Critic ratings
vinous
2017
Rating:
94
–94
I tasted the 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru twice within a fortnight, on the second occasion served blind. It is turning into a very serious white Burgundy, as I expected from barrel. The very delineated, quite assertive bouquet reveals an intriguing licorice note after 10 minutes in the glass. There is a touch of struck match, but it is very subtle and does not obscure the terroir expression. There is clearly good weight on the palate and a killer line of acidity. This brims with tension, offering fleeting glimpses of pineapple and grilled walnut and fanning out wonderfully on the finish. Superb. Tasted blind at La Trompette, London.
vinous
2017
Rating:
91
–93
The 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru has a strict, linear bouquet with scents of apple blossom and walnut and just a faint touch of licorice in the background. The palate is very well balanced with lovely orange pith, dried mango and light spicy notes that gain intensity with aeration. This has lovely weight and depth, and just a hint of ginger toward the finish that lingers long in the mouth. Superb.
vinous
2017
Rating:
92
–94
The 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru has the most complete bouquets this year: a wonderful mélange of yellow fruit, crushed stone, honeysuckle and a touch of blackcurrant leaf. The palate is very well balanced with a complex opening, hints of white peach and nectarine. There is a fine line of acidity here and just the right amount of salinity on the finish. What a superb wine from Sébastien Caillat.
vinous
2020
Rating:
94
–96
The 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru is another cuvée with a complex, irresistible bouquet with scents of blood orange, citrus fruit and crushed limestone. The palate is tensile, focused, wonderfully balanced with plenty of body and extract on the finish counterbalanced by its razor-sharp acidity. One of Caillat's best releases to date.
vinous
2018
Rating:
92
–92
The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru is consistent with my previous review (even though this bottle had been opened two days earlier). Baking powder, mandarin, yellow fruit and albumen notes on the nose are all very well defined. The palate is nicely balanced with a keen spine of acidity. It's tangy towards the marmalade-tinged finish. Very fine.
vinous
2018
Rating:
93
–93
The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru is clean and precise on the nose - detailed crushed stone/limestone aromas intermingle with yellow plum, apple blossom and a touch of quince. The palate is very energetic and nervous on the entry, sporting the same reduction that I found on the 2019, though time will reveal the complexity that is locked into the Chassagne. Perhaps the most harmonious of Caillat’s 2018s.
vinous
2018
Rating:
92
–94
The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru, which sees around 20% new oak, has a detailed bouquet of precise aromas of yellow plum, orange blossom and slate roof tile that gains intensity with aeration. The palate is well balanced but one of the most delicate of Caillat’s Chassagnes, possibly because according to Caillat, the vines were the most fatigued toward the end of the season compared to others. Yet it is very precise, with a lovely touch of white pepper toward the finish, which tingles on the tongue. Excellent.
robert_parker
2023
Rating:
94
–96
The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets unwinds in the glass with aromas of peach, yellow orchard fruit and orange oil mingled with white flowers and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, with racy acids and a dense, chalky palate, it concludes with a long, saline finish. This is another terrific wine in a very consistent 2023 portfolio from Sébastian Caillat.
robert_parker
2017
Rating:
95
–95
Unwinding in the glass with notes of Anjou pear, spring flowers, blanched almonds, citrus zest and white peach, the 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets is full-bodied, deep and incisive, with a layered but tight-knit core that's built around racy acids and chalky dry extract, concluding with a long, searingly mineral finish. This might be the finest wine produced at Domaine Lamy-Caillat to date.
robert_parker
2019
Rating:
94
–97
The 2019 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets is, as usual, the most chiseled and incisive of the Lamy-Caillat premiers crus. Mingling notes of white flowers, crisp green orchard fruit, citrus oil, wet stones and wheat toast with subtle hints of flinty reduction, it's full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with huge reserves of concentration and extract, concluding with a tangy, mineral finish.
robert_parker
2021
Rating:
94
–96
The 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets is terrific, mingling scents of pear and confit citrus with hints of spices and wheat toast, framed by a deft touch of old-school reduction. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's rich and structured, with chalky extract and a long, saline finish.
robert_parker
2020
Rating:
96
–96
One of Caillat's greatest hits to date is the 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets, a terrific effort that unwinds in the glass with scents of sweet Nashi pear, Meyer lemon, white flowers, freshly baked bread, beeswax and nutmeg. Full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it's a satiny, concentrated, structured wine that unites tension and amplitude to compelling effect, concluding with a long, chalky finish.
robert_parker
2014
Rating:
93
–93
The 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets is more open than it was a couple of years ago, offering up pretty aromas of white peach and apple blossom mingled with nuances of hazelnut and pastry. Medium to full-bodied, pure and satiny, it's seamless and elegant, with bright acids and a taut, chalky finish. It's not far from early maturity.
robert_parker
2022
Rating:
95
–97
The 2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets is brilliant, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet citrus oil, crisp Asian pear, hazelnuts and struck flint, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless palate that's deep, concentrated and racy, capturing the ethereal qualities of this prime hillside premier cru to perfection and concluding with a long, saline finish. It's the king of the cellar this year.
robert_parker
2015
Rating:
94
–94
The 2015 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets is the most aromatically reserved of Lamy-Caillat's premiers crus, opening in the glass with a pure nose of white peach, citrus zest, spring flowers and wet limestone. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, glossy and texturally refined, with appreciable chewy extract and multidimensional structure, its finish long and chalky. It's hard to choose between this and the superb La Romanée, but they are very different in personality.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
93
–93
The 2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets offers up notes of pear, hazelnut cream, citrus oil and mandarin, framed by light reduction and revealing some of the musky top-notes characteristic of light botrytis influence—something that isn't uncommon in this white Burgundy vintage and which Sébastien confirms affected his Caillerets this year. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, sapid and concentrated, more open-knit than the taut 2014 rendition, with a glossy attack and considerable mid-palate amplitude. The tangy finish is long and stony. This was the first year to receive an extended sur lie élevage, and its time on the lees really makes itself felt in the wine's structural elegance and completeness.
robert_parker
2012
Rating:
92
–92
Domaine Lamy-Caillat's 2012 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets wafts from the glass with aromas of pear, pastry cream, citrus pith, toasted nuts and oatmeal, framed by very light reduction. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and powerful, with an expansively glossy attack and excellent mid-palate concentration and almost chewy extract, while avoiding the tendency to flabbiness that some of the 2012 white Burgundies are beginning to display from bottle. This doesn't attain the textural elegance and sense of completeness that Sébastien's more recent vintages reveal, but it's an excellent rendition of Les Caillerets.
robert_parker
2011
Rating:
92
–92
The Domaine Lamy-Caillat 2011 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets offers up an expressive nose of crisp orchard fruit, pastry cream and toasted nuts, framed by light reduction. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, bright and elegantly textural, crisp and vibrant but simultaneously structurally open-knit—the calling card of this white Burgundy vintage. The finish is tangy and chalky. Of all Sébastien Caillat's vintages of Les Caillerets, it's the 2011 that's most approachable today.
robert_parker
2016
Rating:
92
–92
The 2016 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets was heavily frosted, but the wine has turned out well in bottle, unfurling with notions of lime, Anjou pear, white flowers and honeycomb. On the palate, it's full-bodied, satiny and textural, with tangy acids, heightened concentration and a long, distinctly saline finish. The wine's vivacity leads me to think that it will develop very nicely in the cellar.
james_suckling
2018
Rating:
95
–95
Tight and linear with a steely character and length. Lime and apple. Lychee. Medium to full body. Long and lively. Let it open. Better in 2025.
