Bordeaux is best known for its Grands Vins, the famous chateaux whose pricey wines improve for decades. But the varied terroirs of Bordeaux also produce some terrific “petit vins,” which share the same soils and grapes, but are more accessible for both the palate and the pocket.
Chardonnay in Burgundy is capable of extraordinary complexity and regal sophistication – at its best white Burgundy can outshine reds of a similar caliber. But the region also produces humble, delicious expressions of the grape; more tasty than tremendous.
Chablis continues to provide exceptional value white Burgundy. Recent warmer vintages have produced Chablis with an unusual level of texture and richness – less fresh, more flesh. But in 2021, a cooler, wetter growing season led to brisk, more classical Chablis.
Picamelot is among Burgundy’s finest crémant houses. The Wine Advocate’s resident Champagne expert William Kelley writes that “Picamelot produces some of the best sparkling wines in Burgundy,” and calls their wines “elegant,” “excellent,” and “superb.”
Chambolle Musigny’s famous terroirs are the Grand Crus Musigny and Bonnes-Mares, and Premier Cru Amoureuses. All three fetch prices north of $500/bot, and are among the jewels of many serious collectors’ cellars.
Winemaker Frederic Michot is as energetic as his wines: pure Sauvignon blanc, no oak, clean and crisp. Michot’s side of the river may be less famous than his neighbor Sancerre, but he isn’t willing to concede it any advantage.
Lancelot-Royer was one of our most exciting discoveries last year. Michel Chauvet and his son run this tiny house in Cramant, producing exquisite small-batch grower Champagne. All of their wines come from grapes they grow themselves, and their vineyards are 100% Chardonnay from exclusively Grand Cru plots. Everything here is done by hand, from harvesting and riddling to disgorging, dosing and labeling.
Our July shipment arrived last week, just in time for the arrival of autumn. It features crisp Chablis, earthy Burgundys, and, most perfectly of all, fresh, bursting Gamay from the Beaujolais. We’ve compiled a new collection of our autumn favorites, but to us, no other wine matches the crisp chill in the air quite like Beaujolais.
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 delicious “for the vintage,’ they’re objectively excellent on their own.
Philippe Cheron has been making wine in Burgundy his entire life, but his Domaine du Couvent is only a few years old. In a region where many domaines stretch back centuries, it’s unusual to see a “newcomer.” But Cheron is hardly a novice, and his skill is obvious after one taste of his wine. Burghound calls Couvent “a domaine to watch going forward;” Neal Martin writes “definitely a grower that I will keep an eye on.”
Aside from Champagne, Chablis is perhaps the most versatile food-pairing wine in our cellar. It’s fresh, crisp, dry, and lively – perfect for a wide range of foods, or for nothing at all. Seafood in particular is a perfect match, and we serve Chablis with everything from linguine with clams to grilled halibut to bouillabaisse.
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.
Christophe Bonnefond’s Côte Rôties have matured in style in recent years. Once described by Robert Parker as “extroverted,” the Bonnefonds now make elegant, layered, transcendent wines full of both depth and lift. Vinous reviewer Josh Raynolds calls them “superb” and with the Northern Rhône’s recent half-decade of terrific consecutive vintages, this is a source for some of the most exciting reds in our cellar.
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.