Author: Thomas Wilcox

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Almost Chassagne: Rich, Shimmering Premier Cru 2019 Burgundy

Roger Belland is best known for his beautiful, golden premier cru Clos PItois from Chassagne-Montrachet. It’s rich, elegant, and everything you want in a top class white Burgundy. When we want to really impress someone with a Chardonnay, we often reach for the Pitois blanc.

Belland’s Santenay 1er cru “Beauregard” blanc is not as complex or long-lived as the Chassagne premier cru — but for half the price it does an admirable impression, and we think it’s a bargain. White Burgundy prices continue to rise around the region, but this wine is proof that there’s still value to be found.

Belland’s Beauregard blanc vines are a few hundred yards from the Chassagne-Montrachet border, and the wine drinks like it’s from much fancier terroir. The 2019 Beauregard blanc has good freshness to support its ripe fruit, a mix of orchard and citrus. There’s a hint of wood rounding out the concentrated, supple fruit flavors.

Jasper Morris found “a chiseled backbone,” and “the right degree of flesh.” It’s something we’ve found in the most successful 2019 whites — tremendous intensity and richness and length, but with a laser focus and elegant shape. This is remarkably complete white Burgundy for its level, and one that’s already drinking beautifully.

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Belland Santenay 1er “Beauregard” blanc 2019
bottle price: $45

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Dark, Fresh, Inky Syrah: Delicious $25 Crozes-Hermitage

Like most grapes, Syrah changes character based on where it’s grown. In warmer climates like South Africa and Australia (where it’s known as Shiraz), it’s big, rich, jammy and full of ripe plummy fruit. In France’s Northern Rhône, the wine takes on a much subtler expression.

Though it’s not as cool as it used to be, the Northern Rhône Valley is still the coolest climate to produce Syrah. Here the grape embodies a beautiful paradox: dark flavors and intense blue-black color, but soaring aromatics and a lively texture. It’s this marriage of high and low that makes the Northern Rhône such a special place for Syrah.

Located near the Northern Rhône’s southern limit, Crozes-Hermitage is rarely as complex or ageworthy as Côte Rôtie or Hermitage – but from the right source it can offer tremendous value. Denis Basset is a talented and passionate young winemaker in Crozes-Hermitage, and his wines get better each year as he refines his technique in the cellar. His wines show exceptional refinement and complexity, a result of his organic viticulture and precise winemaking.

Our favorite cuvée from him is the “Fleur Enchantée,” a beautiful Syrah made from 50+ year old vines. The nose shows inky black fruits, alongside toast, cloves, violets, and earth. The mouth is smooth and dense, with a muscled structure and notes of plum, iodine, and blackberries. With a few years in the barrel, this is a tremendous value today.

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St-Clair Crozes-Hermitage “Fleur Enchantée” 2018
bottle price: $25

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“Charming,” Elegant Premier Cru Red Burgundy from Volnay

Volnay has always been among Burgundy’s most prized appellations. Its wines epitomize Burgundian subtlety, rivaled only by Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée for their elegance and charm. The finest examples combine a fine, earthy minerality with delicate floral notes elements and notes of smoke and spice.

Volnay has no Grand Crus, but the premier cru Caillerets vineyard is the finest in the appellation; in fact the local saying goes “he who has no vines in Caillerets knows not the worth of Volnay.” We’ve had delicious bottles from all over Volnay, but one taste of Caillerets and the reasons for its reputation become clear.

Michel and Estelle Prunier are a father-and-daugther team making terrific, traditional red Burgundies in the nearby town of Auxey Duresses. Their finest vines are in Volnay’s famous “Caillerets” vineyard. With such impressive terroir, much of Prunier’s job is to get out of the way – and their understated style is a perfect match. Wine writer Matt Kramer celebrates Prunier’s “signature-free winemaking” in Caillerets, explaining they “do an outstanding job with it,” concluding, “a great Caillerets.”

