French winemakers have spent centuries perfecting the ideal marriages of grape and land. Each region has its own match: Pinot Noir in Burgundy, Sauvignon blanc in Sancerre, Merlot in Bordeaux, Grenache in the Rhône, etc.
Our allocations of the 2020 Burgundies all follow the same trend: prices up, quantities down. A tiny crop (and even smaller 2021 vintage next in the pipeline) has forced winemakers to raise their prices, and truthfully we can hardly blame them – the wine has never been better, demand has never been stronger, and it costs about the same to farm a hectare of land whether it yields 41 hectoliters or 14.
Some wines are esoteric: subtly funky Burgundies, oxidative Jura whites, skin-contact orange wines, etc. Like a Rothko canvas or a Philip Glass composition, these wines are best understood with some context, and they’re not for everyone.
Red Burgundies aren’t known for their heartiness. Pinot Noir is a delicate, thin-skinned varietal — and typically tends towards subtlety over strength. But what red Burgundies may lack in weight they more than make up in elegance. The finest examples are unmatched in their ability to convey complexity, subtlety, and grace. In the Côte de Nuits it’s hard to pick a favorite town, but in the Côte de Beaune one name stands above the rest.
For years we used to visit the Domaine Desvignes in Givry for humble, straightforward red Burgundies with excellent pricing. But in the years since Gautier Desvignes has taken over, the domaine has transformed into one of the leading lights in the Côte Chalonnaise. In a remarkably short time, Gautier has upgraded the winemaking facilities, bottling practices, and viticulture, with truly exciting results.
Denis Basset is best known for his rich pure Syrahs from Crozes-Hermitage. They’re delicious, well priced, and pulsing with energy and life. For years our only look at his lone white cuvée was in his barrel room – just a splash “to set the palate” before moving on to the reds. The white was always lovely — floral and fresh, beautifully expressive, and a perfect way to start a tasting.
New winemakers in Burgundy are hard to come by. It’s a tiny region, and between small harvests, ever increasing demand, and well-established importers, it can seem there’s nothing new to discover. We’re heading back for a visit next month, and our preparations for prospecting have been unpromising to say the least.
Chenin blanc has an enormous range of expression. It can be anywhere from bone dry to very sweet depending on vintage, terroir, and winemaker. Vouvray is the original source for Chenin Blanc, but the surrounding towns in the central Loire Valley produce excellent examples as well.
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.”
By Burgundy standards, Nuits-St-Georges is an enormous appellation, stretching nearly four miles end to end. The mineral content in the soil varies widely across the town, and Nuits can best be thought of as three distinct districts: north, middle and south. The northern part that borders Vosne is the most elegant, the middle the boldest and most powerful, and the southern the lightest and most mineral.
Not far from the mouth of the Loire, where France’s longest river meets the windswept Atlantic coast, sits the appellation of Muscadet. For centuries its signature product – a classic, bone-dry white wine – has appeared by the carafe in the oyster bars of Paris, London, and New York. It’s refreshing, abundant, and inexpensive — […]
Michel Prunier and his daughter Estelle make delicious, traditional Burgundies in Auxey-Duresses. In some vintages Prunier’s reds occupy the lightweight end of the spectrum, requiring some time and a careful food pairing. But in 2018 all they need is a corkscrew and a glass.
For years, Gigondas was a savvy wine collector’s secret: near-Châteauneuf-level complexity and richness, at a substantial discount. But even as its name has spread and prices have crept up, the price-value ratio in Gigondas remains unusually good. As Vinous’s Josh Raynolds put it after tasting several hundred cuvées recently, “in the context of the world’s best wines, almost every Gigondas delivers solid and even remarkable value.”
Maranges is the Côte d’Or’s forgotten appellation. In the past it was known for its unrefined, tannic wines — Burgundians used to call it “le medecin” (the doctor) because some secretly blended it into thinner Côte d’Or reds to bulk up weak vintages.
Tucked away in a valley off to the west of the Côte d’Or, Auxey-Duresses is often passed over for famous nearby names such as Meursault and Volnay. But hot summers have turned these towns on the margins of ripeness into sources for real value.