Author: Thomas Wilcox

The winemakers of Chablis have felt the effects of climate change more than most. They’re particularly susceptible to damaging spring frosts, and recent warm dry summers have produced wines that sometimes obscure the signature piercing minerality of classical Chablis. But one silver lining has been the rising quality of regional-level wines.

Wines of the Petit Chablis appellation, the bottom of the area’s appellation pyramid, have improved noticeably, and now carry the depth and complexity once only found at the village level. Many readers snapped up our advance offer for Cyril Gautheron’s 2022 Vieilles Vignes over the weekend, and his terrific lineup for 2022 premier crus will be released Sunday in March Futures. But for readers in need of something before May, we’re already well-stocked on his excellent 2022 Petit Chablis.

Raised entirely in stainless steel, this is Chardonnay at its purest and most stripped down. It’s bursting with classic citrus and minerals, with excellent tension across a surprisingly long mouthfeel. “Nicely focused,” writes Neal Martin in Vinous, “well-proportioned with a fine ‘bite’ of acidity…well crafted Petit Chablis.” Simply delicious unoaked Chablis, for whenever Spring decides to arrive.

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Gautheron Petit Chablis 2022
bottle price: $28

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The 2021 vintage was a curveball in Burgundy. The growing season was considerably cooler and wetter than the recent spate of record-setting hot and dry summers. The 2021 red Burgundies are somewhat of a throwback – beautiful clarity, with a refreshing, subtle touch that calls to mind the Pinots of a decade ago.

Winemaker Philippe Cheron’s newly formed Domaine du Couvent is quietly making a stellar name for itself from its unmarked and unadorned cuverie in Nuits-St-Georges. Cheron perfectly navigated the 2021 vintage, and his wines are beautifully formed from top to bottom. None was more successful than his humble Bourgogne rouge.

Cheron’s only regional-level wine comes from two plots around Gevrey-Chambertin, and the wine’s fruit has an unmistakably Côte de Nuits tenor. The nose is dark and pretty with violets and red berries; the mouth is sleek and fresh with notable length and notes of plum, rose petals, and toast. Burghound awarded it his “outstanding for the appellation” award, finding it “vibrant and solidly voluminous” with “good detail and… fine length.” Jasper Morris found it “very pretty with a lively finish”

There’s lots of Bourgogne rouge around, but most of it isn’t half this good.

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Couvent Bourgogne rouge 2021
bottle price: $42

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Sancerre has no premier or grand cru classifications, but among its most famous vineyards is the steep slopes of the Monts Damnées (damned mountains). The Domaine de la Garenne, our Sancerre source, farms a special plot along the same slope as Mont Damnées called “Les Bouffants.” It’s a single, limestone-heavy terroir which Garenne vinifies and bottles separately.

Made from pure, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc, Bouffants is more dense and serious than Garenne’s regular cuvée. The 2022 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” 2022
bottle price: $32

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“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.”

Thus begins Master of Wine Jasper Morris’s review of the Gautheron 2022s from late last year. Morris is an eloquent, experienced, almost comically British wine writer, who doesn’t throw the word “superb” around lightly. And so while we at Ansonia have held this opinion of Cyril Gautheron for years, we took note.

Last week we sat down to taste samples of Cyril’s 2022s and were entirely blown away – the only difficulty was eliminating any of them. As Morris points out, they walk the line perfectly between the fleshy fruit of modern Chablis and the brisk, vibrant zip of old. Cyril is rarely one to doubt himself – Morris calls him “a bundle of energy, full of theories, questioning received wisdom” – but with wines like these there’s little to doubt.

Gautheron’s entire lineup of five terrific 2022s will be in next Sunday’s March Futures release, but we’re focusing on one today: the Chablis Vieilles Vignes. Gautheron raises a fifth of this wine in barrel, an unusual move for this village level cuvée – but as with everything Cyril does, it’s well thought out and very successful. As Morris puts it, this is “cool, classical Chablis.”

