Our pantry-stocking wine of two weeks ago sold out in a few hours, and we’ve had lots of interest in a second option. As luck would have it, we just received a restock from our offsite warehouse, including some excellent everyday drinkers.
Morey-St-Denis is a tiny Burgundian town, home to a mere 680 people. Forever ceding the spotlight to its two famous neighbors — Gevrey-Chambertin to the north and Chambolle-Musigny to the south — Morey-St-Denis is nonetheless a source for exquisite red Burgundy.
The Domaine Perrachon has made wine in Juliénas since the 1870s. This small family Beaujolais domaine has caught the press’s eye, garnering acclaim and high scores from Vinous, Wine Advocate, and Burghound. Their style ranges from simple, fruity Beaujolais, to serious, ageworthy red Burgundy.
The Fattoria Poggerino is the lone Italian source in our portfolio. Their careful organic viticulture and unusually pure wines have vaulted them to the top of most lists of winemakers in Chianti. Vinous writes of Poggerino’s “remarkable purity and nuance,” and Rajat Parr calls their wines “excellent” and “some of the purest expressions of the grape in Italy.”
“Oaked” or “unoaked” sounds like a yes-no question, but it really is a range. Most of the wines we import spend some time in oak, but the strength of its influence depends on the age and size of the barrel, the chauffe (how heavily the inside is charred), and time in the barrel.
The town of Maragnes is an underrated source for red Burgundy. Located at the very southern end of the Côte d’Or, it’s often left off regional maps, and its reputation is for rusticity over refinement.
Where much red Burgundy tends towards subtleness and finesse, the Varoilles style is noticeably more intense. They harvest relatively late, and use a long cold soak to extract loads of flavor and texture from their grapes.
Denis Basset is a charming, energetic, fast talking young winemaker with a knack for channeling his terroir. His organic cuvées from Crozes-Hermitage are popular in Parisian restaurants, and it’s easy to see why — they’re balanced, honest, refreshing, and focused.
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.
Like most of the 2017 red Burgundies, this is simply delightful young wine. It’s ripe and punchy with attractive, crackling tannins and a pleasant mineral finish. Jancis Robinson found “enjoyable redcurrant juiciness,” and “fine, balanced tannins.”
One of the surprise hits in our portfolio last year was the dry Alsatian Riesling from Domaine Gross. It embodies everything we’ve been writing about dry Riesling for years — affordable, refreshing, complex, and endlessly food-friendly.
Most of us are getting better acquainted with our pantry these days, stocking up on pasta, canned goods, toilet paper, and other necessities. We won’t go as far as to claim that wine belongs on an “essentials” list, but we’ll put it in the category of “strongly prefer not to go without.”
Cyril Gautheron makes Chablis in its most stripped down form. His pure Chardonnay cuvées are intense and full, but draw their substance from their fruit instead of oak. They show minerality, depth, ripeness, and gorgeous texture.
Red Burgundies aren’t known for their heartiness. Pinot Noir is a delicate, thin-skinned varietal — light in color and body. It usually displays subtlety over strength, polish over power.
White Burgundy is among the food-friendliest wines around. It works at the high end – an ageworthy Meursault, decanted for an hour, with veal medallions in a cream sauce, a hint of lemon, carefully sauteed mushrooms, a sprig of parsley… you get the idea.