Thomas Wilcox, Author at Ansonia Wines

Posted on January 5, 2016January 5, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Advance Order: Tuscan Olive Oil

Something Different. In our search for expressions of terroir, we never tire of sampling local flavors. Oysters from Belon, chèvre from the Loire, butter from Isigny — these foods represent their regions as much as any stony Chablis or rich Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

When it comes to olive oil, we know no better source than Tuscany*. The golden liquid from the rolling Tuscan hills shares only a name with most grocery store varieties. The “real stuff,” is one of the world’s greatest culinary elements — a finishing agent that can add a host of flavors, including fruit, earth, nuts, and straw.

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Oil! Many readers know the Fattoria Poggerino from their excellent and well-priced Chiantis; but fewer know that they also make exceptional olive oil. The entire Poggerino lineup will appear in this Sunday’s January Futures Issue, but we’re opening the bidding early on the olive oil. It comes in both tins (500ml) and bottles (750ml). Quantities are very limited, and this represents their only offer to us each year.

As scientists continue to extoll the virtues of a Mediterranean diet, we’re sure you could find a health reason to buy this olive oil. But in our family, Poggerino’s Olive Oil is the ultimate gustatory luxury. We reserve it exclusively for dishes where it won’t be heated: tossed with salads or drizzled on fish or chicken just before serving. (Fair warning: it will ruin most other olive oils for you.)

We will accept orders on a first come, first served basis — we expect the oil to arrive in March with the rest of the January Futures orders. We’ve reserved some for our personal stock, and much of our extended family put their annual orders in over Christmas. And as they often tell us, however much they buy each year, by the following January they wish they’d gotten more.

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POGGERINO Olive Oil (750ml bottle)
Ansonia Retail: $38
Futures Price: $28/bottle

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AVAILABLE IN 3- 6- AND 12-BOTTLE LOTS

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POGGERINO Olive Oil (500ml tin)
Ansonia Retail: $29
Futures Price: $21/tin

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AVAILABLE IN 3- 6- AND 12-TIN LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

*Apologies to our Greek friends — we’ll concede democracy (or at least its invention) to you.
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Posted on December 27, 2015December 27, 2015 by Thomas Wilcox

Mixed Case: a New Year’s Feast

It’s always been hard for us to get too excited about New Year’s celebrations — but we’ll take any excuse to gather family and friends for a fancy dinner. So we’ve put together a mixed case of four wines for a complete New Year’s Feast. Whether you’re celebrating the end of this year or the beginning of the next, this case will help the transition.

We’ve included four wines in the case, designed for a complete dinner party: Champagne to welcome your guests, white Burgundy for an appetizer, rich Gigondas for a fine cut of meat, and a pair of Sauternes for dessert. Hailing from France’s four great regions, this is a collection of classic, Old World excellence.

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Bardoux Champagne Brut NV. This delicious blend from our first grower Champagne producer is proof of the region’s unique and exceptional terroir. On a whim we opened a bottle next to a Veuve Cliquot on Christmas, and the Bardoux outclassed it on every level.

Maillet Macon-Verzé 2013. A classic white Burgundy — pure, unoaked chardonnay from the Maconnais region. This is mouthfilling and rich but shows excellent freshness and beautiful balance.

Goubert Gigondas “Cuvée Florence” 2010. This grenache/syrah blend from the Domaine les Goubert is our favorite wine from the southern Rhône. The rich, dense, concentrated red is perfect for wintery stews and other meat; the just-arrived 2010 vintage is among the best Cartiers have made.

Voigny Sauternes 2011. This classic, botrytis affected dessert wine from Bordeaux is a perfect way to conclude a meal. Serve it with blue cheese or foie gras, or in place of dessert itself — look for apricot, honeysuckle, and peach notes, and an unusually good balance.

MIXED CASE:

A NEW YEAR’S FEAST

4x Bardoux Champagne Brut: $46
3x Maillet Macon-Verzé 13: $28
3x Goubert Gigondas 2010: $46
2x Voigny Sauternes 2011: $32

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Ansonia Retail: $470
mixed case price: $395/case

(free East Coast shipping) | save $75

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 22, 2015 by Thomas Wilcox

Mixed Cases: Champagne and Crémant for New Year’s Eve.

