“It’s going to be a quicker tasting than usual,” Romain Collet chuckled as he welcomed us into his tasting room this spring. As with most addresses in Burgundy, 2024 was not an easy one at the Domaine Collet. The weather gods were particularly tough on Chablis, and Romain lost two cuvées (Forêts and Butteaux) entirely, amid losses everywhere.
Everyone knows Sancerre, the popular, easy-to-pronounce, well-priced white Loire wine. But fewer people know its less famous neighbor across the river: Pouilly-Fumé. Same grape, similar soils, slightly harder to pronounce, but even better pricing. Our producer here is Frederic Michot, a friendly, energetic winemaker who crafts refreshing, user-friendly, flat out delicious Sauvignon Blanc.
Justine Clerget has shown herself to be a remarkable talent in the last few years, and this tiny gem of domaine in Vougeot is still a largely undiscovered source. Since her return to the domaine a few years ago, she has introduced organic viticulture, refined extraction, and has leaned into stem use. The resulting wines are classy and modern, but with an old school Burgundian soul. They also compare extremely well on price with their neighbors.
Antonio Galloni, the founder of Vinous and a renowned critic of Italy’s best wines, calls Poggerino’s wines “some of the purest expressions of the Sangiovese grape in Italy.” Winemaker Piero Lanza is in his third decade at the helm, and his excellent wines continue to improve.
Much of the world’s Merlot is undistinguished. Its default expression is a soft, rounded wine lacking tannin, acidity, and character. “Global” merlot is smooth and easy, but neither distinctive nor particularly interesting. But on Bordeaux’s right bank Merlot thrives as an essential component to the region’s most iconic wines. The exact combination of limestone and gravel soils produce a version of the grape with balance, definition, and depth.
After several years of patiently waiting for an allocation, we’re delighted to introduce our newest Champagne source: RH Coutier. The Coutiers are an old family in Ambonnay (there since 1619), and today produce small-batch Champagnes exclusively from their own organic Grand Cru vineyards.
The 2023 red Burgundies are still quite young, but they’ve already begun to reveal themselves as a tremendous vintage. From a growing season full of extreme heat and drought but with perfectly timed rains, the best wines are perfectly balanced – with modest alcohol, excellent density, and vibrant textures. We heard more than a few winemakers describe them as “digeste” (roughly, digestible), and it’s an excellent characterization.
Sebastien Giroux is exactly the type of winemaker we love to work with. He farms a tiny 6-hectare estate in southern Burgundy’s Maconnais region essentially by himself. Some of his wines come in allocations with single-digit case quantities; his rooms for vinification, bottle stockage, labeling, and tasting, are all… the same room.
It’s been a while (too long!) since we imported from the Domaine les Goubert – their bottling schedule and our importing schedule hasn’t seemed to sync up recently. But we finally restocked a few months ago and are delighted to have them back. Their delicious, reliable, extremely well-priced southern Rhône cuvées have been customer favorites for the last few decades, and in recent years they’ve only gotten better.
The test of great winemakers is how they perform in the face of adversity. In sunny, dry vintages like 2023, just about everyone made tasty wine. But success in a challenging year speaks far more; and there’s rarely been a more difficult vintage than 2024. Some winemakers struggled, but others excelled; and Gautier Desvignes proved himself an exceptional talent.
Hailing from the western end of the Loire, just before it flows into the Atlantic, Muscadet is France’s go-to wine for oysters. Walk up to a seafood counter in St. Malo or Cancale to slurp a dozen, and you’ll likely be invited to wash them down with a pitcher of Muscadet. Simple, saline and refreshing, it’s a delicious pairing of like with like, and when you finish it can be hard not to queue up for another six oysters or so.
The 2022 red Burgundies continue to prove themselves to be a terrific vintage. From a warm, dry growing seasons, winemakers managed to craft vibrant and beautifully balanced wines, sporting low alcohol and classic Burgundian finesse. They’re modern in their sunny polish, but traditional in their middleweight, elegant textures.
Not everyone has the budget to fill their cellar with Puligny-Montrachet and other stars of the Côte d’Or. Luckily, the wines of the Maconnais have never been better, or offered more value. Thirty years ago Pouilly-Fuissé brought to mind an over-oaked, over-priced buttery Chardonnay; today the best examples can fool seasoned tasters into guessing Chassagne, and cost half as much.
Florence Cartier continues to steer her family’s Domaine les Goubert with a deft and steady hand. She’s converted nearly all of her plots to organic and has managed to adapt her winemaking style to the blazing hot provencal summers.
For many years we have known the Domaine Gautheron as a low-profile address offering consistently excellent wines in a style that is truly Chablisien. The quality remains exceptional, but the secret is out. Jasper Morris MW calls Cyril Gautheron “a superb producer making wines in a crisp cool classically Chablis style.”