Pinson Freres, Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2021

robert_parker 2017

Rating: 87 –87

The 2017 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is a medium-bodied, oak-inflected wine with little character or concentration.

robert_parker 2015

Rating: 92 –92

The 2015 Chablis Grand Cru les Clos comes from 40-year-old vines that were cropped at 29 hectoliters per hectare and raised over 12 months in 80% stainless steel and 20% new oak. It has a precise limestone and flint-scented bouquet that is focused and intense. The palate is well balanced with neatly integrated oak. It's quite grippy in the mouth, with admirable depth on the saline finish. There is something a little conservative about this les Clos, but it should age with style. This is a stylish follow-up to the equally impressive 2014 les Clos.

robert_parker 2014

Tasted blind at the Burgfest annual tasting, Pinson's 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos had an odd nose indicating that the fruit might well have been picked too late: quite rich with honeyed and yellow fruit aromas, then an underlying cheesy note. The palate is balanced with sour lemon on the entry, very bitter in the mouth and I find the finish very simplistic and one-dimensional for a Les Clos. The previous bottle was far superior than this and therefore I will not judge based on this example.

robert_parker 2014

Rating: 92 –92

The 2014 Chablis Grand Cru les Clos was vinified 20% in new oak barrels and 80% in stainless steel, then 18 months maturation in one- to two-year-old oak barrels. It has a more exotic bouquet with peach skin and nectarine notes flourishing in the glass, nicely defined, if perhaps just missing a little detail. The palate is rounded and quite sensual on the entry, though it is very well balanced with a keen thread of acidity and gorgeous white peach, dried mango and spicy notes on the long and quite powerful finish. This is a very fine, quite sophisticated Les Clos that should age with style over 10-15 years.

robert_parker 2013

Rating: 92 –92

The 2013 Chablis Grand Cru les Clos comes from 35-year-old vines and undergoes both alcoholc and malolactic fermentation in 20% new oak, the remainder in stainless steel. It has a very mineral-driven, focused, stony bouquet that reeks of "Grand Cru" - which is exactly what we want. The palate is fresh, vibrant and slightly peachy on the entry with a keen line of acidity and plenty of fruit concentration toward the finish, orange peel and lemon rind lingering on the aftertaste. This is a very well-crafted, confident Les Clos that should age well over the next 10 to 15 years.

robert_parker 2013

Rating: 90 –90

Tasted blind at the annual “Burgfest” tasting in Brouilland. The 2013 Chablis Grand Cru les Clos fell short of the fine showing last year although I suspect this is more because it is amidst an awkward stage of evolution. It has an attractive bouquet with touches of praline and honeysuckle infusing the citrus fruit, nicely detailed and full of vigor. The palate is fresh and full of lime on the entry. This feels linear in the mouth with a slightly nuttiness developing towards the finish that does not quite deliver the definition that I was hoping for. Give this a couple more years in bottle and I am sure it will revert back to its initial promise. Tasted May 2016.

vinous 2013

Rating: 90 –90

(bottled in January of this year; began in 20% new oak and 80% _cuve, then was assembled in old barrels after the malolactic fermentation): Medium yellow. Strong vanillin oak on the nose. Ripe, plush and dry, with the stone fruit flavors currently dominated by oak spice and caramel. Still a bit youthfully austere but fresher than the Cuvée Authentique. Will it absorb the vanillin oak?

vinous 2013

Rating: 90 –91

(fermented in 20% new oak, then raised in 0- to 3-year-old barrels): Good aromatic lift to the aromas of ripe peach, fresh herbs, mint and spices. Suave, seamless and elegant; a step up in intensity and firmness from the premier crus. Builds nicely in the mouth, finishing with attractive mineral firmness and very good length. This will not be bottled until next January.

robert_parker 2013

Rating: 90 –90

Tasted blind at the annual “Burgfest” tasting in Brouilland. The 2013 Chablis Grand Cru les Clos fell short of the fine showing last year although I suspect this is more because it is amidst an awkward stage of evolution. It has an attractive bouquet with touches of praline and honeysuckle infusing the citrus fruit, nicely detailed and full of vigor. The palate is fresh and full of lime on the entry. This feels linear in the mouth with a slightly nuttiness developing towards the finish that does not quite deliver the definition that I was hoping for. Give this a couple more years in bottle and I am sure it will revert back to its initial promise. Tasted May 2016.

james_suckling 2016

Rating: 94 –94

Spicy nougat, honey, grilled peaches, lemon peel and grapefruit with spiced gingerbread and biscuit complexity. The palate has a very smooth, round texture with supple and succulent spiced peaches and citrus. Grilled nuts to close out a lot of phases of flavor. Holds long. Drink now or hold.

james_suckling 2017

Rating: 94 –94

There’s just so much depth from the get-go with deep, fresh lemons and peaches, bathed in stony minerals. The palate has a very deep and rich core of concentrated peach and citrus-fruit flavors and cruises seamlessly into a long, composed finish. Impressive. Drink or hold.