Gautheron’s 2022 Chablis VV is a bundle of fleshy energy – everything you want from Chablis, and an extraordinary value under $25 Futures. The wood is nearly impossible to detect adding depth, sophistication, and unusual refinement for its level. We found notes of oyster shells, lemon pulp, and chalk. Morris gave this wine his 5-star distinction, awarded to less than 10% of the wines he tastes, and signifying “outstanding wine in its category.” He found old-vine “flesh apparent even on the nose” with “excellent tension behind” and “a searing chiseled white fruit.”

We’d struggle to find a more impressive white Burgundy at this price point. Add a case to your cellar and enjoy this all spring and summer long.

Part of March 2023 Futures

To order this wine, email Tom

The Syrahs of the Northern Rhône are known for their intense color and soaring aromatics. Some wines even rival their Burgundian neighbors to the north in elegance and subtlety. Though recent hot vintages have delivered a bit more meat on the bones than a decade ago, the most successful cuvées retain their classic northern complexity.

A favorite recent find in the northern Rhône is Domaine de Boisseyt’s Saint-Joseph “Izeras.” This pure, sleek Syrah cuvée hails from old vines a windy plateau overlooking the river, and the resulting wine combines dark rustic power with floral, aromatic minerality in a dynamic concerto of high and low. The nose is dark and brooding, with no apparent oak and beautiful notes of tapenade, dark cherries, and stones. The mouth is compact and long, with a dry, sophisticated finish – it’s polished to sleek modern shine, but retains a rugged, untamed charm.

The Wine Advocate’s reviewer agreed with our enthusiasm, awarding 93 points and calling it “full-bodied, round and fleshy…with a long, silky finish.” He pointed out it’s “already drinking well, and should easily last through the end of the decade.” Seriously impress wine under $50.

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Boisseyt Saint-Joseph “Izeras” 2019
bottle price: $49

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Wine writer Rajat Parr describes St. Aubin as the “insider’s white Burgundy.” Wedged in a valley between Chassagne and Puligny, this town produces white Burgundy with hints of Montrachet’s golden richness, but a less stratospheric price tag. St-Aubin has become rarer and pricier like everything else in Burgundy, but it’s still far more affordable than its famous neighbors.

At the western edge of the St. Aubin appellation lies a plot named “Murgers des Dents de Chiens.” Perched just up the hill from Montrachet itself, this St. Aubin 1er cru is a remarkable value. Gerard Thomas’s wine from this vineyard is exquisite — polished and modern, and drinks like a far fancier bottle. “Murgers” is considered some of the best terroir in the village, and while St-Aubin is hardly the secret it once was, it still provides nearly unparalleled white Burgundy value.

Thomas’s 2021 shows smoke on the nose but not much oak, with a deep, pretty, floral character – it’s sophisticated in a way that calls to mind Puligny. On the palate it’s crackling and savory, with a long and tense finish that’s vibrant and lithe. Jancis found a “lees richness intertwined with the fruit,” with “pristine freshness” and “mouth-watering savor on the finish.”

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Thomas St-Aubin 1er cru
“Murgers des Dents de Chien” 2021
bottle price: $52

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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, in particular the twin villages of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

Here the grape takes on a distinctly mineral and citrus character. An elevated level of flint and limestone in the soil keeps the wines full of tension and chiseled energy. Our producer here is Frederic Michot, a small family vigneron with no other US importer making simple, delicious, startlingly affordable wines..

His 2022 has just arrived — beautiful, balanced wine, bursting with freshness and fruit. 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 juicy, quick, and very clean, with a dry, slightly smoky finish.

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Michot Pouilly-Fumé 2022
bottle price: $19

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The 2021 Red Burgundies have a reputation as inconsistent and tricky, but someone forgot to tell Gautier Desvignes. Burgundy’s leading wine critic William Kelley calls him “a leading light in the Côte Chalonnaise,” and he’s navigated an extremely difficult vintage with skill and precision. His lineup of 2021 Givrys is outstanding top to bottom – they’re not just good “for the vintage,’ they’re objectively delicious on their own.

