Author: Thomas Wilcox

Biodynamic and organic agriculture is everywhere in France these days. Nearly every one of our producers is certified or in conversion, and even few those who aren’t use the lunar calendar to schedule dates for racking and bottling. It’s an encouraging trend: better soils, better environment, and better wines.

But some winemakers have been on the train for decades. The Maconnais domaine that produces Forces Telluriques has been certified biodynamic for over 30 years, and they’re true believers: 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.”

The Forces Telluriques vines are between 30 and 100 years old, producing gorgeous, concentrated juice. The wine is raised in enameled vats without any oak. The 2022 vintage is superb, round and full in the mouth yet offering memorable lemony freshness (the alcohol level is just 13%). There is plenty of complexity, as mineral notes join the fruit; and the wine persists on the palate beautifully. Jasper Morris writes: “deliciously floral…amazing how such a luxurious style of chardonnay can retain elegance.”

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Forces Telluriques Viré-Clessé 2022
bottle price:  $42

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The 2022 red Burgundies are shaping up to be an extraordinary vintage. Expectations were high from the start: “beautiful and bountiful… very good wines and plenty of them” wrote Jasper Morris. William Kelley called them on release “succulent, suave and charming.” And everything from the last two years of tasting them has confirmed — this is a flat out terrific year.

The fruit is modern and ripe, the result of a very hot, very dry growing season. And yet the wines show impeccable balance, with low alcohols and excellent freshness. Roger Belland’s 2022 reds are some of the best he’s made, coinciding with a shift in winemaking style: they’ve dialed back the oak, extended elevage, added whole clusters. They’re more serious than a few years ago – more polished, but just as charming.

The Santenay 1er cru “Beauregard” 2022 is simply delicious, and just getting started. Tasting just after bottling, Burghound noted “fine richness…suave and succulent flavors…could be enjoyed young but has the stuffing to replay up to a decade of keeping.” Over the past 24 months in the bottle its youthful red fruits have mellowed a tad, and the palate has deepened and softened a beat or two. It’s still youthful and fresh, and we think it’s entering a terrific window.

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Belland Santenay 1er rouge “Beauregard” 2022
bottle price: $54

Bottle Price: $54

3+ Bottle Price: $49   use code 3BELLAND

6+ Bottle Price: $45  use code 6BELLAND

 

Philippe Cheron and his son Paul farm a portfolio of vineyards in Burgundy that would make even the most seasoned vigneron envious. Their Domaine du Couvent includes vines in every town from Nuits-St-Georges to Marsannay, including village, premier cru and grand cru plots. Their style is sleek and modern but with restrained oak, careful but firm extraction, and gorgeous density of fruit.

Chambolle-Musigny is known for its elegance and silky texture, and indeed the Cherons’ cuvées here show exquisite polish. But they trend more than some other producers’ towards deepness and intensity, making them terrific candidates for aging. Today’s wine is from the outstanding 2019 vintage, now six years on from harvest. Chambolle is usually delicious right from the barrel, but it’s only with a few years’ age that the town’s magic really shines through.

Couvent’s Chambolle-Musigny “Clos de l’Orme” is from a village plot bordering the strip of premier crus, a vineyard rich in minerals with excellent drainage. Cheron bottles the rest of his village Chambolle plots together, but holds this one out for its refined intensity. Jasper Morris found the 2019 “attractive, balanced and long,” and Neal Martin writes of its “succulent black cherry and blueberry fruit, smooth and harmonious.”

In short, this is a Burgundy lover’s treat: six-year-old Chambolle-Musigny from an extraordinary vintage, with a two-digit pricetag.

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Couvent Chambolle-Musigny
“Clos de l’Orme” 2019

bottle price: $115
3+ bottle price (15% off): $97.75      (use code SILK)

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Most Burgundy drinkers are familiar with the Clos Vougeot, a 12th century castle surrounded by an enormous Grand Cru vineyard. It’s a cultural and viticultural landmark of Burgundy – impeccably preserved, and worth a stop on your next visit to the region. But even seasoned collectors are usually less familiar with the rest of the appellation of Vougeot.

Indeed about 80% of the vines in the town of Vougeot are part of the enormous Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, but the other 20% covers some exceptional premier crus, including “Petits Vougeots,” which borders both Clos Vougeot and Le Musigny over the border. Justine Clerget’s plot here produces impressive wines, bolder than her tasty village Chambolles and approaching the concentration of the nearby Grand Crus. Broad, sturdy and delicious, this is not a wine you’ll soon forget.

This wine has many years of cellar potential ahead of it – we’ve got some tucked away with a 10-year timeframe. But even today it’s concentrated and delicious, and with a flavorful meal – BBQ pork shoulder or this eggplant pasta – it will wow your guests. Give it an hour in a decanter and you’ll too feel surrounded by Grand Cru energy.

