Author: Thomas Wilcox

Chenin blanc has an enormous range of expression. It can be anywhere from bone dry to very sweet depending on vintage, terroir, and winemaker. Vouvray is the original source for Chenin Blanc, but the surrounding towns in the central Loire Valley produce excellent examples as well.

Several years ago we spent a few days in the Loire searching for a new source for Chenin Blanc. We enjoy the sweet stuff from time to time, but our main goal was to find a dry, refreshing, unoaked, affordable Chenin. Today’s wine is the result of that search, and it’s become one of our most popular bottles of white from anywhere.

Nicolas Paget is an energetic and impassioned young winemaker in Touraine-Azay le Rideau (a neighbor to Vouvray). Like much Loire wine today, Paget’s wines are organic and low-intervention in style. They’re aromatically expressive and beautifully balanced — lush exotic fruit presented in a clean, fresh package.

Paget’s 2020 Melodie is lovely, with an almost Chablisien array of grapeskin and minerals — clean, pure and delightful. The nose is floral and dry, with faint pear notes and a hint of apple. Even in a warm year Paget has managed to craft a refreshing cuvée — at 13% alcohol it’s beautifully balanced, and a refreshing break from the palate-coating wines that dominate the market these days. Serve with fresh goat cheese on crusty bread, or with asparagus on Easter Sunday.

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Paget Chenin Blanc “Melodie” 2020
bottle price: $19

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Vines have covered the steep hillsides of the Rhône river for over 2000 years. Sprouting from vertiginous granite slopes, gnarled syrah vines bake in the summer sun and produce intense, concentrated juice that becomes deep and unmistakable red wine.

Much like white Burgundy’s signature “weight without heaviness,” the reds of the Northern Rhône are at once intense and lively. Grown at its northern ripening limit, Syrah produces intense meaty flavors with unusual lift and balance. Picture a soaring violin solo amid a brooding Tchaikovsky concerto.

Denis Basset is a young winemaker based in Crozes-Hermitage, recently listed by Decanter and the Guide Hachette in describing a dynamic new generation of Crozes-Hermitage winemakers. His plot in Saint-Joseph covers only an acre, and bears the name Abimes de l’Enfer (the “Abyss of Hell”) for its plunging slope.

Basset’s 2020 Saint-Joseph is intense and beautiful. The nose shows spices, violets and intense black pepper; the mouth shows blackberry jam with notes of roasted meat and licorice. This intense wine remains low in alcohol, so while it’s mouthfilling and chewy, there’s not a bit of heaviness.

The 2020 vintage produced particularly elegant wines full of freshness and delicate complexity. Pair this with lamb burgers and let the wine breathe a while.

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Saint Clair St-Joseph 2020
bottle price: $32

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One of our favorite finds in recent years is the tiny Champagne producer Jacques Robin. They’re a small family outfit located in the Côtes des Bar, a sub-region of Champagne located near Chablis and known for its Pinot Noir-heavy cuvées. It’s an up-and-coming region these days, and one taste of this wine will explain why.

Robin’s cuvées are terroir-driven wines, not mass-produced fizz. They’re humble, complex, and delicious. Today’s cuvée is 100% Pinot Noir, grown in soils with a higher percentage of clay than the more famous corners of Champagne. The resulting wines sport a broader, richer palate, and a delightfully refreshing finish.

Robin’s non-vintage cuvée is called Secret de Sorbée, pure Pinot Noir from a single terroir. It’s fermented partially in barrel and left on the lees for over two years. In the glass this wine is toasty and fresh with lovely apple fruit and floral notes. The Guide Hachette awarded a star, and called it “at once round and tart,” with a “pleasant, intense fruit expression.”

At a bottle price under $50, this is true grower Champagne that won’t break the bank. The French require much less of an excuse to open Champagne than Americans — the start of a weeknight dinner is often enough. Keep a bottle or two of this in your fridge for the next time you feel particularly français.

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Robin Champagne “Secret de Sorbée” NV
bottle price: $49

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We happened across Sassi by chance – a friend brought a bottle of the 2016 Riserva to a dinner, and it outshone everything else on the table. After finding no local importer, we made contact with the winery and asked them to send us samples of their current releases. Since their arrival these Barbarescos have become a welcome addition to our small (but delicious!) Italian lineup.

