Author: Thomas Wilcox

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Sophisticated, Extraordinary White Burgundy under $40

For years we’ve referred to St-Aubin as the “insider’s white Burgundy.” But it’s hard to keep a secret when Rajat Parr writes writes “it produces some of the best-value Chardonnays in the world,” and Jancis Robinson says it “should now be regarded as virtually the equal” of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet.

Still, as the wine world finally discovers just how good St-Aubin can be, the town remains an exceptional source for white Burgundy value. The Thomas family has lived and made wine in St-Aubin for over 70 years, and has long been one of our favorite value sources in the region.

Four of their 2017s all just arrived in the warehouse, and they’re as good a lineup as we can remember. Today we’re suggesting their village-level St-Aubin “Champ Tirant.”

Thomas’s 2017s are magical. Their fleshy texture and shimmery character make them profound, exciting, and very much alive. The St-Aubin “Champ Tirant” drinks far more like a premier cru than usual, showing an impressive fullness and length. Jancis Robinson called it “full, satisfying, [and] creamy.”

The nose shows notes of green apple, buttered toast, and chives. The mouth is intense, rich, and vibrant, with a smooth texture showing stones, hay, hazelnut and meyer lemon zest. We usually suggest this as a humble upgrade from Thomas’s Bourgogne; but this year is different. Serve this with a sophisticated dish, like chicken with shallots, morels, and cream. It’s the best sub-$40 white Burgundy we’ve had in years.

 

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Thomas St-Aubin 2017
bottle price: $36

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“Exuberant” 2015 Chianti Classico, 92 points. $25

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, a source for pure Sangiovese wines from the hills of Chianti.

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.” In an excellent profile last month, the Wine Spectator described them as “impeccably balanced and built to last…pure, honest wine.”

Last week we wrote about Poggerino’s young-vine “Labirinto” cuvée. Today, for a buck more a glass, we’re suggesting the Chainti Classico.

Poggerino’s 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 today the wine opens beautifully 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. If you’re new to the producer, it’s a great time to start.

 

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Poggerino Chianti Classico 2015
bottle price: $25

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Exquisite New Dry Riesling from Alsace. $19

To the uninitiated, Riesling is a cheap, insipid wine — rarely interesting, and never noble. But to those in the know, Riesling produces some of the world’s most extraordinary bottles of wine.

No white grape varietal communicates its origin as fluently. As writer Terry Theise puts it, “Riesling does more than just imply terroir: it subsumes its own identity as fruit into the greater meaning of soil, land, and place.”

For years we’ve enjoyed converting readers to the joys of “real Riesling,” both dry and sweet. And today we’re thrilled to introduce our newest winemaker, and begin with his magnificent dry Riesling.

Vincent Gross is a young, enthusiastic winemaker practicing biodynamic viticulture, and producing truly exciting wines. With the retirement of Francis Muré, our longtime Alsatian source, our discovery of Gross is timed perfectly.

Gross’s 2016 Riesling is everything you want it to be. The nose is a gorgeous marriage of high-toned fruits and stony minerals. The mouth is dry and electric — notes of grapefruit, lemon peel, apples and pears. It’s dryer, livelier and more mineral than Muré’s.

Pair this with cheese and crackers and a spring afternoon outside. Or try this Alsatian dish, Chicken with Prunes and Cabbage – either way you’ll find yourself wishing all $19 wines had this much to them.

 

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Gross Riesling 2016
bottle price: $19

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New 2015 St-Emilion: Rich, Muscular 92 point Right Bank Bordeaux

Most of the world’s Merlot is undistinguished. Its default expression is a soft, rounded wine lacking tannin, acidity, and character. “Global” merlot is smooth and easy, but neither distinctive nor particularly interesting.

But in Bordeaux, Merlot thrives as an essential component to the region’s most iconic wines. And its center stage – where the grape reaches its ultimate expression – are the Right Bank towns of Pomerol and St-Emilion.

Today we’re excited to release our Grand Cru St-Emilion from the Chateau Montlisse, from the exceptional 2015 vintage. It provides neither the depth nor the aging potential of Christian Dauriac’s more famous cuvées, Destieux and Clemence. But it’s unmistakably well made, and particularly in 2015, overdelivers for its price.

Made from 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, it’s a rich, velvety blend with a classic combination of dark fruit and spice. Critic Jeb Dunnuck awarded 92 points, finding it “seriously good” and “sexy,” with its “beautiful balance” making it “already hard to resist.”

We had it open at the warehouse yesterday, and it was hard to miss. The mouth is rich and muscular, with fleshy, approachable tannins supporting the gorgeous fruit. Look for notes of plums and toast with cassis, dark chocolate and dried violets.

These days good Bordeaux often carries a three- or four-figure price tag, but it’s good to remember that it doesn’t have to. Serve this with good steak or veal, or something roasted on a Sunday afternoon.