The 2017 Prunier Caillerets is a delight — the nose is rich and enticing, showing violets, dark chocolate and raspberries. The mouth is balanced, silky, and very long, with terrific density. Alongside a smooth, chalky minerality, look for notes of cassis and forest floor. Jasper Morris awarded 92 points, finding balance between “weight, charm, class, structure,” and concluding “a wine to be proud of.”

Most of the high end red Burgundy we suggest comes from the Côte de Nuits – but for those with the Burgundy bug, Prunier’s Volnay Caillerets is not one to miss.

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Prunier Volnay 1er “Caillerets” 2017
bottle price: $89

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Lush, Delicious New Meursault from 98-Year-Old Vines.

Though it has no Grand Cru vineyards, the wines of Meursault are some of the most sought after in the world. Traditionally Meursault inhabits the decadent, opulent end of the white Burgundy spectrum, drawing on clay-heavy 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 a traditionalist. 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 – showing 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 2019 is outstanding, and a more serious take on the vineyard than in some years. There’s the classic 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 no denying there’s more substance here than in some vintages. Burghound noted the same thing, writing “The old vines are in evidence as there is an abundance of dry extract.” He labeled it “outstanding,” and called it “a very good Meursault villages.”

We welcome Meursault’s new look, but it’s always nice to have an old reliable to fall back on.

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Boyer-Martenot Meursault “Ormeau” 2019
bottle price: $72

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Delicious New 2019 Red Burgundy from Michel Gros. $36

It seems that hot, dry growing season 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. And nowhere is this more apparent than at a top domaine like Michel Gros.

Gros’s 2019s were universally successful. While most of their village, premier cru and grand cru wines sold out through Futures last year, his regional level wines offer a chance to experience this superb vintage with more modest investment.

Today we’re suggesting the 2019 Hautes-Côtes de Nuits “Au Vallon,” one of Gros’s regional level cuvées, and one that performed particularly well in 2019. The bottle we opened last night was terrific – pure and precise with an expressive nose of red fruits and violets. The mouth is delicious, with excellent concentration and lots of depth.

Vinous’s Neal Martin found “fine grained tannins” and called it “commendably energetic,” concluding “this is worth seeking out.” Burghound awarded it both his Outstanding and Top Value labels, finding it “sleek and fine with a beguiling intensity” and concluding “this is very good and worthy of your interest.”

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Gros Hautes-Côtes de Nuits “Au Vallon” 2019
bottle price: $36

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“Chiseled,” Dry 93-point Riesling from a Legendary Source

The Salomon-Undhof estate dates to 1792, and is currently on its 7th and 8th generation winemakers, father and son Bert and Bert Salomon. Their terraced vines overlooking the Danube have long been an excellent source, with the country’s preeminent wine guide calling them a “figurehead of Austrian wine history.”

Austria is best known for its Grüner-Veltliner, but Salomon also produces some terrific Riesling. This is bone dry, made from 30-50 year old vines — concentrated and intense, and with extraordinary complexity. It may cause you to rethink what’s possible from this much-maligned grape.

The just-arrived 2019 Ried Kögl Riesling is simply magnificent. It offers gorgeous dry fruit rippling with tension and minerals. The mouth is long and tense with concentrated fruit and loads of beautifully textured dry extract. The finish is dry, compact, and pulsing with energy.

Jancis Robinson found it “really well chiseled” and “particularly precise,” concluding: “classic dry Riesling with real vibrancy.” Robert Parker’s reviewer was similarly enthusiastic, awarding 93 points and finding it “clear, precise, and elegant.” He writes “this is a rich, salty-refined and very stimulating Riesling with perfectly ripe fruit and lingering salinity,” before concluding simply, “Excellent.”

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Salomon-Undhof Riesling Kögl 2019
bottle price: $28

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Smooth, Velvety, Wintertime Châteauneuf. $35

With winter weather here for the foreseeable future, we’re pleased to be well stocked on rich Southern Rhône reds. We have plenty of ideas from Séguret and Gigondas, but sometimes the most obvious answer is also the best. With that in mind we’re suggesting Châteauneuf-du-Pape today: the vinous equivalent of comfort food.

