Author: Thomas Wilcox

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 firing on all cylinders. He has refined his cellar technique considerably, using gentler extractions, and focused his barrel work through exhaustive (some might say obsessive) experimentation and tasting. The resulting wines easily rival reds from the Côte d’Or in detail and complexity, and simply blow them away on price.

Gautier’s Givry 1er cru “Grand Berge” is from vines just in back of the domaine, and is the friendliest of the Desvignes premier crus. The 2022 is lovely and welcoming – dark and floral with a dose of toast and a rich, jammy complexion. The vintage provides ample concentration but no heat. Look for raspberry and violets, and a clean medium weight finish. Serve this with a mushroom risotto.

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Desvignes Givry 1er “Grand Berge” 2022
bottle price: $42

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We have worked with the Vessigaud family for just a few vintages, but there’s no producer we’re more excited to have in our portfolio. Vessigaud’s Demeter certified (the highest Biodynamic level) winemaking is clear, consistent and outstanding. White Burgundies from the Maconnais are gaining attention for their quality and value these days – all you need to understand why is a glass of Pouilly-Fuissé from Vessigaud. As William Kelley writes, “succulent but serious, any bottle bearing Vessigaud’s label is worth seeking out.”

The Pouilly-Fuissé “Vieilles Vignes” 2023 is the principal cuvée of the domaine, made from 20 small parcels scattered across the Fuissé part of the appellation. The vines range from 40 to 70 years old, face all four points of the compass, and grow in a variety of marl, clay and limestone soils. Elevage for this cuvée is 80% in larger, older, oak barrels, and 20% in concrete vats, all for 18 months. The result is a wine of excellent balance and complexity. A series of very hot days at the end of the 2023 growing season concentrated the grapes, both in freshness and ripeness, making this a big, well balanced Pouilly-Fuissé.

This is simply outstanding white Burgundy – in class with village Meursault or Chassagne, at half the price. If you’re a white wine fan who has yet to investigate what’s going on in the Maconnais these days, you owe it to yourself to have a look. And if you’re as familiar and excited about it as we are, this is as good a value as it gets.

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Vessigaud Pouilly-Fuissé VV 2023
bottle price: $42

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The Boursot family has grown grapes in Chambolle-Musigny since 1550. With a viticultural history older than most countries, the Boursots know their terroir inside and out. The current generation, brothers Romaric and Romault Boursot, are only the second to bottle their own wine instead of selling to a local negociant.

Jasper Morris MW writes that “the winemaking has been sharpened up by the current generation;” Neal Martin of Vinous finds the wines “superb” and writes of “a promising future.” Each visit we find wines that have gained class, polish, and real depth. Their 2021s, from a cooler, less intense vintage, are already drinking beautifully.

Boursot’s 2021 Chambolle-Musigny Nazoires is terrific. The nose is a blend of dark rugged woodsiness and silky Chambolle charm. It’s deep and pretty with classic Boursot intensity, softened by elegant terroir and a bit of time in amphora. Look for cassis, violets, and wild raspberries in the nose, with cherries, leather, and stones in the mouth.

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Boursot Chambolle-Musigny 2021
bottle price: $99

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Credit for the discovery of sparkling wine is a matter of dispute. The monks of Limoux in the South of France claim 1531 as the date of genesis; the Champenois, with their stories of widows and Benedictine monks, have certainly won the publicity war; and even the Brits, who invented glass thick enough to contain the pressure, stake a claim.

But whomever you credit with its creation or taming, the world has become quite fond of bubbles over the past few centuries. We stock Champagnes from four Grower producers, but our best value bubbles are the crémants from Maison Picamelot. William Kelley, Wine Advocate editor in chief and former Champagne reviewer, writes that “Picamelot produces some of the best sparkling wines in Burgundy,” calling them “elegant,” “excellent,” and “superb.”

Picamelot’s best value cuvée is their “Les Terroirs” Brut NV. This cuvée combines three grapes from three corners of Burgundy — Pinot Noir from the Côte de Nuits, Chardonnay from the Côte de Beaune, and Aligoté from the Côte Chalonnaise. After its first fermentation, the wine ages on its lees for over a year, gaining complexity and richness. The result is a delicious wine that’s as honest a representation of Burgundy as any still wine.

