Author: Thomas Wilcox

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Dazzling, Bold New Gigondas to Rival Châteauneuf

Some wines are esoteric: subtly funky Burgundies, oxidative Jura whites, skin-contact orange wines, etc. Like a Rothko canvas or a Philip Glass composition, these wines are best understood with some context, and they’re not for everyone.

Other wines offer more straightforward enjoyment: uncomplicated hedonistic pleasure. And today’s wine is firmly in the second camp. The Domaine les Goubert is among our most popular producers, and the special Gigondas “Cuvée Florence” is their finest wine. It’s not subtle or traditional, but it’s pure, cozy delight — and sometimes, after a long day, that’s just what we need.

The 2018 growing season was hotter and drier than anything in recent memory, and making wine under the scorching provencal sun was even toastier than usual. But Gigondas has some advantages amid ever warming seasons: it’s on the slope of a hill with excellent drainage, and the tall mountains (Dentelles de Montmirail) behind it foster continuous airflow. Harvest is often a week or two later than Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Goubert has just released the 2018 Gigondas “Florence,” after its two year elevage before bottling. It’s rich and bold and smooth, offering easy enjoyment and a perfect match for wintery weather. Jeb Dunnuck awarded 92-94 points, calling it “beautiful” and finding “focused texture.. and a great finish.”

This wine perfectly embodies the term “layers.” It changes the moment the bottle is opened — we suggest a half hour in a carafe to help it along. When it’s open and firing on all cylinders, it’s a symphony of taste: lavender, boysenberry, black pepper, chocolate, raspberry jam, earth, and toast.

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Goubert Gigondas “Florence” 2018
bottle price: $54

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Outstanding New 2019 Volnay Premier Cru

Red Burgundies aren’t known for their heartiness. Pinot Noir is a delicate, thin-skinned varietal — and typically tends towards subtlety over strength. But what red Burgundies may lack in weight they more than make up in elegance. The finest examples are unmatched in their ability to convey complexity, subtlety, and grace. In the Côte de Nuits it’s hard to pick a favorite town, but in the Côte de Beaune one name stands above the rest.

Volnay embodies the velvety silkiness of red Burgundy as well as any town in the region. Our producer here is the Domaine Roger Belland, who marries Volnay’s elegance with the domaine’s approachable style. The result is exceptionally fine red Burgundy, that’s also drinkable young.

Volnay has no Grand Cru vineyards, so Santenots Premier Cru is among the appellation’s finest plots. Its location on the southern border with Meursault signals the elegance and charming aromatics often found in the wine.

Belland’s 2019 Volnay 1er cru is a deft balance act of channeling subtle terroir in a very ripe year. Belland used 80% whole clusters in this cuvée, giving a backbone to the abundant fruit. Resulting wine is gorgeous, easily their most elegant red, with lively aromatics and plenty of substance. Its structure is hidden in the beautiful fruit and its very fine-grained tannins support a wine that will be perfumed, silky, and lacy when it matures.

Burghound awarded 92 points, calling it “Outstanding,” and finding it both “exceptionally rich” and “velvet-textured,” with a “built-to-age finish.” Belland’s wines always drink young, but there’s no rush on this one, and it’s a terrific candidate for the back of the cellar.

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Belland Volnay 1er “Santenots” 2019
bottle price: $75

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Exciting New 2019 White Burgundy from a “Rising Star.” $32

For years we used to visit the Domaine Desvignes in Givry for humble, straightforward red Burgundies with excellent pricing. But in the years since Gautier Desvignes has taken over, the domaine has transformed into one of the leading lights in the Côte Chalonnaise. In a remarkably short time, Gautier has upgraded the winemaking facilities, bottling practices, and viticulture, with truly exciting results.

