Viré-Clessé Quintaine Tradition, Bongran

The 2018 Viré-Clessé Cuvée E.J. Thevenet, a selection in the vineyard on white marn soils, has a complex and well-defined bouquet with apricot blossom, jasmine, wild peaches and light floral scents. The palate is very well balanced considering the warmth of the growing season with a fine spine of acidity, dried honey and orange pith mixed with white pepper on the finish. Excellent. - Neal Martin

Generous and demonstrative, the 2018 Viré-Clessé Cuvée E. J. Thevenet bursts from the glass with aromas of pear, peach, honeycomb, blanched almonds and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, its fleshy core of fruit girdled by bright acids, it concludes with a long, expansive finish. Somewhat reminiscent of the 2012, despite the two vintages having essentially nothing in common, it will offer an especially broad drinking window. - William Kelley

The 2016 Viré-Clessé Cuvée E. J. Thevenet is showing beautifully, unfurling in the glass with notes of elderflower, beeswax, pear, white flowers and peach. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and precise, it's lively and concentrated, concluding with a saline finish. This is a more elegant, less muscular wine than the 2015, nodding to the style of the lovely 2013. I vividly remember visiting the domaine in October 2016, in pouring rain, when everyone else in the neighborhood had finished picking and Gautier Thevenet hadn't yet begun! - William Kelley

The 2015 Viré-Clessé Cuvée E. J. Thevenet opens in the glass with notes of fresh peach, confit lemons, white flowers and clear honey. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, with striking concentration, lively acids and plenty of well-concealed structure. Long and penetrating, this is a Viré-Clessé with considerable potential for the long haul, and though it will be released later this year, simply because the winery hasn't anything else to sell, I encourage readers to be as patient as possible. Gautier Thevenet suggests that this evokes the 2005 vintage, but it also bears more than a passing resemblance to the 1989—which is drinking at its peak today, age thirty. - William Kelley

Medium yellow. Complex, sexy aromas of lime, white and yellow stone fruits, wild herbs and lees. Very suave, fine-grained and laid-back, showing lovely citrus lift if not the obvious thickness of the Domaine de Roally wine that's also made by Thévenet. The marne element in the soil gives the wine finesse and backbone, as well has a touch of finishing bitterness. Really wonderful density without heaviness. Finishes nicely dry and horizontal, with reverberating length. Both this and the Emilian Gillet 2016 are extremely unevolved. - Stephen Tanzer

The 2013 Viré-Clessé Cuvée E. J. Thevenet is another beautiful rendition of this consistently superb cuvée, wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of orange zest, white flowers, beeswax, acacia honey and ripe lemon. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with lovely depth and succulence, concluding with a long and youthfully tense finish. It's already comparatively elegant and expressive by the standards of this estate, making it more approachable as a young wine than the 2012 or 2011 were at the same age, but it will enjoy two decades of longevity—indeed, it's only just being released by the domaine. 2013 was a challenging year in the Mâconnais, but this is the wine of the vintage. - William Kelley

(the only cuvée made in 2013; from a very small, very ripe crop with a bit of noble rot): Medium gold-tinged yellow. Slightly exotic aromas of ripe yellow fruits with the beginnings of truffle and honeycomb. At once thick and racy, offering very concentrated, slightly aggressive yellow fruit and honey flavors with considerable alcoholic clout (actually 14.15%). There's enough supporting acidity to buffer the wine's 5.7 grams per liter residual sugar, and the wine finishes with its characteristic touch of marne bitterness. Still a bit reticent today. (I also retasted the 2012, which I rated 90+ last year. It showed a slightly lighter color than the '13 as well as more classic aromas of hazelnut and iodine and a flavor of yellow peach perfectly balanced by acidity. This complex, saline blend struck me as a bit more precise, refined and long than the 2013, but Thévenet maintained that the latter wine will be better in the long run because it has more personality from the botrytis. I found the '12 wonderfully balanced to enjoy now, but Gautier still finds it a bit young. On this occasion, I scored it 91.) - Stephen Tanzer

The 2011 Viré-Clessé Quintaine Cuvée E.J. Thevenet comes from vines on Oxfordian limestone soils and is the one to go for if you like to keep your Mâconnais dry and without residual sugar. It has an absolutely divine bouquet that can barely contain its heady perfume of orange blossom, peppermint and wild fennel, just a smear of dried honey on top and maybe even a hint of truffle. This is so nuanced but, at the same time, very complex. The palate is well balanced with lemongrass and orange rind, marmalade surfacing midway through the experience. The acidity is very well judged and there is a very harmonious, almost Condrieu-like finish that has swagger and verve. What are you waiting for?...Grab some bottles. - Neal Martin

Paler in color than the 2011: light yellow with gold highlights. Sexy aromas of orange, stone fruits and truffle lifted by tangy botrytis tones. Sweet, silky and voluptuous (14.2% alcohol), boasting outstanding concentration and saline minerality. Slowly saturates the palate on the very long, wonderfully harmonious back end. Possesses healthy acidity (4.3 grams per liter) but shows a texture of liquid velvet. This is already accessible but will last for a long time in bottle. - Stephen Tanzer