Author: Thomas Wilcox

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Brilliant 93-point Premier Cru Chablis: Pears and Sea Spray

Romain Collet’s lineup of 2018 Chablis is delicious. From their simple Vieilles Vignes to the magnificent Grand Cru Les Clos, Romain Collet handled the warm vintage with expert control, finding perfect balance and freshness in every cuvée.

Among our favorites this year was the Chablis 1er cru “Montmains.” Drawn from 45 year old vines in a Kimmeridgian limestone-filled vineyard, Romain uses no new oak for this cuvée: it’s Chablis at its most pure and brilliant.

Chablis is the ultimate food wine — dry, crisp, vibrant, and refreshing. With everyone cooking at home more than usual these days, this is as versatile as food-paring wines come. Jasper Morris MW writes that Romain Collet’s domaine “is moving towards joining the pantheon” in Chablis.

Collet’s 2018 Chablis 1er Montmains full of both depth and tension. The nose is bright and bursting with pear, stones, sea spray, lemon peel, and honey. The mouth is dry and chiseled, filled with exquisite tension and notes of green apple, chalk and oyster shells. Morris awarded 91-93 points, finding it “all about the stones,” with “good intensity and tension.”

We drink this with lots of food, but a particular favorite chez nous is Chicken Schnitzel. Use panko crumbs; after browning pour off most of the oil and deglaze with wine and finish with a cream reduction. The Chablis cuts like a knife through the sauce: a dynamic and delightful pair.

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Collet Chablis 1er “Montmains” 2018
bottle price: $35

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Reliably Outstanding: Smooth, Earthy Gigondas from Goubert

The Domaine les Goubert is among the most consistent winemakers in our portfolio. No matter the vintage – warm or cool, sunny or wet, easy or difficult — the Goubert wines are reliably outstanding.

The winemakers allow the vintage to influence the character of the wine, but never the quality. A case in point is the just-arrived 2017. The vintage was problematic for Grenache in the Southern Rhône, and many cuvées rely more heavily than usual on Syrah.

At Goubert in 2017, winemaker Florence Cartier decided to eschew barrels — the Syrah grape picks up oak notes more quickly, and she wanted to preserve the lovely floral fruit. The resulting cuvée is distinct and as delicious as ever.

Goubert’s 2017 Gigondas is smooth, rich and beautifully balanced. There’s much more intensity and depth than you expect from a sub-$30 bottle. The syrah contributes elegant notes of violets, laid over a muscular, black-fruit intensity that carries through a long and beautifully balanced finish.

The Wine Advocate awarded 90-92 points, finding “raspberry and stone fruit,” and suggesting a drinking window of 2020-2030. Goubert doesn’t get caught up in fads or winemaking trends, and they’re not reinventing the winemaking wheel. They simply turn out solid, reliably delicious red wine that drinks well above its price point.

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Goubert Gigondas 2017
bottle price: $29

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Magnificent New 2017 Pouilly-Fuissé

Pouilly-Fuissé was once the darling of American wine drinkers — fun to pronounce, rich and voluptuous in texture. Popularity bred overproduction, and quality suffered in the 80s. But in the last few decades local winemakers have begun to reclaim the wine, and today Jasper Morris calls it “the most dynamic white wine appellation in Burgundy.”

Nicolas Maillet’s exceptional Pouilly-Fuissé was once the only white in his lineup raised in any oak, but as of two years ago he eliminated oak for this one too. When we asked him about his decision, he explained it simply: “I realized the wine is good enough without oak; it doesn’t need it. So why add it?”

Maillet’s Pouilly-Fuissé vines are from an extraordinary plot: vines planted in 1945, from one of a handful of terroirs recently elevated to Premier Cru status. (The new status will appear on the label beginning in 2018.) Longtime readers may remember the now-retired Michel Forests’s excellent “Sur la Roche” cuvée — Maillet’s vines are from the same vineyard.

One taste of this wine and we think you’ll agree: it’s not missing anything. The terroir gives extraordinary complexity on its own — baked lemon, minerals, flowers, and herbs melt into a gorgeous and pulsating texture. The nose is expressive and delicate; the mouth is startlingly long.

But, as with everything else graced by the “Maillet touch,” the balance is impeccable: acidity, richness, length and aromatics all in perfect harmony. It’s elegant, polished, sophisticated white Burgundy; and an overperforming one under $40.

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Maillet Pouilly-Fuissé 2017
bottle price: $39

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Pouilly-Fumé Returns: Refreshing New Sauvignon Blanc. $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 2019 has just arrived, and it’s the perfect antidote to a heatwave.

Michot’s 2019 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 midweight 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 a summery dish of vegetables. We’re fans of Ottolenghi’s Leek Fritters, but the match is just as good with some crusty bread with a Loire-style chèvre.

