What's New

G & M have been the notable standouts when it comes to securing and bottling Mortlachs. Typically weighty and often described as ‘meaty’ (in the same vein as Dailuaine or Benrinnes), Mortlach’s output has always been a highly-prized foundation for blends – hence its relative obscurity. Matured in a Bourbon cask and bottled without chill filtration, this reads like a deliciously fruity expression. Bottled in January 2018 at 57.2% Alc./Vol.

Notes from the bottler... Nose: Ripe tropical fruit mingles with sweet vanilla and honey aromas. Palate: Sweet with warming spice on the palate complimented by pressed green apple, stewed pear, subtle pineapple and a milk chocolate edge. Nose: with water Creamy vanilla and honey with subtle banana and blueberry notes. Palate: with water Sweet and smooth with mango, pineapple and pear, complimented by lime and a charred oak edge. Finish: Full and fruity with lingering citrus and milk chocolate edge. Non chill filtered.

Other Reviews....
Very pale green-tinged yellow. Classic Chablis scents and flavors of white peach, ginger, oyster shell, iodine and flint. Highly concentrated, tactile wine offering an impression of strong dry extract and a compelling combination of pliancy and energy. A very powerful, structured Chablis with a long, chewy, saline finish. Really saturates the palate without leaving any impression of weightiness. Offers splendid potential.
93-95 points
Stephen Tanzer - Vinous

The 2016 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Cote de Bouguerots has a very intense, quite mineral-driven bouquet with flint aromas developing all the time in the glass as it gains intensity. The palate is well balanced with fine salinité on the entry. I appreciate the vivacity of this grand cru—there is plenty of energy locked in here and an edginess on the finish that is very appealing, notwithstanding the prolonged spicy aftertaste. Superb.
93-95 points
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate #232 (Sep 2017)

Lemon butter and almond pastry from time spent in four- to six-year-old barrels. Sweetly fragrant white flowers and a fine minerally thread. This makes a very composed, fresh and sleek impression on the palate. Long and slightly fleshy white-peach finish. Drink or hold.
93 points
jamessuckling.com

Fleshy, textural palate with less flavour complexity than their Preuses and Vaudésir. Rounded and polished and delivering plenty of core fruit, but could perhaps use a bit more definition to the edges and broader flavours.
17/20 points
Richard Hemming - jancisrobinson.com

Other Reviews....
Pale yellow. Lovely brisk citrus and apple aromas complicated by gingery spices, white pepper and iodiney minerality. Large-scaled, dense and quite powerful but not yet filled in, with its very concentrated peach and citrus flavors accented by ginger and white pepper. More glyceral in the early going than the Preuses but showing less personality today. This fruit was picked very ripe, with nearly 13% potential alcohol, according to Didier Séguier.
93-95 points
Stephen Tanzer - Vinous

The 2016 Chablis Grand Cru les Clos, cropped at around 17 hectoliters per hectare, was blended the day previous to my visit and is due to be bottled in December 2017 or perhaps the following month. As such, the aromatics are too leesy to assess. The palate is balanced with a saline, sour lemon-tinged entry, perhaps lighter than the Bougros Côte Bouguerots and with a prickle of spice toward the finish. It should gain complexity and harmony throughout its élevage and will be one to watch.
91-93 points
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate #232 (Sep 2017)

The complexity, concentration and drive make this an excellent Clos in 2016. The fruits vary from citrus to exotic stone fruits. Green tropical and white floral notes, too. The palate has a staggeringly concentrated core of acid-drenched lemons, lime, peaches and green mangoes. Incredible depth, high acidity and a very long finish. A great Clos! Drink or hold.
96 points
jamessuckling.com

Full, layered and chalky on the texture with attractive salinity on the palate and sharp green fruit. Loads of core fruit concentration and a lovely spicy sprinkling adding interest to the finish.
17.5/20 points
Richard Hemming - jancisrobinson.com

An indie Ledaig matured in refill Sherry, refill bourbon, and refill American oak casks. This peaty island dram is noted for its smokey-briney character. Distillled in 2004 and bottled in 2017.

Notes from the bottlers... Nose: smoked cured meats, and green apple aromas. Raspberry notes are complemented by a lemon edge. Palate: Black cracked pepper with grapefruit, banana, and toasted oat flavours. Charred oak and cocoa powder combines on the finish. 46% Alc./Vol.

Ledaig is produced by Burn Stewart Distillers, a company conceived in 1988 with a vision to create a fully integrated Scotch Whisky company and to build a portfolio of international brands. In 1991 Burn Stewart achieved a listing on the London Stock Exchange and soon after acquired the Tobermory Distillery - the only distillery on the picturesque Hebridean Isle of Mull. They subsequently sold on to the Distell Group in 2002. It's here that Tobermory's peaty alter ego, Ledaig is produced. (The name is pronounced 'Led-chig' and translates to 'safe-haven' from the Gaelic tongue, aptly named after the area in which the distillery sits.)

