Author: Thomas Wilcox

Graphite and Cranberry.  The wines of Beaujolais get an unfair rap. Their brand has been linked to the Beaujolais Nouveau, a cloying, fruity wine made just weeks after the harvest. But those drinkers who avoid the region entirely miss out on some exceptional wines.

Beaujolais produces much wine besides the overhyped nouveau and some of it — namely those from the 10 “Beaujolais Cru” villages — can be extraordinarily good. One of our favorite Crus is Juliénas, a small appellation of just over 2 square miles. These sturdy, low-alcohol, refreshing wines are a lovely match for the coming fall.

Unpretentious.  Wine has been made at the Chateau de Juliénas since the 15th century. Today the Condemine family runs the domaine with a friendly modesty, and their wines are similarly welcoming. Last night we opened the 2011 Juliénas Prestige, and found it delicious and unusually complex. The nose was graphite, deep cranberry, and wild honey; the mouth showed a juicy attack followed by a muted, softened mouthfeel.

Beaujolais can be serious wine, but it’s rarely self-righteous. As Jancis Robinson puts it, “Beaujolais is meant to be drunk, rather than discussed or collected.” We cooled last night’s bottle for a half-hour in the fridge, and serve it over beside grilled chicken with visiting guests. It wasn’t the star of the meal, but it wasn’t supposed to be; and there certainly wasn’t any left to save for the fridge.

._
________________________

JULIÉNAS Cuvée Prestige 2011
Ansonia Retail: $24
case, half-case price: $18/bot

_
AVAILABLE IN 6-  AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

_

Email Tom to place an order.

_

_

_____________________________

Enjoy this article? Sign up to receive them in your inbox.

_

_

_____________________________

_

–

–

_

The Finest. Of the four vineyard levels in Burgundy, “Grand Cru” is the highest.  Reserved for the top 1.3% of vineyards, the classification represents the finest Burgundy has to offer. The town of Gevrey-Chambertin is known for deep and powerful wines, owing their richness to the high level of clay in the soil. The Grand Crus of Chambertin are some of the darkest and longest lived wines in Burgundy.

Today’s wine, a Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, combines a silky, “charming” character with the classic depth of a Grand Cru from Gevrey-Chambertin. Jean-Louis Amiot and his brother Didier make dense, beautifully polished wines from their centuries-old stone domaine in the center of Morey-St-Denis. Their style has shifted in recent years, perhaps to match with a string of well-concentrated, riper vintages.

Seductive.  Heat and lots of rain made 2011 a difficult vintage for Burgundians, but the results have been very promising; wine critic Allen Meadows (Burghound) calls it “a singularly seductive vintage.” We were impressed with the Amiot 2011s from our first taste, and they’ve already picked up lovely notes as their bottle aging begins.

We opened a 2011 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru from Amiot last night, and it reminded us just how impressive red Burgundy can be. From the moment the cork was pulled, the nose exploded with silky, beautiful violets and cinnamon, gaining expressiveness with time in the glass. The mouth was dark cranberry jam, and though it awakened more slowly than the nose, the palate showed a deeply concentrated core, with ripe tannins and a firm structure.

This is a wine in its youth, but no longer one in its infancy. With another few years in a cellar the nose will add spice and woodsiness, and the mouth smooth smooth and lengthen. But with some help from a carafe and a nicely grilled steak, we enjoyed every drop from last night’s bottle.

NOTE: We’ve relaxed our usual half-case minimum to 3 bottles.

_
________________________

AMIOT Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2011
Ansonia Retail: $130
offer price: $109/bot

_
AVAILABLE IN 3-  6-  AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

_

Email Tom to place an order.

_

_

_____________________________

Enjoy this article? Sign up to receive them in your inbox.

_

_

_____________________________

_

_

Unique.  Chablis is a singular place. Its combination of deep stony soils and cool climate exists nowhere else on earth. These factors produce a similarly singular wine — mineral and crisp, pure and clean. Our goal as importers is to find wines that reflect the place from which they come, and there is no better place to find them than Chablis.

Cyril Gautheron is a rising star here. The Gautheron Family has made wine in Chablis for 200 years, but Cyril has taken the reins with an unusual passion. Our visits with him regularly run late as he explains the intricacies of his family’s property, and shows us unblended wines from dozens of plots.

Today’s wine, the Chablis 1er cru “Vaucoupin” is pure, elegant Chardonnay. In an era where many Chablis vignerons now add oak to their 1er crus, Gautheron keeps his entirely unoaked, allowing the stony soil to show through as delicate minerality.

Flint.  Jancis Robinson calls Chablis “one of the great white wines of the world.” Though it’s often overlooked because of price and brand confusion, the wines are among the finest in our cellar. Nowhere else does Chardonnay achieve the same elegant, flinty clarity; and Gautheron’s expression of this region is as pure and true as any.

Because of its bright acidity, Chablis is a classic pairing for shellfish and fish. But as a 1er cru from 35 year old vines, Vaucoupin shows an extra dose of fullness. We’d readily pair this with a richer fish – like swordfish or monkfish – or switch over to a roast chicken.

_
________________________

GAUTHERON Chablis 1er “Vaucoupin” 13
Ansonia Retail: $28
case, half-case price: $24/bot

_
AVAILABLE IN 6-  AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

_

Email Tom to place an order.

_

_

_____________________________

Enjoy this article? Sign up to receive them in your inbox.

_

_

_____________________________

_

_

Precision.  Burgundy is a small place. The town of Puligny-Montrachet, which Clive Coates calls “the greatest white wine commune on earth,” covers less than a single square mile. And yet the wines from this town have been prized for over a thousand years.

What makes this tiny corner of Burgundy so special? On the ground, it’s a combination of soil content (limestone, clay, and other minerals), slope, and exposition. In the glass, Puligny is a white Burgundy with added structure, more tension, and a beautiful, angular elegance. As Coates puts it, “Puligny is where Burgundian Chardonnay is at its most complete.”

Excellence. Winemaker Gérard Thomas owns a tiny sliver of land in Puligny-Montrachet — just over a hectare, or about half of a Manhattan city block. Thomas’s Puligny 1er cru has the richness and concentration of neighboring Meursault and Chassagne, but adds a lively raciness only found in Puligny.

Puligny ages well, and Thomas’s 1er cru is often better the second year after it arrives, after the acidity has melded into the core. But with food, this is lovely today. This scallop recipe adds summery notes (basil and lemon) for a simple, beautiful combination. The Puligny should match perfectly.

_
________________________

THOMAS Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru 2013
Ansonia Retail: $52
case, half-case price: $46/bot

_
AVAILABLE IN 6-  AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

_

Email Tom to place an order.

_

_

_____________________________

Enjoy this article? Sign up to receive them in your inbox.

_

_

_____________________________

_

_