Posted on December 17, 2015December 17, 2015 by Thomas Wilcox

Mixed Case: Tour de France

Each region in France has its own distinct identity. To drive across the country is to pass through a remarkable diversity of cuisines, traditions, accents, history, and, of course, wines. Each winegrowing region offers a different set of grapes and flavors, and we think there’s no better expression of a particular corner of France than its wines.

So we’ve collected six wines to help with a virtual journey around the country: two whites and four reds from Burgundy, Alsace, Rhône, Bordeaux, Languedoc and the Loire. There’s nothing quite like crossing France in a car or a train, but this mixed case offers an oenological tour of the country without leaving your dining room table.

At around $20 per bottle, these wines make great stocking stuffers and last minute gifts. And they’re much more affordable than airfare.

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Maillet Macon-Verzé 13: a pure, golden, unoaked chardonnay from the heart of Burgundy’s southern Maconnais region. Look for notes of hazelnut and orange peel.

Michot Pouilly-Fumé 14: a classic Loire Valley white, made of pure Sauvignon Blanc from old vines. Look for notes of grapefruit and gunflint.

Muré Pinot Noir 2014: a vibrant, very lightly oaked Pinot Noir from Alsace, showing more floral and fruit forward notes than red Burgundy. Look for notes of violets and ripe cherries

Lafont Menaut Pessac-Leognan 13: a dense blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc from the south of Bordeaux. Look for notes of cedar and plums.

Foulaquier Petit Duc 2012: a pure Grenache from the Languedoc, grown organically and biodynamically. Look for notes of earth and cherry pie

Goubert Gigondas 2012: a classic, concentrated blend of mostly Grenache and Syrah from the Southern Rhône. Look for notes of blackberry jam and provencal spices.

MIXED CASE:

TOUR DE FRANCE

2x Maillet Macon-Verzé 13: $28
2x Michot Pouilly-Fumé 14: $18
2x Muré Pinot Noir 14: $24
2x Lafont-Menaut Pessac-Leognan 13: $24
2x Foulaquier Petit Duc 12: $28
2x Goubert Gigondas 12: $30

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Ansonia Retail: $302
mixed case price: $245/case

(free East Coast shipping) | save $57

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 15, 2015March 3, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Chambolle, with extra Musigny.

Micro. It’s easy to forget just how small the scale of winemaking is in Burgundy. The entire town of Chambolle-Musigny, for instance, has a population of 320 and covers about 430 acres, less than a square mile. But the wines from this tiny town have been highly sought after since the 15th century.

Just outside the town’s most famous vineyard “Le Musigny,” Michel Gros cultivates a small collection of village-level vines. From this plot and three other smaller parcels, Gros crafts what may be the silkiest wine in his lineup: the village-level Chambolle-Musigny.

Superstar. A few years ago Clive Coates MW named the Domaine Michel Gros in the top 17 domaines in all of Burgundy — a list that included Romanée-Conti, Leroy, and Comtes Lafon — highlighting the “nobility and elegance” of his wines. Many readers picked up his entry level Bourgogne and Hautes-Côtes de Nuits last month, which are affordable, everyday looks at the domaine’s style. The Chambolle is classic Gros — beautiful balance and exceptional elegance.

Gros’s 2011 Chambolle is starting to drink beautifully these days. Allen Meadows called the 2011 “highly refined” and “utterly delicious;” we suggest decanting for an hour before serving. The wine shows intense wild cherry aromas, with notes of earth and smoke; the mouth is long and elegant, showing silky tannins and enormous depth.

Gros is a master craftsman, and his wines remind us of why this tiny region’s reputation is so well deserved.

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MICHEL GROS Chambolle-Musigny 2011
Ansonia Retail: $72
case, half-case: $64/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 14, 2015March 3, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

The New Muscadet: Reinvented and Refreshing

Les Huitres. Muscadet has long a favorite by-the-glass wine at oyster bars around the world. And we’ll admit that there is little else (except perhaps Chablis) that washes down a plate of raw oysters so well as a brisk glass of Muscadet. Until recently, Muscadets were inexpensive and uncomplicated — a delicious wine cheerfully lacking in ceremony and grandeur.

But Muscadet has undergone some reimagining of late. The region elevated three appellations to “Cru Communal,” adding aging requirements and geographic restrictions. The result is a new “upper class” of Muscadet, with a richer body and more complexity.

