Author: Thomas Wilcox

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“Excellent” 2015 Red Burgundy: Smooth and Woodsy. $28

The Domaine Ravaut is the ultimate local wine source. For 120 years the family has cultivated a loyal clientele of friends, neighbors, and workers at the stone quarry in the hamlet of Ladoix. Though they have expanded their reach in recent years, they still sell more than half of their wine to folks who walk in the front door.

The winemaker today is Vincent Ravaut, a friendly, thirtysomething son who has mastered cellar work. His diligence and careful attention during vinification and aging results in wines of perfect balance. Ravaut’s 2015s have all the clean precision we’ve come to appreciate, plus unusually complex and ripe fruit.

Today we’re suggesting Ravaut’s 2015 Côte de Nuits Villages, from vines near the border with the Côte de Beaune. The 2015 is succulent and juicy, with bursting tannins and dark, pure fruit. Think the joie-de-vivre of a Cru Beaujolais with the refinement and class of Pinot Noir. Jancis Robinson agreed, finding it “robust” with a “fine, chalky texture” and “excellent freshness.”

Like most of the 2015 red Burgundies, this is a delightful, refreshing glass on its own. The nose shows raspberry jam, graphite, and cassis — it’s a seductive and utterly pleasant bouquet. But the ripe tannins are an excellent match for food, with notes of plum and earth on a persistent, lively finish. Serve this with a roast chicken on a Sunday afternoon.

 


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Ravaut Côte de Nuits Villages 2015

bottle price : $28

 

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Rich, Muscular $25 Gamay: “Refined, Delicious, and Refreshing”

The Beaujolais has always had a turbulent relationship with the rest of Burgundy. To many in the Côte d’Or, Beaujolais represents overmarketed and undercrafted wine. But in recent years the Beaujolais has undergone a renaissance, as the prominence of Nouveau recedes and more vignerons make ageworthy wine.

Among our favorite serious Beaujolais sources is Laurent Perrachon, a family domaine working very old vines with meticulous care. Perrachon has plenty of fans — the domaine regularly receives top notes from Jancis Robinson, Josh Raynolds (Vinous), and Allen Meadows (Burghound).

Jancis Robinson calls Moulin-a-Vent the “most highly rated of all the Beaujolais crus,” and after a sip of today’s wine it’s not hard to see why. Perrachon’s Moulin-a-Vent “Les Burdelines” is as dense and bold as any Beaujolais we’ve tasted. As with Perrachon’s other wines, this bears more resemblance in mouthfeel to a Northern Rhône Syrah than a Pinot from Burgundy.

A generation ago the words “refined” and “Beaujolais” were rarely found in the same sentence, but it’s a good word to describe Perrachon’s 2014 Burdelines. Burghound awarded 90 points, finding “detail, verve, and refinement,” and calling it “delicious and refreshing.”

Perrachon keeps this wine in oak for a bit longer to help it knit together, and the extra few months of rest works wonders. There’s a smoothness and elegance that’s unusual for Gamay. The oak adds a faint note of toast, but more serves to soften the edges and round the palate.

With an hour in a carafe, this wine will happily accompany a hearty meal and a rowdy group of friends. Look for anise, cherry, black pepper, and stones on the nose, with a dense, chewy mouthfeel and notes of briary cassis and black raspberry. This isn’t a Beaujolais you’ll forget about soon — twice the price of the Nouveau, but it’s easily ten times the wine.


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Perrachon Moulin-a-Vent “Burdelines” 2014

bottle price : $25

 

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Not Your Average Côtes du Rhône.

Côtes-du-Rhônes are a dime a dozen these days, from bistro chalkboards in Paris to your local drugstore checkout counter. And as you might expect, not all Côtes-du-Rhônes are created equal. Among our very favorites is the Domaine Malmont’s version from Séguret.

Malmont’s Côtes-du-Rhône is unique and delicious — richer and far more interesting than the vast majority of other bottles in its category. It owes its distinctiveness to an unusually high percentage of syrah (60%), which contributes dark berry and black pepper notes, and keeps the wine lively and fresh.

It’s a few bucks more than the mass-market version, but the quality is many times better.

 

 

Malmont is the project of Nicolas Haeni, a young Swiss winemaker who founded the domaine nearly a decade ago. His grapes grow on terraced vineyards in the hills above Séguret, and his wines already have wide acclaim from the international wine press.

Though it’s not raised in oak, there’s a pleasant note of toastiness in this wine. Look for notes of plum jam, lavender and thyme, presented with a round but lively mouthfeel. The ubiquity of Côtes du Rhône means it’s also a crowd pleaser, a sure hit at a late summer cocktail party. Let this develop over an hour in a glass, and leave the Kirkland brand behind.