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Michot Pouilly-Fumé 2019
bottle price: $19

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Rich, Woodsy New 2018 Premier Cru Red Burgundy from a “Future Star”

Gautier Desvignes is a rising star among Burgundian winemakers. Vinous’s Neal Martin recently found Gautier’s wines “really quite superb.” And the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley calls the domaine “very much a Côte Chalonnaise address to watch,” and advises that “importers looking for a potential future star should beat a path to his door.”

We’ve just gotten our first look at the 2018 Givrys from Desvignes, and they’re simply delicious. A warm summer resulted in wines with rich, mouthfilling textures built on a sturdy foundation of delicious tannins and bold, distilled fruit. These are no shrinking violets — the concentration and balance in these wines will stop you in your tracks.

Gautier Desvignes has transformed his humble family domaine into an impressive operation — new cellars, new tanks, replanted vines, hand sorting, ambient yeasts, etc. He’s also managed to join the family business for a string of particularly attractive vintages in Burgundy. We’ve been fans of his wines for over a decade, but they get easier to sell every year.

Desvignes Givry 1er cru Grand Berge is rich and muscled, with rich, palate-coating notes of plum and earth. Look for notes of dried roses and earth in the nose, alongside fine-grained tannins and a clean, polished finish. This is Givry with extra punch and depth — serve it in a decanter and your guests will swear it’s from the Côte d’Or.

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Desvignes Givry 1er “Grand Berge” 2018
bottle price: $32

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Smooth, Golden, Gorgeous $24 White Burgundy

Vigneron:   Vincent Boyer is one of Meursault’s young superstar winemakers. His golden white Burgundies from Meursault and Puligny are among the finest in our cellar. Vinous calls his wines “superb” and “very impressive;” Jasper Morris MW writes “Boyer seems to make better wines year after year.”

Appellation:   Chardonnay is responsible for all of Burgundy’s finest white wines. But 10% of white wine vineyards in Burgundy are Aligoté, a less celebrated grape that produces simple, refreshing wines. Aligoté is seldom magnificent, but in the hands of the right winemaker it can be delicious.

Wine:   Boyer-Martenot’s Aligoté is unlike any other we’ve had, with a rich mouthfeel and unusually complex bouquet. Through 45+ year old vines and barrel fermentation, Boyer turns this ordinary grape into a smooth, delightful white with notes of wild honey, herbs, flowers, and classic green apple. Burghound calls it “vibrant, fresh and utterly delicious.” This wine keeps getting better — we just restocked (for the third time) with everything they had left.

Pairing:   Treat this like an entry level Bourgogne, just one with unusual smoothness and depth. Pair with lobster rolls, steamers, grilled chicken thighs, or an Eventide fish sandwich.

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Boyer-Martenot Aligoté 2017
bottle price: $24

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Pét-Nat Arrives! Fresh New Loire Valley Bubbles

Ansonia isn’t exactly your local hipster natural wine store; (too much Burgundy, not enough Brett). But we do enjoy a bit of “natty wine” from time to time, and celebrate the largely positive influence it’s had on the world of wine. And so we’re excited today to introduce our first Pét-Nat, our most hipster wine to date.

Pét-Nat, short for péttiant-naturel (naturally sparkling), predates Champagne by a few hundred years. In Champagne, sugar and yeast are added to finished still wine, and a second fermentation under seal produces bubbles. Pét-Nat is simpler — the wine is bottled before the first fermentation ends, and ends up lightly sparkling.

Our source for this new Pét-Nat is, unsurprisingly, the Loire Valley, the Silicon Valley of France’s natural wine movement. The source is Nicolas Paget, an excitable young winemaker making tiny quantities of outstanding organic wines. Paget’s dry, refreshing Chenin blanc “Melodie” has quickly become a staple in many readers’ cellars. Today’s Pét-Nat is a similar wine, just with an extra bit of sparkle.

This is a perfect summer sipper: dry, uncomplicated, and refreshing. Look for notes of pears and stones in the nose, with apple skin and chalk in the mouth. The doughiness of Crémant and Champagne is absent — (the wine spends no time on lees) — but Chenin blanc lends a smooth, mouthfilling quality that’s cut masterfully by the fine bubbles.

We won’t be abandoning our Bourgognephilic list any time soon, but at $5/glass this was too fun to pass up. Just for a moment, put down the Perrières and give Pét-Nat a try.

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Paget Pét-Nat Aborigène
bottle price: $25

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Summer Grilling Red: New $22 Côtes du Rhône

France’s Southern Rhône valley produces rich, smooth red blends. At one end of the spectrum there’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape, famous and long-lived; at the other there’s Côtes du Rhône, uncomplicated and inexpensive. Today’s wine is from the middle.