In the glass (we suggest skipping the flute), “les Terroirs” is bright and lively, with nice dryness and pleasant, delicate mouthfeel — an extraordinarily versatile food-pairing win, and a bargain.

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Picamelot Crémant “Terroirs” NV
bottle price: $28

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Last year we introduced Nicolas Ragot’s terrific Givrys to our portfolio, and they’ve been a real hit. Ragot is a thoughtful winemaker with a real innovative streak – he’s constantly refining his techniques, experimenting with amphoras, whole clusters, and even lighter weight bottles. He’s part of an exciting wave of winemakers pushing the limits on what’s possible from once humble appellations in the Côte Chalonnaise.

Ragot’s best wine is his Givry 1er cru Clos Jus, from perhaps the best known vineyard in Givry. The soil here has excellent drainage and unusually high iron oxide content. The resulting wines show a lovely balance of charming aromatics and refined mouthfeels. Ragot’s 2023 Clos Jus is terrific – 85% raised in barrel (40% new) and the rest in amphora, with 25% whole cluster. This recipe makes for a serious red Burgundy, and the wine has the presence and texture of a village-level Gevrey-Chambertin.

The nose is dark and sappy with impressively complex layers of spice, blackberry, cherry and stones. The mouth is rich and dense but with exceptional tension and freshness – it’s a dynamic wine in a way that much sub-$50 red Burgundy is not. Neal Martin of Vinous gave it 91 points, finding a “bouquet of crushed strawberry, cranberry and lightly pressed flower.” In the mouth he noted “fine tannins, well balanced and refined,” concluding “this is another delicious Givry from Nicolas Ragot.”

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Ragot Givry 1er “Clos Jus” 2023
bottle price: $49

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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 few critical reviews. Having tasted several vintages now, however, we’re more certain of our initial impressions: Baillot is a talented, thoughtful winemaker with excellent instincts and impressive resources.

His style is understated and elegant; low oak, plenty of stems, impeccable balance and detail. Over the weekend we opened this 2022 Volnay 1er “Mitans” at the Depot during Tomatofest, and it stopped people in their tracks. Writing about the 2023 Mitans (see November Futures this year), Neal Martin in Vinous writes “this is not a million miles away from d’Angerville in style, so yeah, it’s that good.” New though he is, we’re pretty bullish on Baillot.

Volnay’s high limestone content delivers wines of finesse and grace, and perfectly fits Baillot’s style. The 2022 Mitans is compact and full of finely channel fruit, with beautiful spice elements in the nose (cinnamon, clove) alongside violets and cassis. As with all of Baillot’s wines, the oak is minimal and perfectly integrated. This will age beautifully, but was a real treat after a few hours open on Saturday.

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Baillot Volnay 1er “Mitans” 2022
bottle price: $135

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We thought it might not be possible for Cyril Gautheron to follow his extraordinary 2022s with anything similar – but his 2023s are every bit as good, and in some cases even better. He remains a steadfast defender of classical Chablis, even amid the headwinds of market tastes and a warming climate.

Gautheron’s Chablis premier cru “Vaucoupin” vineyard has always been among our favorites – so complete and balanced is the expression from the soil that Cyril ages it entirely in stainless steel, a rarity for a Chablis Premier Cru these days. The 2023 is a triumph of restraint – beautiful, understated wine that’s friendly and pairs with just about anything.

The mouthfeel is fine and delicate, and the balance is particularly good, with freshness tied into a palate that nonetheless feels round and supple. In the nose, floral notes of acacia join the clean lemon fruit. Jasper Morris found “plenty of tension on the palate, discreet in the middle, a little richer at the finish. . . . Classy yet of medium body.” This is prototypical Chablis, and it wants for nothing.

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Gautheron Chablis 1er “Vaucoupin” 2023
bottle price: $48

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The red wines of the Loire Valley always play second fiddle to the region’s whites. But it’s a mistake to ignore them – they’re well balanced, low-alcohol, usually organic, and often exceptional values. Our favorites these days are the unblended, unoaked Cabernet Francs from the central Loire.

Celine and Didier Sanzay are fifth generation growers in Saumur-Champigny in the central Loire Valley. They craft fresh, pure Cabernet Franc in the modern Loire style — small batch, organic, wild yeasts, no fining or filtering. Their wines are delicious, affordable, and excellent for food pairing.

