Author: Thomas Wilcox

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 shout 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.

Basset’s  excellent 2020s are drinking better now than ever. Despite a scorching hot, drought-filled summer, they show excellent freshness – Basset picked early enough to avoid the traps of high alcohol and flabbiness. The gamble paid off, and all three – Etincelle, Fleur Enchantée, and St-Joseph – are carefully structured and full of freshness.

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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Sancerre has no premier or grand cru classifications — all 6400 acres are under the same appellation. But, as you might expect, not all of Sancerre’s terroirs are created equal. Among the most famous is the steep slopes of the Monts Damnées (damned mountains).

The Domaine de la Garenne, our Sancerre source, farms a special plot along the same slope as Mont Damnées called “Les Bouffants.” It’s a single, limestone-heavy terroir which Garenne vinifies and bottles separately. The slope isn’t quite as steep as its famous neighbor, but it’s awfully close.

Garenne’s regular Sancerre is delightful — fruit forward, dry and refreshing. Their “Bouffants” cuvée is another level of impressive.

Made from pure, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc, Bouffants is more dense and serious than Garenne’s regular cuvée. The 2022 is concentrated and very long, full of deep mineral intensity and dried fruit. Look for notes of pears and grapefruits, with a long, clean, very dry finish. Think of the ripe, intense fruitiness of a classic Sauvignon combined with the stony core of a Cru Muscadet.

Bouffants is a perfect food wine and can stand up to a wide range of diverse flavors. Serve it with lobster risotto or broiled fish. Sauvignon blanc seems to come from every corner of the world these days, but this will remind you: there’s nothing quite like Sancerre.

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Garenne Sancerre “Bouffants” 2022
bottle price: $32

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Aligoté is having a moment in Burgundy. Vignerons have grown the grape here for centuries, but for most of that time it’s been considered an afterthought – a high-acid grape producing humble, refreshing, unserious wines.

But as summers grow ever hotter and growing seasons shorten, Burgundian growers perennially in search of freshness have begun to rethink the grape’s potential. There’s even a movement to consider allowing blending with Chardonnay for major appellations, should the trend of ever warmer and drier summers continue.

Vincent Boyer’s Bourgogne-Aligoté makes a powerful case for the grape’s potential. It’s not in the same class as his magnificent cuvées from Meursault and Puligny, of course; but it’s the classiest Aligoté we know, and a striking bargain.

Boyer’s 2020 Bourgogne-Aligoté continues to get better. The nose shows a beautiful bouquet of cortland apples, buttered toast and chalk. With its mild acidity and easy, fresh, lightweight mouthfeel, it’s worlds away from the aligoté of yesteryear.

William Kelley found it “seamless…satiny and racy, with a fleshy core of fruit.” Burghound gave it his “Outstanding” rating (a rarity for a wine of its humble level), writing of the wine’s “delicious and vibrant middle-weight flavors” with “very good density and a refreshing salinity.” Pour with seafood, grilled chicken, or any summertime fare.

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Boyer-Martenot Bourgogne Aligoté 2020
bottle price: $24

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Winemaker Philippe Cheron doesn’t exactly look the part. His unkempt hair, bent spectacles, and meandering monologues call to mind an absent-minded professor of literature who hasn’t been outside in a while. But beneath the surface is a master winemaker with an extraordinary collection of vineyards comprising one of Burgundy’s most exciting new domaines.

Cheron combined his family holdings with the Domaine des Varoilles in 2019 to create the new Domaine du Couvent. Their enviable list of properties includes Nuits, Vosne, Chambolle and Gevrey, and ranges from Bourgogne to Grand Cru. Cheron’s style is sleek and pure, with less oak and more finesse than his predecessor at Varoilles.

We continue to be impressed with Cheron, as do Burgundy’s critics. Vinous’s Neal Martin calls the wines “splendid” and writes “definitely a grower that I will keep an eye on;” Burghound remarks “a domaine to watch going forward.”

