Author: Thomas Wilcox

There’s no more exciting corner of Burgundy today than the Beaujolais. Long looked down upon by winemakers further north, the wines made here today are as dynamic and delicious as anything in the Côte d’Or – and at a fraction of the price. Wine writer Stuart Piggott calls Beaujolais “the best value reds in the world,” and it’s easy to see why.

A new wave of exciting winemakers priced out of the land market in the north of Burgundy has landed in the Beaujolais, bringing energy and enthusiasm for the region’s diverse terroirs. Frederic Berne is a leader in this new Beaujolais. He’s passionate about agroforestry, planting trees among the vines to enrich the organic material of the soil and enhancing biodiversity in the vineyard. And his wines are more than proof of concept.

Berne’s Morgon “Corcellette” 2023 is a serious, impressive wine. The fruit is dark and lush with depth and intensity worthy of something from a fancier zip code. The nose explodes with roses and wild cherries; the mouth is fresh and long. Suckling’s reviewer writes “Ripe and powerful but also elegant, this has excellent mineral freshness and a graceful personality that’s hard not to like.” Pour this with something from the grill.

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Berne Morgon “Corcelette” 2023
bottle price: $32

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Gautier Desvignes is beloved among our readers for his well-priced, excellent red Burgundies from Givry. In a world where Bourgogne rouge cuvées from the Côte de Nuits are pushing $60/bot, and more than a few are into three digits, Desvignes Givrys are beautifully crafted, sophisticated, and highly affordable. Gautier continues to get better each year, and it’s been a delight to watch his star rise so dramatically over the last decade.

He’s also turned into a serious white Burgundy producer as well. William Kelley describes his chardonnays as “chiseled,” “crisp,” and “vibrant,” and we’ve begun to enjoy them more frequently in recent years. His just-arrived 2023s are accessible, delicious, and under $8/glass. Consider this a more floral Chablis, or a racier Pouilly-Fuissé.

The 2023 Desvignes Givry “En Cheneves” is carefree and delicious, with low oak and a vibrant, fresh mouthfeel. From a north facing vineyard that’s well positioned to weather today’s hot, dry summers, this is an overperforming spot in a town on the rise. It’s more polished than most wine of this level, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. Look for notes of white flowers and apple skins, and serve with a simple creamy pasta.

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Desvignes Givry blanc “En Cheneves” 2023
bottle price: $39

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If the Côte Chalonnaise has become a bastion of red Burgundy value, then the Maconnais is its counterpart in white. At their best the whites of the Maconnais are sunny and fresh, with vibrant acidity woven into ample fleshy fruit – not to mention exceptional pricing. Organic and biodynamic viticulture go a long way towards keeping these wines fresh, and indeed all of our sources here are one or both.

Sebastien Giroux is a quiet and meticulous winemaker making superb wines of understatement and precision. If some Maconnais whites can verge into overripeness in warm years, Sebastien’s are entirely devoid of heaviness. His careful winemaking – low sulfur, minimal oak, extremely long elevage – results in minimalist wines of precision and grace. Think Thomas Morey Puligny an hour south.

The Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes 2022 is outstanding. It’s entirely barrel raised, from vines planted mostly in the 1940s. They’re at 250m altitude, so offer intensity from their age but fineness from their elevation. South facing and just next to the premier cru “Vers Cras,” this is a special plot of vines, and so is the wine it produces. The nose is gorgeous and deep, with floral intensity and savory spice. The mouth continues the theme with and adds a dollop of ripe yellow fruit and a burst of acidity. This is a delicious mouthful, and if it said premier cru on the label, nobody would raise an eyebrow.

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Giroux Pouilly-Fuissé VV 2022
bottle price: $39

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The “Michel” of Gros fame is now fully retired – or, at least, as fully retired as a winemaker can be with 45 vintages under his belt, a house nearby, and his name on the label. His son Pierre has taken the reins, representing, in Neal Martin’s words, “a change in tack rather than charting a totally different course.” Like many of his peer group Pierre has moved the domaine toward organics, and if his first few vintages at the helm are any indication, the future at Gros may be even brighter than the past.

Pierre represents the seventh generation of Gros winemakers to run the domaine, and the Gros family has lived in the same house in the center of Vosne-Romanée since 1830. Plenty has changed since then – phylloxera, war, occupation, market swings – but for centuries the Gros vignerons have tended their vines and each year produced excellent wine. Pierre now commands what Neal Martin describes as “a portfolio to be reckoned with.”