We’re not the only ones to notice – both Vinous’s Neal Martin and the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley MW have identified Gautier as a rising star, and the results of his work are more impressive every year. Last fall Kelley reported: “The young Gautier Desvignes continues his rapid ascent at the 11-hectare estate, and I was delighted by these new releases. … Elegant, sumptuous reds and bright, chiseled whites are the order of the day, and everything reviewed here comes warmly recommended.”

The only thing wrong with wines’ rise in popularity is their sudden scarcity. Nearly all of our allocation for the Desvignes reds sold out through Futures last year, and the only red cuvée left in stock is his excellent 2019 Givry. But in recent years Gautier has also turned his considerable skill to his whites wines, and we’re pleased to release one today: the Givry blanc “En Cheneves.”

This is terrific white Burgundy, which actually features 10% of pinot blanc alongside the 90% chardonnay. The wine is crisp and focused: pure Chardonnay fruit with a chalky intensity. The pinot blanc offers a splash of floral notes, and Gautier has oaked it minimally and masterfully. It offers a completeness and complexity that recalls the famous whites of the Côte d’Or to the north, far overperforming its humble origin.

Kelley found “crisp yellow orchard fruit, white flowers and hazelnuts” calling it “bright and precise.” If you missed out on Gautier’s 2019 reds, keep your eye out for September Futures later this year. But in the meantime, we can’t recommend this delicious white enough.

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Desvignes Givry blanc “En Cheneves” 2019
bottle price: $32

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Smooth, Floral, Exotic: 2020 Northern Rhône White

Denis Basset is best known for his rich pure Syrahs from Crozes-Hermitage. They’re delicious, well priced, and pulsing with energy and life. For years our only look at his lone white cuvée was in his barrel room – just a splash “to set the palate” before moving on to the reds. The white was always lovely — floral and fresh, beautifully expressive, and a perfect way to start a tasting.

But it was so popular in Parisian restaurants that it was years before he offered us any; now we thirstily buy all of our small allocation each year. It’s the only wine of its kind in our portfolio – rounder and more tropical than white Burgundy; more tension than Condrieu; more softness than our Loire whites. An usual and charming aperitif white.

Denis Basset runs the Domaine Saint-Clair, which he started several years ago after spending the first decade of his working life in the family’s flower business. He has rapidly gained confidence and acclaim; both Decanter and the Guide Hachette have listed him in a dynamic new generation of Crozes-Hermitage winemakers.

Basset’s white is a Rousanne-Marsanne blend (70/30), in the style of a classic northern Rhône. The nose is soft and enveloping, with tropical notes of mango, pineapple, and green tea. The mouth is rich and round, but well balanced, showing nectarine and honey notes. There’s so much exotic fruit in the nose you almost expect this to be sweet, but the mouth finishes cool and soft and dry.

This is a perfect winter white wine, with bright citrus to match rich foods, but a cozy, mouthcoating softness that makes it hard to put down. Serve some with a salty triple cream cheese and crusty bread.

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Saint-Clair Crozes-Hermitage blanc 2020
bottle price: $25

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Rich, Muscular, “Fleshy” 2019 Côte de Nuits-Villages

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. We’re heading back for a visit next month, and our preparations for prospecting have been unpromising to say the least.

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,” (see photo) 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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Orchard Fruit and Flowers: Delicious, Dry Loire Valley Chenin Blanc. $19

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 2019 Melodie sports 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 and rejoice in simplicity.

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Paget Chenin Blanc “Melodie” 2019
bottle price: $19

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Stunning, “Exquisite” 95 point Chianti Riserva

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.”

Last month’s January Futures offered their current vintages, and we can’t wait to get them in stock in a month or two. We long ago sold out of last year’s Classico and Rosato, but there’s a bit of their terrific 2017 Riserva left in the warehouse, and we’re delighted to highlight it today.

Poggerino’s finest wine is their Chianti Classico Riserva from the “Bugialla” vineyard, and it’s just gorgeous again in 2017. Antonio Galloni, who called the 2016 Riserva “a total knockout,” called the 2017 “another stellar wine.” He found much freshness in its “freshly cut flowers and sweet, red berry fruit,” and identified notes of “rose petal, blood orange, and spice” lingering on the “racy, exquisite finish.”

