Much of the world’s Merlot is undistinguished. Its default expression is a soft, rounded wine lacking tannin, acidity, and character. But in Bordeaux, Merlot thrives as an essential component to the region’s most iconic wines; and on the Right Bank Merlot reaches its ultimate expression.
The Maconnais is a bastion of youthful winemaking energy these days. With land prices in the Côte d’Or rising into the stratosphere, and wholesale grape prices at harvest not far behind, many young passionate winemakers have set up shop in the Maconnais, Burgundy’s southernmost sub-region.
Nuits-St-Georges is a huge appellation by Burgundy standards, stretching over four miles end to end. But the most traditional expression of the appellation comes from the middle, just south of the town. Prototypical Nuits-St-Georges is bold, dark-fruited, and often pleasantly rugged. It’s still Burgundian Pinot Noir of course, so elegant and subtle – but also somewhat untamed.
Eric Chauvin’s wines share a region and grape varietal with these Côtes du Rhônes, but little else. Chauvin’s tiny Domaine le Souverain has no website, no road sign, and barely a phone number — his cellar is a converted garage. But his wines have more complexity and depth than nearly anything else we taste at their level, and manage to remain a bargain.
Romain Collet took over his family’s estate a decade, and has transformed it from a good if occasionally inconsistent source to a reliably excellent domaine. He’s expertly navigated the changing climate, which has affected Chablis perhaps more dramatically than other French region. Jasper Morris MW writes that he “is moving towards joining the pantheon” in Chablis; William Kelley writes that the wines “have taken another step up in quality…mark this out as an estate to follow closely.”
The quality of entry-level Burgundy has never been higher. Riper grapes and more controlled winemaking now produce Bourgogne-level wines that rival village-level wine for value and depth. We’re hardly the first to notice though, and the market has driven many Bourgogne prices well past $50, and more than a few into three figures. But there […]
It’s hard to find new Burgundy producers these days. Demand remains high, the wines continue to get better, and a series of tiny vintages has meant many vignerons simply don’t need any new customers. But last year we came across a gem in the Maconnais: Sebastien Giroux is a terrific young winemaker farming just six hectares of vines in and around Pouilly-Fuissé.
Muscadet is a crisp, precise, dry white wine that is the essence of freshness. It’s also abundant and inexpensive. Made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, the best examples are raised “sur lie” (on the lees) to add complexity.
Piedmont lies 350 miles southeast of Burgundy – six hours, one country, and a massive mountain range away. But the two regions share a common spirit. Their grapes (nebbiolo and pinot noir) are both thin-skinned varietals capable of extraordinary subtlety and depth. Both communicate terroir as few other grapes can, and while we’re far more familiar with Burgundy, we’re often taken with its kindred Italian cugino.
The easiest way to describe Domaine les Goubert’s Gigondas “Cuvée Florence” is as a would-be Châteauneuf-du-Pape — same grapes, same ageworthiness, same lush, mouthfilling southern Rhône charm. But it’s fairer to think of it as top notch Gigondas in its own right. Gigondas has long been a source of value in the Southern Rhône Valley, commanding neither the name recognition nor pricetag of its neighbor Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Chablis continues to be a haven of well-priced and excellent value Burgundy. After several scorching hot vintages in which the crisp, piercing soul of old-school Chablis seemed temporarily offstage, 2021 provided a return to tradition. A cooler, wetter, trickier growing season pushed harvest into late September, and the wines are effortlessly tasty in a vintage that was anything but.
The Boursot family has grown grapes in Chambolle-Musigny since 1515, but it’s almost easier to think of them as a newcomer. For most of the last five centuries they’ve sold their harvest to the local cooperative – then two generations ago they started domaine-bottling. The current winemakers – brothers Romaric and Remy Boursot – have begun to channel their family’s extraordinary terroir into truly impressive wine. Every vintage their wines gain polish, precision, and detail.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape isn’t in fashion these days. As the world’s taste has shifted toward lightweight textures and micro-terroirs, Châteauneuf’s bold, appellation-wide cuvées aren’t exactly filling up the lists in the hipster wine bars of Lyon. So – it’s a good thing nobody’s ever accused us of being trendy…
As we sit here squarely in the middle of tomato season, we find ourselves reaching for the small Italian corner of our cellar with some regularity. The natural acidity of summer tomatoes matches so well with our Nebbiolo and Sangiovese selections that sometimes it’s hard to drink anything else. We’re expanding our Piedmont offerings in next month’s September Futures issue, but in the mean time we’re well stocked on an old favorite Chianti Classico.
Much of the world’s syrah is rich, dark and opulent. But in the Northern Rhône Valley, syrah draws its strength from subtlety. Here delicate aromas of violets, perfume, smoke and stones combine with fresh mouthfeel and vibrant texture. Northern Rhône Syrah is a marriage of dark-fruited complexion with elegance and pep.