Author: Thomas Wilcox

Christophe Mestre and his wife are from old Châteauneuf du Pape families. Like many such families, their vines are in plots scattered across the town’s remarkably diverse terroir. The Mestres makes a single red cuvée from these terroirs, seeking an expression of the appellation as a whole. It’s always delicious, and always well priced.

Mestre’s just arrived 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is rich and beautiful, with lush fruit and an easy, appealing texture. The Wine Advocate awarded 91 points, calling it “an attractive effort” with “softly dusty tannins” and a “silky impression on the full-bodied palate.” We agree, and think this should offer pure, uncomplicated delight for the next five years. Some Châteauneuf requires years of patience to reach its potential – Mestre’s is delicious today.

The nose explodes with ripe strawberry fruit and a pleasant cool earthiness. Despite a blistering hot year, Christophe managed to build tannins behind the fruit beautifully, and this wine is well defined and not the least bit flabby. With chilly weather here for a while, this is as useful and cozy as a new pair of wool socks.

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Mestre Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020
bottle price: $35

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Every January we search our lineup for an early bird Futures offer that isn’t Poggerino’s Chianti Classico, and every year we come up short. It’s simply one of the best values in our portfolio, and somehow seems to get better every single year. This year’s sample is even more packed with flavor than usual, and its many (many!) fans will be delighted.

“The 2021 Chianti Classico is exceptional.” Thus begins Antonio Galloni’s review of Poggerino’s flagship wine, and having just tasted a sample, we wholeheartedly agree. We found the same gorgeous floral, dusty nose as always, with perhaps a deeper plum fruit profile than usual. The mouth carries an extra dose of richness and length.

Galloni awarded 93 points, finding “lavender, spice, menthol, licorice, and tobacco,” and calling it “racy and layered.” Jancis Robinson’s reviewer found it “fantastic,” calling it “long, intense and concentrated, with bags of polished tannins that never dominate the fruit.” This is many readers’ house wine, and loyal customers will be thrilled with the new vintage. For those unfamiliar, this is good a value as any in our cellar, and one you won’t regret adding to yours.

Poggerino Chianti Classico 2021: $250/case

Email Tom to reserve this wine

Available by the case and half case; expected arrival March 2024

Philippe Cheron is one of the most exciting winemakers in our portfolio. He’s not new to the job – indeed he’s spent his life making wine around the Côte d’Or. But his newly created Domaine du Couvent, a combination of his family plots and the old Domaine des Varoilles, is an outstanding collection of properties, and Cheron himself is a master.

He told us that Chambolle has always been his favorite town, and so when the opportunity arose to acquire some vines there last year he jumped at the chance. Cheron’s newest cuvée is Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru “les Fuesselottes,” and even though he had to give up some Grand Cru Charmes-Chambertin wines to get it, we’re awfully glad he did.

The inaugural vintage 2021 Couvent Fuesselottes is magnificent, with distinctly floral aromas of violets and briary blackberries. Burghound awarded 90-93 points, as well as his “outstanding” distinction, finding “a wafting, airy and elegant nose [that] displays perfumed notes of rose petal, herbal tea, spice and essence of red cherry.” He concluded: “This is classic Feusselottes.”

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Couvent Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru
“Fuessellotes” 2021
bottle price: $150
2+ bottle price: $127.50 (use code FRIDAY)

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The style of winemaking in Chablis is somewhat in flux these days. Recent hot summers in Chablis have meant a departure from the stony, crystalline expression of old. These richer, rounder wines can handle more oak, and some winemakers have extended their elevage, creating wines with richness and complexity to rival those of the Côte d’Or.

Not Cyril Gautheron. To him such wines may be tasty, but they’re not Chablis. Gautheron has doubled down on the classic style, dialing back his oak in some places, and relying solely on terroir and fruit for expression. The results are magnificent. From a cool, wet vintage, his 2021s may be small in number, but they are nothing short of exquisite.

