Author: Thomas Wilcox

Spice.  If Burgundy is the heart of the Pinot Noir universe, then Vosne-Romanée is the heart of Burgundy. Celebrated for more than eight centuries and boasting some of the world’s most sought-after wines, Vosne-Romanée is Mecca for Burgundy enthusiasts and Pinotphiles around the world.

Vosne’s eight famous grand cru vineyards may get most of the acclaim, but, as a monk wrote centuries ago, “there are no ordinary wines in Vosne.” At the premier cru and village level too, the wines show unrivaled depth and elegance. There’s a unique floral character to the best wines from Vosne, a blend of silky finesse with pure intensity — the pinnacle of Pinot elegance.

Legacy.  Winemaker Michel Gros has lived his entire life in Vosne-Romanée — his family has made wine there for nearly 200 years, his mother was once the mayor. Today Michel’s domaine is world famous as a top source for red Burgundy, and the wines from Vosne are at the heart of his lineup.

Michel’s village level Vosne 2011 is a pure expression of the town’s extraordinary terroir. From an early drinking vintage whose wines have begun to show beautifully, this is five year old red Burgundy about to hit its prime. The nose is gently perfumed, showing an array of cinnamon and other spice, alongside the classic violet notes specific to the hallowed town. The mouth is dense and pure, with firm young tannins that melt silkily after an hour or so.

This is a wine to sit with and contemplate on a winter’s Sunday afternoon — decant a bottle as you put a roast into the oven, and then pour yourself a glass at the one hour mark. You’ll understand the 800 years of fame and praise.

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GROS Vosne-Romanée 2011
Ansonia Retail: $74
quarter-case: $62/bot

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AVAILABLE IN   3-   6-  AND 12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

The Gamay grape has had a turbulent history. In 1395 Duke Philip the Bold concluded Gamay was “evil and disloyal,” and banished it from the northern half of Burgundy. For the past six centuries it has found refuge in Beaujolais, where it produces mostly simple reds — fruit-forward and inexpensive.

In June we happened across an small-scale, undiscovered Beaujolais producer named Jean-Marc Monnet. From a year with unusual sunshine and warmth, Monnet’s three Cru Beaujolais from 2015 are more intense and vibrant than any Beaujolais we’ve had before; Monnet ended up being one of most exciting discoveries of our trip.

Forget everything you know about Beaujolais (particularly nouveau), this is intense, delicious, inky red wine — think the fruit profile of a Pinot Noir, but the weight of a Northern Rhone Syrah.

We’re excited to release our first wine from Jean-Marc Monnet today: his 2015 Juliénas. Made from 25-50 year old vines, this is smooth, rich, complex and simply delicious. It has more concentration and energy than much Bourgogne rouge from further north, and comes in at about half the price.

The color is inky purple, with a dark and earthy nose showing cranberry and pure wild cherry. The mouthfeel is intense and smooth with a long, dense finish of graphite and violets. This is delicious and intense, but, as Jancis Robinson puts it, “meant to be drunk, not contemplated.” It’s best described in French as gouleyant, a wonderfully onomatopoeic word that means “gulpable,” and which perfectly captures the essence of good Beaujolais.

There’s no better wine for Thanksgiving than Beaujolais. Skip the Nouveau this year — for a buck more, Monnet’s dense, silky red might be the best $15 you’ll spend all fall.

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MONNET Juliénas 2015
Ansonia Retail: $19
case, half-case: $15/bot

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AVAILABLE IN   6-  AND 12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

Nestled side by side just south of the city of Beaune, three neighboring towns represent the crown jewels of White Burgundy: Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, and Meursault. This trio produces the finest whites in Burgundy, which most consider the greatest white wines in the world.

The three towns stretch only 6 miles from end to end, but their individual characters are distinct. Meursault produces rich, lush wines with dense mouthfeel and notes of pears and wildflowers. Puligny-Montrachet is known for its tension-filled, angular wines, showing structure and precision in their youth. The wines of Chassagne-Montrachet are the most approachable young, with baked lemon bouquets, and full, firm mouthfeel.

The wine press has heralded the 2014 vintage as one of the finest for White Burgundy in many years. All three of these 2014s are elegant wines that represent the pinnacle of chardonnay.

BOYER Meursault “Narvaux” 2014
Vincent Boyer is a rising star in Burgundy, gaining scores consistently in the 90s. His Meursaults are classic expressions of the village — intense, mouthfilling wines balanced by electric energy. His 2014 Narvaux shows extraordinary balance, with notes of white flowers, peach, and pear.

