Author: Thomas Wilcox

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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The red wines of the Loire Valley always play second fiddle to the region’s whites. But it’s a mistake to ignore them – they’re well balanced, low-alcohol, usually organic, and often exceptional values. Our favorites these days are the unblended, unoaked Cabernet Francs from the central Loire.

Winemakers Celine and Didier Sanzay are fifth generation growers in Saumur-Champigny in the central Loire. Their reds are pure Cabernet Franc, and fit modern Loire style — small batch, organic, wild yeasts, no fining or filtering. They’re lovely on their own, but it’s the freshness and vibrant texture that makes them perfect food-paring reds.

Sanzay’s just-arrived Saumur-Champigny is exactly what you want Loire Cab Franc to be: pure, joyful, unoaked, and refreshing. Clean, juicy fruit bursts from the glass on the nose — think wild cherries and graphite. The mouth is fresh, fruit forward, inky, and intense, with a bold and vibrant attack and a quick clean finish. Picture a juicy Beaujolais with more serious texture and darker fruit.

Consider it an alternative to your everyday, catch-all Côtes-du-Rhône red. Pair with crackers and goat cheese, coq a vin, or a fresh pizza.

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Sanzay Saumur-Champigny 2022
bottle price: $22

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It doesn’t take an expert to notice that Guillaume Goujon and Sebastien Dupré are farming organically. Their vines, located in the Côte de Brouilly, share the earth with an impressive array of herbs, flowers, grasses, and wildlife – all in the name of fostering biodiversity and soil health. In the cellar Dupré and Goujon have a similarly light touch – their cuvées are made with whole clusters, ambient yeasts, limited oak and almost no sulfites.

The resulting wines are remarkably complex, and yet immaculately crafted – no funk or off notes to be found. Our favorite cuvée is their “631” Côte de Brouilly, and we weren’t alone – customers told us they didn’t know it was possible for so much depth and elegance to be packed into a bottle of gamay. The texture is refreshing and thirst-quenching, but the underlying fruit is detailed and very fine. William Kelley agreed with our enthusiasm, calling the wines “supple and charming” and labeling it “an estate to watch.”

The 2020 “Cuvée 631” keeps getting better. The nose shows perfume of violets and roses, with a fruit profile somewhere between Pinot and Syrah. The mouth is sturdier and more complex, with perfectly coated tannin and a dark, crackling finish. Kelley awarded 92 points, finding “Aromas of sweet berries, spices and loamy soil [in a] fleshy and lively wine framed by sweet, powdery tannins.”

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Dupré-Goujon Côte de Brouilly “631” 2020
bottle price: $35

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Transition to organics/biodynamics may be trendy in winemaking today, but it’s nothing new at the Domaine Pierre André in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Jacqueline André’s grandfather stopped using chemicals in his vines in 1963, and the domaine has been certified organic since 1980 – the first in the appellation.

As it turns out, he was onto something — some plots of the André family wines are now over 140 years old, and still producing gorgeous fruit. Pierre’s daughter Jacqueline now tends these ancient vines (she calls them her “grand dammes” or “old ladies”) with the love and attention usually reserved for family members. In his excellent “The New French Wine” published last year, Jon Bonné writes, “Jacqueline André has quietly been upholding the extraordinary quality of her family’s domaine in a manner that legitimately earns the word “artisan.”

Groundhog predictions notwithstanding, there’s clearly a bit of cold weather left this season, and at our house we’re firmly “cozy red” mood – wines with mouthfilling textures, dark inky fruit, and long, layered finishes. So today we’re suggesting Jacqueline André’s magnificent Châteauneuf, the very definition of coziness. The 2020 is lush, round, and beautiful – it has the capacity to cellar much longer, but it’s extraordinarily lovely today.

Come taste it at this Saturday’s CassouletFest at the warehouse in Newton, or pick up some for our own cellar.

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André Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020
bottle price:$65

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Unlike Burgundy, most wines of Bordeaux are distributed through a vast network of resellers – negociant houses with distribution agreements that can stretch back centuries. It can be a confusing place to do business, but also one that offers hidden gems – the sheer volume of wine available means that turning over rocks can result in real discoveries.

Our favorite recent discovery is the Chateau de Malleret, whose 2016 Haut-Médoc is quietly
excellent. Of the 249 estates given Cru Bourgeois distinction, it’s one of only 14 elevated to “Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.” The blend is roughly 60/40 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon, and the wine punches well above its weight.

We opened the 2016 last night and found it terrific. The nose is deep and intense without a hint of evolution – look for notes of blackberry, leather, and cocoa. The mouth shows slightly softened tannins (but with enough left to keep it clean-cut), excellent concentration, and a perfectly coated, surprisingly long finish. Neal Martin of Vinous, a notoriously tough grader, gave 91 points, finding an “intense bouquet” with “superb delineation” on the palate, concluding “this is definitely worth seeking out.”

Serve this with steak this winter and your guests will guess you paid twice what you did.

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Chateau de Malleret Haut Médoc 2016
bottle price:$35

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