We’ll admit that we were mildly concerned that the appellation might be abandoning its everyman roots. But we’re pleased to report that Muscadet wears its new robes well, retaining its essential mineral vibrancy while adding a new touch of class.

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Not your grandfather’s Muscadet. We discovered the Domaine Martin-Luneau in the only way Muscadet should be discovered: over a few dozen oysters on the outdoor patio of a bistro in Nantes. Their 2010 “Gorges” (one of the three new appellations) has the same delicious fruit as regular Muscadet, but in a fuller, rounder, richer glass of wine. It opens expansively in the glass and fills the mouth, but is unmistakably Muscadet, showing lime rind, lively minerality, a touch of grape skin bite at the back end of the palate.

We’re excited about this new world of Muscadet. We think it expands the culinary harmonies far beyond shellfish, to broiled fish, roast chicken, bouillabaisse, and beyond. It’s no longer just a cheap wine to follow a salty appetizer. Muscadet has reinvented itself, and the results speak for themselves.

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MARTIN-LUNEAU Muscadet “Gorges” 2010
Ansonia Retail: $22
case, half-case: $16.95/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 13, 2015March 3, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

2006 Grand Cru Red Burgundy

Experiences vs Things. In the debate about the value of material goods vs. experience, most assume that goods create greater satisfaction because they’re less fleeting. Science suggests, however, that experiences actually provide longer-lasting happiness. We like to think that wine is a perfect mix of the two.

Wine as a material good is obvious: the dusty bottle in the back of your cellar was once a purchase, hopefully at a moment when the Dollar was strong against the Euro (or the Franc). But consider too the experiential value of the moment you finally pull the cork: friends or family there to enjoy it with you, food on the table, music in the background. To our mind there’s no better accompaniment to a great moment than a great bottle of wine.

And if the moment is unusually grand, it calls for a similarly great wine. Grand Cru wines, you’ll remember, represent just 1.3% of Burgundy’s production. They’re the finest Burgundy has to offer – at home on the tables of kings and heads of state for centuries. And though most involve several hundred dollars of investment and decades of patience, today we suggest a Grand Cru that’s mature and less than $80 a bottle.

From the back of the cellar. As we finished our tasting at the Domaine Ravaut in June, Mr. Ravaut suggested trying something from a little deeper the cellar. He disappeared for a few minutes and returned with an unmarked bottle. Without telling us what it was, he pulled the cork and offered us each a taste.

From the moment it hit our glasses, the wine was extraordinary. The nose was beautiful and perfumed, with notes of flowers and graham crackers; the mouth was dense and velvety, showing raspberry confit, cinnamon, and hints of sous-bois. We marveled at how much of the core structure remained, though softened beautifully over nine years. It seemed likely to weather the next nine with similar grace.

The wine was a 2006 Grand Cru Corton-Bressandes, perhaps the finest wine we’ve tasted from Ravaut, and we quickly asked him to set aside a handful of cases. Our offer to this list back in June sold out in half a day, and we’ve heard enthusiastic reports from readers who were able to pick some up. We managed to convince Mr. Ravaut to part with a second batch, which arrived in the States a few days ago.

It’s unusual to have the opportunity to buy Grand Cru red Burgundy with nine years under its belt. But it’s even rarer to find it with perfect provenance — until three weeks ago, this hadn’t left the vingeron’s cellar since the day it was bottled. A bottle of this wine is of course a material good, and an exceptional one at that; but the wine inside it nothing short of an experience.

NOTE: For this wine, we’re relaxing our normal half-case minimum to 3 bottles.

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RAVAUT Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru 2006
Ansonia Retail: $88
case, half-case: $75/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 11, 2015March 3, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Gigondas: the Châteauneuf Alternative.

Everyday richness. Everyone knows of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The famous appellation was heralded by French popes in the 1300s, then rediscovered by Robert Parker in the 1980s. The wines can be truly extraordinary — (watch next week for a special 9-year-old CDP) — but are usually at “special occasion” prices.

Enter Gigondas. Wines from this appellation, about 20 minutes across the valley, share many of the same rich, dark characteristics that draw people to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Gigondas isn’t quite as deep or as long lived as its more famous neighbor, but its price encourages more frequent enjoyment. For many years our pick from the town (as well as Robert Parker’s and Jancis Robinson’s) has been the Domaine les Goubert.

