Author: Thomas Wilcox

Champagne has a reputation as refined, elegant, and delicate. While this reputation fits much of the wine from the heart of the Champagne region, today’s wine is another story. Domaine Jacques Robin is a small grower producer in the Côtes des Bar, a satellite sub-region of Champagne an hour to the south.

The Côtes des Bar is less fussy and more friendly, and the wines match this shift. Robin’s cozy family domaine is a far cry from the glossy brochures and glitzy tasting rooms of the Côtes des Blancs. Their 100% Pinot Noir cuvées sport a broader, richer palate than many Champagnes from further north – gourmand rather than gourmet — rich, welcoming, and mouthfilling.

They’re also a comparative bargain. At under $50 we think their Secret de Sorbée cuvée is among the best values of any wine in our portfolio, with a complexity that easily outpaces $100 bottles from the big name houses. It’s fermented partially in barrel and left on the lees for over two years. The resulting wine is toasty and fresh with lovely apple fruit and floral notes.

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Robin Secret de Sorbée NV
bottle price: $49

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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.” A full lineup of his terrific 2022s are in stock now.

Gros’s humble Bourgogne Côte d’Or may cost a fraction of their famous Richebourg cuvée, but it’s a terrific value and a great representation of the domaine’s style. Fully destemmed and in barrel for 18 months, the vines come from just outside Vosne-Romanée. It’s middleweight and pretty, with red currants and violets in the nose; the mouth has mild tannins and a pleasant earthy and floral finish. This year Burghound found “good vibrancy and detail,” and Neal Martin called it “quite fleshy and dense.”

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 2022
bottle price: $36

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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.

The Macon-Verzé 2022 is flat out delicious – plenty of gras and roundness from the hot year, but with Maillet’s signature vibrant freshness.. Neal Martin called it “lovely” and awarded it 90 points, praising its “crisp nose of lemon rind and crushed stone.” He found the palate ”medium bodied with pretty white and yellow fruit.” This is one of the most popular wines in our portfolio, delicious on its own or with classic white Burgundy matches.

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Maillet Macon-Verzé 2022
bottle price: $35

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Arnaud Baillot is a bit of an anomaly in Burgundy – he has no family connection to wine or the region, and has only been making wine for six years. His wife Laure is of a storied Burgundian family (Hudelot-Noëllat), but they have short winemaking experience and almost zero reviews. We met him in a bar in Beaune last spring, and he invited us to come by to taste. And since a hidden gem is the perpetual pursuit of all importers, we squeezed an appointment in late in the afternoon of our final tasting day this spring.

We’re certainly glad we did. Baillot is a talented, thoughtful winemaker with excellent instincts and impressive resources. He makes wine from a wide array of plots around the Côte d’Or, some farmed himself, some from carefully purchased grapes. We bought  three of his delicious 2022 reds last fall, and they’ve already made many friends at warehouse tastings – chief among them his humble, delicious Bourgogne Côte d’Or.

This cuvée is lively, tasty, and eager to be drunk. The strawberry/cherry fruit is perfectly extracted, giving floral notes of violets and roses. It’s fully destemmed, from vines near Pommard and Volnay, and shows persistence and depth without sacrificing elegance. At just 10% new oak, this is a lithe, modern red Burgundy bursting with vibrancy and real style. In short, we think Baillot has the makings of a star – but don’t take our word for it…

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Baillot Bourgogne Côte d’Or 2022
bottle price: $38

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The pursuit of freshness is a perennial struggle for white Burgundy vignerons these days. They’ve adapted to warmer, drier summers by delaying pruning, harvesting earlier, and tweaking their cellar work. But Chardonnay loves the sun, and inattentive growers can end up with overripe, high alcohol wines.

Aligoté has always been Chardonnay’s distant understudy. It’s been part of Burgundian winemaking for centuries, but has never been responsible for the region’s famous white wines. But warmer drier summers have meant that this naturally bright grape varietal has taken on added depth and complexity. Winemakers are now taking the grape more seriously, and the results are really exciting.

