Author: Thomas Wilcox

Posted on by

“Bottled Coziness:” Bold, Mouthfilling 2015 Gigondas

Some wines are esoteric — subtly funky Burgundies; oxidative Jura whites; dessert wines made from moldy grapes, skin-contact orange wines, etc. Like a Rothko canvas or a Philip Glass composition, these wines are best understood with some context.

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 (or year), that’s just what we need.

That’s not to say the wine lacks complexity. The 2015 Florence blew tasters away at a Zoom tasting we did last month, and the longer it’s open the more its complexity builds. Made from 50/50 Grenache and Syrah, the wine spends several years in oak barrels, developing depth and spiciness.

Today the 2015 is coziness in a bottle — the nose shows stewed raspberry jam, thyme, and a hint of lavender. The mouth is intensely concentrated, with a chewy blend of chocolate, plum, blueberry jam, and pan drippings. The finish is long, with a dose of wood that should carry this wine for many years.

____________________________

Goubert Gigondas “Florence” 2015
bottle price: $52

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

Rich, Mouthfilling Grower Champagne under $10/glass

We’re excited about our newest source for grower Champagne: the Domaine Jacques Robin. Robin is in the Côtes des Bar, a sub-region of Champagne located near Chablis and known for its Pinot Noir-heavy cuvées. All four of their wines are well priced, easy to like, and hard to put down.

Today’s Champagne cuvée from Robin is 100% Pinot Noir, grown in soils with more clay than the rest of Champagne. The resulting wines sport a broader, richer palate than many Champagnes from further north. It’s gourmand rather than gourmet — rich, welcoming, and mouthfilling.

Robin’s “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. The resulting 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 delicious grower Champagne that won’t break the bank. Whether you’re toasting the end of 2021, the start of 2021, or just need an elegant glass of wine the end of a long day on Zoom, here’s a perfect companion.

____________________________

Robin Champagne Secret de Sorbée NV
bottle price: $49

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

“Elegantly Muscular:” a 5-Year Vertical of Grand Cru Red Burgundy

The Hill of Corton lies just north of Beaune, an important landmark (both visual and vinous) at the midway point of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. The enormous Grand Cru vineyard on its slopes covers 236 acres, only slightly smaller than the entire appellation of Morey-St-Denis.

The character and quality varies widely across the giant vineyard, and so it’s further divided into dozens of smaller “climats.” And the near-unanimous pick for the finest plots are three vineyards in the middle of the slope: Bressandes, Clos du Roi, and Renardes.

Today we’re offering five different vintages of the same wine from the famous Corton-Bressandes vineyard. Our source is the Domaine Ravaut, a small family domaine located at the base of the Hill of Corton.

Jancis Robinson describes their Corton-Bressandes cuvée in glowing terms: “all the hallmarks of a Grand Cru Red, but manages to look pretty good value too!;” “expressive violets,” “succulent silky tannic texture,” “justifies Grand Cru.”

Corton is famously long lived, and this wine is a great candidate for cellaring. But with a decanter and hearty stew these are enjoyable even today. We won’t exactly call a $90 wine a bargain, but it’s awfully hard to find Grand Cru in the double digits. Pick out your favorite vintage, or grab the vertical and experiment with bottle age.

Ravaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2013:   $85
Ravaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2015:   $95
Ravaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2016:   $95
Ravaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2017:   $98
Ravaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2018:   $99

Ravaut Corton Vertical (2013-2018):  $472    $425

Posted on by

Floral, Wintery, Organic: Rare Northern Rhône White

For many years at the start of our tastings, winemaker Denis Basset would give us a small taste of his only white cuvée. “Just to set the palate,” he’d explain, before continuing on to his rich, syrah-based reds. The white was always lovely — floral and fresh, beautifully expressive, and a perfect way to start a tasting.

And every year, when we asked how much we could buy, he’d smile and shake his head — already all spoken for. At last, a few years ago, we finally received our first allocation — at first just enough for Futures, and then a bit for inventory as well.

Today we’re excited to release the few cases we have available of this perfect winter white: exotic, unusual, and simply delicious.

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 with excellent concentration and length — it’s at once soft and sturdy, showing nectarine and honey notes.

This works well year round, but it’s most perfect in the winter, as the distilled citrus perfume wafts welcomingly from the glass. Serve some with a salty triple cream cheese and crusty bread.