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Excellence. Goubert’s Gigondas is among the most consistent wines in our lineup. We’ve been enjoying it since the early 1990s, and we haven’t seen a bad vintage yet. But the 2012 Gigondas is nothing short of exceptional. It’s a perfect wintery wine – dark and rich, but neither heavy nor hot. It arrives in our warehouse next week, just in time for the cold weather around the corner.

The nose shows bright red flowers and dark, rich jammy fruit, hitting high notes and low notes simultaneously in a harmony unusual even for the Cartier family. The mouth is sturdy and meaty, with cool dark tannins and impressive length. Serve this with stews, soups, roasts, and other wintery fare. If you can picture a dish served in drafty medieval chateau in front of a roaring fire, the Gigondas should match it perfectly.

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GOUBERT Gigondas 2012
Ansonia Retail: $30
case, half-case: $25/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 8, 2015March 3, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Sangiovese: Dark Chocolate and Roasted Cherries.

Le Tricolor. We’re sometimes asked why our portfolio focuses so heavily on France. Our year there in the late 1990s has something to do with it, but in fact France’s wine regions offer a remarkable diversity of selection. In other words, there’s enough there to keep us busy for quite a while.

Our affinity notwithstanding, one property beyond the Alpine border has long impressed us enough to merit an exception. It was exceptional olive oil that first drew us to the Fattoria Poggerino (look for an opportunity to pick some up in next month’s Futures), but the tiny winery also produces excellent and very reasonably priced Sangiovese. Today’s offer is for their award-winning Chianti Classico.

Smoke and Cherries. The name “Chianti” is indelibly linked to the image of a straw-covered “fiasco” bottle with candle wax dripping down its sides; and a former reputation for low quality was once well deserved. But the quality of wine made in Chianti has improved in the last three decades as much as any wine in the world, and though it’s a tiny fraction of the wine we import, we love having a Chianti in our lineup.

The 2011 Poggerino Chianti Classico has a cool, solid body that’s sturdy but not heavy. We found chocolate, beef, and smoke in the nose, with roasted cherries in the mouth. The wine is pure Sangiovese, a dense grape that can produce a powerful wine with beautiful floral aromas in the hands of a skilled winemaker with the courage to let ripen fully.

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POGGERINO Chianti Classico 2011
Ansonia Retail: $24
case, half-case: $19.95/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 7, 2015March 3, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

2009 Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Monopole

Park Place and Boardwalk. The US tends to be wary of monopolies, with various laws set up to prevent their abuse. But in Burgundy, monopolies are both rare and highly sought-after. With most plots across Burgundy divided up in the generations after Napeleon’s 1804 anti-primogeniture edict, single-owner vineyards are very uncommon.

Our favorite Burgundian monopoly is the flagship wine from the Domaine Michel Gros, the Vosne-Romanée 1er cru “Clos des Réas.” This is truly fine red Burgundy, a wine that Master of Wine Clives Coates has called “Pinot Noir at its most elegant.” Today, the Clos des Réas is the last remaining premier cru monopole in Vosne-Romanée, a town known as Mecca for those afflicted with the Burgundy bug.

Violets and Raspberries. Like many of the best wines from Vosne, the nose on Réas is consistently floral – we usually find dried roses or violets. The mouth is long, complex, and silky, with beautiful tension and depth. This wine has a long life ahead of it, and we’ve enjoyed bottles of Réas well into their second and third decades. But 2009 was a vintage of exceptional ripeness and balance, and the 09 Réas is an extraordinary glass of wine even today.

With the 2009 vintage, the Gros Family celebrated the 150th anniversary of their ownership of the Clos des Réas. In honor of the anniversary, the domaine labeled the wine with a replica of the 1859 label. It’s the only vineyard of its kind in this center of the Burgundian world: a special wine, from a special vintage, in an incredibly special town.

NOTE: We’re offering this wine in 3 bottle lots; shipping is free (to the East Coast) on three bottles.

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MICHEL GROS Vosne-Romanée 1er cru Mônopole “Clos des Réas” 2009
Ansonia Retail: $145
offer price: $129/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 3- 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 6, 2015March 16, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Meursault: If Gold were a Flavor.

