Author: Thomas Wilcox

Posted on by

Rich, Cozy, Velvety Châteauneuf for a Nor’easter. $35

With a chilly Nor’easter hitting Boston this week, it’s finally feeling like Fall. We tend to drink according to dinner menu more than season, but there’s no denying the appeal of a rich, cozy wine when the weather outside turns frightful.

These days we have plenty of mouthfilling wines from all over France, but sometimes the most obvious answer is also the best (thanks, William of Ockham). So with that in mind we’re suggesting Châteauneuf-du-Pape today: the vinous equivalent of comfort food.

The appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape makes some of the world’s most sought after wine, much of it built for cellaring. But Christophe Mestre’s small production cuvée requires no patience — it’s 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.

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.

____________________________

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

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Delicious, Everyday $25 Sancerre: Pure, Dry Sauvignon Blanc

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.

Garenne’s 2019 Sancerre is easy 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 warm vintage gave added weight but no lack of freshness. Look for minerals and lime in the mouth, with dry extract, lovely tension, and surprising length.

Sancerre pairs with anything and nothing. Our favorite match is a classic moules frites — a simple broth of shallots, wine, parsley, garlic and tarragon. The fries will soak up the broth. A cozy meal for a blustery autumn evening.

____________________________

Garenne Sancerre 2019
bottle price: $25

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Chiseled New Premier Cru Chablis: Pears and Saline

In recent years the profile of Chablis has changed a bit. Most cuvées still show the terroir’s classic stony, mineral intensity; but warm summers have added a bit of extra flesh to the wines. Our favorites still taste like Chablis, but are often a bit easier to approach young or on their own.

Winemaker Romain Collet has deftly steered his family’s domaine through this new climate, and we’re not alone in this conclusion. Wine Critics Allen Meadows (Burghound) and William Kelley (Wine Advocate) 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 Collets 2019s are terrific, and many readers have been enjoying the Montmains and Vaillons cuvées. But today we’re focused on Forêts, the cuvée for those who like their Chablis steely and bone-dry.

From a subsection of the Montmains hillside, this plot is extremely steep and stony. This cuvée is vinified in cement eggs, which allow a long, slow, cool fermentation. We found the 2019 Forêts electric and vibrant, with muted fruit and a gorgeous fresh salinity. Morris gave it 89-92, finding “white fruit and saline.”

Collet’s Forêts 2019 is a classic, and while the vintage certainly contributed a bit of extra ripeness and gras, this has the Chablisienne zip of yesteryear.

____________________________

Collet Chablis 1er “Forêts” 2019
bottle price: $38

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Almost Grand Cru: Exquisite 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

In Burgundy as in real estate, location is everything. Today’s wine comes from a vineyard in Gevrey-Chambertin called “Combottes.” It’s classified Premier Cru but surrounded on all sides by five famous Grand Crus, including Charmes, Latricières, Mazoyères, and Clos de la Roche.

In lesser vintages, Combottes is an excellent wine that doesn’t quite match the depth of its famous Grand Cru neighbors. But as Rajat Parr writes, “in warm, dry vintages… Combottes can be every bit as great as [the Grand Crus], with a grace and suppleness to accompany potent cherry fruit.”

Today we’re releasing the 2019 Combottes, a superb vintage with a long life ahead.

Amiot is Combottes’s second largest owner behind the legendary Dujac, whose Combottes starts well over $200/bot on release. Amiot’s may not match Dujac’s in magnificence or staying power, but in an outstanding year like 2019 and at less than half the price, we think the Amiot provides exceptional value.

Burghound loved Amiot’s 2019 Combottes, finding it “admirably pure” with “excellent volume,…graceful flavors” with a “beguiling texture,” awarding 91-93 points (just one point under Dujac’s 91-94, not that we’re counting).

The nose is dark and sweetly floral, with notes of spice, plum, and earth. The mouth is dense and sappy with a rich, mouthfilling concentration. If the weight is less than a Grand Cru, it is not by much. Very fine-grained tannins come in at the end, and the finish is very long. If there’s room in your cellar for one to forget about for a while, consider this “premier cru” in name only.

____________________________

Amiot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er “Combottes” 2019
bottle price: $99

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Vibrant, Floral, Refreshing New Southern Syrah. $22

The South of France has always been hot, but like everywhere else in Europe, it’s getting hotter. Even with varietals adapted to warm climates, winemakers often struggle to achieve freshness in their wines. Winemaker Nicolas Haeni of Séguret is a master of balance.