At their best these are rich, smooth wines that are inky, mouthfilling, concentrated and deep. Much of the wine from Châteauneuf is built for cellaring, but Christophe Mestre’s small production cuvée requires no patience. Rich, smooth, mouthfilling Châteauneuf to be enjoyed in its youth.

Fans of the appellation used to paying well over $50 for bigger names should take note — this is intense, velvety Chateauneuf-du-Pape with a remarkably low price tag. The nose is explosive, with a wide range of notes from violets and pan drippings to strawberry jam and lavender. The mouth is smooth and soft and rich, with a dark red complexion and silky tannins. Critic Jeb Dunnuck awarded 90-92 points, finding it “medium bodied, nicely textured, and with ample character.”

Sometimes all you want for dinner is mac and cheese or chicken soup or an omelet. And sometimes all you need in your glass is a comforting, cozy Châteauneuf.

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Mestre Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2018
bottle price: $35

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Vibrant, Fresh, Unoaked 2019 Premier Cru Chablis

In the dozen years since he took over his family’s domaine, Romain Collet has elevated its reputation as fast as any new generation we’ve witnessed. We’ve noticed it ourselves, but we’re not alone — writers from Vinous, Burghound and Robert Parker have noted a “higher level of refinement” and a “significant upsurge in quality.” Jasper Morris MW writes that Romain Collet “is moving towards joining the pantheon” in Chablis.

All of Romain’s 2019 premier crus are terrific — we couldn’t decide on a favorite, so we bought all four. But today we’re focused on Montmains, the classical cuvée. Collet’s Montmains is raised entirely in stainless steel. The soils for their plot are clay-poor, which contributes to the decision to keep eschew oak.

The 2019 Montmains is truly delicious wine, and requires neither patience nor introduction – we think even the most hardened New World Chardonnay drinker couldn’t turn a glass of this down. It’s fresh and delightful, with plenty of dry lemon fruit, and hints of stones and shells on the finish. Dry, unoaked fruit dominates here, with terrific tension.

Jasper Morris and Burghound both gave 89-92 points, finding it “attractive and quite persistent,” with “intense and sleekly textured flavors… all wrapped in a bone-dry finish.” It’s broad enough to enjoy a glass on its own, but we think it’s best with sushi, oysters, scallops, or simple goat cheese. That a cuvée this complex and complete runs $35/bot is truly remarkable.

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Collet Chablis 1er cru “Montmains” 2019
bottle price: $35

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“Brilliant” 97-point Cornas: Magnificent 2019 Northern Rhône Syrah

Cornas is a tiny appellation. It covers 145 hectares (compared with Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s 3,000+), and is home to fewer than 50 vignerons. The name comes from the Celtic word for “burnt earth,” and it’s an appropriate moniker: Cornas is pure Syrah like the rest of the Northern Rhône, but the feel is of something sunnier from further South.

Today fifth generation winemaker Nicolas Serrette farms a miniscule 1.8 hectares (4 acres) in Cornas. We feel lucky to have finally gotten an audience at this address — a tiny, well-known producer in a tiny, popular appellation. Give their wines a bit of time and space, and they’re sure to impress.

Simon Field MW of Berry Brothers writes of the Dumien-Serrette wines’ “granitic splendor” and “beguiling floral elegance which sets them apart.” They draw from 80+ year old vines to produce intense, teeth-staining Syrah, with extraordinary depth but remarkable freshness.

The 2019 Cornas “Patou” is nothing short of an experience. A combination of inky black flavors with unusually refined floral finesse, the wine pumps out seemingly endless layers of flavor. Full of fine-grained tannin and perfectly ripe fruit, this is as bold and intense as Syrah gets. The nose is deep and rich, showing cherries, cocoa, anise, and pepper. On the palate it’s masculine and distilled, with notes of cherry jam, violets, and olive.

Wine writer Jeb Dunnock awarded 95-97 points, calling it “another brilliant wine” with “awesome black and blue fruits,” and “full-bodied richness.” He concludes “phenomenal Cornas.”

