Author: Thomas Wilcox

In real estate and winemaking, location is everything – and nowhere is this more true than in Burgundy. A few yards difference in vine location can amount to a few extra zeros on the end of the price. Every wine from Vosne-Romanée – the most famous winemaking town in the world – is at minimum worthy of interest. But Vosne is not a monolith, and each corner of the tiny appellation has its own expression.

Nearly all the slopes in Vosne (and Burgundy for that matter) face some combination of East and South. But today’s wine comes from an unusual North-facing plot, and this fact defines its identity. “Les Barreaux” lies atop the slope in Vosne, adjoining the Grand Cru Richebourg and the Premier Crus Aux Brûlées and Henri Jayer’s famous “Cros Parantoux.” The view is spectacular, but the wine is somehow even better.

Barreaux’s northern exposition has historically been a limitation, and likely why it’s classified at the village level – the less sunny slope has made it hard to ripen fully. But in the new normal of hot, dry growing seasons, this exposition has become an asset. And in 2023 it produced something spectacular.

The 2023 Vosne “Barreaux” from Couvent is strikingly good. The balance is impeccable – 13% alcohol despite the heat of the vintage, with soaring aromatics and a gorgeous silky core. Jasper Morris gave the 2023 five stars (the second time in four years) and praised its “deep glowing purple, with a pure racy dark cherry fruit.” Overall, he called it “a really fine village Vosne with impeccable length.”

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Couvent Vosne-Romanée “Barreaux” 2023
bottle price: $125

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Wine writer Rajat Parr describes St. Aubin as the “insider’s white Burgundy.” Wedged in a valley between Chassagne and Puligny, this town produces white Burgundy with hints of Chassagne and Puligny’s golden richness, but a less stratospheric price tag. St-Aubin has become rarer and pricier like everything else in Burgundy, but it’s still far more affordable than its famous neighbors.

At the western edge of the St. Aubin appellation lies a plot named “Murgers des Dents de Chiens.” Perched just up the hill from Montrachet itself, this St. Aubin 1er cru is a remarkable value – real, classy premier cru white Burgundy, but somehow still under $70/bot with St-Aubin’s (and Gérard Thomas’s) friendly pricing. The nose is deeper and slightly darker than the village level, with a hint more of woodsiness. The mouth is classic, with lemon curd sucrocité and a beautiful beeswax finish – it shows a similar grapeskin note as the village, but there’s more flesh around it.

Jancis Robinson’s reviewer was effusive: “Refined, understated. A very fine example of the best of Chardonnay from the Côte de Beaune but without the elevated prices of the better-known appellations. So precise! I love the focus here. Fresh, clean, mineral, the concentration is there but you don’t really see it until you let the wine linger in the mouth. Great result!”

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Thomas St-Aubin 1er cru
“Murgers des Dents de Chien” 2024
bottle price: $65

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The Hill of Hermitage has been famous for centuries, and with good reason. John Livingston-Learmonth, author of the definitive Wines of the Northern Rhône, calls it “the king of the Northern Rhône,” producing “the most complete and authoritative of all Rhône wines.”

Our newest northern Rhône source is Yann Chave. He’s not related to the famous Jean-Louis Chave in Mauves, but his wines are terrific – beautiful interpretations of signature Northern Rhône terroirs. Jancis Robinson writes of “really artisanal wine with masses of integrity and bags of personality.” The Wine Advocate’s reviewer writes “Chave’s continuing progress makes this one of the most exciting estates in Crozes-Hermitage.

Yann Chave’s Hermitage 2023 is everything we hoped to find: a beautiful floral nose dominated by violets, superb balance across the palate, plenty of concentration without heaviness, and a long, lingering finish. We’re not the only ones to be impressed. Vinous scored it a 94, finding “early notes of alluring orange rind, crushed violets, white pepper, raspberry compote and softly suggested cedar.” They found the wine “bursting with aromatic complexity and masterful refinement.”

It’s probably not your next by-the-glass house wine, but it’s less than half the price of the other Chave’s Hermitage. Sit on this for as long as you like, or open with a decanter this fall.

