Author: Thomas Wilcox

Une fête.  Americans don’t drink enough sparkling wine. By restricting its use to special occasions, we ignore its many other capabilities: a classy way to welcome guests, a gentle start to a meal, or a versatile pairing with an enormous range of foods. The French are more apt to treat sparkling wine as just that — a wine that sparkles, to be enjoyed like any other.

But if you need a celebration to pop a cork, there will be no shortage of them in the next few weeks. The clear winner as the prettiest bottle in our stock is the sparkling rosé from Picamelot in Burgundy, with its pink and silver habillage. If it’s Valentine’s Day you plan to celebrate this month, this one’s an easy match. If it’s Mardi Gras, then something colorful and celebratory should fit right in. And if Presidents Day is your cup of tea, we’ll remind you that none of the founding fathers were exactly teetotalers.

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Charmant.  Happily, the contents of a bottle of this Crémant Rosé are every bit as attractive as the appearance. Made entirely from Pinot Noir, this shows a lovely balance of fruit and floral notes, with good fresh acidity. The wine is perfectly dry, but has a pleasant creaminess alongside notes of strawberry and lemon.

Serve this in a white wine glass (skip the flute), and pair it with anything from beignets to chocolate covered strawberries. And if there are a few bottles left over after this month’s festivities, try pairing this with a regular meal you might serve with white wine. The winemakers at Picamelot suggest asian foods, or something else with some spice.

 

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PICAMELOT Crémant Rosé
Ansonia Retail: $24
case, half-case: $18/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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Violets and Smoke. Burgundy is best known for its wines of refinement and elegance. The delicate, often ethereal Pinot Noirs from towns like Vosne-Romanée and Chambolle-Musigny are unlike any others in the world, and rightly receive the majority of Burgundy’s press. But there’s a whole other world of red Burgundy to the South of the Côte d’Or.

Burgundy’s Côte Chalonnaise is home to towns like Mercurey, Givry, and Rully, where Pinot Noir takes on a heartier, brisker form. These are red Burgundies that trade elegance for rusticity, more comfortable in a Parisian bistro than a three-star restaurant. Today’s wine, a Givry 1er cru, perfectly embodies the vibrant, rugged side of Pinot Noir.

Everyman.  Many readers have become fans of the Desvignes Givry “Meix au Roy” we released last month. (So much so, in fact, that we’re out.) Devignes’ second wine is a Givry 1er cru “la Grande Berge,” which is similar to the first, but with more tannin and richness. The tannins here are juicy and dense — you wouldn’t mistake them for Vosne-Romanée, but you wouldn’t mistake the price either.

The Givry 1er 2012 shows dark currants and cherries in the nose alongside toasty oak. The mouth is full, rich, and almost chewy, with notes of plum and wild cherries. Grown in a tiny village surrounded by rolling green hills, this wine captures the heartier, more paysanne side of Burgundy — and sometimes, that’s just what we’re looking for.

 

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DESVIGNES Givry 1er cru 2012
Ansonia Retail: $29
case, half-case: $25/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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Complexity.  Nicolas Maillet is our new source for chardonnay from southern Burgundy. His wines are classic examples of white Maconnais — cool, round chardonnay with excellent balance and little or no oak. If the Côte d’Or is home to Burgundies of pedigree and refinement, then the Maconnais is home to Burgundies full of vibrancy and joy.

Maillet takes this idea one step further, vinifying his wines using biodynamic viticulture, indigenous yeasts, and a slow, months-long fermentation. The result is wine of remarkable complexity and purity, a veritable symphony of flavors in the glass. Maillet is a man full of passion — for his vineyards, for his rootstocks, for biodynamics, and for the purity of his harvest. And he manages to translate all of this energy into truly extraordinary wines.

Passion.  Maillet doesn’t lack confidence in his techniques, and after a sip of his wine, you won’t either. His Macon-Verzé 2013 shows a dazzling array of notes in the nose, including white flowers, green tea, tangerine, and apricot. The mouth is classic Maillet — rich and long and pure, but with striking freshness and a beautiful baked lemon core.