 

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Montlisse St-Emilion Grand Cru 2015
bottle price: $38

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Crisp, Refreshing, Unoaked White Burgundy. $22

“Oaked” or “unoaked” sounds like a yes-no question, but it really is a range. Most of the wines we import spend some time in oak, but the strength of its influence depends on the age and size of the barrel, the chauffe (how heavily the inside is charred), and time in the barrel.

With this wine, it’s simple: no oak at all. This classic, stony, energetic chablis is all freshness, minerality, and pure fruit. The Domaine Gautheron is a small, family-owned property, and we love their precise style. You could eat off the floor there, and the insistence on cleanliness extends to their wines as well.

The latest vintage of Petit Chablis, from 2017, has just arrived from France. This is our best value from Chablis, and we always struggle to keep it in stock. On price, this wine competes with your local supermarket’s Napa Valley Chard. On complexity, finesse, and freshness, there’s no contest.

Gautheron’s Petit Chablis is also one of our easiest wines to pair with food. This wine bursts with cool lemon fruit and a stony, brisk mouthfeel. With no oak at all, sushi (or any raw fish) is a fantastic choice. Shellfish (especially oysters) and roast fish also work well, as will a simple roast chicken or cheese on crackers. Whatever the choice, this wine will brighten your meal.

 

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Gautheron Petit Chablis 2017
bottle price: $22

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New $20 Sangiovese: Pure, Inky, Refreshing

Like Chablis, the name Chianti for decades brought to mind inexpensive, mass market plonk. Even today, a straw-covered “fiasco” bottle with dripping candle wax remains one of the brand’s strongest associations.

But the quality of wine made in Chianti has improved in the last three decades as much as any wine in the world. Blending rule changes and the advent of new technology has meant a surge in quality across the region.

And none is more celebrated than the Fattoria Poggerino, a source Rajat Parr calls “excellent,” and “some of the purest expressions of the grape in Italy.” We’ve just received three new Poggerino cuvées into the warehouse.

Poggerino is in Radda-in-Chianti, an ancient town nestled into a charming Tuscan hillside. Poggerino’s sangiovese vines could all be classified as Chainti Classico, but winemaker Piero Lanza reserves the fruit from the “younger” vines (35 years old) for his simpler cuvée, Il Labirinto.

The name Sangiovese refers to its inky color – the name translates to “blood of Jove” – and this dense, tannic grape can produce powerful wine with beautiful floral aromas. The Labirinto 2017 has just arrived and it’s just about impossible to put down. The nose is very ripe and juicy, with plum and sweet cherry notes. The mouth is young, earthy, and vibrant, with sturdy tannins under a smooth patina of fruit jam.

This is lively and pleasantly drinkable on its own, but like most wines, it’s best enjoyed with the other fruits of its home terroir. Try a homemade pizza dough or a pasta with a tomato based sauce.

 

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Poggerino Labirinto 2017
bottle price: $19.95

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Ten Generations of Excellence in Chassagne-Montrachet

We don’t often add white Burgundy producers to our portfolio. It’s a small region, with well-trodden paths, and most winemakers have exclusive importing relationships or very little wine to sell.

But last year we were lucky enough to add a Chassagne producer whose reputation preceded him. Thomas Morey’s wines may be new to our warehouse, but his winemaking is full of experience and history. He’s a 10th generation Morey working in Chassagne, and his father Bernard ran one of the town’s most famous and well respected domaines until his retirement in 2005.

Morey is a rare find, and today his Chassagnes from the exceptional 2016 vintage simply gorgeous.

Thomas Morey’s style is elegance and charm. Where some Chassagnes seem to strive for Californiaesque butteriness, Morey’s aim for sleekness and precision. His production is entirely organic, using low vineyard intervention and only ambient yeasts at harvest. Most interestingly, Morey limits his wines to only 20% new oak, even on his Grand Crus — the result is clarity and purity unlike much else in Burgundy today.

Morey lost 50% of his crop to hail last in 2016, so his village Chassagne-Montrachet is a blend of the fruit from seven parcels. The nose is clean and refined, showing delicate white flowers and golden fruit, all with a sophisticated style. The mouth is very intense and long, gaining its opulence from the fruit and soil rather than over oaking.

This should improve for a few years, but it’s hard to put down after one glass today.

 

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Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 2016
bottle price: $65

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Delightful Everyday Syrah: “Graceful” & Hearty. $25

Our source in Côte Rôtie is the Domaine Bonnefond. Robert Parker calls Bonnefond’s wines “among the finest in the appellation,” and Vinous’s Josh Raynolds recently called them “as graceful a group of wines that I’ve ever sampled.”