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JL Chave Hermitage 2023
bottle price:  $165

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Stop us if you’ve heard this before: another year, another flat out delicious wine from Poggerino – and still a bargain. Italian wine represents a tiny corner of our portfolio, but Piero Lanza’s impeccably balanced wines are some of the most popular in our store. They drink well young, age beautifully, and provide exceptional value.

The 2023 growing season in northern Italy was hot and dry just like Burgundy. But Sangiovese, a native of sunny Tuscany, is equipped to handle drought; combine that with well timed late-summer rains, and the 2023 Chiantis are magnificent. Poggerino’s 2023 Chianti Classico Annata is as good as ever: deep and rich without ever losing its balance.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous calls it a “very pretty wine,” finding “dark red cherry, leather, lavender spice and dried herbs…an open-knit, midweight wine that has so much to offer.” He concludes: “pliant and inviting, with tons of nuance, the Chianti Classico is an absolute delight in 2023.” Tasting at the vineyard in October, we also found it delicious – a deep, beautiful wild cherry nose, perfectly ripe fruit and loads of dry extract, but a (welcome) beat less intense than last year. The tannins are silky and lovely, with vibrant freshness amid the gorgeous fruit.

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Poggerino Chianti Classico Annata 2023
bottle price:  $29

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The 2022 red Burgundies are shaping up to be an extraordinary vintage. Expectations were high from the start: “beautiful and bountiful… very good wines and plenty of them” wrote Jasper Morris. William Kelley called them on release “succulent, suave and charming.” The last year of tasting them in our homes and at the warehouse has confirmed – this is an all around terrific vintage.

The fruit is modern and ripe, the result of a very hot, very dry growing season. And yet the wines show impeccable balance, with low alcohols and excellent freshness. Roger Belland’s 2022 reds are some of the best he’s made, coinciding with a shift in winemaking style: they’ve dialed back the oak, extended elevage, added whole clusters.

The Santenay 1er cru “Beauregard” 2022 is simply delicious, and just getting started. Tasting just after bottling, Burghound noted “fine richness…suave and succulent flavors…could be enjoyed young but has the stuffing to replay up to a decade of keeping.” Over the past three years in the bottle its youthful vigor has mellowed, and the palate has deepened and softened a beat or two. It’s still lively and fresh, and we think it’s in a terrific maturity window today.

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Belland Santenay 1er rouge “Beauregard” 2022
bottle price: $54

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Lots of high end red Burgundy is ethereal, subtle, and delicate – but not all of it. Certain towns – Gevrey, Pommard, Nuits-St-Georges come to mind – combine Pinot’s natural grace and elegance with a rich muscly intensity. The result is often dynamic and delicious.

Today we’re suggesting a Nuits-St-Georges from a special plot of 80 year old vines of the Domaine du Couvent. Winemaker Philipe Cheron’s grandfather bought them in 1938, and the produce a gorgeous, inky, highly concentrated wine. Cheron leans into this spirit by using 100% whole clusters, crafting a wine that is, in his words, “dark, somber and rich.”

We love this wine every vintage, and had a chance to open the 2021 over the weekend. It’s terrific and with some time in a glass, a real stunner. It’s dense and sleek; the rich stem fermented core is entirely enveloped in deep plum fruit. Jasper Morris gave 93-95 points, calling it “gorgeous, airy, floral.” Serve from a decanter with a meat from the grill.

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Couvent Nuits-St-Georges 1er “Aux Murgers” 2021
bottle price: $115

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Vincent Boyer continues to steer his family’s Meursault domaine with tact and style. His sister Sylvie joined him a few years ago – her passion is viticulture, and her focus on the vineyards has freed Vincent up to focus on cellar work. Today the frère-et-soeur team is at the top of their game, turning out magnificent wines year and year out.

The Boyers’ village-level Meursault “Ormeau” cuvée comes from vines in clay rich soil planted by the siblings’ grandmother in 1924 – celebrating their centenary last year. Ormeau is prototypical Meursault: rich, opulent, shimmering white Burgundy that fills out the mouth. As always with Boyer the balance is impeccable – Burghound cites “underlying tension” and “a subtle bead of minerality” with a “clean and nicely dry finale,” concluding “delicious.”