We have a healthy lineup of wines in stock from Couvent, but today we’re focused on their 2020 village-level Chambolle-Musigny from the “Clos de l’Orme” plot. From a town known for its silky, seductive texture, Cheron has hit the nail squarely on the head with this wine. He combined the ripeness of the vintage with 25% whole clusters to produce and beautifully balanced and detailed wine that’s surprisingly delicious already.

Jasper Morris found “deep dark fruit” with “blackberry and blueberry on the nose.” Vinous’s Neal Martin praised the same wine as “fleshy and very easy-drinking.” Martin concluded: “Fine cohesion with just the right amount of tension on the finish, this is a well-crafted Chambolle-Musigny that will be difficult to resist in its youth.”

The length on this wine, particularly at the village level, is exceptional. Cheron is an exciting winemaker that we feel lucky to have, and today’s Chambolle is perfect example of his masterful craft.

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Couvent Chambolle-Musigny
“Clos de l’Orme” 2020
bottle price: $95

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Some wines from Bordeaux are about subtlety and finesse — but Chateau Destieux is not usually one of them. Destieux is the marriage of superb, ancient terroir with sleek, modern winemaking: old-school flavor in a bold, hedonistic, downright tasty package.

Named for an 8th century Breton hermit monk, the medieval town of St-Emilion has long been a center for winemaking. Viticulture there dates to at least 275 AD, when Roman soldiers cleared the local forest and replaced it with vines. Our source here is Christian Dauriac.

His Montlisse, a Grand Cru, is a delicious wine at an approachable price. But for special occasions, the Grand Cru Classé Destieux is a noticeable and impressive step up. And in 2016, it’s something special.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous was blown away by the 2016, calling it “gorgeous, modern St-Emilion,” offering “tremendous depth,… dark, jammy fruit, chocolate, spice, and new leather.” He awarded 94 points, and called it “a terrific showing.” His Vinous colleague Neal Martin, often a harder grader than Galloni, called it “among the best wines I have tasted from this estate.”

This is a wine of boldness, glamor, texture and intensity, and we just restocked for the second time. Open it today and enjoy it over several evenings (or several hours) — there’s impressive stuffing and backbone for the wine to withstand some time and air. But put a few bottles in the back of your cellar, and pull them out over the next 5-10 years — the wine ages magnificently, and by your last bottle we guarantee you’ll wish you had more.

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Destieux St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2016
bottle price: $95

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We’ve imported Chablis from the Domaine Gautheron for nearly a decade. Winemaker Cyril Gautheron’s precise, elegant, well-priced white Burgundies have become a staple at our warehouse tastings, our kitchen table, and the cellars of many of our readers. Jasper Morris MW is also a fan, writing recently, “I must say that Cyril Gautheron’s wines are climbing up my table of Chablis producers.”

Gautheron’s wines burst with juicy, stony fruit and lipsmacking flavor. Cyril uses oak barrels sparingly, and only to offer a whisper of support for the intense, concentrated fruit. His humble Petit Chablis and Vieilles Vignes are beautifully made and terrific values. But it’s in the premier crus that Cyril really flexes his winemaking muscle.

We’re excited to offer Gautheron’s Chablis 1er cru “Montmains” for the first time, a cuvée made from very old vines on Chablis’s Left Bank. Morris had high praise for Gautheron’s Montmains 2021, awarding 92-94 points and remarking “well done,” “very typical left bank fruit,” and “pure and even quite intense white fruit with a lime citrus finish.”

Cyril simply knocked this wine out of the park. There’s a surprisingly ample body (think sweet cream butter) accompanied by lots of supporting acidity, suggesting terrific complexity and very good aging potential. It’s beautifully elegant but especially vibrant, with loads of flavor channeled into an intense, concentrated, long mouthfeel. No rush to drink this, but it’s a real treat already.

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Gautheron Chablis 1er “Montmains” 2021
bottle price: $45

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Wine writer Lettie Teauge once described Sancerre as a wine that delivers “pleasure not profundity.” We think this is an excellent description – sometimes a moment calls for a grand, majestic wine, but other times all you need is something crisp, refreshing, and reliable.