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Malmont Côtes-du-Rhône 2016

bottle price : $24

 

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Juicy, Bursting, Gulpable 2015 Red Burgundy under $30

Many of our winemakers are multi-generational. Some stretch back for centuries, others are more recent père et fils (or fille) operations. At their best they maintain a family’s hard won knowledge of its land.

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. The 2015s in particular are refined, complex, and simply delightful.

 

 

In 2015 Gautier split his plot of village level Givry into two cuvées. The original “Meix au Roy” is classic Givry — rugged, mouthfilling, lively Pinot Noir. For the second cuvée, Gautier removed some leaves from the vines over the summer, allowing the sun to raise the phenolic ripeness of the grapes.

The result is an extra-ripe cuvée, with juicy fruit and smooth, velvety texture. It’s riper and fuller than the Meix, with punchier tannin and a longer finish. This is Burgundy at it’s juiciest — with the sun soaked exuberance of Beaujolais and the dark fruit of the Côte d’Or.

Fair warning — once open, particularly in a crowd, this wine evaporates promptly.


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Desvignes Givry “Champ la Dame” 2015

bottle price : $28

 

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Grand Cru White Burgundy: “Chablis at its very, very finest.”

Of the seven Chablis vineyards classified as Grand Cru, most consider Les Clos to be the finest. Taken as a share of the region’s production, Les Clos accounts for only 0.6%. But as Master of Wine and Burgundy expert Clive Coates says, it is “Chablis at its very, very finest.”

We’re big fans of Chablis, and there’s much to like in the other 99.4% of wines grown there. But Les Clos is something special, a wine to open when the moment is just right. Romain Collet leases a tiny 0.4 acre plot of 65-year old vines, and from it produces one of our favorite wines in his lineup.

 

 

One whiff of the Collet’s Les Clos, and you’ll understand the hype. The nose shows exquisite lemon, pear, and mineral aromas, and follows with an extraordinarily long, rich, tension-filled palate. It’s hard to imagine more concentration or density in white wine, particularly one with a nearly imperceptible use of oak.

Romain Collet has expertly balanced Chablis’s signature minerality with a richness and intensity that calls to mind Corton-Charlemagne or Montrachet. Allen Meadows (Burghound) awarded 92 points, finding “white orchard fruit,” and a mouthfeel “textured, dense and powerful.”

Les Clos is famously long lived wine, with aging potential stretching out a decade or more; and the longer you can keep your hands off of it, the better it will be. We opened a bottle recently, and we’d suggest decanting it (yes, decanting), for a half-hour or so before serving. Give it a year, and you’ll wish you had bought more; but even in its youth, Les Clos is unmistakably in a class of its own.


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Collet Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos” 2015

bottle price : $69

 

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Intense, Smooth, and Woodsy: Overperforming Premier Cru Red Burgundy

Thomas Morey is a master of Chassagne-Montrachet. His properties are among the finest in the town, including magnificent white Burgundies at village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru levels. We’ve been thrilled to welcome his 2016 Chassagne-Montrachet and 2016 Chassagne 1er cru “Embrazées” to our lineup.

But Morey also makes wine from neighboring Santenay, including a red premier cru that blew us away this spring. Most Côte de Beaune reds feature bright red fruits at the forefront of their palates, but Morey’s Santenay 1er cru “Grand Clos Roussot” is a dead ringer for a Côte de Nuits red.

Morey’s vines in this plot are over 40 years old, and produce small, perfectly ripe berries year in and year out. This results in an intense, sappy wine with dark flavor, dark color, and a smooth, concentrated mouthfeel. We were amazed at how rich and masculine the flavor was, particularly so far from the soils of the Côte de Nuits.

The nose is dark and woodsy, showing intense black raspberry and licorice. The mouth is intense but smooth and long, with gingerbread, spice, and blackberry jam. Tasted blind we’d put this somewhere in southern Nuits-St-Georges or northern Gevrey Chambertin.

This wine serves as a reminder not to ignore the reds of the Côte de Beaune. With exceptional terroir and expert winemaking, they can be astonishingly good.

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Morey Santenay 1er cru “Grand Clos Roussot” 2016

bottle price : $52

 

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Sophisticated, Refined New Blanc de Blancs. $29

For centuries Champagne has been a symbol of refinement and class. It’s sophistication in a glass, the pick of high rollers from Gatsby to Churchill. And for the most serious aficionados, Blanc de Blancs is the best of the best. Made from only white grapes, it’s Champagne at its most elegant.

Champagne producer Pascal Bardoux chose the exceptional 2010 vintage to craft his first Blanc de Blancs, and for those with a taste for the real stuff, we think it’s worth every penny. But for those in search of refined bubbles at a more affordable price, our newest crémant from Picamelot in Burgundy should fit the bill nicely.

Picamelot’s “Les Reipes” is a Burgundian Blanc de Blancs that’s subtle, elegant, and classy.