If Beaumes de Venise calls to mind dessert wines, you’re not wrong. The town is famous for its sweet Muscat wines first planted in 600 BCE. But the terroir also produces a small amount of excellent red, with a rugged richness that makes them sturdy and crowd-pleasing.

Goubert’s Beaumes de Venise is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault, with the final grape adding a sauvage quality that makes the wine distinct and delicious. The 2018 has just arrived and it’s delightful, dense and gorgeous. All three grapes fermented together and raised in concrete tank; the wine is full of spice and garrigue, but all drawn from grapes and earth instead of oak.

The nose is dark and weathered, showing strawberry jam, honey, and earthy notes;. the mouth is lively and juicy, with pleasant structure. This is an astonishingly complete wine at $22. It’s perhaps a bit less refined than its older brother Gigondas, but what it lacks in elegance it makes up in pluck. Serve with burgers or skirt steak on the grill.

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Goubert Beaumes-de-Venise 2018
bottle price: $22

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Crisp, Zippy Muscadet: the Perfect Summer White

Region:   Grown near the mouth of the Loire River, Muscadet is at once brisk and hearty — the essence of the windswept Atlantic coast. Wine writer Lettie Teague calls it “one of the world’s best, if most obscure, bargains,” saying “a glass of $8 Muscadet will always be a better wine than an $8 glass of something else.”

Appellation:   The Muscadet region’s new “cru communal” appellations require aging 24-30 months on lees, and Martin-Luneau farms grapes in both Gorges and Clisson. Today’s wine “Deux Roches” comes from a blend of both appellations (hence “two rocks”) — the blend bears neither name, but the wine’s quality speaks for itself.

Wine:   Their 2015 Deux Roches cuvée is bright and crisp, with lime rind and melon in the nose, and zippy, refreshing acidity in the mouth. There’s an intense dryness and liveliness that’s the perfect antidote to a muggy summer evening. Pair this with anything from the sea, most perfectly, oysters.

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Martin-Luneau Muscadet “2 Roches” 2015
bottle price: $19

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Perfect $25 No Oak White Burgundy

We love enjoying wine en plein air. There’s a certain harmony in enjoying a natural wine with the sun on your skin — a product of nature adid the natural world. And among our favorites are the vibrant, exuberant, life-filled organic white Burgundies of Nicolas Maillet.

Maillet makes wine in the Maconnais, an area of southern Burgundy known for its unoaked Chardonnays. His whites are aromatically jubilant, bursting with flowers and fruit and earth and stones.

Nicolas Maillet is a passionate young winemaker, making some of the purest expressions of Chardonnay we know. With no oak to obscure the gorgeous fruit, they have the clarity of fine Chablis with the weight and roundness of a Côte d’Or Chardonnay.

The 2018 Maillet Macon-Villages is humbly magnificent. The nose explodes with spring flowers and honeysuckle, and notes of dried straw. In the mouth it’s a classic Macon — rich and full with bright floral notes, beautiful acidity, and lots of depth. Maillet draws upon biodynamics to elevate the complexity, and his wines are a true symphony of nature in the glass.

Spending time outdoors improves your mood, your health, and your soul — bring along Maillet as a companion and you’ll feel just as alive.

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Maillet Macon-Villages 18
bottle price: $25

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Smooth, “Excellent” 93-point Premier Cru White Burgundy

The 2018 vintage provided the Chablisiens with something they hadn’t seen in years: decent volume. The 2016 and 2017 growing seasons brought the trials of Job — hail, frost, freezes and everything else, it seemed. In 2018, catastrophe turned to fruitfulness, as the vines produced strikingly large quantities of ripe fruit.

The warm growing season meant wine with a different profile from the usual Chablis — rounder and riper — but it is delicious and still carries the advantageous pricing that is Chablis’s calling card these days. Romain Collet’s lineup of 2018s are excellent, showing expert balance between ripeness and acidity.

They offer excellent early drinking opportunities — one glass of today’s wine and we think you’ll know what we mean.

Collet’s Chablis 1er cru “Vaillons” is vinified and raised in a third each of barrel, foudre (large barrel) and tank — the resulting wine has no notes of oak in the nose, but has hint of softness to balance out the classic Chablisienne mineral tension.

We loved Vaillons in 2018, and so did Jasper Morris MW who gave 90-93 pts. The nose shows minerals, lemon, and a deep core of savory oyster shells; the mouth is floral and smooth, with real subtlety and elegance, and what Morris called “an excellent finish.”

Like Collet’s other 2018s, we think this will age nicely for another few years. But the 2018 sun makes at a delight today.

