Author: Thomas Wilcox

Bordeaux is home to many of the most famous and expensive wines in the world. But it’s a huge region, and also produces wines that dramatically overperform their pricetag. One of our favorite places to find value in Bordeaux is at the Cru Bourgeois level.

This Médoc classification, revived in 2010, is earned each year, and awarded based on the quality of the wine rather than the name of the chateau. Of the few hundred cuvées awarded the status each year, the best include, to quote Vinous’s Neal Martin, “a clutch of fabulous wines that I bet could be sneaked into a blind tasting of Grand Cru Classé and nobody would notice.”

Today’s wine is a case in point: a no-brainer everyday Bordeaux for $5/glass.

Now after six years on from harvest, the 2016 Cru Bourgeois from Chateau Ramafort well overperforms its billing. The 50/50 Cab/Merlot blend is a younger, fresher take on the terroir, but one with silky tannins and a perfectly balanced texture.

Martin awarded 91 points, finding “a very attractive bouquet with blackberry, briary and cedar aromas.” He went on to find “fine grain tannin” and a “silky finish,” before concluding finally “Yes, yes, yes!” The bottle we opened on Saturday at our warehouse was a hit: smooth and quietly delicious. Pair with a weeknight burger.

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Ramafort Medoc Cru Bourgeois 2016
bottle price: $25

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If there’s any place left hidden in Burgundy, it might be the appellation Ladoix. In recent decades the demand for Burgundy has skyrocketed, and it sometimes seems like there isn’t much left to discover.

But even a serious Burgundy collector might have trouble finding Ladoix [lah-DWAH] on a map. Located just north of the famous Hill of Corton, the vineyards of Ladoix are downslope from some of Burgundy’s finest Grand Crus. Our longtime source here is the Domaine Ravaut, a traditional domaine making excellent wines of both colors.

Ravaut’s make several delicious reds from Ladoix, but it’s their white Ladoix we’ve always found really exceptional. From vines planted down slope from Corton-Charlemagne, Ravaut’s Ladoix blanc does an admirable impression of the great Grand Cru, and at a fraction of the price. It was writer Bill Nanson’s description of this wine as a “baby Corton-Charlemagne” that first drew us here, and it rings true today.

The 2020 in Ladoix is seriously impressive wine. The nose is deep and expressive with notes of lemon cream, chalk, and white flowers. The mouth is delicious – very concentrated, with a waxy texture and a bold, lemon-zesty finish alongside faint hints of pear.

Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne this isn’t, but at less than half the cost, it punches way above its weight.

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Ravaut Ladoix blanc 2020
bottle price: $65

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Alcohol levels are on the rise in just about every region in France. More heat means riper grapes, and more sugar means higher levels of alcohol. Growers are experimenting with canopy management to increase shade, adjusting plowing schedules, earlier harvesting, and other techniques to avoid overripeness, but the trend is clearly in one direction.

In Burgundy, the wine is still delicious – indeed you could argue it’s never been better – but it tastes a bit different than a decade ago. So those yearning for old-school Burgundy, we suggest today’s wine from 2017. Clear, middleweight, pure, and punchy – 12.5% alcohol, and perfectly balanced. Nothing fancy or showy, just humble, delicious, affordable red Burgundy.

Michel Gros farms quite a bit of land in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, a subregion to the west of his famous hometown of Vosne-Romanée. His Burgundies from this region are always delicious, and because of their under-the-radar zip code are often terrific bargains as well. Today’s wine is an Hautes-Côtes from 2017, a slightly cooler year that produced wines with lower acidities and friendlier tannins.

Today the 2017 Hautes-Côtes “Au Vallon” is just lovely. The nose shows earthy red cherries, delicate floral notes, and a hint of chalk. The mouth shows rounded structure, with perfectly balanced tannins and a clean, surprisingly elegant finish. This is traditional red Burgundy from a masterful winemaker in an extremely accessible vintage, all wrapped up in a neat 5-year-old package.

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Gros Hautes-Côtes “Au Vallon” 2017
bottle price: $35

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Most wines are drunk too early. Nearly every wine, in particular reds, will benefit from some time in the bottle. For higher end wines, cellaring is required to realize their potential. But a few extra years of patience can improve even humble wines.

Today’s bottle is a perfect example. The 2015 Chateau Gravette Lacombe was named a Cru Bourgeois, a distinction awarded to a few hundred Medoc cuvées each year based on the quality of the wine rather than the name or reputation of the chateau. Today, seven years on from harvest, the wine is at perfect maturity, and a real delight.

A 60/40 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this wine was raised in stainless steel and from an excellent vintage. The nose shows the dark fruits, as well as tertiary, savory, meaty notes that only occur with bottle age – look for dried cherries, leather, and a hint of vanilla bean. The mouth is smooth and clean, with softened tannins and pleasantly rustic flavors.