Louis Picamelot was among the first crémant producers in Rully, a town now known for its sparkling wines. They make several excellent cuvées, most of them blends of Burgundy’s four grapes: Chardonnay, Aligoté, Pinot Noir, and Gamay.

But for “Les Reipes,” the recipe is simple — all Chardonnay from a single terroir. It’s dry and very fine, with bright clean notes of brioche, almonds, and lightly buttered toast. The mouth is crisp and complex, with notes of lemon, minerals, and woods.

Serve this at your next cocktail party beside creamy cheese, summer vegetables, or in an unusually good kir royale.

 

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Picamelot Crémant “Reipes” NV

bottle price : $29

 

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Extraordinary New Cornas from a Superstar Winemaker.

Cornas is a tiny appellation. Its 145 hectares (compare to Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s 3,133) are at the southern end of the Northern Rhône. The name Cornas comes from the Celtic word for “burnt earth,” and its grapes often ripen two weeks earlier than the rest of the region.

For years Cornas’s reputation has been for richness and ruggedness. The first quality remains true: these are inky, chewy wines made from hard granite soil. But “ruggedness” needs some revision. A younger generation has brought modern winemaking to the ancient vineyards, and the results are more refined than ever before.

Cornas hasn’t given up its untamed spirit, but the new wave of winemakers has bought it nicer clothes and taught it some manners. And none more famous than the Domaine du Tunnel.

 

 

The Domaine du Tunnel is often cited as one of the best sources in the town. Named for an old railway tunnel that now houses the domaine’s exquisitely designed cuverie, these wines are a highlight of any Cornas collector’s cellar. It took us years to secure an allocation here, and the wines themselves have lived up to every bit of hype.

Tunnel’s 2016 Cornas is classic and excellent. The nose shows inky, woodsy flavors — violets and blackberry mix with underbrush and mushrooms. The fruit is clean, and dense and pure and the finish unimaginably long. Josh Raynolds of Vinous awarded 92 points, finding “fine-grained tannins,” and “sharply focused black and blue fruit flavors.”

This should age easily for a few decades. With a decanter and a few hours it’s magnificent today.

 

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Tunnel Cornas 2016

bottle price : $59

 

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“Luscious” New Austrian White: 91 points, $25

Grüner Veltliner is generally simple and delicious — refreshing, uncomplicated wine that’s neither expensive nor serious. For those interested in that style, our excellent 2017 Grüner “Wieden” is a steal on this month’s 25% off shelf for under $15/bot. But today’s Grüner is different.

Both come from Salomon-Undhof, a winemaker that Austria’s preeminent wine guide calls a “figurehead of Austrian wine history.” Their estate dates to 1792, and their terraced vines overlooking the Danube have long been an excellent source.

We were skeptical at first about an atypical Grüner, but this wine quickly won us over.

 

 

The 2015 Wachtberg Gruner Veltliner Erste Lage is raised briefly in barrel, giving the wine a rounder, more complex mouthfeel. From the Wachtberg vineyard, this is a more concentrated expression of terroir, with a fine minerality and more intense flavors. Think Grüner Veltliner with a new suit on ready for an evening out.

The nose shows melon and grapefruit, with earthiness and pleasant dry apple notes in the mouth. Vinous’s David Schildknecht gave this 91 points, noting its “polished, expansive yet in no way heavy palate” and “lusciously lingering finish.” This is an overperforming, complex, delicious wine for an unusually good price.

 

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Salomon-Undhof Gruner Veltliner “Wachtberg” 2015

bottle price : $25

 

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Late Summer Sampler: $195

We’re not sure what the temperature is where you live, but chez nous it’s hot and humid. Across the pond the Burgundians are sweating it out too, with temperatures in Beaune reaching 100 degrees this week. Wherever you are, we hope you have air conditioning and a fridge full of something chilled.

On that note, we’ve collected a new sampler of cool wines for hot weather — two whites and two reds, all dry and crisp. If it’s too hot to think much about your wine this week, try these four — they’re simple, refreshing, and inexpensive. Serve them chilled and remember that the heat won’t last forever.

 

 

Martin-Luneau Muscadet “Deux Roches” 2012
Dry, crisp, and very refreshing. Grown near the mouth of the Loire River. Drink well chilled with cheese and crackers.

Paget Chenin “Melodie” 2017
Dry, floral, and lively. Grown near Vouvray; notes of pear and minerals. Drink well chilled with appetizers or a salad.

Souverain Merlot 2017
Juicy, fruit-forward, bursting. Grown in the Rhône valley; an organic, fruit-forward take on the grape. Drink cool with grilled anything.

Perrachon Beaujolais-Villages 2017
Crackling, gulpable, juicy. Grown in the Beaujolais (not Nouveau); notes of graphite and berries. Drink cool with goat cheese and charcuterie.

