Author: Thomas Wilcox

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“High Performing” 2015 Red Burgundy from Michel Gros under $40

Michel Gros appears on many lists of Burgundy’s finest winemakers. His style is smooth and elegant, with warm, enticing notes of toast, red berries, and a silky texture. Gros’s village level and premier cru wines can be truly extraordinary, but they require (and reward) investment and patience.

Not all of Michel’s wines hail from such exalted zip codes. Gros makes several “petits vins,” which aren’t as complex or long-lived, but offer a chance to sample his brilliance at a more affordable price.

In 2015, a vintage considered among the best in decades, these petits vins are unusually fine. Today’s suggestion is the 2015 “Fontaine St-Martin,” an Hautes-Côtes de Nuits that we think easily competes with village level red Burgundies.

 

 

The Fontaine-Saint-Martin vineyard is named for a nearby Cistercian abbey that dates to 1127. The hillside of vines was in production for centuries, and Michel has made wine there for over 40 years. The Fontaine St-Martin plot is indeed special — soil samples revealed the parcel contains the same mix of marl, clay, and limestone found on the Hill of Corton

The 2015 Fontaine-St-Martin punches far above its weight. It’s more impressive than anything we’ve had from the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, with extremely dense tannins, dark blue fruit, and floral notes of violets and roses. Burghound named this one of the “Top value wines in 2015” for the entire region. Master of Wine Sarah Marsh called it “high performing” and predicted it should age beautifully.

This is a special plot of red Burgundy from a master winemaker in a legendary vintage — all for the price of a business lunch.

 

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Gros HCDN Fontaine-St-Martin red 2015
bottle price: $39

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A Trio of Legendary Meursault: 90-94 points

Meursault is a village stuck in time. Its narrow crooked streets and pointed steeple perch on a hill above fields of weathered vineyards first planted by monks in 1098. The golden nectar of these fields has been known for centuries, and today it is as sought-after as any wine in the world.

Meursault has no grand crus, but its three famous premier crus — Perrieres, Genevrières, and Charmes — almost make up for it. These exceptional terroirs produce some of Burgundy’s greatest wines of any color. We’re excited, for the first time ever, to offer all three from our star Meursault winemaker, the Domaine Boyer-Martenot.

 

 

In his excellent recent book Rajat Parr describes the trio thus: “Perrières — the eternal Grand Cru in waiting, with its epic fusion of body and minerality, frame and physique; Charmes — full bodied and physical, but deep and engaging; and Genevrières — crystalline in structure, at once gossamer and formidable.”

We won’t try to beat Parr at poetry, but we’ll confirm that these characterizations match Boyer’s cuvées this year. Vincent Boyer is making wine at a higher level these days than ever before — Vinous’s Stephen Tanzer declared himself “seriously impressed” with Boyer’s 2017 premier crus. Simply put, these are extraordinary wines — they’re not cheap, but greatness rarely is.

We have very small allocations of each — we’re offering them all individually and as a set of three. First come, first served.

 

Boyer-Martenot Meursault 1er cru “Charmes” 2017:   $125
Charmes is always the smoothest and most unctuous of Boyer’s cuvées. The 2017 has a particularly lovely balance between mouthfilling fruit and energy. Tanzer awarded 90-93 points, calling it “silky and densely packed” and “captivating,” noting its excellent “concentration and length.
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Boyer-Martenot Meursault 1er cru “Perrières” 2017:   $125
Always Boyer’s most masculine cuvée, this is an explosion of energy, richness, and depth. Tanzer awarded 91-94 points, finding “terrific intensity and verve,” and “superb inner-mouth energy.”
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Boyer-Martenot Meursault 1er cru “Genevrières” 2017:   $132
This is more concentrated and longer than the Charmes; less fat and more intensity. Tanzer awarded 91-94 points, calling it “at once thick and piquant,” and “classic, dense, vibrant.” He concluded simply “this is superb.”
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Meursault Trio (one of each wine):   $369/trio
+ free East Coast shipping
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The Best Côtes-du-Rhône in the Business. $16

In most cellars, Côtes du Rhône is the workhorse wine. Hosting thirsty guests? Go with a Côtes du Rhône. Pairing anything from salad to stew to soup to sirloin? Côtes du Rhône fits the bill. The best examples are crowd-pleasing, inexpensive, and full of character.

Our favorite Côtes-du-Rhône these days comes from the Domaine les Goubert — it’s among the best buys in our whole portfolio. It mixes a bit of Gigondas richness and depth with the hearty character of the rugged provençal landscape, and winemaker Florence Cartier’s touch of elegance and refinement.

It’s unlikely to be the fanciest wine in your cellar, but it might be the most useful.