With no oak to overshadow the pure fruit, this is Maconnais at its best, showing beautiful, unadulterated ripe chardonnay fruit. So complete is the palate of this wine that it requires no accompaniment from food. Should hunger or houseguests force your hand, we suggest cow’s milk cheeses like Comté or Beaufort. Depending on the time of day, a bowl of steamed mussels would not be unwelcome.

 

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MAILLET Macon-Verzé 2013
Ansonia Retail: $28
case, half-case: $22.95/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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SAHN-tuh-nay. On most maps, Santenay is the last town in Burgundy’s famous Côte d’Or. Forever second fiddle to its famous neighbor Chassagne-Montrachet to the north, Santenay nonetheless produces excellent wines. With neither the staying power nor the tannic structure of wines from Chassagne, they are often far easier to enjoy young.

A case in point is Roger Belland’s Santenay 1er cru “Beauregard” rouge from 2013. Belland is known as one of the finest sources in the village — Clives Coates calls their wines “individual and stylish.” Belland’s reds are punchy and ripe, with tannins that are round and juicy rather than harsh. Readers who have picked up 2013 Belland’s red Maranges should love the 2013 red Santenay, which is similarly lively, but noticeably more elegant.

Crackling. Roger Belland and his daughter Julie represent the 5th and 6th generations of winemakers in their domaine. They have used no herbicides for more than 20 years, and their wines are careful, pure expressions of their origin. Many readers have enjoyed Belland’s white Santenay Beauregard in recent months; its red counterpart is drinking just as well, if not better.

The 2013 Beauregard rouge is more elegant than most Santenay. The nose is intense and bright, with red fruit and stony earth accompanied by spring flowers. The mouth is concentrated and long, with excellent balance and a clean, silky mouthfeel. This is a refined red Burgundy, to decant on a Sunday afternoon and serve with a roast of lamb or beef.

 

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BELLAND Santenay 1er “Beauregard” rouge 2013
Ansonia Retail: $40
case, half-case: $34/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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Hidden Gem.  St-Aubin is the insider’s white Burgundy. While writers spill most of the ink on the great wines from Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, savvy drinkers know of the treasure that lies three minutes to the west, in a valley between the two famous towns. The wines from the tiny, hidden village of St-Aubin may lack the aging power and depth of Chassagnes and Pulignys, but they remain what Rajat Parr calls “some of the best-value Chardonnay in the world.”

The Famille Thomas has an intimate knowledge of the terroir of St-Aubin, where they’ve lived and made wine for over 70 years. Today Gérard Thomas works alongside his two daughters, and their understated, highly affordable wines are some of the best sellers in our portfolio. We opened the 2013 village level over the weekend for a tasting at our warehouse, and found it to be in a perfect drinking window.

Drink-now. The 2013 St-Aubin “Champ Tirant” is a pure expression of a single, limited terroir. Over the last 8 months, the wine’s initial vigorous acidity has melted beautifully into the round, mouthfilling palate. Today it shows gorgeous round fruit and muted toasty notes, with baked lemon and almond in the nose. It has the richness needed for a wintery white wine, but enough freshness to keep it lively.

Food pairings for white Burgundy are not difficult. According to Parr, who heads up the wine programs for Michael Mina’s extensive restaurant group, white Burgundy pairs best “with oiler and meatier poached fish like halibut, salmon, monkfish, cod and grouper.” Monkfish is a particular favorite at our house, and we look forward to matching it with our next bottle of St-Aubin.

 

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THOMAS St-Aubin 2013
Ansonia Retail: $34
case, half-case: $28/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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“Monraché.” In 1787, Thomas Jefferson visited Burgundy, recording his favorite wines in a journal: Chambertin, Romanée(-Conti), Clos Vougeot, and Montrachet. Jefferson wasn’t the first or the last to recognize the greatness of Montrachet, and today most consider it the finest white wine vineyard in the world.

