Author: Thomas Wilcox

Burgundy’s Côte d’Or produces most of the region’s iconic red wines. They can exquisite, other worldly expressions of Pinot Noir, but they often come pricetags to match their famous appellations. In recent years we’ve found ourselves spending more time in Burgundy’s other corners, in particular the Côte Chalonnaise and the Maconnais – the names are less recognizable, but the bills are much friendlier.

Our latest discovery in this category is Nicolas Ragot, an 8th generation winemaker in the Côte Chalonnaise town of Givry. His pure pinot noir wines are classic and delicious, bursting with inky fruit and beautiful tension. Ragot uses amphora to give his wines an appealing patina and terrific freshness. William Kelley reports “supple, flavorful reds… that still fly under the radar.”

Ragot’s village-level 2022 Givry Vieilles Vignes comes from a small plot with an average vine age of 50 years. Ragot uses 20% whole clusters, and the density of the old vine fruit is apparent and attractive. This is a beautiful introduction to the Ragot style: a deeply perfumed and spiced nose, with perfectly coated tannins and excellent freshness. Serve this all summer long.

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Ragot Givry Vieilles Vignes 2022
bottle price: $39

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After four consecutive vintages of small crops in Burgundy, 2022 finally delivered relief. “Beautiful and bountiful,” writes Jasper Morris of the 2022 red Burgundies; “very good wines and plenty of them.” William Kelley calls them “succulent, suave and charming.” Having tasted dozens of them during our spring tasting trip we can entirely agree.

Roger Belland’s wines have always been affordable and accessible, but in recent years they’ve become more serious and more impressive. His reds are still juicy and flat out delicious, but there’s more of interest than before – they’ve dialed back the oak, extended elevage, added whole clusters. The new Belland style is surprising and delicious.

Belland’s 2022 Maranges 1er cru “Fussiere” is excellent, and provides real value. The rustic character of Maranges is perfectly channeled into a dense core with an attractive texture. The fruits are plum and cherry, with approachable tannins and a dollop of inky dark fruit. Bring this to a summer afternoon picnic.

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Belland Maranges 1er “Fussière” 2022
bottle price: $38

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Wine writer Lettie Teauge once described Sancerre as a wine that delivers “pleasure not profundity.” We think this is an excellent description – sometimes a moment calls for a grand, majestic wine, but other times all you need is something crisp, refreshing, and reliable.

Domaine de la Garenne’s Sancerre is the most popular white wine in our store, and with good reason – it perfectly balances fruit, freshness, minerals and energy, all in a startlingly affordable package. Their 2023 whites have just arrived in time for summer enjoyment.

Garenne’s Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc in its purest form. Grown on a combination of flint, clay, and limestone soils, it’s prototypical Sancerre – no oak, crisp minerality, lovely dry fruit. The 2023 summer was warm and humid, but meticulous growers like Garenne produced a classic vintage – low alcohol, crisp minerality, nicely integrated acidity.

The base cuvée 2023 Sancerre blanc (now called “Alliance”) from Garenne is easy and delicious. It’s not as rich as the baked 2020 vintage, nor as piercing as last year’s 2021 – it treads a Goldilocks’ path with tremendous success. The nose has grapefruit and stones, alongside hints of white flowers and chalk. The mouth is easy, crisp, and delicious with dry fruit and a vibrant finish – everything you want in a weeknight Sancerre.

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Garenne Sancerre “Alliance” 2023
bottle price: $28

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Master of Wine Jasper Morris writes that “Cyril Gautheron is a superb producer making wines in a crisp cool classically Chablis style, which is now really quite hard to achieve in these warmer seasons.” The average Chablis may be riper and rounder than a decade ago, but for traditional Chablisien punch and zip, we always reach for Gautheron.

Cyril farms a handful of plots at the premier cru level, scattered across the appellation. His vines in the premier cru “Fourneaux” are out the window of his domaine, up a side valley near his native Fleys. The plot is south facing with lots of sun, but high in elevation and steep, providing much-needed air flow and drainage.