We’re sure Lafite and Margaux from 2015 are also aging well, and when they’re finally ready to drink a few decades from now, they’ll be delightful as well. But while you’re waiting, this wine is a treat – an extraordinary value for its level and maturity. Cellaring wine requires patience and investment; but in this case the Chateau has already done the work, and today’s already-cellared wine requires neither.

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Gravette-Lacombe Cru Bourgeois Medoc 2015
bottle price: $22

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There are wines from Bordeaux full of subtlety and finesse — but Chateau Destieux is not one of them. Destieux is the marriage of superb, ancient terroir with sleek, modern winemaking: old-school flavor in a bold, unsubtle 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, glamour, texture and intensity. Open it today and enjoy it over several evenings — there’s impressive stuffing and backbone. 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: $85

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Sauvignon blanc is among the world’s most widely planted grapes, but its origin is the Loire Valley. In the Loire, Sauvignon takes on a floral, mineral style, juicy grapefruit notes with a lively minerality, often notes of flint, and pleasant herbal finish.

Wine writer Lettie Teauge once described Sancerre as a wine that delivers “pleasure not profundity.” Located at the eastern end of the Loire, Sancerre produces consistently delicious wines — approachable, affordable, and uncomplicated.

Our source here is the Domaine de la Garenne, a family operation making classic, unoaked, vibrant Sancerre. It’s not showy or ageworthy, just pure, clean, and simply delicious.

Garenne’s new 2021 Sancerre is crisp and delightful. It’s bone dry with pure sauvignon grapefruit in the nose. In the mouth it’s lively but with no astringency or grassiness — a cooler vintage has added an extra dose of dry tension. Look for minerals and lime in the mouth, with dry extract, lovely tension, and surprising length.

Sancerre is a perfect transition wine for Fall – it pairs with anything and nothing, appropriate for a hot, humid afternoon, or a warm autumn meal. Our favorite match is a classic moules frites — a simple broth of shallots, wine, parsley, garlic and tarragon. It’s just like Sancerre: humble, uncomplicated, and delicious.

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Garenne Sancerre 2021
bottle price: $25

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Amid Champagne’s glitz and glamour, winemaker Pascal Bardoux stands out. His cuvées are quietly exceptional — his tasting room is his small untidy office, where we taste slowly and thoughtfully from an old beat-up leather sofa. “Le marketing” is nowhere to be seen.

And Bardoux’s wines, humble and delicious, are comparative bargains. Much mass-market Champagne that gets to the US fetches between $75 and $100 a bottle; Bardoux’s small-batch Brut Traditionnel doesn’t even crack $50 — twice the wine at half the price.

The Guide Hachette calls Bardoux’s non-vintage brut cuvée, “a champagne for all occasions.”

Bardoux’s Brut Traditionnel is an excellent entree to the collection. A blend of 60% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, this wine has the complexity and depth to match the finest bottles from Burgundy or Bordeaux. The nose shows plum, chalk, lime zest, and buttered biscuits; the mouth is dry, elegant, and smooth, with notes of apple and toast.

We can’t recommend this wine highly enough. There’s plenty of opportunity to enjoy Champagne as we close out the decade this month. But it’d be a shame to limit yourself to just the celebratory moments. Try pairing with sushi, creamy cheese (Delice de Bourgogne or Brillat-Savarin for example), or gougères.

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Bardoux Champagne Brut Traditionnel NV
bottle price: $49

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New winemakers in Burgundy are hard to come by. It’s a tiny region, and between small harvests, ever increasing demand, and well-established importers, it can seem there’s nothing new to discover. Which makes us even gladder of our most recent Burgundian find: the Domaine Boursot in Chambolle-Musigny.

Neal Martin of Vinous writes of a “foundation for a promising future,” and describes Boursot’s wines as “superb,” “excellent,” “very fine,” and “worth seeking out.” Having received our third vintage from Boursot, we’re pleased to report our (and Neal’s) initial enthusiasm was well founded.

Boursot is best known for their excellent Chambolle-Musignys, which are excellent and come highly recommended. But their hidden gem is their Côte de Nuits-Villages. Made from vines immediately on the other side of the wall from Chambolle royalty Frédy Mugnier’s famous Nuits-St-Georges 1er cru “Clos de la Maréchale,” this greatly overperforms its class.

The 2019 is as good as you’d expect from an outstanding vintage and supremely well-located terroir. It’s classic Boursot style: the nose is dark and briary, with Côte de Nuits cassis and hints of black pepper and toast. The mouth is punchy and juicy, with a woodsy mouthfeel laid over lots of beefy extraction. The tannins are approachable and youthful, full of energy and texture without an ounce of harshness.

Neal Martin found “plenty of energy and charm,” with a “fleshy” palate and “quite a sensual finish.” Bill Nanson wrote simply “a great CDNV! Bravo!” Is it as good as the $175 Premier Cru Nuit-St-Georges next door? Nope. But at a quarter of the price it’s easily a better buy — loaded with character, presence, and depth.

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Boursot Côte de Nuits-Villages 2019
bottle price: $42

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