THOMAS Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru 2014
Gérard Thomas and his daughters make quietly excellent wines from their domaine in Saint-Aubin. Their premier cru Puligny-Montrachet shows cool, crisp lemon and toast in the nose. The mouth exhibits the beautiful angularity for which the village is known, with a clean, pure freshness that should carry it for many years to come.

BELLAND Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru 2014
Roger Belland’s premier cru Chassagne-Montrachet is unusually lush and aromatic. The wine’s exotic bouquet leaps from the glass, with notes of pear, hazelnut, and baked lemon. Grown in a monopole vineyard first planted in 1421, this is classic and delicious Chassagne-Montrachet.

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CROWN JEWELS OF WHITE BURGUNDY

4x   BOYER-MARTENOT Meursault  ’14:   $60
4x   THOMAS Puligny-Montrachet 1er  ’14:   $56
4x  BELLAND Chassagne-Montrachet 1er  ’14:   $78

Ansonia Retail: $776
offer price: $595/case

free East Coast shipping    |    save $181

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

Finesse.  When we write about minerality, it’s usually in the context of a white wine. The Chardonnay of Chablis and the Rieslings of the Mosel Valley are prized for their stony clarity, drawing minerality from the limestone- and slate-laden soils. But minerality is a quality in red wines as well, and at its best can contribute an ethereal elegance and vibrancy.

The red Burgundies of Volnay are known for their singular, mineral elegance. The soils of Volnay contain a high percentage of limestone, and far less clay than neighboring Pommard — the result is delicate wines that are the height of Burgundian finesse. We’re excited to introduce a new one today — Roger Belland’s premier cru Volnay from the famous “Santenots” vineyard.

Fruit and mineral.  The Belland Domaine is a 6th generation operation in the Côte de Beaune. Their style in pinot noirs is of full, juicy fruit, and ripe, punchy tannins — in Santenay and surrounding towns this creates pleasant, fruit-forward wines that are delicious young. But apply Belland’s juicy style to an exceptional highly mineral terroir of Volnay, and you have an exquisite combination.

Belland’s Volnay 1er cru 2014 is dark and brooding in the nose, with notes of currants, cinnamon, wild cherries, and pine. The mouth is far richer than you might expect from Volnay, but the town’s signature lacy delicacy persists on a long and elegant finish. This will cellar for another 3 or 4 years with ease, adding more woodsy and mushroom notes with every year. But with a decanter and an hour or two of forethought, this would be an elegant pairing for a rack of lamb this winter.

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BELLAND Volnay 1er cru “Santenots” 2014
Ansonia Retail: $70
quarter-case: $59/bot

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AVAILABLE IN  3-   6-  AND 12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Nectar des Dieux. For about a thousand years between the 5th and 15th centuries, French monasteries were the center of the winemaking world. It was the monks, tasting the products of the rich Burgundian soils (and often the soils themselves), who first developed the idea of terroir.

In the south of Burgundy, winemaking culture centered around the Abbaye de Cluny. Cluny’s Abbey was once the wealthiest monastic organization in the Western world, and much of its wealth and fame came from the product of the local vineyards. Today’s wine comes from these vineyards, now in production for over 1100 years.

France profonde. Nicolas Maillet is a passionate young winemaker working in the heart of the Maconnais. His wines are as pure an expression of the Chardonnay grape as we know, with no oak to obscure the gorgeous fruit. They have the purity and clarity of fine Chablis, but the weight and roundness of a Côte d’Or Chardonnay.

Maillet’s winemaking style is hands-off — he allows his fermentations to proceed at their own pace, sometimes taking months longer than usual. He uses wild yeasts and avoids fining and filtering, choosing instead to preserve complexity and originality. Grown about five miles east of the famous Cluny Abbey, and made with little intervention, this is as traditional as white Burgundy gets.

The nose of the 2014 Maillet Macon Villages is exquisite: spring flowers and wild honey, with faint notes of dried straw and apricot. In the mouth it’s a typical Macon — rich and full with bright floral notes, beautiful acidity, and lots of depth. For white Burgundy fans, this is a remarkable value, offering far more complexity than the price tag suggests.

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MAILLET Macon-Villages 2014
Ansonia Retail: $26
case, half-case: $22/bot

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AVAILABLE IN  6-  AND 12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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