Gros’s 2023s are terrific, and like many wines from the vintage, astonishingly accessible young. Gros’s Bourgogne Côte d’Or comes from vines outside Vosne-Romanée and dramatically outperforms its humble appellation. It’s middleweight and veyr pretty, with red currants and violets in the nose; the mouth has mild tannins and a pleasant earthy and floral finish. Burghound found it “quite aromatically pretty,” with a mouthfeel that’s “supple, succulent, and round.” It drinks effortlessly from the start, and however much we set aside for ourselves, we always wish it were more.

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Michel Gros Bourgogne Côte d’Or 2023
bottle price: $39

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Alsace is a gorgeous winegrowing region – bucolic hillsides of vines surround fairytale villages on a sunny, east-facing ridge near the French-German border. Its wines can be similarly charming: expressive and delicate with beautiful fruit and vibrant textures. Our source here, the Domaine Charles Frey, is a family of committed biodynamic vingerons, producing wines of freshness and balance.

Lots of people are scared of Riesling, burned by too-sweet or unbalanced versions of the grape. But fermented fully dry, Riesling can be a revelation – no grape more deftly communicates its stony terroir, and most sommeliers or wine professionals put it at the top of their list of favorite varietals.

Frey’s Riesling “Granite” 2023 is everything you want in a Riesling. It is brisk and stony, with just hints of petrol over a core of lean yellow fruit. It’s lightweight, crisp, and full of life. The food pairings are endless – aim for anything that particularly matches unoaked wine, from sushi or sashimi to oysters on the half shell to fresh goat cheese.

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Frey Riesling 2023
bottle price: $22

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Sandwiched between the city of Beaune and Hill of Corton wrapped in a patchwork blanket of Grand Cru lies the somewhat forgotten town of Savigny-les-Beaune. Its gravel- and sand-laden soils produce bright wines with excellent definition and delicate structure. In lean years they can be a bit angular for many tastes – but lean years may be a thing of the past.

The 2023 vintage produced wines of tremendous concentration, and the Domaine Boursot’s reds are beautiful, fresh, and packed with flavor. Their 2023 Savigny-les-Beaune perfectly combines the crisp delicacy of the terroir with the rich intensity of the vintage. The nose shows wild cherries, cassis, and toast. The mouth is a punch blend of dark modern fruit with chalky precision.

Boursot’s Chambolles will always be their stars, but this cuvée is proof that their winemaking prowess isn’t limited to their hometown appellation. This is punchy, delicious red Burgundy that needs no cellaring – it’s also half the price of most village wines nearby. Serve with a Sunday afternoon roasted chicken.

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Boursot Savigny-les-Beaune 2023
bottle price: $58

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Sofie Bohrmann is a cheerful, dynamic winemaker in Meursault. Her Burgundies are refined and terrific – she harvests early and uses barrels made from very old Austrian oak, a very fine-grained wood that allows for a slow, luxurious elevage. The resulting wines are floral and classy, showing generous textures framed with careful poise.

And her 2023s are simply irresistible. A hot, dry vintage with perfectly timed rain produced exceptional white Burgundies and plenty of them. Her everyday Bourgogne blanc is rich and easygoing; her St-Romain is an overperforming gem. Her St-Aubin 1er En Remilly is compact, sophisticated and powerful. But (as usual) her Puligny-Montrachet “Grands Champs” is our favorite white.

Most Burgundy aficionados consider Puligny the pinnacle of white Burgundy – a perfect blend of fruit and stone and wood. Sofie’s “Les Grands Champs” is unmistakable Puligny, and is certainly her most elegant wine. Like all good Puligny it will continue to improve for years; but the 2023 is precocious for the appellation, and already a masterpiece. Look for white flowers, lime zest, and stones on a very long, classy finish.

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Bohrmann Puligny-Montrachet “Grands Champs” 2023
bottle price: $99

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The Loire Valley continues to be one of the most exciting corners of winemaking in France. Organic viticulture, balanced wines, and affordable prices are the rule here rather than the exception. We find ourselves reaching for Loire reds often these days, whatever the occasion – they’re characterful, refreshing, complex and downright tasty.

Our favorite source for these delicious reds is the Domaine des Sanzay, an organic fixture of Saumur-Champigny in the central Loire. Their unblended Cabernet Franc wines have become highly popular in our warehouse, with their simple Saumur red and old-vine cuvée opening tasters’ eyes to a new expression of the grape. But today we’re focused on their most impressive wine, an old-vine single parcel cuvée – a Cab Franc with real presence.