If you’ve heard white Burgundy described as “weight without heaviness,” then you know what this wine is like. It’s packed full of fruit and flavor, but carries tremendous lift. Serve this with something impressive – lobster risotto, for instance – or use as an aperitif to set the mood for a grand meal.

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Boyer-Martenot Meursault “Ormeau” 2023
bottle price: $99

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On a hot summer day our choice of wine is usually white (Chablis/Muscadet) or rosé. But sometimes the moment or meal calls for a red, and we like to be well prepared. Reds served cool have become popular in recent years, but it has to be the right red.

Beaujolais provides an excellent example. Much of our Beaujolais portfolio has gotten more serious (and way more impressive) in recent years – Dupré-Goujon and Fred Berne are making gamays as impressive as many pinots from the north (see our current July Futures). But today’s cuvée is less serious and just as fun.

Many readers will know Pierre Vessigaud for his extraordinary white Burgundies from the Maconnais. But it turns out their lone red – a cru Beaujolais – is just as tasty. It’s from St-Amour, the northernmost Beaujolais Cru that lies at the border between the Maconnais and Beaujolais. The nose is crisp, fruit forward, and very clean – look for notes of redcurrant and honeysuckle. The mouth is mid/low tannin, with delicate acidity and a clean fresh finish.

It’s dying to be paired with a burger off the grill or a summer corn salad. Take it to your neighborhood barbecue and you’ll be the first ones invited back.

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Vessigaud St-Amour 2024
bottle price: $28

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At a time when White Burgundy from the Côte d’Or is both pricier and harder to come by, the Maconnais is a refuge for those seeking top quality wine at a reasonable price. We discovered the Domaine Pierre Vessigaud after reading fulsome praise from William Kelley, and the wines continue to show beautifully, both at the regional level and in Pouilly-Fuissé. Kelley wrote: “Succulent but serious, any bottle bearing Vessigaud’s name is worth seeking out.”

Vessigaud’s Macon-Fuissé “Les Taches” comes from clay-limestone soils right next to the Pouilly-Fuissé border, and the proximity to fancier terroir is clear. The elevage is all in 500 liter barrels for 12 months, followed by six months en cuve. We’ve come to appreciate Vessigaud as a master of oaking: like a chef adding salt to a dish, it provides support for the rest of the flavors without ever once becoming an obvious flavor itself.

The 2024 Macon-Fuissé “Les Taches” is terrific, far overperforming its humble appellation. It is elegant, with particularly nice length for its level. The nose is gorgeous and floral; the mouth is rich and smooth with perfectly balanced acidity. It’s a dead ringer for a Pouilly-Fuissé, and one any white Burgundy lover will want in the cellar.

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Vessigaud Macon-Fuissé “Les Taches” 2024
bottle price: $32

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For many years we have known the Domaine Gautheron as a low profile address offering consistently excellent wines in a style that is truly Chablisien. Jasper Morris MW calls Cyril Gautheron “a superb producer making wines in a crisp cool classically Chablis style.” The 2024 vintage provides a ringing affirmation of this praise: steely, dry wines full of tension and elegance, and a beautiful showcase for Cyril’s skills and the subtleties of Chablis terroir.

Gautheron’s Chablis “Cuvée Emeraude” offers bone-dry clarity and precision, with pure lemon fruit that stretches out across the palate and finishes very clean. Jasper Morris called it “a bundle of white stone energy,” praising its “fresh and dynamic approach,” its “remarkably long finish,” and its “distinguished nose.” He awarded it five stars and predicted a rating of 90 to 93 points.

This is perfect summer wine. Serve with sushi, or oysters, or a bowl of mussels.

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Gautheron Chablis “Emeraude” 2024
bottle price: $36

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Winemaker Yann Chave returned home to his family’s Northern Rhône estate 30 years ago, and since then he’s earned an impressive reputation. Jancis Robinson writes of “really artisanal wine with masses of integrity and bags of personality.” The Wine Advocate’s reviewer writes “Chave’s continuing progress makes this one of the most exciting estates in Crozes-Hermitage.