Domaine de la Garenne’s Sancerre is the most popular white wine in our store, and with good reason – it perfectly balances fruit, freshness, minerals and energy, all in a startlingly affordable package. Their 2022 whites have just arrived in time for summer enjoyment.

Garenne’s Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc in its purest form. Grown on a combination of flint, clay, and limestone soils, it’s prototypical Sancerre – no oak, crisp minerality, lovely dry fruit. The 2022 growing season was relatively uneventful in the Loire (a break from recent hardships), and the resulting wines embody the carefree nature of the vintage.

The 2022 Sancerre blanc from Garenne is simply delicious. It’s not as rich as the baked 2020 vintage, nor as piercing as last year’s 2021 – it treads a Goldilocks’ path with tremendous success. The nose has grapefruit and stones, alongside hints of white flowers and chalk. The mouth is easy, crisp, and delicious with dry fruit and a vibrant finish – everything you want in a weeknight Sancerre.

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Garenne Sancerre 2022
bottle price: $28

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This month’s arrival of Mas Foulaquier wines is perfectly timed for the start of spring/summer. As the warm weather draws us outside into the natural world, these vibrant, low-intervention wines are the perfect accompaniment.

Located in Pic-St-Loup, among the best terroirs in the Languedoc, Foulaquier crafts delicious red blends by employing careful biodynamic viticulture. Their wines channel the region’s wildness into exuberant, fruit-and-earth mixtures that are always complex and always polished.

Our newest cuvée from Foulaquier is called “Montagnes Bleues.” It’s pure Grenache raised in concrete tanks — a crisp, vibrant, unadulterated take on the grape. At 12.5% alcohol, the 2019 bursts with beautiful strawberry fruit, hints of grenache smoke, and notes of garrigue and lavender. The mouth is smooth, crisp and crackling with delicious, relaxed tannin – the shape of a Loire Valley Cabernet Franc wrapped in a Provencal package.

There’s less “Foulaquier Funk” than usual in this wine, and we anticipate its appeal will be broader than their other cuvées. It’s the perfect summerweight red, and one to enjoy outside under a blue summer sky.

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Foulaquier Montagnes Bleues 2019
bottle price: $22

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We’ve imported Chablis from the Domaine Gautheron for nearly a decade. Winemaker Cyril Gautheron’s precise, elegant, well-priced white Burgundies have become a staple at our warehouse tastings, our kitchen table, and the cellars of many of our readers. Jasper Morris MW is also a fan, writing recently, “I must say that Cyril Gautheron’s wines are climbing up my table of Chablis producers.”

Gautheron’s wines burst with juicy, stony fruit and lipsmacking flavor. Cyril uses oak barrels sparingly, and only to offer a whisper of support for the intense, concentrated fruit. Today we’re releasing his classic, elegant 2021 old-vine Chablis, laser focused and showing remarkable density and complexity.

Drawn from vines planted in the 1950s, the Chablis VV shows excellent dry material. The wine shows a soft savory spice that suggests grape skins, herbs, and dried flowers. There’s a lushness to the texture of the wine that somehow remains perfectly dry – the depth is tremendous and the finish is long and clean.

The 2021 vintage was a return to classic Chablis, and a step away from the ripe, thick wines of recent years. Jasper Morris writes “This is quite substantial for the vintage and with good length,” finding “an attractive and currently slightly spicy bouquet. Lots of energy.” At $32 this easily overdelivers its humble village-level billing.

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Gautheron Chablis VV 2021
bottle price: $32

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Much of the world’s Merlot is undistinguished. Its default expression is a soft, rounded wine lacking tannin, acidity, and character. “Global” merlot is smooth and easy, but neither distinctive nor particularly interesting. But in Bordeaux, Merlot thrives as an essential component to the region’s most iconic wines.

On Bordeaux’s Right Bank, particularly in the towns of Pomerol and St-Emilion, Merlot reaches its ultimate expression. The exact combination of limestone and gravel soils produce a version of the grape with balance, definition, and depth.

Made from 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, it’s a rich, velvety blend with a classic combination of dark fruit and spice. Vinous reviewer Neal Martin loved the 2017 Montlisse, awarding 92 points and finding it “medium bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, much fresher than many of its peers with a lovely, caressing finish. Excellent.”

We agree with Neal. Today this wine is smooth and elegant, with mellow fruit and subtle earthy/tobacco notes. The mouth is rich and velvety, with fleshy, approachable tannins supporting the gorgeous fruit. Look for notes of plums and toast with cassis, dark chocolate and dried violets. Pour this with a Sunday afternoon roast.

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Montlisse St-Emilion Grand Cru 2017
bottle price: $38

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In our portfolio filled with brilliant, committed and passionate winemakers, there is none more so than Jacqueline André of the Domaine Pierre André in Châteauneuf du Pape. Her family has been a pioneer in organic viticulture, beginning with a grandfather who decided in 1963 that chemicals were bad for vines and gave them up entirely (just as most others were dialing up treatments).

As a result, she farms some vines that are more than 140 years old. Those vines’ roots reach profoundly deep — back in time, you might say — channeling an enormous range of minerals into a precious few bunches of grapes. And in the hands of meticulous craftswoman such as Jacqueline, they become truly magnificent wine, at once deep and soaring.

André pours her entire soul into just two wines (one white, one red), and the resulting cuvée is among the most special wines in our cellar. The 2019 is a triumph: There are delicious dark fruits of blackberry and cassis. The wine is dense and rich, with good structure and lots of intensity – “construit” (“built”) she called it. There is excellent complexity too — tiny notes of anise, lavender, thyme, raspberries and more.

More than perhaps any other in our portfolio, this wine embodies the term “layers.” And as always, though it is rich, the wine has plenty of freshness. We love watching this wine age and have yet to have a tired bottle, but this one should be delightful young as well, particularly enjoyed from a decanter. If possible, enjoy it outside in a big glass after a 3-hour decant — it will come alive with the spirit of the nature from which it springs.

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André Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2019
bottle price: $59

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As most of you know already, Poggerino is a top-notch producer from Chianti in Italy. Nearly all of our winemakers are French, but we carve out a small exception for Piero and Benedetta Lanza in Radda. Rajat Parr calls their pure Sangiovese wines “some of the purest expressions of [Sangiovese] in Italy.” Wine Spectator calls their wines “impeccably balanced.”

Poggerino’s excellent wines seem to get better every year — their dry, punchy Rosato is all you need for summer heat. Their 2018 Riserva is a stunningly complex wine under $50, with a long life ahead of it. And their recently revived Labirinto is a humble, delicious, juicy glass.

But their flagship — the crowd favorite, for good reason — remains the Chianti Classico. And the 2020 is as good as it’s ever been.

Poggerino’s 2020 Chianti Classico is beautiful. It’s fine grained and complex, with more nuance and finesse than usual. The wine bursts from the glass in dark floral notes that somehow also carry tremendous lift and elegance. Look for red cherries, roses, plums, licorice and cocoa. In the mouth it’s focused and sleek, with impressive intensity and perfectly coated tannin. The texture is fine grained and polished.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous gave 92+ points, finding it “soft, fruity, and open-knit,” calling it “supple and engaging” and “a fine choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years.” He concludes “the precision and pedigree here are just unreal.” We plan to keep our portfolio’s focus on French wines, but wines like this make us want to expand. Poggerino’s 2020 Classico is a no-brainer addition to your cellar.

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Poggerino Chianti Classico 2020
bottle price: $25

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By Burgundy standards, Nuits-St-Georges is an enormous appellation, stretching nearly four miles end to end. The soil makeup varies widely across the town, and Nuits can best be thought of as three distinct districts: north, middle and south. The northern part that borders Vosne is the most elegant, the middle the boldest and most powerful, and the southern the most mineral.

