Vinous: 90-92 Points
The 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet La Cardeuse 1er Cru offers bold blackberry and black plum aromas on the nose, the 50-60% whole cluster neatly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite rigid at first, very saline with a slightly chalky-textured finish that lends freshness. Excellent. (NM) (12/2021)
Wine Advocate: 92-94 Points
The 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Cardeuse opens in the glass with scents of peonies, violets, plums, wild berries, dark chocolate and baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, lively and perfumed, it's bright and fine-boned, with a pretty core of fruit and fine, powdery tannins. The 2020 vintage has turned out brilliantly at Domaine Bernard Moreau—but what's new? Alex Moreau readied his harvesters promptly, as it takes eight days to pick the whole domaine, and began on August 20th. Yields were good, and the cellar is full (which is not the case in 2021), with alcohols moderate, the highest being 13.4%. As usual, the fruit is crushed before pressing (which lasts up to three and a half hours), briefly settled and barreled down (François Frères is the predominant cooper here) for vinification with plenty of lees, Moreau doing nothing to discourage quite protracted fermentations, which he finds build texture and complexity into the wines. For my palate, the results are some of the finest white wines produced on the Côte de Beaune, and they occupy a prominent place in my personal cellar. The market is certainly taking notice, and prices are rising fast, but readers won't want to miss the 2020s. (WK) (1/2022)
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