The 2022 is terrific. Gautheron decided it needed no oak, and he’s right. The nose is very expressive – orchard fruits, lemon peel, and stones. In the mouth a mineral punch and notes of saline mix in with the smooth yellow fruit, making for a persistent palate and a long finish. Bill Nanson called it “a fabulous wine,” and we think the balance and tension are perfect.

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Gautheron Chablis 1er “Fourneaux” 2022
bottle price: $42

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You know what they say about what comes to those who wait. We discovered Pierre Vessigaud over two years ago, and quickly fell in love with his lush, vibrant organic wines from Pouilly-Fuissé. Our miniscule allocation of 2020s was followed by a nonexistent one from the catastrophic 2021 vintage. So we’re even more delighted than usual to announce the arrival of Vessigaud’s wines in the warehouse, at last.

Vessigaud is a committed biodynamic vigneron whose wines are Demeter certified, the highest organic classification. In the bottle this translates to superb purity and clarity, with careful elevage and excellent balance. As William Kelley puts it, “succulent but serious, any bottle bearing Vessigaud’s label is worth seeking out.”

We have three wines on offer from Vessigaud: Pouilly-Fuissés at the village and premier cru level, and today’s terrific Maconnais white. All three are exciting and delicious, but the screaming bargain of the bunch is the Macon-Solutré-Pouilly. It’s pure, unoaked chardonnay from 35 year old vines and raised entirely in stainless steel. The resulting wine delivers and explosive bouquet of white flowers, pear and stones. The mouth is crisp, lush and delightful with terrific tension.

If there’s a better value white Burgundy out there we don’t know of it.

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Vessigaud Macon-Solutré-Pouilly 2022
bottle price: $25

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The 2022 red Burgundies have just begun to arrive in the states, and they’re simply delightful. From the warmest, driest year in recent memory, they are nonetheless vibrant and beautifully balanced, sporting low alcohol and classic Burgundian finesse. It’s a magnificent vintage, and one we expect to enjoy for many years to come.

One particular success are the reds of Roger Belland, whose cuvées are universally delicious, and always well priced. His Santenay 1er cru “Gravières” 2022 is a triumph – loads of dark cassis and violet fruit packed into a solid and inky core of fruit and minerals. And all wrapped up in a neat, classy, 13% alc. package.

Burghound loved this wine, awarding it both “Outstanding” and “Top Value” designations. He found “fine volume and richness,” with “an opulent mid-palate mouthfeel,” calling the finish “firm and serious.” It’s juicy modern red Burgundy, but with perfect ripeness and an old-school texture. We enjoyed this last night with grilled chicken, and recommend the match.

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Belland Santenay 1er “Gravières” 2022
bottle price: $48

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At long last, our Sancerres are back in stock in the warehouse today. We’ve been sold out for months, and are delighted to have these crisp, vibrant Sauvignon blancs available once more. All four cuvées from Domaine de la Garenne are terrific this year, but the most popular is Bouffants, a laser-focused cuvée from limestone-heavy terroir.

Made from pure, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc, Bouffants is more dense and serious than Garenne’s regular cuvée. The 2023 is concentrated and very long, full of deep mineral intensity and dried fruit. Look for notes of pears and grapefruits, with a long, clean, very dry finish. Think of the ripe, intense fruitiness of a classic Sauvignon combined with the stony core of a Cru Muscadet.

Garenne’s Bouffants cuvée is a perfect food wine and can stand up to a wide range of diverse flavors. Serve it with lobster risotto or broiled fish. Sauvignon blanc seems to come from every corner of the world these days, but this will remind you: there’s nothing quite like Sancerre.

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Garenne Sancerre “Bouffants” 2023
bottle price: $32

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The South of France has always been hot, but like everywhere else, it’s getting hotter. Even with grape varietals adapted to warm climates, winemakers often struggle to achieve freshness in their wines. We taste plenty of high-alcohol flat wines these days, but few grab our attention.