____________________________

Saint Clair Crozes-Hermitage blanc 2019
bottle price: $28

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

2005 Red Burgundies from Michel Gros

The 2005 vintage was about as close to perfect as Burgundy gets. Allen Meadows (Burghound) called it “one of the greatest vintages in the history of modern Burgundy.” Jancis Robinson MW called it a “glorious” and “ revered” vintage; Jasper Morris MW called it “the most uniformly successful vintage I have seen in my career.”

As happens with most great vintages, the 2005s went into hibernation after bottling — over the past fifteen years they’ve shown their intensity and class, but have been missing the richness and complexity you’d expect from great wine.

Today they’re beginning to enter their drinking window. We think it’ll be at least another 5-8 years before the window begins to close, but we’ve decided to let our customers direct their final acts. It’s been a long year — consider treating yourself with something special.

We have two 2005 cuvées from Michel Gros in stock:

 

Michel’s Nuits-St-Georges “Les Chaliots” is from a vineyard on the southern end of the town, not far from the famous “Les St-Georges” vineyard. This is classic Nuits, with rich meatiness, bold intensity, and dark blackberry fruits. Look for cassis, cinnamon, mushrooms, and leather.
___________________________
GROS Nuits-St-Georges “Chaliots” 2005:  $125

Add to Cart

 

 

The other Nuits-St-Georges cuvée is a blend of four plots near the border with Vosne-Romanée, and this cuvée combines aspects of both villages. There’s the traditional intensity of Nuits-St-Georges, but with an increased layer of Vosne spice and silk. Look for dark berries, earth, pine, and toast.
___________________________
GROS Nuits-St-Georges 2005:  $125

Add to Cart

  

Posted on by

“Golden Fruit, Rippling Intensity:” Premier Cru 2018 White Burgundy

Sofie Bohrmann’s 2018 Bourgogne blanc has been a hit. We increased our order twice over the summer, and now that the wine is here and on readers’ kitchen tables the reviews are pouring in: gorgeous fruit, beautiful tension, remarkable texture and purity for a wine under $40.

Of course Bohrmann’s lineup of White Burgundies only gets better from there. Her premier cru St-Aubin blanc is truly delicious, with all the finesse of the Bourgogne but more depth, more intensity, and more length. In recent years St-Aubin has gone from an overlooked source of value, to a source for serious white Burgundy — one taste of Bohrmann’s St-Aubin and you’ll understand why.

Bohrmann’s style is low oak, pure fruit, and exquisitely balanced texture: richness, depth and energy all at once. Raised in only 15% new oak for a year, their St-Aubin 1er cru comes from “Murgers des Dents de Chiens.” Tucked just over the hill from Montrachet Grand Cru, “Murgers” produces some of St-Aubin’s finest and most perfectly balanced wines.

The 2018 Bohrmann Murgers is lively and generous at the same time: thick and full of a rippling intensity, combining perfectly ripe golden fruit with structure and minerality. There’s precision capable of enhancing your most refined dishes — sole meuniere, for example. The use of oak is perfect: support for the minerals and fruit, but without too much spice or toast.

____________________________

Bohrmann St-Aubin 1er cru
“Murgers des Dents de Chien” 2018
bottle price: $59

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

Smooth, Velvety Pomerol: “Knocks You Off your Feet”

Pomerol is Bordeaux on a Burgundy scale. The small right bank appellation covers less than three square miles, and is home to only 150 winemakers. But the wines of Pomerol are anything but small. In his iconic World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson calls Pomerol “richest, most velvety and instantly appealing form of red Bordeaux.”

Planted in most other locales, Merlot produces soft, flat, undistinguished wines. But in Pomerol, the grape soars, producing some of the world’s most intense and expensive wines. Like Chardonnay in Chablis, Syrah in Côte Rôtie, it’s a persuasive argument for the power of terroir.

Clemence 2016 is classic Pomerol — bold, rich, and smooth. The average vines in the tiny 7 acre vineyard are over 50 years old, and winemaker Christian Dauriac keeps yields low, often near 20 hectolitres per hectare. The result is a mouthfilling wine that ages beautifully.

Decanter’s reviewer Jane Anson found the 2016 “delivering a punch that almost knocks you off your feet with tight black coffee on a hugely concentrated palate with big tannins.” It’s a bold, mouthfilling, wintery wine perfect for a rich stew or a snowstorm.