A Côtes du Rhône should be three things: balanced, dark, and inexpensive. Goubert’s is all three. The relatively low alcohol, keeps it fresh and lively on the palate. 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.

Goubert’s 2017 Côtes du Rhône is the expressive and refined, showing dark wild cherries, raspberries, and a hint of minerality. The mouth is both jammy and refreshing, with notes of white pepper, licorice, and plums.

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. Just be ready when your guests start looking for a second bottle.

 

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Goubert Côtes-du-Rhône 2016
bottle price: $16

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Simplicity and Warmth: New Rich Rhône Blend for the Winter Months Ahead

Eric Chauvin’s story is a familiar one. A fifth generation winemaker inherits his family domaine. He begins to bottle the wines himself, tightens up the quality, converts to organic viticulture. We stumbled across Chauvin’s tiny Domaine le Souverain in the Rhône Valley a few years ago, and have been delighted at the discovery.

And the wines? Souverain’s reds are neither ageworthy nor pretentious — they’re straightforward, balanced, well-made, and simply delicious. They’re also far more complex than your average drugstore Côtes-du-Rhône. Chauvin’s organic practices and careful vinification means his wines pulse with energy and life.

 

Last week we reintroduced the new vintage of Souverain’s Séguret, a crowd favorite from a few years ago. Today we’re excited to release a second Souverain red: the Sablet “Réserve.” It’s a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, and spends a year in large oak barrels before bottling. Chauvin has handled the oaking beautifully — the notes of toast and spice add a stylish foil to his juicy organic fruit.

This is bolder and fuller than the Séguret — the nose shows intense jammy fruit, with spice and garrigue. The palate is rich and mouthfilling, but maintains vibrancy — the fruits are ripe and smooth but refreshing and nimble. Serve this with a stew and roasted vegetables, or just a Netflix show and a wintery evening. It’s cozy, welcoming, and delightfully easy to drink.

 

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Souverain Sablet “Reserve” 2016
bottle price: $22

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New Dry Chenin Blanc: an Organic Symphony of Fruit and Spice

Chenin blanc is a tough grape to pin down. The varietal produces a staggering array of styles: from still to sparkling, bone dry to very sweet, and everything in between. Even today, the winemakers of the Loire, France’s center for winemaking innovation, continue to push what’s possible from the grape.

This spring we were thrilled to discover an exceptional new source for Chenin blanc. The wines of Nicolas Paget have already become popular among our readers, from the dry, refreshing Melodie, to his enticing off-dry Maestro. Paget is unknown in the US — we’re his first American importer — but his expressive, organic cuvées have found enthusiastic welcome from the UK’s famous Berry Bros & Rudd.

Today we’re excited to introduce a third Paget cuvée: the 2014 Indr & Loire. It’s unlike anything in our portfolio, and we think it’s delightful.

The 2014 Indr & Loire is Paget’s maiden release for the cuvée. He ferments the wine dry, and then ages it for two years in oak barrels. The barrels are old enough not to impart any flavor, but have allowed the wine to relax and develop into something extraordinary.

The nose is dry and floral, with notes of lemon, mango, yellow raisins, and lychee. The mouth is smooth and long — think golden apples, coconut, and exotic spice. There’s enough freshness to keep the wine afloat, but it’s the richness and depth of flavor that make it memorable.

This is bone dry wine — very ripe and very full, but with no sweetness and a long, elegant finish: a perfect wintery white. Serve this as an aperitif at your next dinner party, and your guests will never guess where it’s from.

 

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Paget Chenin “Indr & Loire” 2014
bottle price: $29

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Delightful New Premier Cru Red Burgundy from a Rare, Ancient Grape. $32

Many of our winemakers are multi-generational, with some domaines stretching back for centuries. We’re always slightly apprehensive when a new generation takes over. Some try too hard to make their mark early, changing styles and abandoning longtime traditions. But at many domaines the younger generation arrives with modern techniques and a new energy.

Gautier Desvignes is in the latter category. In a few short years he’s transformed his quaint family domaine from traditional rustic Givry into some of the most popular wines in our cellar. Last year Vinous discovered him, and described his wine as “really quite superb.”

 

We’re excited to release Gautier’s most recent innovation: a new cuvée called “Le Vernoy.” It’s from a plot he planted six years ago with “pinot fin,” a rare, ancient clone of Pinot Noir. The clone is prone to millerandage (small berries), and produces smaller quantities but riper notes on the palate.

The 2016 Givry 1er cru “Le Vernoy” is the debut vintage for the cuvée, and we think it’s likely to become a favorite. The nose is very pretty, with bright fruits and notes of strawberry, violets, and earth. The mouth is intricate and delightful, “light on its toes” as Neal Martin puts it, with very fine tannins and a pleasant clean finish. If your idea of Givry is rustic and hearty, this should cause an expansion of your definition.