One of our favorite Gautheron wines in recent years has been his “Fourneaux,” a premier cru raised entirely in steel. White peaches and lemon peel join chalk and minerals in the nose. The mouth is pure and lithe with exquisite tension and a long, beautiful finish. A perfect example of classical Chablis, and exceptional pricing that somehow still accompanies it.

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Gautheron Chablis 1er “Fourneaux” 2021
bottle price: $42

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Roget Belland’s wines are too tasty. His wines age well, but they’re so delicious and approachable young that most don’t last long in our cellar. He uses a long, slow fermentation to produce reds with ripe fruit and beautiful aromatics.

In 2020 Belland’s friendly style compliments an unusually dense vintage, and the resulting wines are elegant, refined, and packed with flavor. Winemaker Martin Boyer has expertly balanced the lush fruit of the vintage with clean freshness and stony precision.

Belland’s Santenay 1er Gravieres 2020 is fresh and lively, with exquisite floral notes and a fine mineral nose of stones and roses. The mouth is crisp and fresh with excellent length. There’s classic juicy 2020 fruit, but it’s not a bit overripe – the stony fruit is perfectly supported by careful tannins. Burghound gave 90 points, finding it “attractively textured,” “seductive,” and “refreshing.” Serve with roast chicken or pork chops.

 

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Belland Santenay 1er “Gravieres” 2020
bottle price: $49

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The Clos de Vougeot is one of Burgundy’s great landmarks. First planted with vines in the 11th century, the wall around the vineyard dates to 1336, and the majestic Chateau to 1551. It’s a Burgundian icon, both of culture and viticulture.

With more than 80 owners across an astounding 50 hectares (120 acres) of vines, the wines from the Clos de Vougeot vary widely in character and quality – so much so that the different “neighborhoods” within the Clos are often included on the label. As with many things in Burgundy, you can’t get too specific.

Michel Gros is among our most talented and best known winemakers. His two tenths of a hectare in the Clos represent just 0.4% of the vineyard – but if you had to pick a corner of Clos Vougeot for your couple rows of vines, Gros’s plot is where you’d pick. The “Grand Maupertuis” is considered one of the finest sectors in the massive vineyard, and Michel’s tiny sliver of land here produces magnificent wine.

The 2017 vintage is offering beautiful early drinking – Gros’s premier cru 2017 are magnificent today – and we think even the Clos Vougeot, typically Gros’s longest lived wine, will not require the decade of patience it often does. Writer Sarah Marsh MW calls it “layered and powerful” with “no lack of structure…nicely refined and compact.” With an hour in a decanter, this will be an impressive and regal presence on your Christmas dinner table this year. Or if you’ve got patience (or someone on your gift list with a cellar), give this another 3-5 years and enjoy a delicious slice of history.

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Michel Gros Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2017
bottle price: $250
24hr sale price: $212.50 (use code FRIDAY)

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Lots of wine drinkers will tell you they don’t drink Merlot; but we bet far fewer would turn down a glass of this wine. After seven years in the bottle, the Chateau Destieux’s 2016 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé is pure, hedonistic pleasure. It may not be as complex as Ausone or as long lived as Cheval Blanc — but it’s proof that in the right terroir, Merlot can profound and outstanding.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous was blown away by the 2016, calling it “gorgeous, modern St-Emilion,” offering “tremendous depth,… dark, jammy fruit, chocolate, spice, and new leather.” He awarded 94 points, and called it “a terrific showing.” His Vinous colleague Neal Martin, often a harder grader than Galloni, called it “among the best wines I have tasted from this estate.”

This is a wine of boldness, glamour, texture and intensity. Open it today and enjoy it over several evenings — there’s impressive stuffing and backbone. But put a few bottles in the back of your cellar, and pull them out over the next few years — the wine ages magnificently, and by your last bottle we guarantee you’ll wish you had more.

 

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Destieux St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2016
bottle price: $85

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Barbaresco is an appellation in the Piedmont region, and along with neighboring Barolo is one of Italy’s best known wines. The grape from both towns is Nebbiolo, a thin skinned varietal capable of tremendous subtlety and elegance, with more than a passing resemblance to Burgundian pinot noir. Barbaresco is generally lighter-bodied than Barolo, offering less aggressive texture and often earlier drinking windows.

