Chablis continues to be an excellent source for well-priced everyday white Burgundy – weeknight bottles that are crisp, useful, and delicious. But high-end Chablis can be extraordinary. Cuvées from Chablis’s seven famous Grand Crus show a depth and power that’s remarkable for a white wine.
Regular readers will know Gautier Desvignes, the humble, friendly, thirtysomething winemaker who has transformed his modest family domaine into a top name in the region. William Kelley writes that Desvignes is “one of the leading lights in the Côte Chalonnaise,” and we wholeheartedly agree. Gautier’s 2022s show a talented winemaker at the top of his game.
The Loire Valley is an enormous region, stretching more than half-way across France. Indeed it’s better thought of as three regions: Upper Loire in the east (Sancerre), Lower Loire in the West (Muscadet), and Central Loire between. The Central Loire is the most diverse, producing white, red, rosé, sparkling, sweet and dry wines – but its most famous product is Vouvray.
Poggerino is often cited as a reference point for Chianti Classico. Vinous writes of their Poggerino’s “remarkable purity and nuance,” and Rajat Parr calls their wines “excellent” and “some of the purest expressions of the grape in Italy.”
It’s easy to forget just how big Bordeaux is. The region produces more than a quarter of the wine made in France – more than Burgundy, Champagne, the Loire and Rhône Valleys, and Alsace combined. The top Bordeaux chateaux get most of the press, but there’s an ocean of wine, much of it quite interesting, in a far more reasonable price category.
The Maconnais is a charming, impossibly picturesque subregion of Burgundy at its southern end. Quaint stone farmhouses and Charolais cattle dot a rolling countryside that lazily switches between lush green pastures and fields of vines. The wines coming from this region have never been better, and we’re thrilled to have expanded our portfolio here substantially in the last few years.
St. Estephe is home to storied left bank chateaux that were ranked in the Classification of 1855, so new domaines are rare. Henry Negrier spent the first half of his career working at other local chateaux; but thirty years ago he stumbled upon an unusual opportunity to buy his own St-Estephe vines, and decided to bet on himself. The new creation, Fleuron de Liot, has won acclaim from blind-tasting panels and Ansonia readers alike.
Despite a year of extreme heat and dryness, most 2022 red Burgundies avoided the over-ripeness high-alcohol trap of 2018 and 2020 – they’re intense and bold but with low-alcohol (some in the 12%s!) and exquisite balance. Jancis Robinson writes of their “surprising freshness and elegance” with “thrilling energy;” Jasper Morris cites their “fine tannins and fresh acidity” with “excellent aging potential.”
Wine writer Lettie Teauge once described Sancerre as a wine that delivers “pleasure not profundity.” We think this is an excellent description – sometimes a moment calls for a grand, majestic wine, but other times all you need is something crisp, refreshing, and reliable.
Côtes du Rhônes are a dime a dozen. They’re cheap, reliable, and abundant — you’ll find them everywhere from a fine restaurant to your local supermarket. Most are mass produced, with low tannin and lots of fruit — they may lack flaws, but they’re short on character too.
In recent years the profile of Chablis has changed a bit. Most cuvées still show the terroir’s classic stony, mineral intensity; but warm summers have added a bit of extra flesh to the wines. Our favorites still taste like Chablis, but are often a bit easier to approach young or on their own.
Regular readers will know Gautier Desvignes, the humble, friendly, thirtysomething winemaker who has transformed his modest family domaine into a top name in the region. William Kelley writes that Desvignes is “one of the leading lights in the Côte Chalonnaise,” and we wholeheartedly agree.
Chassagne-Montrachet is a town synonymous with opulence and richness. Its wines combine weight without heaviness – everything you want in a top class white Burgundy – but usually comes with a hefty pricetag. Roger Belland’s Santenay 1er cru “Beauregard” blanc is not quite as complex or long-lived as a Chassagne premier cru, but for half the price it does an admirable impression, and we think it’s a steal.
In his book “The New French Wine” Jon Bonné writes that Jacqueline André’s wines “are about old-fashioned subtlety,” crediting her with “quietly upholding the extraordinary quality of her family’s domaine.” André is fully worthy of this praise, and it’s never been clearer than today.
Most wine today is opened before peak maturity. It’s not necessarily a bad thing – in general you’d rather drink a wine too young than too old. But as fewer wine drinkers cellar their wines and as winemakers increasingly craft cuvées for early drinking, it’s rarer to find a bottle that deserves patience and receives it.