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Dumien-Serrette Cornas “Patou” 2019
bottle price: $56

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Vibrant, Delicious, Everyday 2019 Bourgogne from Michel Gros

We like to judge a vigneron’s talent by his simplest wine. Great wines from great terroir of course involve a steady winemaker as guide, but the material undoubtedly provides a head start. With humble fruit from an unsung plot of regional-level vines, winemaking skill comes even more into play.

And nowhere is this more apparent than the Bourgogne rouge from Michel Gros. Gros makes delicious (and increasingly hard to get) red Burgundies from the most famous towns in the region – Vosne, Chambolle, Morey-St-Denis, etc. But his regional level wines are just as well made and polished as his Grand Cru, and so provide terrific value.

Many of the Gros cuvées sold out through Futures in this much-hyped and stellar 2019 vintage – but we were able to increase our allocation for the Bourgogne, and are thrilled to have some in stock. (For now.)

Michel’s 2019 Bourgogne rouge is delicious. From an outstanding vintage that provided excellent ripeness laid over well-built tannin, the wine shows both utterly pleasant youthful fruit and masterfully crafted underlying structure. The tannins are smooth and unobtrusive, but provide a perfect armature on which to display the fruit. Look for notes of red berries, earth, and chalk in the nose, with a clean, refreshing finish.

Burghound called the 2019 “fresh and bright,” “vibrant and well-detailed.” As always this requires no patience and is delicious today. But there’s extra density in this wine this vintage, and we anticipate this will also cellar nicely over a year or two. As entry level Burgundies go, they don’t get much better than this.

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Michel Gros Bourgogne Côte d’Or 2019
bottle price: $32

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Earth and Jam: Gulpable, Organic 2020 Côtes du Rhône. $19

Côtes du Rhônes are a dime a dozen. They’re cheap, reliable, and abundant — you’ll find them everywhere from a fine restaurant to your local supermarket. Most are mass produced, with low tannin and lots of fruit — they may lack flaws, but they’re short on character too.

Eric Chauvin’s wines share a region and grape varietal with these Côtes du Rhônes, but little else. Chauvin’s tiny Domaine le Souverain has no website, no road sign, and barely a phone number — his cellar is a converted garage. But his wines have more complexity and depth than nearly anything else we taste at their level, and manage to remain a bargain.

Chauvin’s wines pulsate with life and energy, a result of his low-intervention style and careful organic viticulture. We sell out of his wine every year, and are thrilled to have the 2020 back in stock at last.

Chauvin’s 2020 Séguret is vibrant and lovely. The nose is dark and inky with notes of tobacco, crushed berries, lavender, and a cool earthiness. The mouth is rich and ripe but beautifully balanced, with vibrant tannic texture, clean dark fruit, and a faint smokiness in the nose.

Class up your takeout pizza or your next plate of pasta — or just unwind with a glass on a weeknight after work. It’s a buck or two more than your drugstore Côtes-du-Rhône, but it’s worlds away in quality.

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Souverain Séguret 2020
bottle price: $19

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[Advance Order] Polished, “Super-Expressive” 2019 Chianti Classico. $250/case

Last week we wrote about how the 2019 vintage produced outstanding wines in red Burgundy, white Burgundy, and the Rhône valleys. Today we suggest that the success of this vintage stretched further still, across the Mont Blanc and into Tuscany. We were at last able to taste our sample of the 2019 Chianti Classico from Poggerino this weekend, and it didn’t disappoint.

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.”

All four Poggerino wines (as well as offers from Couvent, Gautheron, Thomas, Lestimé, Picamelot, Gross, Foulaquier and more) will be in next Sunday’s 2022 January Futures release. But as usual we’ve singled out one wine for which there will be much demand to preview today.

Poggerino’s 2019 Chianti Classico is simply delicious. 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 – in fact, a remarkably polished wine for its price point.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous found it “fleshy and super-expressive,” adding “all the elements come together so well,” and concluding by calling it “especially inviting.” We plan to keep our portfolio’s focus on French wines, but wines like this make us want to expand. Poggerino’s 2019 Classico is a no-brainer addition to your cellar.