Our favorite so far is Vincent Boyer’s, a superstar winemaker crafting classic white Burgundies in Meursault and Puligny. He gives his Aligoté the same extended elevage (nearly two years in old barrels and concrete eggs) as his Chardonnays, and the resulting wine is simply exquisite. Burghound found the 2021 “exceptionally fresh” and “very well-detailed” with notes of “lemon rind, green apple, and spice.” He awarded it his “outstanding” designation, and concluded simply, “good stuff.”

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Boyer-Martenot Aligoté 2021
bottle price: $29

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The Northern Rhône represents (for now) the northern limit of where Syrah can ripen fully. As with many grapes, the area of northernmost range produces the most elegant and delicate expression of the grape – think South African Shiraz, now picture its opposite.

But recent warmer drier summers have changed the character in frontier regions a bit – in the Northern Rhône the reds have added a bit of weight and intensity. The best winemakers, however, have used this extra ripeness to support (rather than drown out) their classical style. Winemaker Denis Basset of the Domaine Saint Clair is one winemaker who walks this line between tradition and modernity with skill and grace.

We’re still enjoying the last few bottles of Basset’s terrific 2020s. Despite a hot, drought-filled summer, they show excellent freshness and have gained beautiful complexity in the bottle. The 2020 Crozes-Hermitage “Fleur Enchantée” is all of 13% alcohol – refreshingly fresh despite its abundant dark fruit. The nose shows clove and blackberry, with black pepper and hints of earth – the oak is barely perceptible. The mouth is young and juicy with dark tannins and plenty of zip. The blackberry/plum fruit joins a fresh minerality and long dusty finish.

This is casual, weeknight Syrah that way overperforms its $5/glass pricetag.

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Saint-Clair Crozes-Hermitage
“Fleur Enchantée” 2020
bottle price: $25

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The 2022 red Burgundies are quickly becoming one our favorite vintages. From the warmest, driest year in recent memory, winemakers managed to craft vibrant and beautifully balanced wines, sporting low alcohol and classic Burgundian finesse. They’re modern in their sunny polish, but traditional in their middleweight, elegant textures. If this is the future of Burgundy, sign us up.

Philippe Cheron’s entire lineup of 2022s are wonderful, but today we’re focused on his regional cuvée, a Bourgogne Côte d’Or from vines near Gevrey-Chambertin. This wine transcends the genre in a way few other Bourgognes do – if you told us it was a village Gevrey we’d believe you – humble in appellation, but striking in taste. Cheron used 100% whole clusters, adding definition to the dark fruit.

This is the most complex and elegant red Bourgogne in our portfolio. The nose is deep and beautiful with intense dark fruit but excellent lift – there’s a stony earthiness behind the plums that’s balanced and enticing. The mouth is clear, long, and nimble, bouncing from wild cherries to anise to black pepper and back to cassis. Burghound praised its “racy, delicious, well detailed flavors.” It offers immediate enjoyment, but should cellar a year or two with ease.

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Couvent Bourgogne Côte d’Or 2022
bottle price: $45

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Pierre Vessigaud is our newest white Burgundy source, and he’s among our most exciting finds in years. A committed, Demeter certified biodynamic vigneron (the highest organic classification), Vessigaud’s wines are extraordinary in their complexity and sophistication. He’s brand new to our portfolio, but his wines have already stolen the show at several Depot tastings.

Vessigaud’s commitment to organic viticulture translates to chardonnay of superb purity and clarity, with vibrant texture and perfect balance. His winemaking style is understated and regal – he uses no new oak in any of his cuvées, opting instead to give the wines long, careful elevages in steel tank and older barrels. As William Kelley puts it, “succulent but serious, any bottle bearing Vessigaud’s label is worth seeking out.”

His Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes cuvée is a combination of twenty plots around the appellation with an average age of 60 years. The wine sees 18 months of elevage (20% in tank, 80% in oak between 7 and 15 years old), and shows terrific balance of fruit, stones, and wood. The nose is expressive and pure, with a hint of exotic fruit joining the classical Chardonnay notes. It’s a remarkable amount of flavor and style packed into a sub-$40 bottle.