One winemaker who doesn’t struggle is Nicolas Haeni of the Domaine Malmont in Séguret. Haeni’s vines lie on a terraced slope in the hills above Séguret, perfectly positioned to offset the blazing hot Provencal sun. The Malmont terroir is cooler and breezier, enabling the grapes to reach maturity without becoming baked or dried out.

Nicolas’s 2021 “Petit Rouge” is simply delightful, and a real bargain. It’s 70/30 syrah/grenache, raised in stainless steel, and alcohol clocking in at a cool 13.5%. The nose is dark and complex with classic syrah notes of violets and blackberry — by nose you might mistake it for a Northern Rhône pure syrah. But in the mouth the grenache shines through a bit more, with beautiful depth a splash of red fruit and cinnamon.

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Malmont Séguret “Petit Rouge” 2021
bottle price: $25

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Our first three vintages with the Forces Telluriques have been wildly popular. The magnificent, unoaked, biodynamic white Burgundy has quickly become a reader favorite. It shouldn’t surprise anyone, really – you won’t find the Forces Telluriques label on any CellarTracker accounts (except Ansonia customers), but the wine in the bottle is from an iconic Mâconnais source with an exclusive importer for the primary label.

The family who creates this wine are true believers in the theory of biodynamics — minimal vineyard intervention in the vines, meticulous and hands-off winemaking. William Kelley calls them “one of the best producers in the Mâconnais “ producing “ honeyed, concentrated wines that are imbued with remarkable concentration and energy.” Their extraordinary wines somehow continue to improve each year.

The 2021 Forces Telluriques is a triumph. The domaine harvested slowly, over about 15 days, achieving 13.2% naturally – a real feat in a cool vintage. The resulting wine is superb, showing ripeness without weight, a wine that is lively and alive; a touch of botrytis (traditional in this area) but entirely dry. The Wine Advocate’s William Kelley gave 93 points, finding “Aromas of clear honey, white flowers, beeswax and sweet spices” calling it “a suave and vibrant wine that’s satiny, bright and fine-boned, concluding with a bright, gently exotic finish.”

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Forces Telluriques Viré-Clessé 2021
bottle price: $45

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The red wines of the Loire Valley always play second fiddle to the region’s whites. But it’s a mistake to ignore them – they’re well balanced, low-alcohol, usually organic, and often exceptional values. Our favorites these days are the unblended, unoaked Cabernet Francs from the central Loire.

Winemakers Celine and Didier Sanzay are fifth generation growers in Saumur-Champigny in the central Loire. Their reds are pure Cabernet Franc, and fit modern Loire style — small batch, organic, wild yeasts, no fining or filtering. They’re lovely on their own, but it’s the freshness and vibrant texture that makes them perfect food-paring reds.

Sanzay’s just-arrived Saumur-Champigny is exactly what you want Loire Cab Franc to be: pure, joyful, unoaked, and refreshing. Clean, unadulterated fruit bursts from the glass on the nose — think wild cherries and graphite. The mouth is fresh, fruit forward, inky, and intense, with a bold and vibrant attack and a quick clean finish. Picture a juicy Beaujolais with more serious texture and darker fruit. Pour this on the front step or back patio all summer long.

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Sanzay Saumur-Champigny 2022
bottle price: $22

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The style of winemaking in Chablis is somewhat in flux these days. Recent hot summers in Chablis have meant a departure from the stony, crystalline expression of old. These richer, rounder wines can handle more oak, and some winemakers have extended their elevage, creating wines with richness and complexity to rival those of the Côte d’Or.

Not Cyril Gautheron. To him such wines may be tasty, but they’re not Chablis. Gautheron has doubled down on the classic style, dialing back his oak in some places, and relying solely on terroir and fruit for expression. The results are magnificent. From a cool, wet vintage, his 2021s may be small in number, but they are nothing short of exquisite.

One of our favorite Gautheron wines in recent years has been his “Fourneaux,” a premier cru raised entirely in steel. White peaches and lemon peel join chalk and minerals in the nose. The mouth is pure and lithe with exquisite tension and a long, beautiful finish. A perfect example of classical Chablis, and exceptional pricing that somehow still accompanies it.