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Clerget Vougeot 1er “Petits Vougeots” 2022
bottle price:$125
3+ price: $106.25 (use code PASPETIT)

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No Ansonia winemaker has captured more readers’ attention in the last few years than Pierre Vessigaud. We get emails with comments like “the wines are so alive,” and “as good as Meursault but half the price.” We’re not surprised – we find ourselves reaching for Vessigaud’s wines more often every month.

Pierre and his wife and son are committed biodynamic vignerons 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. His finest wines are his two premier crus, and today we’re excited to offer the 2022 from “Vignes Blanches.” It’s a convincing argument for Pouilly-Fuissé’s newly elevated appellations.

Vessigaud’s 2022 Pouilly-Fuissé 1er cru “Vignes Blanche,” is rich, smooth, and vibrant, with unusual power and depth. Even at this level Vessigaud eschews new oak, opting for 5-year-old demi-muids (large 600L barrels) for a year. He’s right, of course – the wine wants for nothing, showing notes of brioche, pear, and chalk with a long, sleek, shimmering finish. “This is achingly good – simply excellent wine,” writes Nanson. We’ve served this alongside premier crus from the Côte d’Or and it has more than held its own.

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Vessigaud Pouilly-Fuissé 1er “Vignes Blanches” 2022
bottle price: $54

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Chateau Cantemerle is an extremely old Bordeaux property dating back to the 12th century, and recognized as a “fifth growth” in the 1855 classification. Today they produce a serious, well-priced Left Bank Bordeaux that hits a terrific balance of value, polish, and drinkability. The blend is roughly ⅔ Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

This year we’ve sourced the 2020 Cantemerle, and now five years after harvest it’s just beginning to drink beautifully – there are many happy years ahead, but it’s a delight already. The nose is outstanding, gorgeous, and deep, showing wild cherries, tobacco, and just a hint of spice. The mouth is sturdy and extremely well built, with tremendous concentration and a long impeccably balanced finish. There’s dark, rich fruit, solid structure, and impressive freshness.

The critics were fond of this bottling as well. James Suckling found “layers of well-integrated, finely polished tannins…with a fresh and lively fruit-forward palate.” William Kelley found “aromas of rich black fruits, plums, pencil shavings and forest floor…broad and fleshy, with ripe, powdery structuring tannins and a nicely defined finish.” It’s a classical, impressive Cabernet blend that drinks well above its price point.

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Chateau Cantemerle Haut Medoc 2020
bottle price: $52

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Vincent Boyer continues to steer his family’s Meursault domaine with tact and style. His sister Sylvie joined him a few years ago – her passion is viticulture, and her focus on the vineyards has freed Vincent up to focus on cellar work. Today the frère-et-soeur team is at the top of their game, turning out magnificent wines year and year out.

The Boyers’ village-level Meursault “Ormeau” cuvée comes from vines in clay rich soil planted by the siblings’ grandmother in 1924 – celebrating their centenary last year. Ormeau is prototypical Meursault: rich, opulent, shimmering white Burgundy that fills out the mouth. As always with Boyer the balance is impeccable – Burghound cites “underlying tension” and “a subtle bead of minerality” with a “clean and nicely dry finale,” concluding “delicious.”

If you’ve heard white Burgundy described as “weight without heaviness,” then you know what this wine is like. It’s packed full of fruit and flavor, but carries tremendous lift. Serve this with something impressive – lobster risotto, for instance – or use as an aperitif to set the mood for a grand meal.

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Boyer-Martenot Meursault “Ormeau” 2022
bottle price:$99
3+ bottle price: $85.15   (use code 1924)

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Sablet is a classic Southern Rhône town. Its 9th century streets are home to 1400 residents, a couple of boulangeries, and a handful of restaurants and wineries. Winemaker Eric Chauvin is a Sablet resident (also a volunteer firefighter), and it’s also the location of his tiny excellent Domaine le Souverain. We usually purchase Eric’s terrific Séguret, made from vines in the next town over, and indeed the 2023 Séguret is in stock and terrific.

But this year his homegrown Sablet caught our eye. Like the Seguret, this wine is entirely vat-raised. It is made from 55% Grenache and 30% Syrah, with the balance from Mourvedre. The Sablet 2022 offers the same rich and round mouthfeel, but the Mourvedre adds a dark cherry tone to the fruit. Eric said that the Mourvedre “helps to hold the fruit,” and indeed the added complexity made the wine even more attractive.

We’re not alone in being attracted to this wine — it was selected by the Guide Hachette, whose blind-tasting panels review thousands of wines every year. Serve this on a weeknight with a dressed up burger.

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Souverain Sablet 2022
bottle price: $25

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Pierre Gros, winemaker at the domaine Michel Gros, makes 15 cuvées of red Burgundy, and a single cuvée of white. Pierre’s grandfather Jean first planted vines here 50 years ago, and identified a single plot as well-suited to Chardonnay. (It turned out later he was proven right when a geological survey showed the vineyard contained a soil composition very similar to nearby Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne.)