Other Reviews....
Pungent but reticent nose hints at pineapple, peach, ginger, menthol and subtle crushed-stone minerality. Rich, spicy and sweet, with its ripe orchard fruit flavors leavened by a floral topnote. Very subtle, elegant yet extract-rich wine with terrific dusty length and lift. Ultimately dry and classic, this wine reverberates on the palate for a minute or more. Vincent Dauvissat's Preuses is frequently the finest and most complete example of this grand cru but the William Fèvre version is often my #2 choice.
93-95 points
Stephen Tanzer - Vinous

The 2016 Chablis Grand Cru les Preuses has a fresh and enticing bouquet with apple blossom, lime flower, granite and wet limestone aromas that really get to the core of Chablis. Of the six grand crus from Fevre, this might be my favorite. The palate is well balanced and very harmonious. The acidity is well judged and it possesses great elegance and femininity. One of the best wines from the domain this year, it comes recommended.
92-94 points
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate #232 (Sep 2017)

Superfine, powerful and flinty with a linear and long shape. Like an arrow on the palate. This has quite an aloof and regal style. Very closed and steely. Long and mouthwatering. Supreme intensity, which makes it exhilarating. Drink or hold.
95 points
jamessuckling.com

Preserved lemon, fresh herbs and a lovely creamy texture holding it all together on the palate. Fleshy and full on the length. This is Chablis in its fullest mode, and should be long-lived in bottle.
17.5/20 points
Richard Hemming - jancisrobinson.com

Other Reviews....
Pale, slightly cloudy yellow. Strong mineral notes of shrimp shell and sea breeze currently dominate citrus and white peach on the nose. Densely packed, concentrated and energetic; wonderfully fresh and balanced for the year. Clamps down impressively on the superb, sappy, slowly rising finish, leaving behind piquant notes of grapefruit, lemon zest and minerals. Classically dry, crystalline and taut but not austere. This beauty really spreads out to saturate the palate on the back end.
92-94 points
Stephen Tanzer - Vinous

The 2016 Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre comes from two hectares of vines split over three types of terroir. It has a crisp, fruits de mer-scented bouquet with plenty of dew-speckled Granny Smith apples. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, saline in the mouth and fine weight toward the finish, with plenty of persistence. This has great potential and could turn out to be one of William Fevre's best premier crus this year. Excellent.
91-93 points
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate #232 (Sep 2017)

A more steely and stony edge to this terroir. There's also a minerally thread to the nose and palate. The fruits are in the citrusy-lime and grapefruit zone. A Very compressed, sleek and chiseled structure. Acid-fueled finish. Drink or hold.
92 points
jamessuckling.com

Dairy notes on the nose, as well as green-apple fruit and some flinty aromas. Attractive tension and zip on the finish. Well-defined and crunchy. Powerful and typical, with impressive persistence.
17.5/20 points
Richard Hemming - jancisrobinson.com

Other Reviews....
(all of William Fèvre's vines in Fourchaume are situated in Vaulorent, where they're the largest land owner; there's usually a separate estate bottling labeled as Fourchaume but not in 2016): Pale green-tinged yellow. Musky, complex aromas of citrus fruits, spices, minerals and pepper. Ripe fruit notes are joined by a hint of exotic lichee, but the wine's pliant texture is nicely supported by pepper, spices and minerals. This fairly large-scaled, savory wine boasts an exhilarating balance of sweetness and acidity. Finishes with explosive length and a strong impression of terroir. The crop level here was just 18 hectoliters per hectare and my notes say that this wine is at the same high level of quality as the Montée de Tonnerre.
92-94 points
Stephen Tanzer - Vinous

Tangy and rich, but without the same definition as their Montée de Tonnerre. Full bodied, and while the acid is certainly present, the palate is fat overall. A good demonstration of the fuller side of Chablis. Attractive flinty notes on the finish.
17/20 points
Richard Hemming - jancisrobinson.com

Desired by many, owned by few - such will be the fate of this limited edition Benromach that celebrates twenty years of distilling. It was in 1998 that independent bottlers, Gordon & MacPhail purchased, re-furbished and re-vitalised the operation that had been mothballed for fifteen years. Their intention, according to Keith Cruickshank, distillery manager, was “…to recreate the unique Speyside whisky taste, which historically had a touch of smoke”.

Hence, this anniversary bottling is intended to ‘epitomise Benromach’s classic style’, carrying "rich notes of fruit cake, mingling with sweet demerara sugar, vanilla and light smoke". A natural strength, lightly peated 19-year-old, it was matured in first-fill sherry and bourbon casks, both European oak and American oak. Not surprisingly, it's a relatively small release of 3000 bottles (400 of which are reserved for the visitor centre in Forres). It comes beautifully presented in a copper-lined, dovetail joint wooden box with a small hardcover book detailing the story of the distillery. 56.2% Alc./Vol.

Brilliant pale straw colour with greenish tinged edges and a watery hue. Aromas of citrus and ripe nectarine overlay some lightly toasted biscuity oak, gun flint and spice. Light and subtlety creamed in the mouth the palate is elegantly flavoured with ripe nectarine, citrus and subtle lemon butter characters over lightly toasted biscuity oak and infusions of gun flint. Dry crisp finish with an aftertaste of ripe nectarine, citrus, subtle lemon butter, light toasty oak, biscuit and spice.
Cellar 4-5 years.
Alc. 13%

Other Reviews….
Intriguing bouquet; oatmeal, dry biscuit, spicy oak and a whiff of lanolin. The varietal character is subtle, but the overall impression is unequivocally of complex, cool-climate chardonnay. The palate echoes this theme, with slinky texture, perfectly integrated acidity and length of flavour the defining elements. Grapefruit and just-ripe white peach may be the best descriptors of the primary fruit input, just for the record. Top drawer. Drink by 2027.
96 points
James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion

Totally opaque black dark red colour with a dark red hue. Elevated aromas of plum and liquorice are overlaid by a combination of dried clove and smoky cedar characters with earthy dried herb and pepper notes ensuing. Medium bodied with an elegant, supple mouthfeel the palate is flavoured with earthy plums, subtle liquorice, prominent dried clove characters, smoked meats, herbs and pepper. Fine grained tannins. Aftertaste of plums, liquorice, earthy dried clove characters, spicy dried meats and pepper. A cool climate Shiraz with a very strong whole bunch character.
Cellar 5-6 years.
Alc. 13%