We recently enjoyed this cuvée after 15 years in the bottle, but aging that long is 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 Classico Riserva Bugialla 2017
bottle price: $42

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Bold Muscular New 2019 Nuits-St-Georges from Michel Gros

By Burgundy standards, Nuits-St-Georges is an enormous appellation, stretching nearly four miles end to end. The mineral content in the soil 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 lightest and most mineral.

Today’s cuvée comes from the middle, not far from the famous “Les St-Georges” vineyard from which the town draws 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, and it often represents one of the best values at Gros. But in 2019, as with most other things in the vintage, it simply shines.

The trick in Nuits-St-Georges (particularly the middle sector) is to balance the readily available tannin with enough fruit and finesse. The naturally rugged structure of grapes from Nuits lends itself to rusticity if not well tamed. 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. It’s very 2019 in its intensity, but very Burgundian in its finesse. We expect it to age beautifully over the next 3-5 years, and offer ample enjoyment today with the help of a carafe and a plate of steak frites.

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

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Classic, Intense, Refreshing Muscadet: Bone-Dry $22 Loire White

Not far from the mouth of the Loire, where France’s longest river meets the windswept Atlantic coast, sits the appellation of Muscadet. For centuries its signature product – a classic, bone-dry white wine – has appeared by the carafe in the oyster bars of Paris, London, and New York. It’s refreshing, abundant, and inexpensive — a perfect glass to wash down a plate of crustaceans.

In the last few decades Muscadet has undergone a reinvention of sorts with the elevation of three of the region’s best towns to a new “Cru Communal” status. Today’s wine comes from one of this new wave of Muscadet. Combining excellent terroir with extended years on the lees, this is an unusually complex take on a classic.

Martin-Luneau is a fourth generation family domaine farming old vines on the plains south of Nantes. Their 2016 Clisson is a marriage of the brisk, refreshing essence of the sea, with the delicate herbal and fruit flavors of western France. The nose is clean and pure, showing dried flowers, melons, and lemon. The mouth is smooth and very dry, with notes of stones, salt air, and apple skins.

Oysters are the longstanding pairing of choice with Muscadet, and the thick savoriness in this wine is an exceptional foil for the fresh brineyness of an oyster. But the winemakers themselves recommend serving this with a simple moules marinières, made with shallots, parsley, thyme, butter and, of course, Muscadet.

As wine writer Lettie Teague once wrote, “an $8 glass of Muscadet will always be better than an $8 glass of something else.” (And this one comes in under $5.)

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Martin-Luneau Muscadet Clisson 2016
bottle price: $22

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Crisp, Refreshing, Delightful 2018 Red Burgundy. $29

Michel Prunier and his daughter Estelle make delicious, traditional Burgundies in Auxey-Duresses. In some vintages Prunier’s reds occupy the lightweight end of the spectrum, requiring some time and a careful food pairing. But in 2018 all they need is a corkscrew and a glass.

Despite record breaking heat in 2018, the Pruniers managed to create real, traditional red Burgundies — a balance of earth, fruit, and freshness. Their 2018s from Auxey-Duresses and Volnay are serious and ageworthy — we think in a year or two they’ll be excellent, with loads of red fruit and solid, distilled cores. But their Bourgogne is terrific today.

The Bourgogne rouge 2018 is juicy, punchy, and delicious. From a warm, very ripe year, the Pruniers have crafted a wine bursting with fruit and spunk — the nose shows beautiful ripe cherries, with notes of licorice and roses. The mouth is fine and chalky, with a croquant (crackling) mouthfeel and elegantly filled in tannins.

This isn’t long or subtle or ageworthy — it’s weeknight red Burgundy full of character. Serve it cool, and pair it with a simple salad or fancy takeout pizza.

