Rare, Exquisite 2020 White Burgundy from a Master Vigneron

Thomas Morey is a winemaker at the top of his game. After splitting his father’s vines with his brother Vincent in 2007, Thomas has carefully charted his own course, establishing himself as a leading producer in Chassagne-Montrachet. His style is low-oak, precise, and immaculate – each element in perfect harmony, not a leaf out of place. As the seldom effusive critic Burghound writes, “2020 is a stunningly good vintage chez Thomas Morey, in fact I can’t recall ever seeing better quality across the board since he started in 2007.”

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Autumn Arrives: Velvety, Cozy New 2020 Gigondas

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is one of the most recognizable brands in wine. Made famous by French popes in the 14th century, and then again by Robert Parker in the 1980s, the appellation’s place on the winemaking map is well established. For decades the wine from Châteauneuf was head and shoulders above the rest of the Southern Rhône – but these days it’s got company.

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Pouilly-Fuissé Returns: Magnificent New 2019 White Burgundy. $35

Pouilly-Fuissé is getting well-deserved respect in the wine world these days, and beginning with the 2020 vintage some vineyards are entitled to the “premier cru” designation. A growing distaste for excess wood and a reluctance to add more softness to already ripe wines makes it rare to find overoaked Pouilly-Fuissé these days: the days of by-the-glass buttered popcorn are over.

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Eight-Year-Old Pauillac: Regal, Classic Red Bordeaux under $40.

Perched on the banks of the Gironde River, in the heart of Bordeaux’s Left Bank, the town of Pauillac (poh-yahk) produces some of Bordeaux’s most famous red wines: Lafite, Latour, Mouton-Rothschild, just to name a few. Its gravel rich soils produce prototypical Bordeaux: intense, ageworthy, regal, and impossibly complex.

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“Rose Petals & Violets:” Terrific 2019 Beaune 1er Cru

Tucked away in the picturesque valley between Meursault and Volnay, the charming village of Auxey-Duresses is home to Michel Prunier and his daughter Estelle. They’re among the brightest names in this humble town, and a favorite of Vinous writer Neal Martin. Martin has visited for over two decades, and characterizes them as an “old-school producer” with “premier crus worth hunting down, as they represent good value.”

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Refreshing, Delicious, Biodynamic Alsatian Bargains under $25

With costs rising in nearly every step of the winemaking process – tractors, corks, bottles, labels, boxes, and so on – it’s no wonder the prices from the domaines are rising too. All of this makes the quality of Alsatian wine today even more impressive. Our source here is Charles Frey, an old family winery based in Dambach-la-Ville in central Alsace.

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Classy, Delicious 2020 White Burgundy from St-Aubin

St-Aubin may not be the secret source for white Burgundy it once was, but it’s not because of the quality. Soaring prices for Burgundy from its famous neighboring towns of Puligny, Chassagne, and Meursault mean that the spillover demand has nudged prices for St-Aubin well. But the quality has more than kept pace, and despite the demise of its anonymity, it’s still a source for exceptional value.

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Lovely, Old-School, Five-Year-Old Red Burgundy. $35

Alcohol levels are on the rise in just about every region in France. More heat means riper grapes, and more sugar means higher levels of alcohol. Growers are experimenting with canopy management to increase shade, adjusting plowing schedules, earlier harvesting, and other techniques to avoid overripeness, but the trend is clearly in one direction.

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“Outstanding” New 2019 Red Burgundy from Michel Gros. $32

Harvest is in full swing in Burgundy this week, with some domaines in the Côte de Beaune already celebrating their end-of-picking paulée. Harvest dates in August were unthinkable only decades ago, but they’re quickly becoming a regular occurrence. In many locations, early harvests make it far more difficult to produce balanced wines; but in parts of Burgundy, at least, there are silver linings.

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