The Desvignes 2021s have evaporated quickly from our warehouse, indeed the only one with more than a few bottles left is his village Givry. Lucky for us it’s among the most successful cuvées of the vintage. His exciting 2022s will be in July’s Futures, so this may be the last chance to stock up til Fall.

The 2021 village level Givry is open, supple, and simply lovely. Gautier dialed back the extraction for this cuvée, and it perfectly matches the intensity of the fruit. The nose is red fruited with cherries and raspberries alongside dried violets and spice; the mouth is delicate and silky with mid-to-low tannin and an easy finish. If accessible red Burgundy is on your shopping list, grab this and cross it off.

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Desvignes Givry 2021
bottle price: $35

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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 fruit-forward friendly style is even more on display than usual, and these are some of the most drinkable Belland reds we can remember. Belland 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 Comme 2020 is fresh and vibrant, with exquisite floral notes and a fine mineral nose of stones and roses. Burghound found “violet, rose petal, black raspberry and cassis.” The mouth is sophisticated and detailed with excellent length. There’s classic juicy 2020 fruit, but it’s not a bit overripe and has begun to shed its youthful punch – the stony fruit is perfectly supported by careful tannins.

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Belland Santenay 1er “la Comme” 2020
bottle price: $45

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Maison Jacques Robin is a tiny family-run grower Champagne house in the Côtes des Bar. This sub region of Champagne, an hour south of the main towns of Reims and Epernay, features soils with a mix of clay and kimmeridgian marl. Pinot Noir dominates the vineyards here, and the clay rich soils produce fuller, more chewy-textured Champagnes.

Robin’s vintage cuvée is called Kimmerdigienne, a nod to the famous limestone in the local soil. We bought their 2011 for three consecutive years, and it was a revelation to anyone who tried it. The 2012 has just arrived and is more than worthy successor, and from one of the top vintages in the last decade.

The nose is a stunner, with notes of almonds, apricots, praline, and chalk. The mouth is delicious and complex, with notes of seashell, lemon zest, kiwi, brioche and vanilla. The 2012 has 6g dosage (vs 8 with the 2011), and is richer and bolder than last year’s – the mouthfeel is concentrated and chewy, and we think will impress just about anyone.

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Robin Champagne Kimmeridgienne 2012
bottle price: $85

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Poggerino is often cited as a reference point for Chianti Classico. Vinous writes of their Poggerino’s “remarkable purity and nuance,” and Rajat Parr calls their wines “excellent” and “some of the purest expressions of the grape in Italy.”

Many of our customers just picked up some of the exciting new Chianti Classico in our January Futures issue. (If you didn’t, no worries, we’ve got extra coming.) But for impatient readers, we have Poggerino’s terrific Chianti Classico Riserva from 2018 in stock. We opened it on Saturday at our CassouletFest, and it was a huge hit.

Now six years on from harvest, the 2018 is irresistibly good. There’s plenty of upside left for those with cellar space, but it’s simply terrific today. Tasting two years ago, Antonio Galloni called it “bold, dramatic wine,” with an ample, generous” mouthfeel and notes of “cherry, mocha, lavender and licorice,” awarding 94 points. It’s a magnificent red wine with remarkable pricing – full of depth and complexity, at once muscular and subtle. Pair with a hearty steak from the grill.

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Poggerino Chianti Classico Riserva 2018
bottle price: $45

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Michel Gros is best known for his brilliant red Burgundies from towns like Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle Musigny, and Nuits-St-Georges. But he also holds quite a bit of land in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, a patchwork of rolling hills to the west of the Côte d’Or.

His Hautes-Côtes reds here are excellent and exceed the reputation of their humble homeland. But the hilly terroir is also well suited to chardonnay, and home to Michel’s only white wine — Hautes-Côtes de Nuits “Fontaine-St-Martin” blanc. This is a perennially underrated cuvée chez Gros, and a terrific value for those in on the secret.