Last week we wrote about their exceptional 2015 Côte Rôtie “Rochains,” which Vinous called “superb” and awarded 95 points. Today’s Bonnefond Syrah is a bit easier on the wallet — it’s not as profound, and won’t cellar nearly as well. But it’s as complex and polished as any $25 bottle we can think of.

Made just outside the Côte Rôtie appellation, the 2017 Syrah is among our favorite vintages they’ve made of this wine. The nose is spiced and expressive, with notes of blackberries, tapenade, black pepper, and game. The mouth is beautifully balanced — at 12.5% alcohol it’s smooth and long, with dense meaty notes joining plum fruits and graceful minerality.

This is dangerously drinkable wine — something you might enjoy in a Parisian bistro or a picnic by the Seine. It’s not something to cellar or to serve to visiting dignitaries, but it will wash down a hearty steak or wood fired pizza with style.

 

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Bonnefond Syrah 2017
bottle price: $25

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No-Oak, Golden White Burgundy: Springtime in a Glass. $24

We know better than to declare winter over just yet, but today’s weather returns springtime to our minds. And we know no better wine to welcome Spring than 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, like frolicing through an alpine meadow of full of flowers and bees and clear mountain air.

Nicolas Maillet is a passionate young winemaker, making just about 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 2016 Maillet Macon-Villages is a delight. Look for spring flowers and honeysuckle, with faint 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.

We’re not quite to rosé season — (pro tip, plan ahead with March Futures, ending Sunday) – but Maillet’s whites are the perfect transition wine for Spring.

 

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Maillet Macon-Villages 2016
bottle price: $24

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(Almost) Grand Cru Red Burgundy from 2015: “Grace” and “Refinement”

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 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 suggesting Combottes from 2015, a legendary vintage with near-perfect growing conditions. It’s not exactly an everyday value, but a would-be Grand Cru or under $100 is nothing short of a steal.

Amiot’s 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru “Combottes” is young but already exceptional, and built to last. 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. Burghound awarded 92 points, calling it “restrained,” “refined” and “sleek.”

Most red Burgundy improves with age — Combottes today is twice as delicious as it was when it arrived a year ago. It’s built to go another 10-15 years if desired. But life is short, and when a wine tastes this good this young, no one (except perhaps your future self) will fault you for opening it early.

 

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Amiot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er “Combottes” 2015
bottle price: $92

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“The Best in 55 Years:” Exquisite $25 Northern Rhône Syrah

The 2015 vintage produced exceptional wines in nearly every corner of France. We’ve written recently about successes in Burgundy and Bordeaux, but winemakers in the Rhône were just as fortunate. Master of Wine Jancis Robinson proclaimed the 2015 Northern Rhône Syrahs “the best in 55 years.”

The finest Northern Rhône Syrahs are a study in finesse and subtlety. Their brilliance comes from their marriage of a dark, rich southern grape varietal with cooler northern climate. In 2015 in particular, the wines show an exquisite balance between an inky meatiness and a brisk fruitiness.

Today we’re suggesting Denis Basset’s old-vine Crozes-Hermitage “Fleur Enchanté” from 2015. It’s complex, dense, and, as the Guide Hachette describes Basset’s wines, “a model of balance and finesse.”

The 2015 Fleur Enchantée shows dark blackberry and cassis fruit in the nose, with violet and cloves alongside. The mouth is startlingly dense and fine, with a balanced mouthfeel and an extremely long finish that shows peppercorn, plum, and wild cherry jam. From nearly 50 year old syrah vines and aged carefully for a year and a half before bottling, this is an extraordinarily dense and mouthfilling Syrah.

It’d be an impressive wine at $40/bot, and no one would be disappointed. At $25, it has to be among the best buys in our lineup. Open this up and let it breathe in a decanter for a while — serve with braised short ribs, or, if you’re in a plant-based mood, soup à l’ognion.

 

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St-Clair Crozes-Hermitage “Fleur” 2015
bottle price: $25

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Velvety $25 Bordeaux for your Weeknight Steak.

The 2015 vintage produced exceptional red wines throughout France. We’ve most recently highlighted some of our favorite examples from Burgundy and the Rhône. But the vintage was just as successful in Bordeaux.

Particularly on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, the results have been stunning. Master of Wine James Lawther found 2015 Right Bank reds “excellent” and “seductive,” explaining “I wouldn’t say it’s the greatest ever, but it’s a very, very good vintage.”

One of our recent favorites has been the 2015 Lalande-de-Pomerol from the Chateau de Marchesseau. It’s a 70/30 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, grown just outside the famous appellation of Pomerol. The neighborhood has perfect clay/gravel soil for Merlot (see Petrus, Le Pin, etc.), producing the ripe, intense, velvety tannins for which the grape is known.