We’ve just received our latest shipment from Sassi San Cristoforo, our source in Barbaresco. Their 2015 Riserva is a real treat – now eight years on from harvest the wine has begun to add tertiary aromas to its gorgeous bouquet of fruit and flowers. The nose is deep and earthy, with beautiful depth and a dark floral perfume of plum, espresso and licorice. The mouth is softened and beautiful but with excellent clarity and a subtle spine of tannin to keep all the elements in line.

Given the density of the vintage this should age several more years with ease, but we think it’s perfectly delicious today. Serve from a decanter with a mushroom risotto.

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Sassi San Cristoforo Barbaresco Riserva 2015
bottle price: $65

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It took several years of working with Denis Basset before he’d sell us any of his white cuvée. The wine was so popular in Parisian restaurants that it was all spoken for – we’d sample it to start our tastings at his cellar, and then never see it again. Now we thirstily buy all of our small allocation each year – it’s the only wine of its kind in our portfolio, rounder and more tropical than white Burgundy; more tension than Condrieu; more softness than our Loire whites.

Basset’s white is a Roussanne-Marsanne blend (70/30), in the style of a classic northern Rhône white. The nose is soft and enveloping, with tropical notes of mango, pineapple, and green tea. The mouth is rich and round, but well balanced, showing nectarine and honey notes. There’s so much exotic fruit in the nose you almost expect this to be sweet, but the mouth finishes cool and soft and dry with terrific tension.

This is a perfect winter white wine, with bright citrus to match rich foods, but a cozy, waxy texture that makes it hard to put down. Begin your holiday dinner with a bottle of white Crozes, some salty triple cream cheese, and a crusty baguette.

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Saint-Clair Crozes-Hermitage blanc 2022
bottle price: $25

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The 2021 vintage was a tricky one in Burgundy. The growing season was considerably cooler and wetter than in recent years, and vignerons were forced to change tack. Winemakers who followed the vintage’s cues (rather than forcing a lush 2018-2020 style) were successful, making wines with beautiful clarity, a light, refreshing, classical touch.

Some of our favorites of the vintage came from the Boursot brothers in Chambolle-Musigny. The young Boursots passed the difficult vintage test with flying colors, extracting their wines perfectly and producing cuvées of balance and elegance. And no wine in their lineup was more successful than their humble Bourgogne rouge.

The Boursots decided that the correct amount of oaking for this wine in 2021 was… zero. Raised entirely in stainless steel, their 2021 Bourgogne is accessible, floral, simply delicious Pinot Noir. The nose shows cherry, plum and white flowers; the mouth is fresh and chalky with raspberry notes and low tannin. The dry, classy finish ties it up into a neat package. It’s a perfect house red Burgundy, and one that will pair with everything and nothing at all.

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Boursot Bourgogne 2021
bottle price: $35

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Michel and Estelle Prunier are a father-and-daugther team making terrific, traditional red Burgundies the town of Auxey Duresses. Their best wine is their Volnay, from the famous premier cru “Caillerets” vineyard. With such impressive terroir, much of Prunier’s job is to get out of the way – and their understated style is a perfect match.

Prunier’s 2020 Volnay 1er “Caillerets” is polished and sophisticated, with a gorgeous, perfumed bouquet and a lush, chiseled mouth. Neal Martin of Vinous found “black cherries, sous-bois, mint and juniper berries,” calling it “fresh and vibrant.”

Like all 2020s this is concentrated and intense, but that extra muscle matches beautifully with the subtle finesse of Volnay’s terroir. The 2020 is simply beautiful, already with impressive aromatics. In 5-8 years this will be a gorgeous mature red Burgundy, but patience is not required. But pour it from a carafe, or with braised shortribs this holiday season, and we’re confident your table will have no trouble finding the bottom of the bottle.