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Prunier Bourgogne rouge 2018
bottle price: $29

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Gorgeous, Velvety 93-point Gigondas: “Remarkable Value”

For years, Gigondas was a savvy wine collector’s secret: near-Châteauneuf-level complexity and richness, at a substantial discount. But even as its name has spread and prices have crept up, the price-value ratio in Gigondas remains unusually good. As Vinous’s Josh Raynolds put it after tasting several hundred cuvées recently, “in the context of the world’s best wines, almost every Gigondas delivers solid and even remarkable value.”

Last spring we stumbled upon an exciting property, the Clos du Joncuas — a century-old domaine making old school Gigondas with extraordinary finesse and texture. The winemakers here use ambient yeasts, no oak (not even foudres), 100% whole cluster, no fining or filtering.

We’re nearing the end of our stock of this delicious 2016, and it keeps getting better.

The Joncuas technique sounds like a recipe for a massive, rustic wine, but sisters Dany and Carol Chastan somehow manage to produce wines of superb texture and subtlety. The Joncuas Gigondas 2016 is magnificent. It’s 80% grenache (some from centenarian vines), with the rest Mourvèdre and Cinsault. The fruit is clean and very pure, with a gorgeous silky texture and notes of violets, raspberry, garrigue, and spice. Think of it as Grenache that wants to be Syrah.

Vinous and Wine Advocate booth awarded 93 points, finding it “big and balanced,” “plush,” finishing “silky, sweet, and impressively long.” Close your eyes and this is easily a Châteauneuf-du-Pape; open them and it’s an astonishing amount of wine for under $40.

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Joncuas Gigondas 2016
bottle price: $39

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​​Delicious, “Refreshing” 2019 Red Burgundy. $35

Maranges is the Côte d’Or’s forgotten appellation. In the past it was known for its unrefined, tannic wines — Burgundians used to call it “le medecin” (the doctor) because some secretly blended it into thinner Côte d’Or reds to bulk up weak vintages.

But today its reputation needs revision. Advances in winemaking and warmer summers mean that Maranges now produces wines of real character and complexity. They never reach the depth or elegance of reds from Volnay or Pommard, but they offer early enjoyment and pleasant texture.

Today’s 2019 Maranges reimagines the appellation entirely — it’s juicy, smooth, round, and flat out delicious. Not a hard edge in sight.

Belland’s 2019 Maranges may be a different grape (Pinot Noir rather than Gamay), but it borrows a bit of the Beaujolais’s jubilant spirit — think red Burgundy with the soul of a Cru Beaujolais. Burghound loved this cuvée, finding notes of “poached plum and violet” with a “round and plush” mouthfeel and a “sneaky long finish.”

The bottle we opened recently with a roasted chicken and potatoes was just about perfect. Lovely young Pinot fruit, hints of savory spice and herbs, all wrapped in a smooth, mouthcoating wine that finishes fresh and clean.

Depending on the source, young red Burgundy can be a bit abrupt; and young Maranges has historically required a fork and knife. But today’s is neither — just pure, juicy, approachable Pinot fruit at its best.

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Belland Maranges 1er “Clos Roussot” 2019
bottle price: $35

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Floral, Meursault-Like White Burgundy from a Hidden Valley

Tucked away in a valley off to the west of the Côte d’Or, Auxey-Duresses is often passed over for famous nearby names such as Meursault and Volnay. But hot summers have turned these towns on the margins of ripeness into sources for real value.

Domaine Michel Prunier is one of the leading domaines in Auxey – they make humble, delicious, well-priced wines with early drinking windows. Today we’re featuring their Auxey-Duresses blanc, an overperforming, classy white Burgundy that’s floral, accessible, and delicious. Hide the label, and you’d guess a village-level Meursault.

Prunier’s Auxey blanc is unusually vibrant in 2018, a particularly impressive feat given the hot summer. The nose shows the classic white flowers and lychee of nearby Meursault, with additional lemon curd, stones and perfectly integrated wood (only 10% new oak).