We thoroughly enjoyed this with soup and a salad recently, but for an upgraded pairing try this recipe for Veal Medallions with Almonds and Figs.

 

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Desvignes Givry 1er “Le Vernoy” 2016
bottle price: $32

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[Advance Order] “Exuberant” 2015 Chianti Classico under $22

French wines have long been the focus of the Ansonia portfolio. Of the 45 winemakers we work with, about half are from Burgundy, and all but a few are French. Our longtime exception to this rule is the Fattoria Poggerino.

Poggerino’s wines are all pure sangiovese — dark, delicately balanced expressions of an intense, powerful grape. We’ve worked with Poggerino for almost 15 years, but recently their star has risen dramatically. In his recent book Rajat Parr calls their wines “excellent” and “some of the purest expressions of the grape in Italy.”

As usual, the entire Poggerino lineup (including a very limited release of their exceptional olive oil) will appear in next Sunday’s January Futures release. But we’re singling one of our favorites out today to review in a bit more detail.

 

 

Poggerino is in Radda-in-Chianti, a charming hill town about halfway between Siena and Florence. Their regular cuvée Chianti Classico strikes a beautiful balance between a deep enticing nose and a sturdy, classic mouthfeel.

The 2015 is unusually good, with strawberry jam and anise on the nose, and cherries and roses in the mouth. The texture is firm and long, with excellent aging potential; but even today the wine opens nicely in a glass or carafe. Robert Parker’s reviewer calls it “plump and ripe” with “good intensity and a high pleasure threshold.” The Wine Spectator found it “harmonious” with “fine energy” and “a beam of pure cherry flavor.”

We think this is among the finer vintages of Chianti Classico that Poggerino has made. As the vines age, the wines gain depth and polish with every vintage. If you’ve got Poggerino in your cellar already, this vintage is an excellent for replenishing your stock. And if you’re new to the wine, Futures offers a discounted way to try it out.

 

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Poggerino Chianti Classico 2015
Retail: $300

Futures price: $250/case

Email Tom to reserve.

 

 

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New Sampler: Cozy Winter Reds

Sometimes the moment calls for a grand wine: something ageworthy, pulled from the back of the cellar, opened at just the right time, decanted for hours, etc. Other times, it doesn’t. For this sampler we’ve collected four uncomplicated wines from the “easy” category — wines you can enjoy with out too much consideration or contemplation. They’re cozy weeknight reds for pizzas, salads, pastas, soups, and leftovers.

 

Souverain Séguret 2017
dark, rich, earthy Rhône blend from a tiny organic source

Poggerino Labirinto 2014
pure, smooth, beautifully balanced Sangiovese from Chianti

Bagatelle St-Chinian Fil de Soi 2016
dark, intense, peppery Syrah blend from the Languedoc

Grand Ormeau Lalande-de-Pomerol 2015
classic, rich, sophisticated Merlot blend from right bank Bordeaux

3 of each wine

 

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Mixed Case: Cozy Winter Reds
case price: $250

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Smooth, Mouthfilling New Wintery Red. $22

France’s Rhône valley produces rich, smooth red blends, perfect for a wintery afternoon meal. At one end 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.

Many of our favorite red Rhônes come from the Domaine les Goubert, best known for their excellent Gigondas. Today we’re pleased to announce the return of one of their lesser known wines: their red Beaumes de Venise.

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 perfect for cold weather.

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. We found the 2016 Goubert BDV irresistible, and noticeably more complex than in years past. The nose is dark and weathered, showing strawberry jam, honey, and earthy notes of the local underbrush known as garrigue. The mouth is lively and juicy, with pleasant youthful 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. With icy winds howling and temperatures plunging, you’ll be happy for a bottle of this to keep yourself warm.

 

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Goubert Beaumes de Venise 2016
bottle price: $22

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Extraordinary 12-Year-Old Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru

The Clos de Vougeot is a 900-year-old Grand Cru vineyard in the heart of Burgundy. It’s the largest Grand Cru in the region, and certainly the most famous. Over nine centuries of growing seasons, it has seen kings and countries rise and fall.

Because of its size and number of owners (82 at last count), its wines vary widely in quality, from underperforming to extraordinary. Michel Gros’s cuvée sits firmly in the latter category — he’s the vineyard’s smallest landholder, but his handful of vines are in its most prestigious neighborhood: the Grand Maupertuis.

This is Burgundy at its most classic — an ancient vineyard, a storied winemaker, and already a decade plus under its belt.

We rarely offer Gros’s Clos de Vougeot, only because we’ve rarely any to sell. But to start the year off right, we’ve found (almost) a case of the 2006. We opened a bottle a few months ago and it’s unmistakably special wine.