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Prunier Volnay 1er “Caillerets” 2020
bottle price: $100
3+ bottle price: $85 (use code FRIDAY)

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Stephane Robert of the Domaine du Tunnel is one of the brightest stars in Cornas. He’s humble and quiet in person, but his wines are bold, assertive, and charming. Robert farms an envious collection of old syrah vines around the tiny appellation, and his wines are well worthy of their hype. Vinous calls Tunnel “among the top producers of Cornas.”

Cornas is the southernmost appellation in the Northern Rhône. Its rules are northern: pure, unblended Syrah that ages for decades. But Cornas (which means “scorched earth” in Celtic) harvests a week earlier than Hermitage (just 20 minutes north), and the steep sundrenched slopes produce wines with a bit of southern, sunbaked character.

Tunnel’s 2017 Cornas is a classic – now five years on from harvest it still shows abundant dark fruit but has begun to add irresistible earthy and spice notes. Vinous and Wine Advocate both awarded 92 points, finding it “loaded with blackberries, cassis and plums,” with “very good depth as well as energy” alongside “supple tannins.” It’s a perfect choice for a Sunday afternoon roast.

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Tunnel Cornas 2017
bottle price: $68

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We love discovering new wines and domaines – exciting new sources full of energy and innovation. But sometimes we open a bottle that reminds us of just how good some of the wines already in our cellar are. This week we enjoyed a bottle of Goubert’s Gigondas “Cuvée Florence,” and it was simply outstanding.

The Cartier family reserves their finest fruit each year for their “Cuvée Florence,” the flagship wine of their domaine, started 35 years ago after the birth of their daughter Florence (now the winemaker). Josh Raynolds of Vinous called Goubert “one of the appellations most venerable domaines.” In particular he citeed “the 2018 and 2019 versions, the current releases, are superb and in the upper tier of bottlings from those vintages.”

Raynolds gave 94 points, finding “white pepper, incense, espresso,” and “smoke-laced blackberry compote, kirsch and mocha.” We found this week the oak and tannin hand blended seamlessly into the lush fruit, and while there are many happy years ahead of this wine, it’s a cozy, rich, wintertime delight today.

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Goubert Gigondas “Florence” 2019
bottle price: $52

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Philippe Cheron is just getting started. He’s hardly new to the trade – his father and grandfather were vignerons – and Phillipe has spent his career making wine around the Côte d’Or. But three years ago he managed to acquire most of the holdings from the defunct Domaine des Varoilles, and now farms an extraordinary collection of plots under the name Domaine du Couvent.

His unmarked cuverie is hidden down a back street in Nuits-St-Georges, and Cheron himself is quiet and pensive. But his wines more than speak for themselves. Cheron’s 2019s are beginning to shed their baby fat, and are showing just what talented winemaker he is.

Couvent’s 2019 Chambolle Musigny “les 40 Ouvrées” is a terrific expression of the Chambolle appellation in total. It’s open and accessible, showing deep strawberry fruit and the silky texture for which the town is known. Neal Martin of Vinous awarded 90-92 points, finding it “delicate but precise,” “smooth and succulent, very lush in style, but maintains good balance and freshness,” concluding “very sensual.” Jancis Robinson found it “luxurious” and “delicious.”

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Couvent Chambolle-Musigny “40 Ouvrées” 2019
bottle price: $88
3+ bottle price: $74.80 (use code FRIDAY)

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After a few years’ absence, the Fattoria Poggerino re-introduced the “Labirinto” cuvée this year. Made from the youngest vines on the estate, the Labirinto cuvée offers easy, uncomplicated pleasure. It’s Sangiovese with no rough edges – middle-weight, unoaked, unserious, and wonderfully easy to drink.

Poggerino’s regular Chianti Classico cuvée is as delicious as always, but the Labirinto offers something a bit less sophisticated. Labirinto’s fruits are redder – think wild cherries – with a smooth mouthfeel and very subtle tannin. The Classico is darker and woodsier (blackberries, cassis) with slightly firmer tannins and a longer mouthfeel.

If you’ve got thirsty relatives visiting this season, or need something easy to pair with everything and nothing, look no further.

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Poggerino Labirinto 2021
bottle price: $22

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