Haeni’s vines lie on a terraced slope in the hills above Séguret, perfectly positioned to offset the blazing hot Provencal sun. Domaine Malmont’s vines benefit from high (cooler) elevation and plentiful airflow, enabling the grapes to reach maturity without becoming baked or dried out.

Haeni now makes two Séguret cuvées — “Petit Rouge” and “Rouge.” Both are excellent, and carry Malmont’s signature vibrant mouthfeel — today we’re focused on the little brother.

Petit Rouge 2019 is 70/30 syrah/grenache, aged 100% in tank (no oak). The resulting wine is simply delightful, dark and complex with classic syrah notes of violets and blackberry — by nose you might mistake it for a Northern Rhône pure syrah. In the mouth the grenache shines through a bit more, with beautiful depth a splash of red fruit and cinnamon.

At 13.5% alcohol it retains a gorgeous freshness alongside the dark, meaty fruit. Think of it as a real upgrade on a bistro syrah — crisp, lively, dark and cool. Serve with autumn fare, or as a floral glass on its own after a workday.

____________________________

Malmont Séguret “Petit Rouge” 2019
bottle price: $22

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Chassagne Lookalike: Rich, Shimmering Premier Cru White 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 “just 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.

____________________________

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

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

​​Delicious New 2019 Red Burgundy: “Plush” and “Refreshing”

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 this week 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.

____________________________

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

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Crisp, Fresh Loire Sauvignon Blanc: New Everyday Pouilly-Fumé. $19

Sauvignon Blanc is among the world’s most popular white grapes, planted everywhere from New Zealand to California to Chile. But the original source for Sauvignon Blanc is France’s Loire Valley.

The twin villages of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are the home towns of Sauvignon blanc. Here the grape takes on a distinctly mineral and citrus character. As the name suggests, the wines of Pouilly-Fumé also feature notes of smoke and gunflint, a result of the soils’ high flint content.

Our producer here is Frederic Michot, a small family vigneron with no other US importer and excellent wines. His 2020 has just arrived — beautiful, balanced wine, bursting with freshness and fruit.

Michot’s 2020 Pouilly-Fumé is crisp and delicious — the nose is bright and expressive, with ripe grapefruit, honey, and lime. The mouth is full and very lively. There’s no oak at all, and the palate sings with zippy fruit and minerals. The palate is juicy, quick, and very clean, with a dry, slightly smoky finish.

This is pure, unoaked, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc — perfect as an aperitif on its own, or to pair with sushi or seafood. Serve this with crusty bread with a Loire-style chèvre.

____________________________

Michot Pouilly-Fumé 2020
bottle price: $19

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Bold, Intense, Mouthfilling New $24 Gamay: Beaujolais Reborn

Our sources in the Beaujolais represent two sides of the stylistic spectrum. Jean-Marc Monnet makes unoaked, classic, bursting Gamay with loads of fruit and great freshness. Laurent Perrachon, makes serious, ageworth wine to rival the Pinots of Burgundy further north.

Today we’re suggesting Perrachon’s 2018 Moulin-a-Vent “Burdelines,” a gamay that’s as dense and bold as any Beaujolais we’ve tasted. The elegance and refinement call to mind red wines from Chassagne and Santenay up north, but the richness and texture resemble a Northern Rhône Syrah from further south. The combination is delicious, remarkably affordable wine.

A generation ago the words “refined” and “Beaujolais” were rarely found in the same sentence, but it’s a good word to describe today’s wine. Perrachon keeps this wine in oak for a bit longer to help it knit together, and the extra few months of rest works wonders. There’s a smoothness and elegance that’s unusual for Gamay. The oak adds a faint note of toast, but more serves to soften the edges and round the palate.

With an half-hour in a carafe, this wine will happily accompany a hearty autumn meal and a rowdy group of friends. Look for anise, cherry, black pepper, and stones on the nose, with a dense, chewy mouthfeel and notes of briary cassis and black raspberry. This isn’t a Beaujolais you’ll forget about soon — twice the price of the Nouveau, but it’s easily ten times the wine.

____________________________

Perrachon Moulin-a-Vent “Burdelines” 2018
bottle price: $24

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Silky, Outstanding 2019 Premier Cru Red Burgundy

The 2019 vintage is a terrific red Burgundy vintage, producing wines with extraordinary balance between ripe fruit, acidity, and tannin. As Neal Martin puts it, “they unexpectedly offer freshness and richness that were once thought to be mutually exclusive.”

Roger and Julie Belland are 5th and 6th generation growers in Santenay — their wines are perennial favorites among our readers, offering early drinking and friendly pricetags. Belland’s are always delicious and precocious, but in 2019s they’re even better than usual — they’re all in stock today.