The nose combines the floral aspects of nearby Vosne-Romanée with bolder tannins more reminiscent of Gevrey-Chambertin. The mouthfeel is intense and muscly, with earthy notes and dark briary fruit. The finish is long and rich. Burghound called it “powerful… rich, full, and intense.”

This wine is hardly an everyday value, but it’s an extraordinary find. When you open the bottle, imagine the centuries and generations that contributed to its contents — a small piece of history waiting for your corkscrew.

 

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Michel Gros Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2006
bottle price: $195

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Notebook: On Wine and Time

As another year draws to a close, we reflect on time and its passing. Wine has its own relationship with time — each bottle contains a multitude of timespans.

Consider a centuries-old vineyard, its limits first drawn in the Middle Ages. Its eighty year old vines have weathered drought and war. Each year they labor one hundred days to make their flowers into ripe fruit. It takes only a few hours to clip the grapes and bring them to the cellar. Then weeks of fermentation and vinification; months of maturation in barrel; years of cellaring in bottle. And then the final act: a few hours in a decanter and a few seconds on the tongue.

A single glass of wine at once calls forward the expanse of the past and provides an experience entirely in the present. Centuries of seasons, unknowable generations — all distilled into a single moment of sensation.

Not all wine lives up to the past it inherits, and thankfully much wine doesn’t claim to. If every bottle of weeknight Côtes du Rhône required contemplation of centuries past, one might switch to beer.

But given space and proper consideration, a bottle of wine is a time machine. Faulkner wrote “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” At its best, wine tells us stories of where it’s been, making the past alive, and bringing it into the present.

 

TW

 

 

 

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“Opulent” 93-point Grand Cru White Burgundy

The wines of Chablis are known for their limited oak, piercing minerality, and crystalline elegance. Our favorites are often mid-range bottles that combine everyday pricing and with great energy and beautiful precision.

But high-end Chablis can be truly extraordinary. Far from the midweight mouthfeel and dry fruit of simpler cuvées, wines from Chablis’s seven famous Grand Crus show a depth and power that’s remarkable for a white wine.

The Domaine Jean Collet makes superb everyday village and premier cru cuvées. But if you have room in your budget for a white Burgundy splurge, this Grand Cru won’t disappoint.


Collet’s 2016 Grand Cru Valmur is huge and intense. Romain has expertly balanced Chablis’s signature minerality with a richness that calls to mind Corton-Charlemagne or Montrachet. Vinous and Burghound both awarded 93 points, finding “broad-shouldered flavors,” “highly-textured mouthfeel,” and calling it “opulent” and “very promising.”

This is exceptionally powerful white wine. The nose shows gardenia, green tea, and baked lemon flavors, with a bright chalky stoniness that enhances the fruit. The mouth is simply packed with flavor — it’s bold and rich, but vibrant in texture.

Recommended uses: convert a red-wine-only drinker; dress up your holiday Oysters Rockefeller; surprise that friend who swore off Chardonnay; kick off your 2019 in style.

 

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Collet Chablis Grand Cru “Valmur” 2016
bottle price: $69

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A Favorite House Red Returns: Rich, Smooth, Earthy Rhône Blend. $19

We spend lots of time reading about French wine regions, following critical reviews and leafing through guides. But our favorite discoveries often come from time spent on the ground. One such pleasant surprise came from a wine list at a small outdoor bistro in Séguret a few years ago.

It took a few days to track down Eric Chauvin after that dinner, his Domaine Souverain has neither a road sign nor a website. But after several phone calls and a bit of luck we managed to find him, and we’re certainly glad we did. This year he even joined us for lunch at the same restaurant where we first discovered his wine.

Two years ago we sold through his 2014 Séguret in a matter of weeks. We missed out entirely on his 2015, which he ran through even more quickly. But this year we reserved ahead, and the excellent 2017 has just arrived in our warehouse. It’s a perfect house red — rich and smooth, earthy and interesting, and all for under $20.

The Domaine Souverain is a small-scale organic source in Séguret with no other US importer. Eric Chauvin is as humble as his wines are delicious. They’re intense and beautifully balanced Rhône blends that drink more like a Gigondas or Vacqueyras than the Côtes-du-Rhône pricing suggests.

Souverain’s 2017 is just lovely — it shows a bright nose of blackberry and lavender, with a cool earthiness that fans of the Mas Foulaquier will immediately recognize. The mouth is beautifully balanced, with softened but present tannins, clean dark fruit, and a faint smokiness in the nose.

With holiday guests on the way, this is as useful as a few plates of cookies — a rich, approachable, wintery red wine that drinks far above its weight.

 

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Souverain Séguret 2017
bottle price: $19

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