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Collet Chablis 1er “Vaillons” 2018
bottle price: $35

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Inky, Bursting Rhône Red: New $25 Organic Vacqueyras

The Clos du Joncuas might be the most exciting recent find in our portfolio. Based in Gigondas in the Southern Rhône, sisters Dany and Carol Chastan learned their craft from their parents and grandparents, and have themselves been farming organically for 40 years.

This is old school winemaking: ambient yeasts, no oak (not even foudres), 100% whole cluster, no fining or filtering. It sounds like a recipe for a big rustic wine, but the Chastan sisters somehow managed to produce wines of superb texture and subtlety.

We don’t know what goes into their alchemy, but it’s pretty easy to like what comes out.

Last year the 2016 Joncuas Gigondas made lots of friends among our readers. That wine is back in stock (as is the exciting 2017), but today we’re focused on their simpler wine — the 2018 Vacqueyras. This wine blew us away at our tasting this spring, and a glass yesterday of the just-arrived batch confirmed our enthusiasm.

Made from Grenache and a splash of Mourvèdre, this wine resembles a cool inky Syrah, even though it’s absent from the blend. A floral nose gives way to ripe raspberries, lavender, sweet plums and earth. This is rich wine whose first impression is nonetheless freshness. There is good underlying structure, but the wine utterly without harsh or drying tannins.

This makes a powerful argument for being the best $25 bottle in the store.

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Joncuas Vacqueyras 2018
bottle price: $25

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Dry, Fresh, Floral: Organic Loire Valley Chenin Blanc. $19

Chenin blanc is a chameleon. Its expressions range from bone dry to startlingly sweet depending on vintage, terroir, and winemaker. Vouvray is the original source for Chenin Blanc, but the surrounding towns in the central Loire Valley produce excellent examples as well.

Several years ago we spent a few days in the Loire searching for a new source for Chenin Blanc. We enjoy the sweet stuff from time to time, but our main goal was to find a simple, dry, “summer sipper” Chenin.

We don’t always find exactly what we expect when prospecting for new wines; but this time we hit the nail exactly on the head.

Nicolas Paget is an energetic and impassioned young winemaker in Touraine-Azay le Rideau (a neighbor to Vouvray). Like much Loire wine today, Paget’s wines are organic and low-intervention in style. His lineup ranges from red to off-dry white to pet nat, but it’s his dry “Melodie” we’re suggesting today.

Melodie offers Chenin’s pear-like fruit — clean, pure and delightful — in an entirely dry package. It works beautifully with food — think fish tacos or a busy summer salad — but also on its own as a patio aperitif on an August afternoon. Look for floral notes and yellow fruits in the nose, and a smooth mouth of pear, elderflower, and chalk.

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Paget Chenin “Melodie” 2018
bottle price: $19

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Provençal Rosé Returns, $19

As some of you noticed, we underbought rosé this year. Our entire summer’s worth sold out in 15 days, and by June 1 there wasn’t a drop of pink in the entire warehouse. Turns out all those people sitting at home got thirsty when the weather warmed up!

Well the good news is that our crowd favorite rosé is back in stock, and none too soon. With the temperature here in Boston pushing 100 today, it’s clear that summer is far from over. We’re glad to have a couple bottles of Goubert’s crisp, dry, and refreshing rosé in our fridge, and we recommend the same to anyone south of the Canadian border. Here are our notes from May:

Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre | Lightweight and lively. The nose is dry and fresh, with dry strawberries and lime zest. The mouth is light, clean, refreshing and delightful. You forget it’s even there. Pair this with fresh goat cheese on crackers.

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Goubert Rosé 2019
bottle price: $19

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Picnic Wine: $16 Côtes du Rhône

With most socializing happening outdoors these days, we’re getting lots of requests for wines suited for a patio or a picnic. We ran out of most of our everyday wines back when everyone was busy stocking up on pasta and purell. But we’ve just restocked, and none is more welcome than today’s Côtes du Rhône.

Goubert’s humble Côtes du Rhône is the least expensive wine in our portfolio (not counting Futures), but we think it well overperforms its rank. It’s supremely versatile: gulpable, crowd-pleasing, well priced, and pairable with everything and nothing at all. It’s not the fanciest wine in your cellar, but it might be the most useful.

A Côtes du Rhône should be balanced, dark, and inexpensive — Goubert’s is all three. It’s juicy, fresh and lively on the palate. The nose showing dark wild cherries, raspberries, and a hint of menthol. The mouth is both jammy and refreshing, with notes of white pepper, licorice, and plums. And the 2019 that has just arrived is a whole lot of wine in a $16 bottle.

It’s a by-the-glass wine for your kitchen, something to enjoy before and during your meal. Serve this with anything from hamburgers to our favorite pasta: oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and ample grated parmesan.

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Goubert Côtes du Rhône 2019
bottle price: $16

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