Pierre lets his white grapes sit on the skins for a few hours before pressing, and the resulting wine is full of length and texture. It’s always aromatic and floral, like something between a St-Aubin and a Maconnais white. It’s barrel-raised with has plenty of concentration to support the wood.

The 2022 is fleshy and lively, showing the rich fruit of the warm summer, but the cool minerality of high-elevation chardonnay. There’s gardenia and magno in the nose, and the mouth shows grapeskin and chalk, with an unusually vibrant and gourmand texture this year. Pair with a lobster or asparagus risotto.

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Gros Hautes-Côtes de Nuits blanc
“Fontaine St-Martin” 2022
bottle price:$42
3+ bottle price: $35.70   (use code FSM)

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The 2022 red Burgundies arrived about a year ago, and they’ve quickly become a reader favorite vintage. 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 recently with grilled chicken, and recommend the match.

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

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The Viré-Clessé from Forces Telluriques has become one of the most popular white Burgundies in our portfolio – and not for lack of competition. It’s magnificent, unoaked, biodynamic Chardonnay, and while 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.”

The 2021 has stood out as uniquely delicious recently. Amid a collection of warm, dry vintages (2018, 2020, 2022) the 2021 vintage brought cooler and wetter weather, resulting in more botrytis than usual in the vines. This “noble rot,” generally considered a malady in Côte d’Or white Burgundies, is traditionally embraced in the Maconnais. The resulting wine is perfectly dry, but with exquisite, delightful notes of botrytis alongside the classical yellow fruit.

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. 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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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.” Much Chablis has gotten riper and rounder in the last decade, but for something steely, stony and crisp, 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 resulting wine is dynamic and delicious, and wants for nothing.

The 2022 is outstanding. 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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Wine lovers who follow the great white Burgundies of the Côte de Beaune have long looked to the side valleys – one coming in between Chassagne and Puligny, and another between Meursault and Volnay – for top quality at good prices. Sofie Borhmann has several plots up both valleys, and they’re responsible for some of her best value wines.

The word is out about the first valley (St-Aubin), and while the wines here have never been better (and indeed Sofie’s are exceptional), the pricing discount has softened a bit. But the other valley (St-Romain) still holds some hidden potential, and we’re delighted to suggest Bohrmann’s 2022 St-Romain today.

St-Romain sits about 400-500 feet higher in elevation than Borhmann’s hometown of Meursault, a real advantage in Burgundy’s new hot dry summer climate. Sofie’s 2022 St-Romain is an exquisite combination of ripeness and zip – less creamy and soft than St-Aubin, but with Sofie’s signature golden polish. With just a splash of oak and a delicate bouquet of white flowers, acacia and almonds, this has to be among the best sub-$50 Burgundies around.

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Bohrmann St-Romain “Clos Sous le Chateau” 2022
bottle price: $49

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Stop us if you’ve heard this before: another year, another flat out delicious wine from Poggerino – and still a bargain. Italian wine represents a tiny corner of our portfolio, but Piero Lanza’s impeccably balanced wines are some of the most popular in our store. They drink well young, age beautifully, and provide exceptional value.

The 2022 growing season in northern Italy was hot and dry just like Burgundy. But Sangiovese, a native of sunny Tuscany, is better equipped than Pinot Noir to handle drought, and Poggerino’s 2022 Chianti Classico is deep and rich without ever losing its balance.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous calls it “plush, open-knit” and “ rich,” with “intense dark red fruit,” writing “another terrific set of wines from Piero Lanza at Poggerino.” It’s finally in stock and simply delicious, bursting with perfectly ripe fruit and loads of dry extract. The sunny dry vintage delivered more stuffing than usual, and this is smooth, broad, and impressive – there’s more wine here than usual.

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Poggerino Chianti Classico 2022
bottle price: $28

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There are winners and losers from the warming trend in France. Weather hazards aside, the Loire Valley and much of Burgundy have come out more or less ahead. In the south, the extremes have been less friendly. It’s no longer uncommon to find wines at nearly 16% alcohol – Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre soak up whatever sun they’re given, and there’s only so much winemakers can do to counter temperatures over 100F.

All of this makes Nicolas Hanei’s wines from his tiny Domaine Malmont that much more exciting. Grown high in the hills above Séguret in the Southern Rhône, the Malmont grenache and syrah vines struggle though rock-laden nutrient-poor soils, slowing their maturation. The west-facing hillside at 1200 feet of elevation enjoys plentiful breezes throughout the growing season, keeping the grapes cool and healthy.

The resulting wines are almost an anomaly in the modern Rhône Valley: organic, delicious southern red blends with modest alcohol and fresh textures. Phey show the dark, dense rich fruit for which the region is known, but always with vibrant tension and lift. The 2022 is perfect – smooth blackberry-plum fruit with a mineral backbone and beautiful aromatic lift. If you miss the days when you could enjoy a southern Rhône red blend without having to take a nap afterwards, Malmont is the producer for you.

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Malmont Séguret 2022
bottle price: $32

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