We were really taken with Chave’s wines when we tasted through samples in Beaune in March, and our initial impressions have been confirmed since their arrival in our warehouse – they’re vibrant, beautifully balanced, and extremely complex for their level. A few years after his return home, Yann identified an old vine parcel in Crozes-Hermitage as worthy of its own cuvée, and began producing Crozes-Hermitage “Le Rouvre.”

The 2023 “Rouvre” is an old-vine cuvée wine with extra intensity and length, far more serious and interesting than most wine from the appellation. Chave deftly avoids the trap of overoaking, and the wine shows gorgeous savory complexity amid the lush fruit. At 13% alcohol it’s classic Northern Rhône Syrah: dark in complexion but with soaring aromatics and tremendous lift. Vinous’s reviewer awarded this wine 91 points, finding “black pepper and graphite accents, meticulously accompanied by finely tuned blackberry and dried violets.”

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Yann Chave Crozes-Hermitage “Rouvre” 2023
bottle price: $49

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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 biodynamic techniques.

Garenne’s cuvées aren’t showy or innovative – they’re honest, punchy, simply delicious Sancerre. We import four  ofcuvées, 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 2024 Bouffants is the best wine they’ve made to date. A rainy vintage meant the grapes ripened more slowly, retaining their acidity and freshness.  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” 2024
bottle price: $36

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Wine may be France’s most famous culinary export, but it’s hardly alone. The French have plenty of protected designations: for cheese, of course, but also for chicken, mustard, lentils, ham, oysters, butter, nuts and even salt. One of the pleasures of spending time in France is discovering the distinctive foods each region proudly produces.

Normandy is a beautiful rural region along the English Channel coast in northern France. Along with scallops, oysters, butter, and a magnificent cheese called Pont l’Evêque, Normandy is renowned for its cider. Apples and pears have been grown, pressed and fermented here for more than a thousand years – an ancient product of the rugged coastal landscape. About a decade ago we imported some tasty ciders from neighboring Brittany, and we’re delighted to announce that this year we’re giving the genre another try.

Cyprien Lireux is a thirtysomething artisan cidermaker who left business school and decided to return home to work his ancestral land. His father and grandfather had taught him the art of cidermaking from the apples of their small family farm, and upon his return Cyprian began producing and selling cider commercially. He’s since purchased several small local abandoned orchards, and expanded production further.

He sent us samples this spring and we tried them alongside a range of domestic and French ciders for comparison. The Lireux ciders were tasters’ universal favorites, and we’re delighted to introduce them to our lineup. They’ll be featured in July Futures out next Sunday, but we’re offering an early look at them today. We expect these to arrive in September, just in time for autumn enjoyment.

Norman ciders and American craft ciders diverge in several important ways, but chiefly in the types of apples used. American cidermakers mostly use native sweet apples (Macintosh, Empire, Cortland, etc), but Norman cidermakers use apples most people would find inedible if eaten raw. There are thousands of ancient apple varieties across France, usually classified into four types: sweet, bittersweet, bitter and sharp. The ciders made from these apples are less about sweetness and more about tension and texture – they result in crisp glasses that are very dry, and relatively low in alcohol.

Our first suggestion is called “Soixante.Quarante,” named for the 60/40 proportion of sharp vs. bitter apples. This was our tasters’ favorite – bone dry, pleasantly herbal and savory in the nose, with great tension in the mouth. There’s a delicate salinity alongside notes of lemon peel and quince with a hint of bitterness. A faint tannin underlies the mouthfeel, and at 6.5% abv it’s lively and easy to enjoy. Its wine equivalent is probably a very dry Petit Chablis. Serve this with grilled fish, mussels, or roasted chicken.

Our second pick, called “Premises” is a perry, made from seven different heritage varieties of pear, and just as dry as the Soixante.Quarante cider. It’s brighter and prettier than the cider, with notes of lime, grapefruit, dried flowers, and a pleasant minerality. It’s more wine-like than the cider, and the match of zesty fruit and brinyness is really delicious. For a wine comparison we’d look to Muscadet; this poiré clocks in at 4.5% alcohol. Pair with sushi, tuna tartare, steamer clams, or fresh goat cheese.

