Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, Bonnes Mares 2014

93-95 / 100 Robert Parker
The 2014 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru has an intriguing and complex bouquet. It is equidistant between red and black fruit, forsaking the sorbet-like tendencies of other Bonnes-Mares 2014 that I tasted from barrel. Rather, this is more earthbound with scents of potter's wheel and woodland infusing the fruit. The palate is towards the red side of the fruit spectrum like the Amoureuses, very saline in the mouth, actually quite Musigny-like in style with fine structure towards the finish and a long, delicately spiced aftertaste. This should become a cerebral Bonnes-Mares. I arrived in Chambolle-Musigny and pulled into the large courtyard at de Vogüé in the middle of a torrential downpour, though that did not dampen my anticipation tasting their 2014s and 2013s with the ever-philosophical François Millet. "The winter was very mild, followed by an early bud burst and flowering. We thought we would pick very early. The summer was bad, mild and rainy, but the advantage was that it slowed down the advance [of the growing cycle] and preserved the freshness of the vintage. September was easier with some showers. We picked on September 13 with the young vines in Musigny." "The vintage is quite welcoming," he continued. "I find a lot of compromises: medium freshness, not too much, just enough. The skin ripeness is medium, which gives you a possibility to play with red and black fruit that enlarge the aromatic spectrum. I would compare it to springtime, when air is beginning to warm up and the land is still cold, a subtle contrast between the reminiscence of the winter and the start of springtime. I find there is a subtlety with depth. There is a romantic side of the vintage connected with the warm spring. We had the same climatic conditions in 2007 and 2011. The heat of the vintage comes from the springtime. 2014 can be quite harsh if forced. The subtlety of the sensuous contrast between sweetness and freshness can be quickly damaged if it is forced or over-extracted. The vintage was unique in terms of weather conditions -- it was upside down in some ways. We had a hailstorm on June 28 and we lost 10% to 20%, more in Musigny than other vineyards." This is always a fascinating tasting. For me, the Chambolle-Musigny Amoureuses was the star of the show, at least at this early juncture, actually more expressive than the linear and surprisingly tertiary Bonnes-Mares. The Musigny Vieilles Vignes was actually more difficult to read, but I think there is a great wine here, one intent on coveting its virtues for now, only revealing them for those with the wherewithal to wait a decade. As I have mentioned in previous reports, I used to find the winemaking too conspicuous at de Vogüé, but in recent vintages I have found the terroirs more articulated, thereby differentiating the cuvées to a greater degree.
222, The Wine Advocate

18 / 20 Jancis Robinson
South-east corner so all terres rouges. Very deep colour. Fresh and tense. Racy and fruity – much more transparent and readable than the Amoureuses at this point. Sleek and fun. Serious but with very obvious fruit ripeness too. Dry finish shows it will last well.
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/tastings/search?keywords=vog..

92-94 / 100 Allen Meadow
A completely different aromatic profile is present with its much earthier array of notably fresh red berries and discreet sauvage aromas. There is excellent richness to the muscular and full-bodied flavors that also possess fine mid-palate concentration that coats the mouth and helps to buffer the very firm tannic spine on the seamlessly proportioned finale. This very firmly structured effort is clearly going to require 15 to 20 years to arrive at its peak.
http://www.burghound.com/tnsearch/index.php?id=243131