Their 2023 Saumur-Champigny is exactly what you want Loire Cab Franc to be: pure, joyful, unoaked, and fresh. Clean, juicy fruit bursts from the glass on the nose — think wild cherries and graphite. The mouth is fresh, fruit forward, inky, and intense, with a bold and vibrant attack and a quick clean finish. A perfect autumn red – drink this until the Beaujolais arrives next month.

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Sanzay Saumur-Champigny 2023
bottle price:  $22

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Thomas Morey makes the most precise, elegant, understated white Burgundies in our cellar. His style is one of restraint and precision. We think of them as “minimalist” white wines — what’s not there (oak, butter, heaviness) is as important as what is there.

Morey’s 2023 village-level Chassagne-Montrachet is exquisite. It’s a blend from nine parcels across the appellation, including two declassified premier crus. The wine is subtle, elegant and extremely refined – not a hair out of place. Look for golden fruits and delicate citrus tension, ripe lemons with maybe a hint of orange. It pairs beautifully with subtle dishes like sole meuniere or butter-poached scallops.

Master of Wine Jasper Morris writes of this wine: “pleasingly ripe aromatics, white fruit through the middle and an engaging long finish, staying lively all the way through – helped by the good yields from the old vines.” The only thing wrong with this wine is its scarcity.

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Thomas Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 2023
bottle price: $95

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Champagne is one of the most dynamic winegrowing regions in France today. Interest has moved away from the unvarying products from the big houses, and towards small grower producers who follow terroir and vintage variations to craft wines of character and complexity. Prices have also risen less steeply than in Burgundy and Bordeaux, and Champagnes today often provide exceptional value.

One of our favorites is Maison Jacques Robin, a tiny family-run grower Champagne house in the Côtes des Bar. This sub region of Champagne, an hour south of the main towns of Reims and Epernay, features soils with a mix of clay and kimmeridgian marl. Pinot Noir dominates the vineyards here, and the clay rich soils produce fuller, more chewy-textured Champagnes – today’s cuvée is 100% Pinot noir.

“Cuvée Kimmerdigienne” is Robin’s finest wine, and we’re currently stocking their terrific 2012 vintage. The nose is a stunner, with notes of almonds, apricots, praline, and chalk. The mouth is delicious and refined, with notes of seashell, lemon zest, kiwi, brioche and vanilla. Having spent a decade on the lees, this shows extraordinary complexity and detail, all across a concentrated , chewy texture. Whether you’re new to Champagne or already have the bug, this will impress just about anyone.

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Robin Champagne Kimmeridgienne 2012
bottle price: $85

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The 2023 Burgundies continue to delight. It’s a terrific vintage in both colors – the reds are characterful and intense with tremendous freshness and lovely fruit; the whites are vibrant and delicious, clear and compelling representations of their terroir.

The world has by now discovered St-Aubin, the once secret town tucked away up a valley between Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet. But if it’s less hidden than it once was, its wines are better than ever. At the western edge of the appellation lies a plot named “Murgers des Dents de Chiens.” Perched just up the hill from Montrachet itself, this St. Aubin premier cru is a remarkable value.

Thomas’s “Murgers des Dents de Chien” is terrific this year. The nose offers a touch of oak with the ripe orchard fruit, and in the mouth there is good amplitude across the palate. “Fresh, flavourful and full of fruit,” writes Jancis Robinson. Though this Murgers 2023 is generous in the mouth, it is more than usual a wine of finesse rather than power. This wine will best show its considerable beauty with a subtle flatfish meunière (say Grey or Dover sole).

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Thomas St-Aubin 1er “Murgers” 2023
bottle price: $58

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Stop us if you’ve heard this before: another year, another flat out delicious wine from Poggerino. 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.

The 2022 growing season in northern Italy was hot and dry just like Burgundy. But Sangiovese, a native of sunny Tuscany, is better equipped than Pinot Noir to handle drought, and Poggerino’s 2022 Chianti Classico is deep and rich without ever losing its balance.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous calls it “plush, open-knit” and “ rich,” with “intense dark red fruit” – we find it just delicious, bursting with perfectly ripe fruit and loads of dry extract. The sunny dry vintage delivered more stuffing than usual, and this is smooth, broad, and impressive, particularly for its pricepoint.

