The Languedoc region of southern France produces oceans of cheap, uninteresting wine. (A few years ago the government even paid vignerons to pull up vines to limit overproduction.) But if you know where to look, the region is also the source for some excellent wines and terrific values.
A well-made entry-level Burgundy is the mark of a talented winemaker. Fancier cuvées will show off the power of terroir, and many wines from famous sites are deserving of their reputation and praise. But a Bourgogne-level wine is more a reflection of house-style and vintage.
Muscadet is a dry, lightweight, well-priced Loire Valley white. It’s grown near where the Loire River meets the Atlantic, and the wine matches the essence of the windswept coast and the shellfish of its shores. The juice of the Melon de Bourgogne grape is so pure and light that winemakers age the wine on its lees for several years to add flavor.
The soils of Burgundy vary widely based on location, but in general are some blend of argile (clay) and calcaire (limestone). The proportion of these two elements goes a long way in determining the character of wine made in each town. And in Chambolle-Musigny, it’s all about the calcaire.
We can’t tell you the real name of the Forces Telluriques — it’s an iconic Mâconnais source with an exclusive importer for the primary label. But it’s the same juice in the bottle, and extraordinary juice it is. The family who creates this wine are true believers in the theory of biodynamics — minimal vineyard intervention in the vines, meticulous and hands-off winemaking.
Michel Gros makes some of the fanciest reds in our cellar, from appellations like Vosne-Romanée and Chambolle-Musigny. Like many other Burgundian winemakers, he also makes a series of “petits vins” – wines from less exalted zip codes, with earlier drinking windows and friendlier price tags.
The Jura region has an untamed feel to it. Lying only an hour east of Burgundy, it’s a wilder, craggier landscape, producing unusual wines to match. We love its most famous product — the sherry-like oxidized Vin Jaune — but concede it’s not to everyone’s taste.
In a warming world perennially in search of freshness, Chablis is often the answer. Even amid recent scorching dry summers, many winemakers were able to channel the stony precision of Chablis into beautifully balanced wines.
When Burgundy’s leading critic singles you out as one of a “leading light” in the region, you could argue that you’d made it. But Gautier Desvignes – who in just eight short years has taken his humble family domaine from ordinary to outperforming – is not one to rest on his laurels. Each year we visit he has a new series of vineyard and cellar improvements to share and explain. In the words of Aaron Burr, “the man is non-stop.”
The Syrahs of the Northern Rhône are known for their intense color and soaring aromatics. Some wines even rival their Burgundian neighbors to the north in terms of elegance and subtlety. Though recent hot vintages have delivered a bit more meat on the bones than a decade ago, the most successful cuvées retain their classic northern complexity.
Burgundies are not getting any cheaper. With limited supply and ever-increasing demand, good values are harder and harder to find. But one Burgundian town that continues to deliver far more than people expect is St-Aubin. And we’re not the only ones to notice.
The Domaine les Goubert is among the domaines we’ve worked with the longest. Over more than two decades their consistency has remained unshakable – good vintage and difficult, up year and down, Goubert’s delicious, well-priced Gigondas cuvées are like trusty old friends.
Roger Belland is best known for his beautiful, golden premier cru Clos Pitois from Chassagne-Montrachet. It’s rich, elegant, and everything you want in a top class white Burgundy. When we want to really impress someone with a Chardonnay, we often reach for the Pitois blanc.
We suppose it’s a good thing when in the opening paragraph of this fall’s article on “Insider’s Burgundy,” the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley mentions Gautier Desvignes by name as a face of a “new generation of quality-conscious producers” in the Côte Chalonnaise. We’re thrilled to see Gautier receive the recognition he deserves, even if it […]
The Northern Rhône represents (for now) the northern limit of where Syrah can ripen fully. As with many grapes, the area of northernmost range produces the most elegant and delicate expression of the grape – think South African Shiraz, now picture its opposite.