Located near the southern limit of the Côte d’Or, Santenay is one of our favorite sources of value. Its finest vineyard, the premier cru Gravières, features gravelly soil (hence the name) and produces wines with beautiful mineral complexity. Pair this with the bursting fruit and rippling tension of the 2019 vintage, and this is not a wine to miss.

The nose shows violets, gingerbread, toast, and wild cherries. The texture is extraordinary — fine-grained tannins coated perfectly with smooth Pinot fruit and a fresh line of minerality. Burghound called it “outstanding,” awarding 92 points and finding “silky minerality” and a “complex, balanced and impressively long finish.”

____________________________

Belland Santenay 1er cru “Gravières” 2019
bottle price: $45

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Perfect Everyday 2019 Bourgogne Rouge & Blanc, 25% off

We often 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.

Our final Futures issue of the year comes out next week. It features some of our most popular winemakers: Gros, Boyer-Martenot, Goubert, and others. Most years we single out Michel Gros’s Bourgogne rouge to preview, but this year we’re just as excited about another wine of a different color.

The 2019 Bourgognes from Boyer-Martenot and Michel Gros are as good as ever, a result of excellent winemaking in a superb vintage. They’ll be presented next week in our October Futures, along with magnificent wines from Burgundy’s most famous appellations: Vosne-Romanée, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-St-Denis, and more. But in some ways these two are the most impressive performances in the lineups.

_________________________________________

GROS BOURGOGNE ROUGE 2019
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 should be delicious this fall. Butwe anticipate this vintage in particular will also cellar nicely over a year or two. At under $25/bot with Futures pricing, this is an astonishing value. If you’re in the market for an everyday red Burgundy, your search ends here.

Ansonia Retail: $408
Futures: $295/case

AVAILABLE BY THE CASE AND HALF CASE, EMAIL TOM TO ORDER

_________________________________________

BOYER BOURGOGNE BLANC 2019
Yesterday afternoon we conducted a Zoom tasting of five Boyer-Martenot whites from 2018, ranging from Bourgogne to Meursault 1er cru “Genevrières.” While the premier crus were otherworldly and magnificent, the 2018 Bourgogne blanc more than held its own, and was easily voted the best value in the lineup.

The 2019 Bourgogne from Boyer is even more impressive. It’s more serious and concentrated than the 2018, showing gorgeous ripe sucrocité packed into a dense and delicious package. It’s longer and richer than just about any wine of its level, and shows hints of the white flowers of Meursault (where its vines are found). If we had to pick a single regional white Burgundy in our cellar, it’s this one, no question.

Burghound awarded it both his “Top Value” and “Outstanding” awards, calling it “‘delicious and refreshing,” with “fine depth and length.” We think this well overperforms its $34 retail pricetag; with a Futures price under $25, it’s a steal. Given the concentration and beautiful freshness, this too should continue to drink well for a year or two after arrival.

Ansonia Retail: $408
Futures: $295/case

AVAILABLE BY THE CASE AND HALF CASE, EMAIL TOM TO ORDER

Posted on by

Exciting New Old-Vine Sauvignon Blanc. $22

Winemaker Frederic Michot is as brisk and energetic as his wines. He talks and drives fast, and sports the same no-nonsense attitude found in a glass of his Pouilly-Fumé: pure Sauvignon blanc, no oak, clean and crisp.

Michot’s side of the river may be less famous than his neighbor Sancerre, but he isn’t willing to concede it any advantage. His wines are exceptional Sauvignon blancs, full of precision, focus, clean dry fruit, and beautiful tension.

Sancerre deserves its fame and acclaim; but Pouilly-Fumé is its scrappy underdog cousin, with just as much to offer, and at a better price.

Michot’s Pouilly-Fumé Vieilles Vignes is refreshing, unoaked, mouthfilling and utterly delicious. His 2020 old vine cuvée is terrific, and just into our warehouse. Michot combines a ripe, sunny vintage with bursting tension underneath the gorgeous fruit. There’s lots of inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc around — most of it isn’t half this good.

The nose shows mango, grapefruit rind, and straw; the mouth shows ripe grapefruit, lime rind, and honey. The wine is at once mouthfilling and electric, with the persistence of richness and freshness found in finest Sancerre.

____________________________

Michot Pouilly-Fumé VV 2020
bottle price: $22

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Beaujolais is Back! Juicy, Gulpable New Gamays under $20

It’s starting to feel like Fall again — football is back, there’s a chill in the air, and pumpkins are popping up at the market. Chez nous, the change in seasons means a change in our wine habits — a shift towards bottles that are richer, redder, and more robust. But most importantly, autumn means Beaujolais.