The soil in this special plot is the same mix of marl, clay, and limestone found on the Hill of Corton, and Gros’s white echoes the famous floral and chalky qualities of Corton-Charlemagne. The 2021 is excellent, unwinding beautifully in the glass over a half hour. There’s gardenia and magno in the nose, with a vibrant mouth full of dry fruit and beautiful mineral tension. Jancis Robinson’s reviewer found it “impressive and classy.” Serve this blind and your guests will call Santenay or Chassagne.

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Gros Hautes-Côtes de Nuits blanc
“Fontaine-St-Martin” 2021
bottle price: $45

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Merlot can grow just about anywhere. It’s a high yield grape with low tannin and moderate acidity – it’s grown all over the world and often earns its reputation as underwhelming and bland. But in the right hands and the right soils it can be complex and profound.

On Bordeaux’s right bank in the towns of St-Emilion and Pomerol, Merlot finds its finest expression in clay-rich soils. Particularly in the winter, we love the smooth velvety texture and firm shape of Pomerol, and we’re delighted to introduce our newest find in Pomerol: the Château Bel-Air, from 2016.

Now 8 years on from harvest, this wine is simply a delight – it was a hit at our warehouse tasting on Saturday. The nose is beautiful and deep with inky violets and plums in the nose – perfume and lush fruit abound. Antonio Galloni of Vinous gave 91 points, calling it “powerful, explosive Pomerol” with “plenty of immediacy and sheer appeal.” Drink this now from a decanter with a cassoulet or wintery stew, or age it another few years for a softened, velvety delight.

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Chateau Bel-Air Pomerol 2016
bottle price: $58

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It is a paradox of Burgundy today that the warming climate has made spring frosts more of a problem than less, particularly for white wine producers. The problem is that mild winters cajole the Chardonnay buds to break earlier, so tender shoots are near their most vulnerable when the frosts arrive.

The 2021 growing season had this problem in spades, and we were shocked to see the near-empty barrel rooms in the white-centric Côte de Beaune during our visits last-year. The consolation, if there is one, is the terrific quality and intensity of the tiny quantity of the little wine produced.

Sofie Bohrmann typically makes three St-Aubin premier cru cuvées, but the dramatic loss (on average 85% down across her whole domaine) meant she only had enough for a single cuvée. The blend of three of St. Aubin’s best vineyards – Le Puits, En Remilly, and Murgers des Dents de Chien – is very impressive. We certainly wouldn’t wish it on her every year, but we applaud what she managed to turn in.

The 2021 St-Aubin 1er cru is sophisticated and gorgeous. It’s low on sucrocité, that sense of sweet young fruit often found in young white Burgundy – instead there’s a beautiful savoriness that mixes with dry lemon and pear notes. The signature 2021 freshness joins a smooth, waxy texture to create a wine of real elegance and precision.

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Bohrmann St-Aubin 1er cru 2021
bottle price: $75

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We always love our visits with Pascal Bardoux, our philosopher-vigneron in Champagne. Each time we’re treated to a new tasting note that emerges from his giant hardcover French-English dictionary, including such gems as whortleberry and sloe berry. He’s a traditionalist in nearly everything, but his most recent innovation is an exciting one.

Champagne undergoes two fermentations – a first in tanks (like any other wine), and then a second in bottle under bottlecap. After the second fermentation finishes, the winemaker may choose to disgorge (remove yeast and insert a cork) promptly, or hold for longer “on the lees.” For his terrific new “Reserve” cuvée, Pascal leaves a batch of his house cuvée “Traditionnel” on the lees for an extra five years.

This extra hibernation transforms the wine into something really special, more akin to his vintage champagne than the non-vintage Traditionnel. “Reserve 2014” shows an exquisite array of chalk, fruit, earth and toast. The mouth is subtle and long, with a delicious, vinous finish. Treat this like a white wine – serve it with fresh fish or oysters or a lemon pasta. Some things can’t be rushed.

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Bardoux Champagne Brut “Reserve 2014” NV
bottle price: $75

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