This is a terrific choice for a house red – affordable, crowd-pleasing, and seriously delicious.

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Poggerino Chianti Classico “Annata” 2022
bottle price: $28

Bottle Price: $28

Case Price: $24.58   use code POGG

 

The Domaine Boursot is a story both of Burgundy’s past and present. The estate was founded in 1550 (not a typo) by Guillaume Boursot, and has been handed down over centuries and generations in the tiny town of Chambolle-Musigny. The current winemakers, brothers Romaric and Romuald, are 15th generation vignerons farming an enviable collection of vines around the Côte de Nuits.

The family’s vines range from regional to Grand Cru, and concentrate around their hometown of Chambolle. The brothers’ recent improvements in cellar infrastructure and technology have begun to pay off – their wines get better every year, and no longer fly under the radar of the critics. Bill Nanson (Burgundy Report) calls them “delicious, consistently excellent;” Steen Öhman (Winehog) finds them “forward, quite vivid…truly exciting.” We love Boursot’s style, which combines Chambolle’s graceful essence with a sturdy, characterful core.

We’re excited to offer both of Boursot’s Bourgogne Côte d’Or cuvées, delicious bottlings from regional-level vines in Chambolle-Musigny. Both will provide immediate enjoyment and extraordinary value.

Bourgogne Côte d’Or blanc 2023 ($295/case)
We’ve never offered Boursot’s white before, but this year’s was too good to pass up. From vines in Chambolle near the RN-74, this is beautiful everyday white Burgundy. The oak treatment is extremely light and well integrated, and the wine is mostly a fruit-and-stone play. The nose shows clean lemon fruit with a hint of floral perfume and dry grape skin. The mouth is pretty, fresh, middleweight and lively. It calls for a patio and a warm summer evening rather than a magnificent Sunday feast. Useful, carefree, and a screaming bargain at under $25.

Bourgogne Côte d’Or rouge 2023 ($295/case)
Many readers will already know this cuvée, and for good reason – it’s among our favorite Bourgogne rouge as well. Like its white counterpart, this cuvée doesn’t take itself too seriously. Sure, it’s from vines in Chambolle-Musigny, a town responsible for some of the world’s finest bottles, but Boursot’s is humble, vibrant, and flat out delicious. The wine sees 25% old oak barrels (none new) and shows the faintest touch of earthy wood below the lovely fruit. That subtle Boursot rusticity that draws so many of our customers to this producer is here, but all wrapped up in a friendly, easygoing package. Another winner, and another bargain.

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Wines part of September Futures, expected December 2025 
Available by the case and half-case
Discounts do not apply, shipping extra

Biodynamic and organic agriculture is everywhere in France these days. Nearly every one of our producers is certified or in conversion, and even few those who aren’t use the lunar calendar to schedule dates for racking and bottling. It’s an encouraging trend: better soils, better environment, and better wines.

But some winemakers have been on the train for decades. The Maconnais domaine that produces Forces Telluriques has been certified biodynamic for over 30 years, and they’re true believers: minimal vineyard intervention in the vines, meticulous and hands-off winemaking. William Kelley calls them “one of the best producers in the Mâconnais“ producing “ honeyed, concentrated wines that are imbued with remarkable concentration and energy.”

The Forces Telluriques vines are between 30 and 100 years old, producing gorgeous, concentrated juice. The wine is raised in enameled vats without any oak. The 2022 vintage is superb, round and full in the mouth yet offering memorable lemony freshness (the alcohol level is just 13%). There is plenty of complexity, as mineral notes join the fruit; and the wine persists on the palate beautifully. Jasper Morris writes: “deliciously floral…amazing how such a luxurious style of chardonnay can retain elegance.”

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Forces Telluriques Viré-Clessé 2022
bottle price:  $42

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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.” And everything from the last two years of tasting them has confirmed — this is a flat out terrific year.

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. They’re more serious than a few years ago – more polished, but just as charming.

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 24 months in the bottle its youthful red fruits have mellowed a tad, and the palate has deepened and softened a beat or two. It’s still youthful and fresh, and we think it’s entering a terrific window.

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

Bottle Price: $54

3+ Bottle Price: $49   use code 3BELLAND

6+ Bottle Price: $45  use code 6BELLAND