Cote d’Or. “If gold were a flavor,” Matt Kramer once wrote, “it would taste like Meursault.” Though it has no Grand Cru, the wines of Meursault are some of the most sought after in the world. For most, the name recalls white Burgundies of decadence, opulence, and style.

Stretching across nearly 1000 acres, Meursault also spans a wide range of terroir, producing taught, elegant wines (like last week’s Tillets) high on the slope, and softer, richer wines nearer the town. Today’s 2013 Meursault from the Domaine Boyer-Martenot is from the lower slopes, and draws on extremely old vines for extra concentration and depth.

90 Years Old. Planted in 1924 by Vincent Boyer’s great grandmother Lucie, the “Ormeau” vineyard is named for the elm trees that once shared the clay-rich ground. This is classic, mouthfilling Meursault – showing peaches and citrus, with licorice and a faint nuttiness in the nose. All of Boyer’s wines are rich, elegant, and complex, but “Ormeau” is among the most classically Meursault in the lineup.

Boyer’s suggests any fish in a lemon butter sauce, and we heartily agree with his suggestion. Last week we served the 2013 Ormeau en famille with Thomas Keller’s roasted monkfish, and the match was delicious. This is a concentrated, wintertime white Burgundy, perfect for a chilly afternoon, a crackling fireplace, and a glittering Christmas tree.

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BOYER-MARTENOT Meursault “Ormeau” 2013
Ansonia Retail: $56
case, half-case: $49/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 4, 2015March 3, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Sauternes: the Iconic Dessert Wine.

Iconic. As fashions change, dessert wines have become a dwindling part of collectors’ inventories. But no serious cellar is complete without them. We think everyone — even casual wine enthusiasts — should have at least one dessert wine in their arsenal; and if it’s going to be just one, it should be Sauternes.

Sauternes is a famous Bordeaux appellation known for its botrytis-affected dessert wines, most famously Chateau d’Yquem. Winemakers there delay harvesting until their grapes are covered by a particular mold, encouraged by fog and moisture from the nearby river. Then they painstakingly harvest the shriveled grapes, extracting and fermenting their sweet, nectar-like liquid.

Most people don’t drink Yquem too often – even half bottles start at over $100 – but it’s far from the only game in town. A few years ago we discovered the tiny Chateau Voigny, a family-owned winery on the banks of the Garonne with just one wine: a delicious, and affordable Sauternes.

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Mono-vinous. Considering the tiny yields achieved from these shriveled grapes, the low price of this wine is remarkable. Voigny’s nose and mouth are full of the classic honeysuckle, apricots and peaches, but it’s the acidity that keeps this wine lively. Many sweet wines lack acidity and fall flat – Voigny is bursting with freshness to balance out its sweetness.

There may be no more perfect food-wine pairing than Sauternes with seared foie gras. If your stomach (or conscience) is too sensitive, serve blue cheese as a salty foil. Or serve a small glass in place of dessert at the end of the meal. Set your dining room with a few candles and some cut glass, and your holiday table will sparkle with this legendary sweet, golden nectar.

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VOIGNY Sauternes 2012
Ansonia Retail: $32
case, half-case: $26/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 3, 2015December 3, 2015 by Thomas Wilcox

Mixed Case: the Crown Jewels of White Burgundy ($125 off)

Nestled side by side just south the city of Beaune, three neighboring towns represent the crown jewels of White Burgundy: Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, and Meursault. This trio produces the finest whites in Burgundy, which most consider the greatest white wines in the world.

The three towns stretch only 6 miles from end to end, but their individual characters are distinct. Meursault produces rich, lush wines with dense mouthfeel and notes of pears and wildflowers. Puligny-Montrachet is known for its tension-filled, angular wines, showing structure and precision in their youth. The wines of Chassagne-Montrachet are the most approachable young, with baked lemon bouquets, and full, firm mouthfeel.

All three are elegant wines representing the pinnacle of chardonnay. We usually write about only one at a time, but today’s collection is a chance to pick up all three.

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Roger Belland and his daughter Julie are the 5th and 6th generation working the family domaine. Their flagship wine is the “Clos Pitois,” a premier cru monopole from Chassagne-Montrachet, first planted in 1421. The 2014 from this vineyard is beautiful and already drinkable, showing soft lemon, hazelnut, and a dense richness.