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Vessigaud Pouilly-Fuissé VV 2022
bottle price: $39

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We love discovering new wines and domaines – exciting new sources full of energy and innovation. But sometimes we open a bottle that reminds us of just how good some of the wines already in our portfolio are. Last week we enjoyed a bottle of Goubert’s Gigondas “Cuvée Florence,” and it was simply outstanding.

The Cartier family reserves their finest fruit each year for their “Cuvée Florence,” the flagship wine of their domaine, started 35 years ago after the birth of their daughter Florence (now the winemaker). Josh Raynolds of Vinous called Goubert “one of the appellations most venerable domaines.”

Of the 2020 Florence Jancis Robinson writes, “Quite the most intriguing nose with cassis and mineral notes to the fore. Rich and concentrated with oak present but used to good effect. Great depth of fruit and mighty but refined tannins that drive the wine on the finish.” Open at the warehouse last month, we found this week the oak and tannin hand blended seamlessly into the lush fruit. There are many happy years ahead of this wine, but it’s a cozy, rich, wintertime delight today.

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Goubert Gigondas “Florence” 2020
bottle price: $58

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Chablis continues to be an excellent source for well-priced everyday white Burgundy – weeknight bottles that are crisp, useful, and delicious. But high-end Chablis can be extraordinary. Cuvées from Chablis’s seven famous Grand Crus show a depth and power that’s remarkable for a white wine.

Romain Collet’s finest wine is his Grand Cru Valmur, and it’s particularly good in 2022. It’s the product of impressive terroir in a concentrated vintage, but Romain has expertly balanced Chablis’s signature minerality with the concentration. Neal Martin of Vinous gave 94 points citing “marine influence: oyster shell and a tang of seaweed.” He continues “the palate is well-balanced, with a keen thread of acidity…smooth in texture, almost creamy towards the finish, it contains plenty of energy.”

Lots of Chablis has gotten richer in recent vintages, and some cuvées have fallen into the overoaking trap. But Valmur has always been big wine, with more than enough structure to handle barrel aging. The nose shows explosive and delicious, showing gardenia, green tea, and baked lemon flavors, with a bright chalky stoniness that enhances the fruit. The mouth is simply packed with flavor — it’s bold and rich, but vibrant in texture. A grand wine for a grand occasion.

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Collet Chablis Grand Cru “Valmur” 2022
bottle price: $85

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Regular readers will know Gautier Desvignes, the humble, friendly, thirtysomething winemaker who has transformed his modest family domaine into a top name in the region. William Kelley writes that Desvignes is “one of the leading lights in the Côte Chalonnaise,” and we wholeheartedly agree. Gautier’s 2022s show a talented winemaker at the top of his game.

The 2022 red Burgundies are deep and concentrated, a product of the hottest and driest year on record. And yet they are astonishingly well balanced and sport fine detail and low alcohol. It’s a look (perhaps) at the Burgundy of the future: ripe, lush fruit and dark color, but with delicate balance and lovely tension.

Gautier’s village-level 2022 Givry “Champ la Dame” is a punchy, characterful, flat out delicious red Burgundy. It bursts with dark Pinot fruit, friendly tannins, and a sturdy core. This wouldn’t be out of place in the Côte d’Or, and with a humble appellation like Givry on the label, it provides tremendous value.

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Desvignes Givry “Champ la Dame” 2022
bottle price: $36

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The Loire Valley is an enormous region, stretching more than half-way across France. Indeed it’s better thought of as three regions: Upper Loire in the east (Sancerre), Lower Loire in the West (Muscadet), and Central Loire between. The Central Loire is the most diverse, producing white, red, rosé, sparkling, sweet and dry wines – but its most famous product is Vouvray.

Chenin Blanc from Vouvray is one of France’s cornerstone wines, in production since at least the 9th Century. Our source here is Catherine Dhoye-Deruet of the Domaine de la Fontainerie – her family has made wine here for 300 years, and the domaine has been under her steady guidance for the last 30.