On Montrachet’s northern border lies most experts’ pick for the finest premier cru in Puligny-Montrachet: Le Cailleret. In fact it is the only vineyard bordering Montrachet that’s not also a grand cru. Named after the “cailloux” (small stones) scattered across the vineyard, it features the famous red chalky soils of its neighbor Montrachet.

Puligny hasn’t changed all that much from Jefferson’s visit two centuries ago. Its fame has only increased, and today it remains home to several of the world’s most sought-after wines. Or, as Master of Wine Clive Coates puts it simply, “Puligny-Montrachet is the greatest white wine commune on earth.”

Apotheosis of Chardonnay. The Cailleret vineyard has only five owners (unusual for Burgundy), including our friend Vincent Boyer from the Domaine Boyer-Martenot. His plot in Cailleret is small, but the quality is second to none. Our small allocation of the 2013 Cailleret arrived last month, and it’s already showing signs of an impressive future.

Cailleret shows an intensely concentrated nose of honey and gardenia. The mouth is cool and dense and extraordinarily long, showing classic Puligny minerality and beautiful white peach fruit. This is as luxurious as white Burgundy gets.

If you’re brave enough to age white Burgundies these days, this is an excellent candidate. Vincent counsels waiting as much as 14 years to drink this; we might hedge a bit and try one in two or three. Steven Tanzer of Vinous found “noble Puligny herbs and white pepper” in the nose, and a “concentrated and classic” mouth. Allen Meadows (“Burghound”) was even more enthusiastic, awarding 93 points and saying it is “both classy and refined and should reward up to a decade of cellar time.”

At the price, this wine is a bit of an extravagance, so we’re relaxing our ordering limit to 3 bottles. Then again, a pallet of 50 cases (more than the total production) still wouldn’t set you back as much as a ticket to Davos…

 

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BOYER-MARTENOT Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru “Cailleret” 2013
Ansonia Retail: $114
quarter-case: $95/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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Like many in Burgundy, the Domaine Roger Belland isn’t flashy. There’s just a small sign next to the door on the street, and you have to enter the cellar before seeing any of their many winemaking awards. But the Bellands have made wine since 1839, and Master of Wine Clive Coates calls them “among the best sources in Santenay.”

Belland’s wines are some of the earliest drinking Burgundies in our portfolio, with a soft, approachable style and a reasonable price tag. The whites are elegant and full, with mouthfilling richness balanced by crisp lemon acidity. The reds are punchy and ripe, with juicy tannins rather than harsh ones, and lively, round mouthfeels.

We’ve put together a mixed case of whites and reds from the famille Belland. In a region whose wines often require patience and investment, the wines of Roger Belland are a welcome respite.

Santenay “Comme Dessus” 2013.  This village-level Santenay is floral and pretty, with white flowers and lemon rind in the nose. The mouth is particularly intense for its class, with impressive length and excellent tension. With Belland’s very understated use of oak, this is about purity, minerality, and fruit. Serve with hard cow’s milk cheese.

Santenay 1er cru “Beauregard” blanc 2013.  Here’s a 1er cru Santenay that one might easily mistake for a Chassagne-Montrachet. The nose shows baked apple and honey, and the mouthfeel is thick and vibrant. The oak, fruit, and acidity are all in perfect balance, resulting in a wine that bursts with life and richness. Serve with roast chicken.

Maranges 1er cru “Clos Roussot” 2013.  From the town just south of Santenay, this shows deep cherry and blackberry in a very clean, ripe nose. The mouth is mid-weight and dense, with firm tannins that are round rather than raspy. Let this breathe in a carafe or glass; serve it with a grilled steak or sautéd greens.

Santenay 1er cru “Beauregard” rouge 2013.  This 1er cru Santenay shows the more elegant side of the village. With intense red fruit and stony earth in the nose, the mouth is concentrated and long, showing excellent depth and silky notes of wild cherry. Decant this refined red Burgundy and serve it with a roast on a Sunday afternoon.