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Poggerino Chianti Classico 2019
January Futures price: $250/case

 

To reserve this wine, email Tom.

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“Unusually Refined” New 2019 White Burgundy. $24

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 startling bargain.

Boyer’s 2019 Bourgogne-Aligoté has just arrived. The nose is floral and gorgeous, with notes of white flowers, pear, and chalk. The mouth is smooth and round, with far more weight than the grape typically offers. The finish is clean and compact, with precise freshness and a lovely dollop of stones.

This is Aligoté that would beat out many a Bourgogne blanc in a head to head. There’s a regal character to the wine that would have been unthinkable for the grape a decade or two ago. Burghound found it “wonderfully fresh,” citing its “vibrant middle weight flavors” and “unusually refined texture.” Forget what you know about Aligoté; Boyer’s refines the genre.

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Boyer-Martenot Bourgogne Aligoté 2019
bottle price: $24

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Sleek, Inky New 2019 Gigondas from Goubert. $29

Readers of these posts will know of our enthusiasm for the 2019 reds from Burgundy and the Northern Rhône Valley – a hot, dry growing season produced wines with excellent concentration and gorgeous fruit. Provided growers could manage to achieve balance through harvest timing and vineyard techniques, the wines are some of the most exciting we’ve tasted in years.

And as the 2019s from the Southern Rhône finally begin to arrive on the market, it’s clear the vintage was good to just about everyone in France. Even amid record breaking heat and drought, the vines performed beautifully, producing wines of terrific intensity and depth.

Wine writer Jeb Dunnock calls the vintage “a beautiful, possibly exceptional, vintage for the Southern Rhône.” And the 2019 Gigondas from our longtime friends at the Domaine les Goubert is a perfect place to start.

Goubert is one of the best known names in Gigondas, referred to as a “reference point” by both Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson. Their wines aren’t showy or modern – they’re classic, well made, and exceptionally consistent. Their 2019 Gigondas has just arrived, and it’s among the best vintages of the wine we can remember.

The nose shows dark cherry, garrigue, and violets, with a clean, floral profile that will remind you of a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The mouth shows beautiful depth and concentration, with briary notes of blackberry, plum, lavender and cassis. There’s impressive energy and the wine finishes with beautiful lift. The tannins provide perfect backdrop for the sleek, inky fruit – just enough structure to keep the wine in balance.

The depth of this wine means it should drink well for many years to come. But the energy and balance make it really tasty today. It’s an outstanding value at under $30, and one we hope to keep in stock for a long time.

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Goubert Gigondas 2019
bottle price: $29

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Terrific Everyday 2019 Red Burgundy. $25

Even by Burgundy standards, the Boursot family has been around awhile. They began making wine in Chambolle-Musigny back in 1550, and nearly five centuries later they’re still farming many of the same soils. The most recent generation has upgraded the facilities and the focus, and their wines have begun to gain substantial critical interest.

Boursot’s most impressive cuvées are from Chambolle-Musigny, and their village and premier cru vines produce red Burgundies of the highest degree. But their two regional level wines from humbler terroir show off their winemaking prowess. Particularly in 2019, the wines are vibrant and refined, pulsing with clean, beautifully channeled fruit.

Boursot’s simplest wine, their Bourgogne rouge, comes from vines near Vosne-Romanée and Chambolle-Musigny, and this origin helps explain the wines unusual refinement. Inexpensive regional level Burgundy can lack complexity or freshness, and in recent hot summers many have devolved into “fruit bombs.” Boursot’s avoids both traps, emerging as a wine with unparalleled subtlety for its level.

Clocking in at 13% alcohol, with fine grained but subtle tannins, the Boursot 2019 Bourgogne rouge is like the Bourgogne rouge of a decade ago. (The pricing may remind you of the aughts as well.) The nose shows wild cherry, chalk, and earth, bursting with unoaked freshness. The mouth is fine-boned and dry with just enough tannin to support the delicate fruit, and a classic Burgundian minerality. It’s charming and delicious, and a welcome respite from modern ripeness explosions.

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Boursot Bourgogne rouge 2019
bottle price: $25

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