The 2015 Marchesseau shows plum and hints of licorice and spice. The mouth is rich and intense, but full of juicy, bursting tannins. Decant this and it drinks like a far fancier wine. It’s classic Bordeaux from an outstanding vintage, at a weeknight price.

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Marchesseau Lalande-de-Pomerol 2015
bottle price: $25

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“Premier Cru” Sancerre: Stones, Grapefruit, and Pear

If Sancerre had a Grand Cru vineyard, it would be the Monts Damnées. This most famous of Sancerre’s terroirs abuts the hamlet of Chavignol west of the town. Sancerre produces popular wine from every corner of its appellation, but the hillside of the Monts Damnées is special.

And just a half mile to the east along the same slope lies “Les Bouffants.” Its soil is similarly full of caillotes (large limestone stones), and it’s from this plot that today’s wine hails. Bouffants’s slope isn’t quite as steep as its famous neighbor – we’ll call it premier cru rather than grand cru – but you’d want someone experienced driving a tractor up the hill from you.

Garenne’s 2018 Bouffants is in the current March Futures issue, which should arrive in May with the rest of Garenne’s excellent lineup. But until then we’re enjoying the exceptionally tasty Bouffants 2017.

Made from pure, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc, Bouffants is more dense and serious than Garenne’s regular cuvée. The 2017 is distilled and long, full of mineral intensity and dried fruit. Look for notes of pears and grapefruits, with a long, clean, very dry finish. Think of the ripe fruitiness of a classic Sauvignon combined with the mineral intensity of a Cru Muscadet.

Bouffants is a perfect food wine and can stand up to a wide range of diverse flavors. It’s at once fleshy and stony, with gorgeous ripe fruit wrapped tightly around a mineral core. Try this with fine sushi or simply roasted fish. Ceviche would be sublime.

 

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Garenne Sancerre “Bouffants” 2017
bottle price: $28

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“Superb” 2015 Côte Rôtie: Old Vines, Iconic Terroir, 95 points

Christophe Bonnefond is a quiet man. Our tastings with him each year are pleasant and friendly, but he’s not what you’d call a “talker”. He’s happy to answer questions, but rarely volunteers information, preferring to let his wines speak for themselves.

His wines are anything but quiet. They’re dense, concentrated, and immaculately crafted — pure syrah in its most intense and impressive form. Bonnefond’s finest two parcels are located on either side of “La Landonne,” the legendary vineyard on the famous slopes of the Côte Rôtie.

Today we’re suggesting Bonnefond’s 2015 Côte Rôtie “Les Rochains.” It’s a magnificent wine — an extraordinary vintage, 50-75 year old vines, and an intense winemaker style. This is Northern Rhône syrah at its finest — inky black fruits, a lingering mouthfeel, and all at 13% alcohol.

Bonnefond’s Côte Rôties age marvelously — we’ve had them 10 and 15 years out and they’re simply delicious. Today this wine shows red cherries, licorice, black pepper, cloves, and leather — in a decade or two it will add earthy, woodsy notes along with iodine, soy, and dried flowers.

Vinous’s Josh Raynolds called this “densely packed yet elegant,” a phrase we think perfectly distills the wine’s essence. He awarded 93-95 points, finding the nose “expansive,” and “exotically perfumed” with “black and blue fruits, violet, woodsmoke and olive.”

Put this in the back of our cellar and you’ll call us in 15 years to ask why you didn’t buy more. Open one today with a decanter, and you’ll call us next week to see how much we have left.

 

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Bonnefond Côte Rôtie “Rochains” 2015
bottle price: $72

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Cheerful 2016 Red Burgundy: “Gourmand” and Gulpable

The town of Maragnes is an underrated source for red Burgundy. Located at the very southern end of the Côte d’Or, it’s often left off regional maps, and its reputation is for rusticity over refinement.

But chosen carefully, Maranges can offer excellent value for red Burgundy drinkers. The wines never reach the complexity of Vosne or Chambolle, but can offer a less subtle alternative at far better prices. Today’s Maranges is a perfect example: a cheerful, approachable red Burgundy with unusual class for its level.

Roger Belland is an excellent source for easy drinking red Burgundy. The domaine uses a long, very cool fermentation to retain the fruit in their wines. Today’s Maranges is from a south-facing vineyard and a vintage with excellent ripeness — it’s lively, round, and, as Belland puts it, “very gourmand.”

In the nose there’s intense, juicy, bursting cranberry fruit, with notes of honey and tulips. The mouth is pleasant and punchy with young, approachable tannins, no raspiness, and a clean refreshing finish. Burghound found it “very round” with “nicely voluminous flavors” and “pliant tannins.”

Think of this as somewhere between a Burgundy and a Beaujolais — the refinement of a Pinot Noir, matched with jolliness and joie de vivre of a Gamay.

 

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Belland Maranges 1er “Fussière” 2016
bottle price: $35

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