Many readers will know her classic, lightweight dry “Vouvray Sec” which has quickly become a favorite in our shop since its introduction last year. Her second, more serious cuvée comes from “Les Brûlés,” a south-facing plot of chalk limestone soils. The extra sun and deeper soils add more depth to the wine, and the 2022 Vouvray “Coteau les Brûlés” is deep and floral. The nose is perfumed and lovely with notes of baked apple crisp; the mouth is dry but fuller and riper than the Sec. Again there’s no oak, but there’s more savory spice behind the lush fruit.

Serve this with spicy fish tacos, or sushi with wasabi and pickled ginger – this wine can handle some flavor competition.

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Fontainerie Vouvray Sec “Coteau les Brûlés” 2022
bottle price: $28

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Poggerino is often cited as a reference point for Chianti Classico. Vinous writes of their Poggerino’s “remarkable purity and nuance,” and Rajat Parr calls their wines “excellent” and “some of the purest expressions of the grape in Italy.”

Poggerino’s Chianti Classico Riserva is from the “Bugialla” vineyard, and these days we are loving the 2018 vintage. Antonio Galloni called it “bold, dramatic wine,” with an ample, generous” mouthfeel and notes of “cherry, mocha, lavender and licorice.” Robert Parker’s reviewer found “impeccable balance…with added complexity.”

If the 2018 Riserva isn’t at peak maturity, it’s awfully close.  Particularly with a decanter, this is flat out beautiful wine today, full of depth and complexity, at once muscular and subtle. Fruit, earth, flowers and spice all in perfect harmony.

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Poggerino Chianti Riserva 2018
bottle price: $45

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It’s easy to forget just how big Bordeaux is. The region produces more than a quarter of the wine made in France – more than Burgundy, Champagne, the Loire and Rhône Valleys, and Alsace combined. The top Bordeaux chateaux get most of the press, but there’s an ocean of wine, much of it quite interesting, in a far more reasonable price category.

A case in point, today’s discovery: Chateau Roquegrave. We stumbled upon this source last spring during our visit to the area, far off the beaten path at the northern end of the Haut-Médoc. Their humble Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend is simply delicious, and has earned Cru Bourgeois status. We tasted several vintages, but the intense, jam-packed 2020 caught our eye.

Wine club members received this wine last month, and several wrote back to say how tasty (and well priced) the wine was. We’re excited to introduce it to the full list today. It’s rich and smooth with deep violet, wild cherries, and plums; there’s gentle tannin to keep it in line, well integrated oak, and a clean savory finish. A delicious workhorse Bordeaux that’s unimpressed with itself.

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Roquegrave Haut-Médoc 2020
bottle price: $25

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The Maconnais is a charming, impossibly picturesque subregion of Burgundy at its southern end. Quaint stone farmhouses and Charolais cattle dot a rolling countryside that lazily switches between lush green pastures and fields of vines. The wines coming from this region have never been better, and we’re thrilled to have expanded our portfolio here substantially in the last few years.

One shining star form this region is a family in Viré-Clessé firmly to organic and biodynamic principles since before it was trendy. We discovered these folks decades ago when we lived in the area, bought this wine enthusiastically for many years on behalf of friends and family. Today we’re delighted that we are now able to offer the results of this superb winemaking under a private label: “Forces Telluriques.” 

In recent years the domaine has won praise from today’s top writers. The Wine Advocate’s William Kelley writes of the wine’s “remarkable concentration and energy.” Jasper Morris MW calls them “brilliant…  refined, pure, complex, lush.” Raised exclusively en cuve (no oak), it’s an exquisite expression of pure chardonnay.

The 2021 Forces Telluriques is a triumph. The domaine harvested slowly, over about 15 days, achieving 13.2% naturally – a real feat in a cool vintage. The resulting wine is superb, showing ripeness without weight, a wine that is lively and alive. The Wine Advocate’s William Kelley gave 93 points, finding “Aromas of clear honey, white flowers, beeswax and sweet spices” calling it “a suave and vibrant wine that’s satiny, bright and fine-boned, concluding with a bright, gently exotic finish.”

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Forces Telluriques Viré-Clessé 2021
bottle price: $45

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