 

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Mixed Case: Late Summer Sampler
(3 of each wine)

case price : $195

 

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Brilliant New 2016 Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru

The villages of Puligny and Chassagne sit side by side, sources for the world’s finest white wine. The famous vineyard of Montrachet straddles their border, and while both towns produce extraordinary Grand Crus from their respective halves, as you leave Montrachet in either direction the styles diverge.

Chassagne-Montrachet is known for opulence and richness, wines of grandeur and glamour. Puligny-Montrachet is known for precision and elegance, wines of intensity and finesse. Today’s wine is a premier cru from Chassagne, but in style it borrows much from Puligny.

 

 

Thomas Morey is as much a part of Chassagne as the bell tower or the fields of vines — his family has lived in the village since 1643. His father Bernard’s wines were considered a reference point for the town, and Thomas’s reputation has grown steadily since he started his domaine in 2007.

His style is one of precision and intensity (hence the Puligny comparison, though don’t tell him we said so). His judicious use of oak and careful vinification mean that his wines are more sophisticated and less showy than much Chassagne. But their smoothness and ease of enjoyment reveal their true origin.

Morey’s 2016 Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Embrazées is exquisite. The name Embrazées roughly translates to “aglow” or “aflame,” and the wine indeed glows with intensity and a smooth sophistication. Look for notes of peach, hazelnut, and lemon — serve with lobster and butter.

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Morey Chassagne-Montrachet
1er cru “Embrazées” 2016

bottle price : $85

 

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New “Seductive” 2015 Red Bordeaux. $25

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.”

 

 

Today we’re introducing the first of two 2015 Lalande-de-Pomerols just in to our cellar: 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, 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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Smooth, Dry, Refreshing: New White Bordeaux. $18

Bordeaux is a region best known for wines that are expensive, ageworthy, and red. So in the spirit of keeping readers on their toes, we’re introducing a new Bordeaux today that is the complete opposite: inexpensive, drink-now, and white.

We’ve bought our Sauternes from the Chateau Voigny for years now — it’s an excellent source for the classic dessert wine. But this spring we got to try their simple dry white, and found it refreshing and easy to like.

For heat like we’re having these days, our wine criteria are dry, fresh, and inexpensive. The new Bordeaux Blanc sec fits the bill perfectly.

 

 

Most dry white Bordeaux is predominantly Sauvignon with a dose of Semillon. This wine is the reverse, and we found the taste was as good as the price. (We’re not the only ones: the wine won a gold at the Concours de Bordeaux).

The nose shows grapeskins, minerals, melon, and herbs. In the mouth there’s lemon/citrus and a brisk, clean, very dry mouthfeel. It will be a good match for anything that goes with white Bordeaux, and at a by-the-glass price of under $4, you won’t need to think to hard before opening it.

Chill it down and serve it with cheese and crackers after a long summer day like this one.

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Voigny Bordeaux Blanc sec 2016

bottle price : $18

 

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Refreshing New Red Sancerre: Strawberries and Stones

Sancerre has always been the star of the Loire Valley. Though recent years have seen interest explode in the region’s other appellations, Sancerre remains the best known and among the best-liked. It’s popular, easy to drink, easy to pronounce, and pairs well with lots of dishes.

Today’s wine is classic Sancerre — mineral, bright, refreshing and summery… it just happens to be red. Nearly a quarter of the appellation is planted to Pinot Noir. Like the Sauvignon Blanc used to make white Sancerre, Pinot Noir deftly and elegantly expresses the minerality of Sancerre’s terroir.

It’s a perfect summertime red wine, particularly when served cool.

 

 

The whites of the Domaine de la Garenne have already received a warm welcome from our readers — their Sancerre 2017 is cool, lively, and refreshing; their Sancerre “Bouffants” 2017 is full of intensity, minerality, and elegance. Garenne’s Sancerre rouge is in the same line: refreshing and well balanced, with no new oak and an unusually complex palate.

If the words “Sancerre rouge” call to mind a simple fruit-forward wine, this wine should expand that notion. There’s indeed beautiful red fruit with violets and honey, but also a complex earthiness, both from stones and forest floor. The smooth, relaxed tannins make this go down surprisingly easily — you’ll be amazed how fast a bottle disappears from your summer table.

Serve this wine cool or chilled, with goat cheese on crackers.

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Garenne Sancerre red 2016

bottle price : $28

 

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Elegant New Chassagne-Montrachet from a Legendary Family.

It’s not every day we add a Burgundy producer to our portfolio. Burgundy is a small region, with well-trodden paths — many winemakers are exclusively represented or have very little wine. But every once in a while the stars align and a top notch producer falls into our lap.

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 his wines are every bit as good as his reputation. We’re excited to introduce our first wine from him today.

 

 

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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