The celebration around the Beaujolais Nouveau (if not the wine itself) may be enjoyable, but it sells the grape and terroir short. Given a few extra bucks, one more year, and a bit of care in the vines and cellar, Gamay can be worlds better than mass-market infantile Nouveau.

For proof, look no further than Jean-Marc Monnet, our source in Juliénas.

Jean-Marc Monnet has no website, no other American importer, and even we still get lost trying to find his house sometimes. We used to think of him as our little secret, but it turns out the Guide Hachette named him a Winemaker of the Year two years ago. His two 2020 cuvées have just arrive, and they’re simply delicious.

Monnet’s 2020 Chiroubles is lightweight and crackling, but in a warm year like 2020 packs a lovely floral ripeness and plenty of body. Take it along to a tailgate for a Fall football game, or serve it with your Thanksgiving turkey. It’s bright and intense, with notes of cranberry, peony, and graphite.

The fruit in Monnet’s 2020 Juliénas is darker and its intensity greater than the Chiroubles. Fine-grained tannins provide support and the wine persists on the palate nicely. This is a fuller, more serious Beaujolais with excellent balance. Monnet’s style gives both ripe fruit and approachable tannin.

Both wines are best described in French as gouleyant, a wonderfully onomatopoeic word that means “gulpable.” Try it — “GOO-lay-AWNT” — it’s almost as fun to say as this is to drink. Almost.

____________________________

Monnet Chiroubles 2020
bottle price: $18

Add to Cart

 

____________________________

Monnet Juliénas VV 2020
bottle price: $19

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Perfect Everyday White Burgundy: $25 Unoaked 2019 Macon-Villages Returns

The white Burgundies of the Maconnais are some of our favorite expressions of Chardonnay. Grown in a region known as “la France Profonde” (“deep France”), the best cuvées are unoaked, mouthfilling, vibrant, and crisp.

Our source here is Nicolas Maillet, a passionate, animated winemaker whose passion for his work shows through in every glass. His wines are pure chardonnay; he owns no oak barrels, and farms his vineyards organically.

His Pouilly-Fuissé is magnificent; his Macon-Verzé is terrific. Today’s cuvée, his simplest, is humble and charming — a perfect aperitif white Burgundy.

We’ve just restocked on Maillet’s excellent 2019 Macon-Villages, bursting with classic Maconnais notes. Look for honey, chalk, herbs, and lime zest in the nose. The mouth is smooth and round — it has more richness than in vintages past, but draws its weight from concentration and purity of fruit rather than oak.

In a warm year, Nicolas has balanced the wine perfectly, with fruit, acid, minerals and texture all working in perfect harmony. Serve this before a meal with goat cheese on crackers. Or a weeknight chicken dish with lemon and mushrooms.

____________________________

Maillet Macon-Villages 2019
bottle price: $25

Add to Cart

 

Posted on by

Gorgeous, Muscular 2019 Premier Cru Red Burgundy

In the last decade, red Burgundy winemakers have produced a remarkable string of terrific vintages. But even amid these successes – some hard won, others blessedly simple – the 2019 vintage stands out. William Kelley calls it “thrilling… simultaneously serious and immensely charming.” Neal Martin writes, “It is remarkable, almost irrational, how the finest 2019s maintain detail, clarity and tension and sapid finishes.”

Nearly everything we’ve tasted from this 2019 has been excellent, with a consistency of balance and texture that’s remarkable. The 2019 reds of Belland, Boursot and Desvignes are on their way, and Gros and Ravaut out in October Futures later this month. But the 2019s from Pierre Amiot in Morey-St-Denis are here already, and they’re just as good as advertised.

Today we’re suggesting Amiot’s Morey-St-Denis 1er cru “Millandes” from 2019, the family’s tiny plot of 50 year old vines in stony soils scattered with round rocks called “têtes de loups” (wolf heads). Millandes is always one of Amiot’s most precise, sophisticated cuvées, and though the 2019 is riper and more muscly than usual, it retains its buttoned up, polished character.

The nose is multi-layered, a blend of oak and fruit. Burghound awarded 90-92 points and praised its “brooding liqueur-like aromas of plum, dark currant, earth and a whiff of Asian-style tea.” The wine also won a “Tastevinage” from the Chevaliers du Tastevin, the Burgundy trade group that blind tastes through the vintage each year and singles out particularly noteworthy wines.

We think this has a long, impressive life ahead of it; but like most 2019s, it can be coaxed into early enjoyment as well.

____________________________

Amiot Morey-St-Denis 1er “Millandes” 2019
bottle price: $78

Add to Cart