____________________________

Chateau la Clemence Pomerol 2016
bottle price: $99

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

Pitch Perfect 9-Year-Old Grower Champagne

The Domaine Jacques Robin is a tiny source in the Côtes des Bar, a southern satellite subregion of Champagne. We’re among their first US importers, and found their wines charming and extremely well priced.

All four of their cuvées are now in stock, but we’re singling out their finest today: the 2011 Cuvée Kimmeridgienne. Made from pure Pinot Noir grown in chalk/limestone/clay soils, this wine sat on its lees for seven years, gaining complexity and exceptional depth. It was disgorged (final corking) a few months ago and is simply magnificent today.

Made from 100% pinot noir, the wine spends 7+ years on the lees, and the payoff in depth and complexity is immediately evident. The nose is gorgeous and refined, showing notes of cream, brioche, creme brûlée, coffee, and hazelnut; the mouth is dry and very long, with notes of candied fruit, chalk, and butter.

Vintage grower champagne of this caliber can easily cost twice this or more — if there’s room in your budget, this wine is simply a delight. It’s been a long year, we recommend treating yourself to some bubbles.

____________________________

Robin Champagne “Kimmeridgiènne” 2011
bottle price: $75

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

Dark, Cozy Wintery Syrah: New Organic Crozes-Hermitage

With outdoor fun limited and daylight dwindling, we find ourselves indoors more these days. We’ve found a bit of effort toward coziness goes a long way in lifting the mood — candles, Christmas trees, and fragrant baking stews are some of our favorite winter comfort hacks.

Another tool chez nous (no surprise here) are wintery wines. And perhaps no wine better suits the season than the dark, spice-filled Syrahs from the Northern Rhône. We’ve already written about Bonnefond’s exciting VDP Syrah, certainly the best they’ve ever made.

In the same theme we’re excited today to release Denis Basset’s Crozes-Hermitage “Fleur Enchantée” 2018.

Denis Basset is a talented and passionate young winemaker in Crozes-Hermitage, an appellation near the southern end of the Northern Rhône. His pure-Syrah 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. When the weather turns dark and frightful, this is a cozy delight.

____________________________

St-Clair Crozes-Hermitage “Fleur Enchantée” 2018
bottle price: $28

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

Perfect Everyday White Burgundy: New $25 Unoaked Macon-Villages

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.

Maillet’s 2019 Macon-Villages has just arrived, and it bursts 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 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

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

Dark Chocolate & Black Pepper: New Wintery Syrah

Praise continues to pour in for the Domaine Patrick & Christophe Bonnefond. Their Northern Rhône reds are pure syrah, and display an exquisite balance of texture, fruit, subtlety and depth. The wines continue to improve each year — Josh Raynolds of Vinous declared his tasting this year “the single most impressive set of bottlings I have had here.”

Bonnefond’s Côte Rôties and Condrieus are magnificent — they’re not cheap, but we think they’re worth every penny. But luckily for us the Bonnefonds also make a humble VDP Syrah as well — a way to sample their excellent winemaking at an affordable price.

The 2019 Bonnefond Syrah has just arrived and it’s a delight — dark, spiced, elegant wintery red.

Syrah grown in most of the world is bold, rich, mouthfilling and voluminous. In the Northern Rhône the grape takes on a different style: lower alcohol, less mouthfilling, more spice, more energy. The dark berry complexion remains the same, but with more definition and intricacy.

Bonnefond’s Syrah is classic Northern Rhône. Raynolds awarded 91 points, finding “blueberry, dark chocolate and a hint of black pepper” in the wine, and praising its “good depth and touch of olive.” The bottle we opened this week had a cool berry intensity with notes of smoke, earth, licorice, and plums.

Serve this with lamb stew, or sheep-milk cheese on crackers. It’s a cozy, dark, balanced red for the winter.

____________________________

Bonnefond Syrah 2019
bottle price: $25

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

“Beautifully Detailed,” “Outstanding” 2018 Premier Cru White Burgundy

Winemaker Thomas Morey is as much a part of Chassagne-Montrachet as the bell tower or the fields of vines — his family has lived in the village since 1643. His father Bernard’s wines were considered a reference point for the town, and Thomas’s reputation has grown steadily since he started his domaine in 2007.

His style is one of precision — the wines show the golden intensity for which Chassagne is known, but Morey’s channels a bit of neighboring Puligny’s neatness and detail. His judicious use of oak and careful vinification mean that his wines are more sophisticated and less showy than other wines from Chassagne.