2016 was an outstanding vintage in Piedmont; Vinous’s Antonio Galloni declared it “a stunning, brilliant vintage across the board.” We bought the last of the stock at Sassi, and are glad we did. It’s top notch Barbaresco from one of the best vintages in recent memory.

Founded in 1997 by Angelo Sassi, the small estate is today run by Davide Carniel, producing just a few hundred cases of Barbaresco annually. Their 2016 Barbaresco Riserva spends an extra two years in bottle before release, and the transformation is terrific.

The nose is deep and lovely, with beautifully integrated oak and notes of roses, violets, and orange zest. The mouth is clean and beautifully textured, with subtle tannins and a long, tightly channeled finish. The balance of tannin and fruit and acidity is magnificent – think Volnay premier cru with a few years in the bottle. Pair this with fresh pasta carbonara for a match made in paradiso.

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Sassi San Cristoforo Barbaresco Riserva 2016
bottle price: $62

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Thomas Morey is a winemaker at the top of his game. After splitting his father’s vines with his brother Vincent in 2007, Thomas has carefully charted his own course, establishing himself as a leading producer in Chassagne-Montrachet. His style is low-oak, precise, and immaculate – each element in perfect harmony, not a leaf out of place. As the seldom effusive critic Burghound writes, “2020 is a stunningly good vintage chez Thomas Morey, in fact I can’t recall ever seeing better quality across the board since he started in 2007.”

Indeed the only thing wrong with Morey’s wines is their scarcity – of the nine wines in our allocation this year, only two made it past the Futures land grab back in May. (We have our eyes on the abundant and apparently excellent 2022s for a longer wishlist.) But in the meantime, what’s left over is just as good as anything he makes, and arguably the best value in his lineup.

Morey’s St-Aubin 1er cru “Les Castets” is on a south facing hill at the west end of town. Morey’s early picking and low-oak style match the sunny hillside and concentrated vintage perfectly. The nose shows gorgeous balance of minerals, pears and just-ripe lime. The mouth is excellent too, with lemon custard and terrific dry concentration. As usual with Morey, the shape and detail are terrific.

Jasper Morris awarded 91-93 points, finding “fresh white fruit, pears, chiseled limestone clarity behind, with excellent length.” It may not be as impressive or as ageworthy as Morey’s legendary Grand Cru Batard-Montrachet, but at one sixth the cost we think it’s well worth the price tag. Here’s an opportunity to taste a masterful winemaker firing on all cylinders.

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Morey St-Aubin 1er cru “Castets” 2020
bottle price: $65

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Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet produce the world’s finest dry white wines. In production for nearly two thousand years, the vineyards surrounding these villages produce wines of different characters — Puligny a bit more serious, Chassagne a bit friendlier.

Today’s suggestion comes from Roger Belland, a fifth generation Burgundian winemaker. Belland’s style is intensity without harshness – his wines of both colors are welcoming and smooth. But given time they often surprise with their complexity. Today we’re suggesting Belland’s flagship wine: the monopole Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru “Clos Pitois” blanc from 2020.

First planted in 1421, the “Clos Pitois” is a monopole of the Belland family. Owning an entire vineyard is rare in Burgundy, and the Bellands treat it like a member of the family. Located in the clay-rich “Morgeot” sector of the appellation, the 2020 blanc is classic Chassagne — rich, mouthfilling, and gorgeous, pulsating with lively golden fruit.

As with the best of Belland’s whites, this combines an intense richness with linear focus. The 2020 shows more refinement than usual, with a sleek modern shape and limited oak. There is more minerality and stoniness mixed in with the fruit here, and the nose includes floral notes of white peach flower. Burghound found it “very rich, even opulent,” with “a lovely texture.”

In short, first-rate Premier Cru white Burgundy from an outstanding vintage – seriously impressive wine.

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Belland Chassagne-Montrachet
1er cru “Clos Pitois” 2020
bottle price: $112

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Poggerino is often cited as a reference point for Chianti Classico. Vinous writes of their Poggerino’s “remarkable purity and nuance,” and Rajat Parr calls their wines “excellent” and “some of the purest expressions of the grape in Italy.”

Winemaker Piero Lanza is a master of his craft — he makes a terrific Rosato (coming soon), a perennial favorite Chianti Classico, and this year even added back the Labirinto of days past.  But Poggerino’s finest value wine has always been their extremely well-priced Riserva, and this year is no different.

Poggerino’s Chianti Classico Riserva is from the “Bugialla” vineyard, and it’s just gorgeous again in 2018. Antonio Galloni called it “bold, dramatic wine,” with an ample, generous” mouthfeel and notes of “cherry, mocha, lavender and licorice.” Robert Parker’s reviewer found “impeccable balance…with added complexity.”

We’ve enjoyed this cuvée with 15 years in the bottle, but while aging that long will be rewarded, it’s certainly not required.  Particularly with a decanter, this is a magnificent wine today, full of depth and complexity, at once muscular and subtle.

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Poggerino Chianti Riserva 2018
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.

The Godon-Reverdy family just sent us samples of their 2022s Garenne wines, and we’re pleased to report they’re as good as ever. All four will appear in next Sunday’s March Futures issue, but we’re opening up the bidding on our favorite today.

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.

March Futures orders should arrive just in time for the turn to Spring, and this will be as welcome on your table as a vase of daffodils.

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Garenne Sancerre 2022
bottle price: $336
March Futures Price: $275/case

To order this wine, email Tom

 

Hot, dry growing seasons are now the norm in Burgundy. Twenty years ago these vintages would have been unusual – a challenging outlier requiring some careful adjustments in the cellar. But as warm, sunny conditions have become the new normal, both growers and vines have begun to adapt more permanently.

Winemakers have adjusted their growing techniques and cellar practices to manage riper grapes, higher sugars, and earlier harvests. Now with several years of practice, growers manage to maintain balance and freshness with the new crop. Despite the heat and lack of rain, the 2019 red Burgundies are some of the most exciting we’ve tasted.

Domaine Mégard is the product of a father-son team making a single wine near the Pommard-Volnay border. The vines come from Pommard, but the proximity to Volnay gives the wine a splash of velvet and charm. Particularly in 2019, it’s an old-school, carefully oaked, delicious red Burgundy, and a well priced one at that.

The 2019 Mégard Pommard is deep and lovely with a nose of violets, cassis, and hints of earth. It’s always beautifully oaked, and this year is no exception – faint hints of toast join only to support the concentrated red fruit. There’s notes of soy sauce, beef broth, and plum all wrapped up into a punchy, delicious package. Serve with steak-frites.

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Mégard Pommard 2019
bottle price: $59

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Like just about every other wine in France, the Syrahs of the Northern Rhône have gotten riper and more lush in the last few years. A series of scorching hot growing seasons mean that the wines have begun to feel a bit more Southern. Don’t get us wrong, they’re delicious – indeed some of the best we’ve had – but the shift is noticeable.

Well for the purists, the 2021 vintage is a return to the historic style. A cool summer and wet August provided the wines with an extra dose a crisp freshness, a throwback to the Syrahs of yesteryear. They’re just starting to come on the market, and we’re thrilled to release our first today: the Vin de Pays Syrah “Confluence” from Domaine de Boisseyt.

Boisseyt’s humble syrah far outperforms its alarmingly low pricetag, showing none of the rusticity you might expect from a sub-$25 wine. The nose is classic and dark, with blackberry, clove, violets and blueberries. The mouth, clocking in at an unheard of 12.5% alcohol, bursts with ripe fruit and pitch-perfect freshness.

With no oak to muddle the palate, this is pure, perfumy Northern Rhône Syrah. Serve with lamb, or any middle-eastern cuisine. Or pour at your first spring barbecue with marinated steak tips.

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Boisseyt Syrah VDP 2021
bottle price: $22

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Saint-Estèphe is one of the primary appellations in Bordeaux’s Left Bank. Known for its clay-gravel soils, the wines of Saint-Estèphe are bold and impressive, with lots of concentration. These are assertive wines that often require substantial cellaring to unwind their potential.

But there are exceptions. A scorching year like 2018 produced wines of a riper, softer character, making them easier to approach in their youth. Today we’re delighted to present a wine with all the sturdy, sophisticated character of a true Saint-Estèphe, but wrapped in a friendlier, juicier package: the 2018 Château le Crock.

Jane Anson MW writes of Crock’s “great quality, rich in black fruits and soft tannins, with the same brush of glamour that you find at Leoville-Poyferré.” We were quite taken with the 2018 vintage of this wine – the abundant fruit is beautifully supported by the tannin, and joined by delicate floral and mineral notes. Though it’s not subtle, it’s bold, inky, juicy, and just delicious.

We weren’t alone in our assessment. Vinous’s Antonio Galloni gave it 92 points, finding “plenty of personality” and calling it “an especially rich, potent edition” of the wine. This has enough stuffing to age a while, but it’s simply delicious today. Serve with a stew.

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Chateau le Crock Saint-Estèphe 2018
bottle price: $55

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The style of winemaking in Chablis is somewhat in flux these days. Recent hot summers in Chablis have meant a departure from the stony, crystalline expression of old. These richer, rounder wines can handle more oak, and some winemakers have extended their elevage, creating wines with richness and complexity to rival those of the Côte d’Or.

Not Cyril Gautheron. To him such wines may be tasty, but they’re not Chablis. Gautheron has doubled down on the classic style, dialing back his oak in some places, and relying solely on terroir and fruit for expression.

The results are magnificent. They may be a bit fleshier than a decade ago, but they’re just as fresh, well balanced, and stony.

Cyril farms a handful of plots at the premier cru level, scattered across the appellation. His vines in the premier cru “Fourneaux” are out the window of his domaine, up a side valley near his native Fleys. The plot is south facing with lots of sun, but high in elevation and steep, providing much-needed air flow and drainage.

The 2020 is terrific, with a very expressive nose – orchard fruits, lemon peel, and stones. In the mouth a mineral punch and notes of saline mix in with the lush fruit, making for a persistent palate and a long finish. Jasper Morris MW found “a gentler, more graceful bouquet,” calling it “stylish and quite long.”

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Gautheron Chablis 1er “Fourneaux” 2020
bottle price: $39

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Some wines just hit a sweet spot between price and quality. All the way back to our brick and mortar days in Dupont Circle in Washington DC, the Goubert Sablet has been among the best sellers in our lineup. When we left it off our order last year, we had half a dozen customers write in to express concern.

It’s not the fanciest wine in our cellar — it’s not even the fanciest Côtes du Rhône. But there’s something about the balance of fruit, earth, texture, acidity, tannin and price that make it a winning combination. The 2020 has just arrived, and it’s hands down the best vintage Florence has made.

We were a bit nervous our “back up the truck” phrase in the October Futures writeup might have been overenthusiastic; but after finally opening a bottle this week, we can confirm that was no hyperbole.

The 2020 Sablet from Goubert might be the best Côtes du Rhône we’ve had in many years. It’s a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, all fermented together in the same tank. It’s raised in large concrete vats rather than oak barrels, and the resulting wine is fresh and untouched by notes of vanilla or toast.

Goubert’s Sablet 2020 is dark, juicy and refreshing: the nose is a blend of wild cherries, lavender, violets, and cloves. In the mouth the fruits are red, perfectly ripe, with beautiful freshness and a clean, spiced finish. The weight is just right: rich, rounded tannins, mouth-coating fruit, solid supporting acidity, and a smooth finish.

Your search for a house red wine is over.

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Goubert Sablet 2020
bottle price: $19

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Though it has no Grand Cru vineyards, the white Burgundies of Meursault are some of the most sought after in the world. Classical Meursault inhabits the decadent, opulent end of the white Burgundy spectrum, drawing on clay-rich (pictured) soils to produce muscular, mouthfilling white wines.

In recent years the style has shifted towards less fat and more tension, and the average Meursault today is livelier than it was 20 years ago. Vincent Boyer makes several cuvées in this more modern style, but today’s is old-school. Drawing on nearly 100-year-old vines for extra concentration and depth, the Meursault “Ormeau” is classic: rich, decadent, and flat-out delicious.

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 from vines that celebrate their centenary next year. The nose shows peaches and citrus, with pear 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.

The 2020 is outstanding, from a vintage that has become widely hailed as a modern classic. There’s the prototypical Meursault nose – hazelnuts, white flowers, stones – but the mouth shows added concentration and superb energy. It’s still a traditional fleshy Meursault, but there’s and extra dose of concentration and tension. Burghound called it “elegant,” finding a “clean, lemony and agreeably dry finale.” William Kelley calls it “ample and fleshy, with lively acids and a saline finish.”

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Boyer-Martenot Meursault “Ormeau” 2020
bottle price: $75

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