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MIXED CASE:

ROGER BELLAND SAMPLER

3x   Santenay blanc 2013:   $34
3x   Santenay 1er cru blanc 2013:   $40
3x   Maranges 1er cru 2013:   $34
3x   Santenay 1er cru rouge 2013:   $40

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Ansonia Retail: $444
mixed case price: $369/case

(free East Coast shipping)   |   save $75

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Silk and Earth. The town of Morey-St-Denis is typical of the tiny scale of Burgundy. Home to fewer than 700 souls and boasting less than half a square mile of vineyards, the town has long played second fiddle to its more famous neighbors Chambolle-Musigny and Gevrey-Chambertin. But in fact Morey holds five Grand Cru vineyards and produces excellent red Burgundies that age beautifully.

At their best, the wines of Morey-St. Denis show a beautiful lace-like minerality, and an elegance only possible in Pinot Noir from Burgundy. Our producer in Morey-St-Denis is the Domaine Pierre Amiot, which has a large range of wines from the town. Amiot’s wines often drink better after a few years in the bottle, so today we’re suggesting a Morey-St-Denis that’s just beginning to drink well.

Premier Cru. Amiot’s small plot in Millandes (just over an acre) yields only 200 cases a year; even less in a low yield vintage like 2010. But its location (adjoining the Grand Cru Clos St-Denis) and older vines (planted in the 1950s and 60s) make it a gem. With firm tannins and a concentrated mouthfeel, Millandes generally requires some cellaring to reach its peak; but recent tastings have shown this wine is well on its way to maturity.

The 2010 1er cru Millandes is a classic Morey-St-Denis — somewhere between the silkiness of Chambolle and the richness of Gevrey-Chambertin. Today the wine shows wild red cherries and raspberry jam, with hints of smoke, leather, and truffle in the mouth. The nose is expressive and enticing — just the marriage of earth and fruit for which Burgundy is so well known.

This Millandes is at the very beginning of its drinking window, and its youthful tannins have softened into a pleasant but firm structure. We find this makes for a more versatile food pairing wine, as there’s less concern a bold dish will shout down the contents of the glass. Decant this for an hour before serving, and try it with duck breasts, or even a cassoulet.

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AMIOT Morey-St-Denis 1er “Millandes” 2010
Ansonia Retail: $72
case, half-case: $64/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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Spice.  If Burgundy is the heart of the Pinot Noir universe, then Vosne-Romanée is the heart of Burgundy. Celebrated for eight centuries and boasting some of the world’s most sought-after wines, Vosne-Romanée is considered Mecca for Burgundy enthusiasts and Pinotphiles around the world.

Vosne’s eight grand cru vineyards may receive the majority of the acclaim, but, as a monk wrote centuries ago, “there are no ordinary wines in Vosne.” At the premier cru and village level too, the wines show unrivaled depth and elegance. There’s a floral character to the best wines from Vosne, a blend of silky finesse with pure intensity.

Legacy.  Winemaker Michel Gros has lived his entire life in Vosne-Romanée — for a time his mother was the mayor, and his family has made wine there for nearly 200 years. Today Michel’s domaine is world famous as a top source for red Burgundy, and the wines from Vosne are at the heart of his lineup.

Last month we picked up the last few cases of Gros’s village level 2011 Vosne-Romanée. Though the wine has a bright future, the bottle we opened at the Newton Depot in December was already terrific. The nose already shows the unique, extraordinary spice and floral notes specific to the hallowed town. The mouth was dense and pure, with firm young tannins that mellowed out after an hour or so.

This is a wine to sit with and contemplate on a Sunday afternoon — decant a bottle as you put a roast into the oven, and then pour yourself a glass at the one hour mark. You’ll understand the 800 years of fame and praise.

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GROS Vosne-Romanée 2011
Ansonia Retail: $70
case, half-case: $59/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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