We’re excited to release his premier cru “Embrazées” today, a magnificent wine full of quiet brilliance.

Morey’s Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru “Embrazées” is located on the southern border of Chassagne. The vines here were planted by Thomas’s grandfather in 1961, and now, well past 50 years old, produce grapes with exceptional complexity and intensity. The name “Embrazées” roughly translates to “aglow” or “aflame,” and the wine indeed glows with a smooth sophistication.

The 2018 Embrazées is beautiful — rich and smooth but with Morey’s signature tension and energy. Jasper Morris awarded 91-94 points, finding “sensual ripe fruit perfume.” Burghound called it “outstanding” and noted its “rich and beautifully detailed flavors.”

____________________________

Thomas Morey Chassagne-Montrachet
1er cru “Les Embrazées” 2018
bottle price: $85

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

Delicious, Refreshing New 2018 Bourgogne Rouge: $25

Vigneron: The Domaine Ravaut is an old-school Burgundy domaine. Family-run for centuries, they sell much of their wine to local clientele and restaurants, and make delicious, well-priced cuvées (white and red) from humble appellations. The Wine Advocate’s William Kelley recently made his inaugural visit, reporting that he “found plenty to admire,” and calling the 2018 reds lineup “hearty, characterful wines with plenty of stuffing.”

Vintage: The 2018 vintage was among the warmest in a century, and Ravuat’s reds carry the hallmarks of a sunny growing season. The wines show intense ripe fruit, concentrated textures, and pretty notes of spice and earth. Winemaker Vincent Ravaut deftly avoided the overripeness trap set by the vintage, and his signature mineral tension and energy balance these wines beautifully.

Wine: The 2018 Bourgogne rouge bursts with fruit and life. It carries Ravaut’s signature dark intensity, but delivers this on juicy, perfectly ripe red fruit. Look for currants, anise, cinnamon, and earthy violets in the nose. The mouth delivers beautiful texture, with crisp red fruits playing of mouthwatering tannin and a clean distilled finish.

The wine is also a striking bargain. It’s hard to find quality red Burgundy under $30 these days, and this well overperforms its $5/glass pricetag. Pair it with simple chicken thighs with mushrooms and mustard in cream. For everyday red Burgundy, it’s hard to think of a better value.

____________________________

Ravaut Bourgogne rouge 2018
bottle price: $25

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

Fruit and Earth: Gulpable, Organic 2019 Rhône Red. $19

Côtes du Rhônes are a dime a dozen these days. They’re cheap, plentiful, 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. They drink more like a Gigondas of Vacqueyras than their Côtes du Rhône pricing suggests. And after nearly half a year of being out of stock, we’ve finally got his Séguret back in the warehouse.

Chauvin’s 2019 Séguret is just beautiful. 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.

____________________________

Souverain Séguret 2019
bottle price: $19

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

Posted on by

Extraordinary New Meursault-Like White Burgundy under $40

It’s said you can judge a domaine by its simplest wine. Making great wine from a Grand Cru vineyard certainly takes talent, but the raw materials provide a considerable head start. As one vigneron put it to us once, “with the Grand Crus, we just get out of the way.”

But an exceptional regional level wine is a mark of true winemaker skill. And today’s Bourgogne blanc is as good as they come. Sofie Bohrmann’s fancier wines are extraordinary, and worth every penny. But pound for pound, her humble Bourgogne blanc might be her most impressive cuvée.

It’s a buck or two more than some standard Bourgogne blancs (and quite a bit less than those from the big names), but we think it’s a tremendous value, and couldn’t be more excited to release it today.

Domaine Bohrmann isn’t a typical source. Formed in 2002 with just 1.5 hectares of vines, they have no other US importers, zero critical reviews, and a (very) hard-to-reach winemaker. Sofie splits her time between Burgundy and her native Belgium — we’re not sure where she’s been hiding, or why no other American importers have found her. But her wines are simply delicious.

Today’s 2018 Bourgogne blanc comes from 40 year old vines, giving the wine an intense, distilled mouthfeel and excellent length. The nose is chalky, floral, and elegant, and calls to mind Meursault — indeed the vines are not far from the famous town. The mouth bursts with yellow fruit, tension, crème brûlée, sucrocité and depth.

In short, we think this drinks like a $50 white Burgundy from a far fancier appellation. For those in search of white Burgundy value, look no further.

____________________________

Bohrmann Bourgogne blanc 2018
bottle price: $35

Add to Cart

 

FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES