With a chill settled firmly into the air these days, we’re turning towards reds with a bit more substance. The rich wines of the Southern Rhône valley spend the summer soaking in the warmth of the clear Provençal sun — they’re a perfect matches for cold weather. Châteauneuf-du-Pape gets most of the attention in the Rhône, but if you know where to look, there are delicious, affordable wines across the valley.
Chablis remains among the best bargains in the wine world. Its distinctive wines are always more affordable than their counterparts in the Côte d’Or, a result of damage to the name from imitation “California Chablis” of decades ago. Drawing from the distinctive Kimmeridgean terroir and a tradition of subtle or no oak, the winemakers of Chablis create some of the purest expressions of Chardonnay in the world.
The are two main distinctions between Champagne and other French sparkling wine. First, terroir: Champagne’s unique chalky soils contribute to the singular flavors of its wines. Second, time spent on the lees: Champenois must age their wines for a minimum of 15 months on the lees, adding complexity and depth to the wines. (Lees are the dead yeasts that precipitate from fermented wine.)
“Puligny-Montrachet is where Burgundian Chardonnay is at its most complete,” writes Clive Coates MW. The tiny town, covering over less than one square mile, has made highly sought-after wine for nearly a thousand years. Today many consider it, as Coates puts it, “the greatest white wine commune on earth.”
The 2015 vintage continues to impress. An unusually warm and sunny year resulted in wines of deep richness and concentration, even in regions where ripeness is often a concern. In the Beaujolais, home to our new winemaker Jean-Marc Monnet, the Gamay reached a density that resembles northern Rhône syrah.
Winston Churchill once said of Champagne, “in victory you deserve it, in defeat you need it.” Whichever reaction this morning’s news brings you, we can assure you Champagne is a helpful accessory. We’re excited to introduce a brand new cuvée from our popular Grower Champagne vigneron Pascal Bardoux: his Brut Rosé.
Stretching a mere thirty-two miles, Burgundy’s Côte d’Or is responsible for finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the world. From only two grape varietals, the winemakers of Burgundy produce an astounding range of expression. Every town has its own identity and style; each is part of a tradition of winemaking that stretches back nearly a thousand years.
In France, vineyard location is paramount. Syrah grown at different latitudes tastes vastly different; in Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s character changes within the distance of a few feet. Viognier is aromatic and floral wherever it’s grown, but the complexity and elegance depends entirely on its origin. And nowhere else in the world does Viognier reach such expression as in Condrieu.
For winemakers in Burgundy, finding enough sun is a perennial concern. An unusually rainy year like 2016 can make ripening difficult. In the Languedoc, France’s southernmost region, the concern is just the opposite: how to harvest grapes with enough acidity to preserve freshness.
Beaujolais is the source of plenty of uninteresting wines. Fully a third of the region’s production is the Beaujolais Nouveau, a cheap insipid red rushed to market a month after harvest. But the rest of the region contains many highly undervalued wines, some in the same class of top wines from the north of Burgundy.
We find some of our favorite values in towns just off the beaten path. The neighbor villages of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet are the world’s best known sources for fine white wine. But just two miles to the west lies the often-overlooked town of Saint-Aubin, which turns out to be an exceptional source for value in white Burgundy.
Fall is a great time of the year to be a wine lover. The air gets brisk. The fireplace resumes its cheerful duties. It is dark by dinnertime, and the food from the kitchen is richer and heartier. These changes are all conducive to the enjoyment of wine, and for us the falling leaves usher in a time of closer attention to what is on our plates and in our glasses.
Perched where the Loire river meets the windswept Atlantic coast, Muscadet has long been a source for a classic, dry white wine. Served by the carafe in the oyster bars of Paris and London for decades, it’s refreshing, abundant, and inexpensive — a perfect glass to wash down a plate of crustaceans.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the perfect wine for cooler weather. Made famous by French popes in the 14th century, and then again by Robert Parker in the 1980s, the area is rich with winemaking history. Today the appellation, which covers only about 12 square miles, produces some of the most sought after wine in the world.
We first met Pascal Bardoux only 15 months ago, but he has already become a favorite among our readers. His small-batch Champagnes are distinctive, delicious, complex, and comparative bargains. With much of the mass-market Champagne distributed in the US between $75 and $100 a bottle, Bardoux’s $45 Brut Traditionnel is twice the wine at half the price.