Today’s cuvée comes from the middle, not far from the famous “Les St-Georges” vineyard from which the town borrows its name. Michel Gros’s “les Chaliots” vineyard produces a classic expression of Nuits: deep intensity, muscular texture, deep dark fruit. We love this wine year in and year out, but in a vintage like 2019 it’s simply stellar.

The trick in Nuits-St-Georges (particularly the middle sector) is to balance the readily available tannin with enough fruit and finesse. The rugged structure of Nuits grapes tends toward rusticity if left untamed. But as you might expect from someone who recently celebrated his 40th vintage at the helm of his domaine, Michel has steered this cuvée beautifully, and hit the balance just right.

The nose is deep and lovely, with plums, blackberries, toast and spice. The mouth is rich and concentrated, with deep color and even deeper flavor. Burghound found “notes of plum liqueur and dark currant,” and called it “quite rich and suave.”

The past few 2019s we’ve opened have been in a terrific drinking window – they’ve shed a touch of their baby fruit and tannin, but are still in a youthfully juicy stage. They’re certainly built to last, should you want, but pour some steak frites and you won’t need much more.

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Gros Nuits-St-Georges “Chaliots” 2019
bottle price: $75

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Roger Belland produces a dozen cuvées from around the southern end of the Côte d’Or, including from famous vineyards in Chassagne, Puligny, and Volnay. But it’s the wines of his hometown Santenay that often appeal to us most. Belland’s style is plump and juicy, with approachable tannins and beautiful aromatics – they never last long in our cellar or on a dinner table.

In 2020 his fruit-forward friendly style is even more on display than usual, and these are some of the most drinkable Belland reds we can remember. Winemaker Martin Boyer has expertly balanced the lush ripe fruit of the vintage with clean freshness and stony precision. The result is friendly, delicious red Burgundy that’s at once complex and gulpable.

The Belland Santenay 1er Gravieres 2020 is fresh and lively, with exquisite floral notes and a fine mineral nose of stones and roses. The mouth is crisp and fresh with excellent length. There’s classic juicy 2020 fruit, but it’s not a bit overripe – the stony fruit is perfectly supported by careful tannins. This is floral and beautiful today, but the mineral intensity should carry it easily for years to come.

Burghound gave 90 points, finding it “attractively textured,” “seductive,” and “refreshing.” Serve with grilled chicken or pork chops.

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Belland Santenay 1er “Gravières” 2020
bottle price: $49

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Wine writer Rajat Parr describes St. Aubin as the “insider’s white Burgundy.” Wedged in a valley between Chassagne and Puligny, this town produces white Burgundy with hints of Montrachet’s golden richness, but a less stratospheric price tag. St-Aubin has become rarer and pricier like everything else in Burgundy, but it’s still far more affordable than its famous neighbors.

At the western edge of the St. Aubin appellation lies a plot named “Murgers des Dents de Chiens.” Perched just up the hill from Montrachet itself, this St. Aubin 1er cru is a remarkable value. It’s everything that white Burgundy should be – rich, refreshing, complex, and elegant. The 2021 vintage is a return to the traditional Burgundian style, with clean, precise fruit and excellent tension.

Gerard Thomas’s 1er cru St-Aubin is exquisite wine — consistently excellent year in and year out. It’s polished and modern, and drinks like a far fancier bottle. “Murgers” is considered some of the best terroir in the village, and while St-Aubin is hardly the secret it once was, it still provides nearly unparalleled white Burgundy value.

Thomas’s 2021 shows smoke on the nose but not much oak, with a deep, pretty, floral character – it’s sophisticated in a way that calls to mind Puligny. On the palate it’s crackling and savory, with a long and tense finish that’s vibrant and lithe. Jancis found a “lees richness intertwined with the fruit,” with “pristine freshness” and “mouth-watering savor on the finish.”

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Thomas St-Aubin 1er cru
“Murgers des Dents de Chien” 2021
bottle price: $52

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