Vincent Boyer is the talented, thirtysomething winemaker at the Domaine Boyer-Martenot. He has had the reins of his family’s domaine for less than a decade, but the secret is getting out. We were blown away by Boyer’s 2013s, and we weren’t alone; the seldom effusive Allen Meadows (Burghound) put it flatly: “Vincent Boyer produced simply terrific wines in 2013.”

The Puligny-Montrachet “Reuchaux” 13 is a beautiful, elegant wine laden with minerals and delicate white flowers. The mouth is dense and precise, showing clean fruit and excellent tension; with a bit of time in a carafe this opens beatuifully. The Meursault “Ormeau” 13 is drawn from 90 year-old-vines, and has the stuffing to prove it. This intensely rich, concentrated wine is remarkably easy to drink, with enough acidity to stand up to food, but ample roundness to invite enjoyment on its own.

MIXED CASE: CROWN JEWELS OF WHITE BURGUNDY

4x ROGER BELLAND Chassagne-Montrachet
1er cru Monopole “Clos Pitois” 2014: $68

4x BOYER-MARTENOT
Puligny-Montrachet “Reuchaux” 2013: $56

4x BOYER-MARTENOT
Meursault “Ormeau” 2013: $56

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Ansonia Retail: $720
Notebook price: $595/case

(free East Coast shipping) | save $125

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 2, 2015March 3, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

New Vintage Grower Champagne.

The Philosopher Vigneron. Pascal Bardoux is among the most contemplative winemakers we’ve met. Before our inaugural visit in June, Mr. Bardoux asked about the timing and contents of our lunch to understand the state of our palates. The meandering, thoughtful conversation that followed included long silences, dozens of questions, and detailed lexicological discussions about the precise flavors in the glass.

As it turns out, Bardoux’s wines are as exquisitely crafted as his sentences. Our first offer of Bardoux’s Champagne “Brut Traditionnel” from last month sold out in a day, and we’ve got more on its way to the states. But in the meantime we’re excited to release a delicious second wine from the domaine: Bardoux’s Champagne Millesimé 2007.

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Chalky. Bardoux’s 2007 Champagne has everything the Traditionnel has and more. Increased time on the lees means added complexity and notes of créme brûlée, and the fruit is so pure and concentrated that, tasted blind, one might mistake it for a kir royale. The mouthfeel is dense and mineral, drawing from the region’s famous chalky soils (see photo). For anyone wondering why the Champenois so fiercely defend the uniqueness of their product and brand, a glass of this will clear it up.

At $52/bottle, this is less than many grower Champagnes, though perhaps not priced as an everyday wine. But with all the family gatherings and holiday parties this month, we’re sure there will be ample opportunity to break out a bottle of something special. Or consider it for a gift — chill the bottle before you give it, and you might even get to enjoy it too.

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BARDOUX Champagne Millesimé 2007
Ansonia Retail: $60
case, half-case: $52/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on December 1, 2015March 3, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Our Favorite Bourgogne Rouge. $24

Know your winemaker. In Burgundy, it’s important to know your geography. Tiny changes in location can have large effects on the wine in the bottle. But because almost all vineyards are divided among several growers, it’s even more important to know your winemaker.

Michel Gros of Vosne-Romanée is perhaps the most famous in our lineup of Burgundian winemakers. Most of his wine is priced for a weekend dinner or a special occasion — (look for a top notch Vosne next week) — but Gros also produces a delicious “petit vin” made for everyday drinking: his Bourgogne.

Entry-level red. If you’re new to red Burgundy, this is a perfect introduction. (If you’ve already got the bug – as we do – this is the best Bourgogne-level wine we know.) It is Gros’s simplest wine, but is as good a value as any of his higher priced bottles. We’re expecting the 2013 next month, but we recently bought the rest of the excellent 2012, and we suggest that wine today.

Gros’s Bourgogne 2012 has a clean, elegant nose, with notes of raspberries and violets, and a whisper of smokiness. The mouth is cool and silky, very long, and simply delicious; the fruit is ripe but not juicy, nicely mouth coating, and tremendously elegant for its level.

This is a great way to learn about this elite winemaker’s work without breaking the bank. With the entertaining season now full upon us, it’s always nice to have an affordable, reliable red Burgundy on hand. Pair this with a pork loin with garlic and rosemary, or a holiday cocktail party.

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MICHEL GROS Bourgogne 2012
Ansonia Retail: $30
case, half-case: $24/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

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