Classy, Bold, Delicious Sub-$50 Red Burgundy

Climate change has made most winemakers’ jobs more difficult, but in some sectors it’s brought more good than harm. One area basking in the abundant sun these days is the Côte Chalonnaise, a sub-region of Burgundy just south of the Côte d’Or. Vignerons here do have to manage drought, powerful storms, and other new challenges, but the struggle for ripeness is largely a thing of the past.

Bold, Delicious, “Terrific” Chianti Riserva

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.” Their organic vines from Radda-in-Chianti produced exquisitely balanced wines, full of depth and richness but also tension and lift.

Vibrant, Sophisticated Loire Valley Chenin Blanc

Nicolas Paget continues to produce excellent, dry, delicious Chenin Blanc from his organically farmed vineyard in the central Loire Valley. The Loire is an epicenter of natural winemaking in France, and Paget’s style is restrained, clean, and vibrant. We find chenin blanc marries particularly well with the earthy complexity that comes from organic farming, and Paget’s wines are obvious successes.

Dark, Floral, Delicious Northern Rhône Syrah

The Northern Rhône Valley is best known for its syrahs from Côte Rôtie, Hermitage, and Cornas – magnificent wines that require diligent cellaring. In their youth they can be finicky and underwhelming, but given time they’re some of the most impressive and complex red wines made anywhere in the world. For those with a dearth of cellar space or patience (no shame) but a taste for Northern syrah, we submit Crozes-Hermitage.

Effortlessly Drinkable Sub-$30 Red Burgundy

For centuries the Ravaut family has made traditional red and white Burgundies from their small domaine just north of Beaune. Their little-known hamlet of Ladoix sits at the junction between the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. It’s one of the corners of Burgundy where winemakers will somewhat sheepishly admit that, aside from frosts and hailstorms (a big aside), climate change has improved their wines.

2022 Premier Cru Burgundy: Precision, Elegance, and Value

On Wednesday we visited 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. His care and precision in the vineyards and the cellar was on display this week, and the results speak for themselves.

Chiseled, Succulent 2022 Chablis Premier Cru under $50

We tasted yesterday at the Domaine Gautheron in Chablis. A winemaker’s first task these days – in Burgundy, but particularly in Chablis – is to achieve freshness, and there’s nobody we know better than Cyril. Jasper Morris agrees, writing “Cyril Gautheron is a superb producer making wines in a crisp cool classically Chablis style, which is now really quite hard to achieve in these warmer seasons.”

“Sleek, Vibrant, Utterly Delicious” New 2022 Red Burgundy

On Monday we tasted with Pierre Gros, winemaker at the domaine Michel Gros in Vosne-Romanée. The baton has passed gradually and smoothly at this domaine, and while his father Michel and his 45 years of experience are always available, Pierre has unmistakably taken the reins. Neal Martin writes “I detect a change in tack rather than charting a totally different course,” and we tend to agree. If his first few vintages at the helm are any indication, the future at Gros may be even brighter than the past.