Finally, back in the cider category, we’re suggesting Cyprien’s “Parcimonie” cuvée. It’s a more serious cider – the apples undergo a 2-4 week maturation in wood crates before pressing – and shows more complexity than the 60/40. Cyprien sources 20 different varieties of apple from twelve different vineyards; roughly 25% each from the four categories (sweet, bittersweet, bitter and sharp). This has a deeper nose than the 60/40, with more fruit and woodsy notes. (One of our tasters even noted eucalyptus.) At 5.7% alcohol it’s still dry and zippy, but has just a splash of residual sugar – not enough to be considered off-dry, but more than the first two. Think Brut for this one, and Extra-Brut for the first two. For a wine comparison, we’d pick a mostly dry Chenin blanc. This should drink well on its own, or with fresh soft pretzels.

All of these come in 750ml bottles, and all three are $235/case. We don’t anticipate cider will become a substantial part of the Ansonia portfolio, but we were really taken with these – and with all under $20/bot, they’re ripe for experimentation. Available by the case, or a sampler pack of 4 each; quantities uncertain, these may sell out – if still available next week we’ll include in Futures.

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Lireux Cidre 60/40:  $235/case
Lireux Poiré:  $235/case
Lireux Cidre Parcimonie:  $235/case

Lireux Sampler (4 each):  $235/case

 

Email Tom to order: orders@ansoniawines.com

We’d bet that many readers have garages bigger than the Domaine Malmont’s winemaking space. We work with some small-production winemakers, but even by our standards Malmont’s winery is tiny. The space attached to winemaker Nicolas Haeni’s house in Séguret looks more like a large tool shed than a winemaking operation.

But from this tiny place Nicolas crafts some of the most exciting wines in our portfolio. His vines are high in the hills to the east of Séguret, a series of terraced vineyards that he farms with minimal intervention. His winemaking is similarly restrained, where he uses only ambient wild yeasts, and allows the fermentation to proceed at its own pace. The result is honest wines full of precision and complexity.

His 2025 Séguret Rosé is delicious. This year it’s 85% grenache and 15% syrah, and as with all of Nicolas Hanei’s wines, impeccably balanced. Rosé from the Rhône Valley is always among our favorites, where savory notes of the rugged southern grapes blend beautifully with fruit and aromatics. The 2025 is smooth and fresh, and has a gorgeous nose of wild cherries and melon. The mouth is clean and crisp with a faint note of grapeskin and a burst of stony freshness. Serve with chicken or summer vegetables on the grill.

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Malmont Séguret Rosé 2025
bottle price: $25

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On a hot summer day our choice of wine is usually white (Chablis/Muscadet) or rosé . But sometimes the moment or meal calls for a red, and we like to be well prepared. Reds served cool have had a turn in the spotlight in recent years, and we delight in their rediscovered popularity. But it has to be the right red – cold Volnay or St-Emilion is mostly just tannin and acid.

We usually feature Beaujolais in our July Futures catalog, timing it to arrive in the fall for autumn enjoyment. But this spring we discovered a few cuvées we couldn’t resist bringing in early for hot weather enjoyment. Dupré-Goujon’s new carefree summertime red is fresh, uncomplicated and simply delicious.

Dupré-Goujon’s Cru Beaujolais cuvées make a compelling case for taking the genre more seriously – so much so that we’ve entirely sold out. But for their new “Equinoxe de Printemps” cuvée their goal is a simpler wine that’s readier to drink early – less extraction, less elevage, just delightful gamay fruit. Grown on granite and sandy soils, this is exuberant wine, with lovely low tannins and perfectly judged acidity. The nose shows raspberries and violets, the mouth is crunchy and flat out delicious. Serve a bit cool on a sunny backyard patio.

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Dupré-Goujon Côte de Brouilly
“Equinox de Printemps” 2024
bottle price: $25

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