In the mouth this wine bursts with richness and tension. There’s excellent sucrocité (the flavor and texture of sugar, but without the sweetness), followed by a blast of freshness. It shows excellent length, particularly for its level, and the texture is pure and clean.

It’s just about impossible to find Meursault under $50 these days. While this doesn’t carry quite the same complexity and balance as its famous neighbor, we think it’s an excellent value at $45. Serve with a creamy mushroom risotto.

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Prunier Auxey-Duresses blanc 2018
bottle price: $45

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Bold and Beautiful: Mouthfilling New 94-point Côte Rôtie

We get lots of prospecting emails from around the world — new winemakers in less traveled regions offering to send samples. We stay in our lane as much as we can, and so most offers we politely decline. But it’s not every day you hear from someone promoting Côte Rôtie “Côte Blonde,” and so when we received such an invitation last year we took note. And after a half hour of Googling we started to get excited.

The Domaine de Boisseyt has been around since the 1790s, but the current winemaking team has been at the helm since 2017. Thirtysomething winemaker Romain Decelle is part of a winemaking family stretching from Bordeaux to Burgundy, and today he farms 24 hectares of Syrah and Viognier in St-Joseph and Côte Rôtie. The wines get impressive scores but are hard to find in the states.

All of De Boisseyt’s wines that arrived last fall have been popular – some have even sold out already. But most impressive cuvée is undeniably their finest: the Côte Rôtie “Côte Blonde.”

There are only six domaines (among them Chapoutier, Guigal, Ogier, and Rostaing) with vines in the famous Côte Blonde vineyard in Côte Rôtie. De Boisseyt’s parcel here is 0.55 hectares (1.3 acres), producing around 200 cases a year. It’s not exactly a weeknight bottle, but at $125 it beats Rostaing’s Côte Blonde 2018 ($200) and Ogier’s ($400) by a wide margin.

The wine itself is seriously impressive. Combining elegance and depth, the 2018 Côte Blonde shows terrific intensity and extraordinary length. The nose shows cassis and raspberry, with dried violets and earth; the mouth is exceptionally long and intense, without an ounce of harshness or dryness — every inch of tannin perfectly coated in inky fruit.

The Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth wrote “this has a beautiful flow to it,” finding “savory and floral details carried by a seamlessly embedded iron spine. A really pure expression of Syrah. 94 points.” Jeb Dunnuck also awarded 94 points, remarking “it’s beautifully done.” It’s rich, bold, muscular and mouthfilling – a perfect snowstorm red.

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De Boisseyt Côte Rôtie “Côte Blonde” 2018
bottle price: $125

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“Delicious” Five-Year-Old Gevrey-Chambertin

Winemaker Gilbert Hammel is a softspoken man making red Burgundies that are anything but. The town of Gevrey-Chambertin typically produces bold, masculine wine, and the Varoilles style channels this terroir perfectly.

Hammel’s “Clos du Meix des Ouches” is a village level cuvée that drinks more like a premier cru. It’s surrounded by an old wall, which blocks the wind and traps warmth, making its wines particularly round and ripe.

Hammel’s last vintage (the 2019s) are available through January Futures (order deadline Sunday) under their new label, Domaine du Couvent. But today’s wine is in stock and ready to drink.

The nose is lovely, with dark intensity and notes of cherries, cinnamon, and anise. The mouth is smooth and just delicious – hard to put down. As with most 2017s in Burgundy it features welcoming tannins and a beautiful mid-weight palate. The finish is subtle and delicious, with gentle tannins and a careful balancing freshness.

Burghound found “poached plum, forest floor and a whisper of oak,” with “delicious middleweight flavors.” This is a precocious village plot in a user-friendly, early drinking vintage – an impatient Burgundy lover’s delight.

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Varoilles Gevrey-Chambertin “Meix des Ouches” 2017
bottle price: $85

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