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Gautheron Chablis 1er “Fourneaux” 2021
bottle price: $42

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Chenin blanc has an enormous range of expression, 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. We enjoy the sweet stuff from time to time, but our favorite is a dry, refreshing, unoaked, affordable Chenin.

Today’s wine comes from a tiny organic producer near Vouvray, 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. Paget’s low-intervention, no-oak chenin blancs are vibrant, aromatically expressive and beautifully balanced — lush exotic fruit presented in a clean, fresh package.

Paget’s 2021 Melodie is lovely, with 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 on a hot summer day.

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Paget Chenin Blanc “Melodie” 2021
bottle price: $22

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Pascal Bardoux’s wines are just like the man himself: subtle, understated, and delightful. In a region where “le marketing” is king, Bardoux’s delicious, hand-crafted, well-priced cuvées stand out. A world away from shiny tasting rooms and glossy brochures, this is traditional, artisan Champagne authored by a humble farmer.

A blend of 60% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, Bardoux’s humble non-vintage “Brut Traditionnel” has the complexity and depth to match the finest bottles from Burgundy or Bordeaux. The nose shows plum, chalk, lime zest, and buttered biscuits; the mouth is dry, elegant, and smooth, with notes of apple and toast. Much mass-market Champagne fetches between $80 and $150 a bottle; Bardoux’s small-batch Brut Traditionnel doesn’t even crack $60 — twice the wine at half the price.

We can’t recommend this wine highly enough. Think of it as a refined, complex wine in its own right; it just happens to feature bubbles. Some of our favorite pairings include: sushi, triple-cream cheese (like Delice de Bourgogne or Brillat-Savarin), or gougères. A case of this in your cellar will add class to our summer like little else.

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Bardoux Champagne Traditionnel Brut NV
bottle price: $54
case price: $48.60 (use code BRUT)

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Everyone needs a pantry wine — something to open without too much consideration or care. Thirsty guests looking for something to wet their whistle? Pantry wine. Back home after a long weekend away, with no energy for anything but takeout pizza? Pantry wine. Playoff game go into overtime and you need just one more glass of something simple? You guessed it.

For many years our pantry wine (and that of many readers) has been Goubert’s Côtes du Rhône. It checks the three boxes every Côtes du Rhône should: refreshing, dark, and inexpensive. It’s low alcohol and crisp, making it tasty and balanced. The blend of six grapes classic Rhône grapes forms a rich, hearty, dark wine. And it’s inexpensive enough to pull out at a moment’s notice.

Winemaker Florence Cartier has improved this cuvée perhaps more than any other since she took over a few years ago, and the 2022 is her best yet. The nose is expressive and surprisingly refined, showing dark wild cherries, raspberries, and a hint of menthol. The mouth is both jammy and refreshing, with notes of white pepper, licorice, raspberry and plums. This likely wont be the fanciest wine in your cellar, but it might be the most useful.

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Goubert Côtes du Rhône 2022
bottle price: $19

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Roger Belland produces a dozen cuvées from around the southern end of the Côte d’Or, including from famous vineyards in Chassagne, Puligny, and Volnay. But it’s the wines of his hometown Santenay that often appeal to us most. Belland’s style is plump and juicy, with approachable tannins and beautiful aromatics – they never last long in our cellar or on a dinner table.

In 2020 his accessible friendly style is even more on display than usual, and these are some of the most drinkable Belland reds we can remember. Winemaker Martin Boyer has expertly balanced the lush ripe fruit of the vintage with clean freshness and stony precision. The result is friendly, delicious red Burgundy that’s at once complex and gulpable.

The Belland Santenay 1er Gravieres 2020 is fresh and lively, with exquisite floral notes and a fine mineral nose of stones and roses. The mouth is crisp and fresh with excellent length. There’s classic juicy 2020 fruit,  and the stony fruit is perfectly supported by careful tannins. This is floral and beautiful today, but the mineral intensity should carry it easily for years to come.

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Belland Santenay 1er “Gravières” 2020
bottle price: $49

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