With 60+ year old vines and giving small yields and very intense fruit, Sanzay’s 2018 “Dares” cuvée has taken a few years to settle down. But today it’s magnificent. Vinous’s Loire Valley reviewer Rebecca Gibb MW found “masses of well-handled tannins, fruit depth…powerful and well-made.” The nose shows dried rose petals, wild cherries and stones; the mouth is a gorgeous blend of cool earth and blackberries, with a subtle, delicious texture structure that recalls Nuits-St-Georges.

Well-aged Cabernet Franc can rival Burgundy for subtlety and depth, and this is a perfect example. It’s not  quite to the level of its iconic neighbor Clos Rougeard, but at $32 (rather than $320), it’s almost certainly a better value.

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Sanzay Saumur-Champigny “les Dares” 2018
bottle price: $32

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Sancerre remains among the world’s best known white wines. Sauvignon blanc, a naturally high acid grape, is well positioned to weather today’s hot summers without losing pep and energy. Our source here is the Domaine de la Garenne, an old family domaine of the highest quality, certified organic and practicing many biodynamic techniques.

Garenne’s cuvées aren’t showy or innovative – they’re honest, punchy, simply delicious Sancerre. We import four cuvées from them in stock, but our best seller has always been “Bouffants.” This unoaked sauvignon blanc comes from 40+ year old vines in a limestone-rich plot with excellent drainage. It’s a perfectly located single vineyard cuvée, and from one of the best plots in the appellation.

The 2023 is everything you want from Sancerre. There’s no oak, and the old vines contribute loads of dry concentration cut by a chiseled, stony backbone. The nose shows grapefruit zest and herbal honey, and the mouth bursts with white flowers, lime, and stone. Serve this with a hearty shrimp pasta with herbs and parm.

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Garenne Sancerre “Bouffants” 2023
bottle price: $34

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It doesn’t take an expert to notice that Guillaume Goujon and Sebastien Dupré are farming organically. Their vines (pictured), located in the Côte de Brouilly, share the earth with an impressive array of herbs, flowers, grasses, and wildlife – all in the name of fostering biodiversity and soil health. In the cellar Dupré and Goujon have a similarly light touch – their cuvées are made with whole clusters, ambient yeasts, limited oak and almost no sulfites.

Part of the Dupré-Goujon recipe is an extended elevage for their reds of over two years, first in barrels, and then in tanks. This is nearly unheard-of patience in the Beaujolais, but one that turns out exceptional wines. These are every bit as complex and well built as Pinots from further north, and they’ve quickly gained a loyal following among our readers. Critic William Kelley calls the wines “supple and charming” and labeling them “an estate to watch.”

Their Cote de Brouilly “Héronde” cuvée is exquisite in 2022. Sebastien explained to us that it is a delicate business to use barrels to raise Gamay, and that they employ them to enrobe the tannins, not to add to their prominence. In the glass, Heronde 2022 is serious and seductive, with gorgeous floral aromas of violets and cassis framed by papery tannins and hints of graphite and rose petals. Give this a half hour decant, and marvel at the new world of possibilities in the Beaujolais.

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Dupré-Goujon Côte de Brouilly “Heronde” 2022
bottle price: $39

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The 2023 red Burgundies are still quite young, but they’ve already begun to reveal themselves as a tremendous vintage. From a growing season full of extreme heat and drought but with perfectly timed rains, the best wines are perfectly balanced – with modest alcohol, excellent density, and vibrant textures. We heard more than a few winemakers describe them as “digeste” (roughly, digestible), and it’s an excellent characterization.

Nobody was more successful than Gautier Desvignes, a humble thirtysomething winemaker with a near limitless attention to detail. Gautier landed back at his family’s domaine a decade ago, and has since transformed it into one of the region’s superstars. We find ourselves saying this almost every year, but his 2023s are the best he’s made – ripe and sleek with perfect extraction and maturity, vibrant textures, and elegant, lifting finishes.

At the northern end of town lies Gautier’s Givry 1er cru “Clos Charlé.” It’s a plot that produces elegant, chiseled wines, with beautiful detail and loads of dark fresh fruit. The tannins are fine grained and seamless, with pretty notes of rose petals and cool berries. It has the weight of a Beaune 1er cru, with a stony freshness amid the perfectly detailed fruit. Now six months after arriving this has just begun to open up; serve with refined dishes like duck or mushroom risotto.

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Desvignes Givry 1er “Clos Charlé” 2023
bottle price: $45

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In recent years the profile of Chablis has changed a bit. Most cuvées still show the terroir’s classic stony, mineral intensity; but warm summers have added a bit of extra flesh to the wines. Our favorites still taste like Chablis, but are often a bit easier to approach young or on their own.

Winemaker Romain Collet has deftly steered his family’s domaine through this new climate, and we’re not alone in this conclusion. Wine Critics Allen Meadows (Burghound) and William Kelley (Wine Advocate) have noted a “higher level of refinement” and a “significant upsurge in quality.” Jasper Morris MW writes that Romain Collet “is moving towards joining the pantheon” in Chablis.

Collet’s 2023 Chablis 1er cru “Forets” is a delicious, classy Chablis. It’s raised mostly in cement eggs, which add depth and texture to the crisp minerals and fruit, without loosing zip. This is delightful, complete white Burgundy on its own, but also a terrific match with food. A dry, mouthfilling texture cut by a lime zest and saline – this is a triumph of modern Chablis.

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Collet Chablis 1er cru “Forêts” 2023
bottle price: $45

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The Maconnais has long been one of our favorite sources for white Burgundy. This southern sub-region produces wines with an often friendlier character than those of the famous Côte d’Or to the north. Maconnais whites typically have low or no oak, they’re more affordable, and require less cellaring.

One of our original sources here is Nicolas Maillet, an energetic, friendly winemaker bursting with enthusiasm for his craft. Jasper Morris MW calls Maillet “an excellent winemaker;” William Kelley calls his wines “elegantly textural and enveloping…pure and precise” with “immediate charm.” Maillet relies on indigenous yeasts for spontaneous fermentation, and never rushes the process, allowing it to proceed for months if the slow fermentation in his cool cuverie so requires.

Maillet’s 2023 Macon-Verzé is magnificent. It’s lush and plump from the hot growing season, but shot through with energy and tension. Neal Martin of Vinous calls it “a worthy follow-up to the delicious ’22,” and we agree. The nose shows an exquisite array of beeswax, pineapple, and lemon verbena; the mouth is vibrant and mouthfilling, with notes of apricot, tangerine, green tea, and a brisk freshness. Serve on its own as a delicious and dynamic aperitif.

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Maillet Macon-Verzé 2023
bottle price: $36

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Look up “Thomas Morey” in the proverbial Ansonia winemaker dictionary, and you’ll find words like “deliberate,” “thoughtful,” “minimalist,” “precise.” You won’t find “opulent,” “generous” or “showy.” Morey’s cellar style is as clean and detailed as his wire rimmed glasses and his Zalto stemware. He’ll only agree to tasting appointments in the morning, and our visits are full of long contemplative silences.

Morey’s white Burgundies are quietly extraordinary. They’re concentrated but perfectly channeled, long but refined – immaculate fruit and stones join the merest whisper of oak. Morey makes terrific wine at every level, but today we’re focused on his simplest: Bourgogne blanc.

This cuvée shows all of the meticulous concentration of all of Morey’s wines, but without the site-specific terroir shining through. It’s not about the chiseled stoniness of Puligny, or the shimmering golden energy of Chassagne; this is about winemaker style. And boy, what a style it is.

Morey’s Bourgogne blanc usually evaporates in Futures, but this year we’ve got a bit extra. Open last night alongside a roast chicken and fall weather, this was simply delicious. The nose shows lime zest and white flowers, the mouth shows yellow plum and earth. Burghound called this “lovely,” and we think you will too.

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Thomas Morey Bourgogne blanc 2023
bottle price: $48

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Together with his son Remi, Christophe Mestre continues to make delicious, old-school Châteauneuf-du-Pape year in and year out. We have trouble keeping this wine in stock – it hits the perfect sweet spot for value, accessibility, food matching ability and crowd-pleasing popularity.

Lots of Chateauneuf-du-Pape is built for the long haul, and somewhat inaccessible young – not Mestre’s. It’s middleweight and delicious with gorgeous young fruit and friendly tannins. It ages for 5-8 years with ease, but drinks well from the moment it is in the bottle. The 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is terrific – 50% grenache, 25% mourvèdre, 20% syrah, and 5% cinsault. The nose is focused and beautiful, with lovely deep sappy fruit bursting from the glass.

Grenache makes up only half this wine, but it’s the star of the show this year – luxurious red fruit of wild cherries, raspberries and hints of provencal thyme combine to make an explosive and seductive palate. This is accessible, popular, cozy wine that will perfectly match the wintery weather outside.

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Mestre Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023
bottle price: $36

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