru Volcanique 2017, Alsace, 13 Abv.

It may be auto-suggestion but when you first nose the Rangen Volcanique 2017 Riesling you can’t help but notice the incredible dusty, flinty basalt minerality that pervades the wine. Like it’s attractive sibling, the Rosacker, this wine is taut, restrained and initially very tightly wound with shy dusty stony aromatics and subtle hints of lime peel, grated Granny Smith apples and fresh fennel. The palate too is powerful, intense, compact and flinty but also shows off the grand pedigree of Rangen with incredible piercing lime cordial concentration, lemon bon bons and tart crunchy pineapple zest interspersed with pithy, phenolic tannin grip and a flinty, stony, saline, wet river pebble finish. Another fantastic vintage expression for Julien, this wine is built to impress and delivers on so many levels. Drink on release or cellar for 10 to 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasting Another Great 2014 White Burgundy From Domaine Henri Boillot…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Henri Boillot is a fifth-generation vigneron, who began his wine education at his family’s winery before leaving to found his own négociant house where he honed his skills and developed his own personal style.

After returning home to take over the reins of the family estate Domaine Henri Boillot, he continued to develop his négociant business under the Henri Boillot label, where he overseas all vineyard work and harvesting himself.

His meticulous and uncompromising quality focused winemaking has earned him a place in the top echelons of producers in this premium French region. Today he is joined by his son, Guillaume, who makes the red wines while Henri makes all the whites.

As the dust settles on the 2016 En-primeur tastings, I decided to taste a bottle of Henri’s superb Puligny Montrachet 2014, from a vintage that has been likened by many to the quality of the forthcoming 2016 vintage.

Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny Montrachet 2014, Burgundy, 13 Abv.

A pale lemon gold colour, this 2014 white Burgundy displays an impressive dusty minerality, chalky limestone and wet river pebbles. This aromatics are youthful and tight and need plenty of coaxing out the glass before revealing notes of citrus blossom, crunchy green pears, Granny Smith apples and lime peel hints. The palate is tart, vibrant and intense showing gravelly liquid minerality, bergamot, pithy yellow grapefruit, pear fruit purée and a pronounced rasping, briney edge that finishes succinctly with salty liquorice stick nuances which combine with the wine’s precise thread of acidity. A Puligny Montrachet with stature above its Village status thanks to this superb 2014 vintage, and should improve for 3 to 5 years and drink well for 8 to 10+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Exploring Bordeaux Second Wines – Part 5: Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose 2005 from St Estephe…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Chateau Montrose is synonymous for the finest age worthy reds from St Estephe on the left bank of Bordeaux. But their La Dame de Montrose second wine is also made to the same rigorous standards as their first wine, from grapes grown in the same vineyards. Consistently reliable and reaching maturity sooner, the wine was created in 1986 in tribute to Yvonne Charmolue, who ran Château Montrose single-handedly from 1944 to 1960. Production varies from one year to another but accounts on average for 30% of the total production of the Montrose vineyard. It is matured for 12 months in 30% new oak barrels.

The 2005 vintage was known as the year of drought. The water deficit was constant and alarming and by harvest time, the volume of rainfall was less than half the average quantity for the past 30 years. However, the clay rich sub-soils of Montrose played an important role in providing moisture to the vines.

On the other hand, the temperatures in the vineyards saw broad fluctuations alternating between hot days and cool nights, assisting good ripening of the fruit. 2005 impresses with its exceptional power and amazing fruit purity as well as the wine’s extraordinary engaging elegance. Stylistically, La Dame de Montrose remains very classical without any austerity.

Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose 2005, St Estephe, Bordeaux, 13 Abv.

Supple and silky the 2005 is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 46% Merlot. It shows very pronounced red fruit aromas with classic notes of red currants, bramble berries, earthy black currants together with hints of chocolate powder, graphite, wet tobacco, vanilla pod and black liquorice. The 2005 is generally regarded as one of the finest second wines Montrose has yet produced and indeed tastes more powerful and profound than many big name Cru Classe Chateau first wines. Full bodied, dense and powerful, there is plenty of meat on the bone here. But the tannins are mineral and supple, balancing the rich dark earthy black berry and black cherry fruits. This is a serious wine in anyone’s book and remains generous and plush with fine definition right to the very last drop in the glass. Drink this now with some decanting, but feel free to age this beauty another 8 to 10+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)