Old-Vine Gevrey-Chambertin: “Velvety, Super Rich, Outstanding”
Each town in Burgundy produces wines of a distinct character. Some are dark and brooding, others are lightweight and ethereal – but the boldest and most intense is Gevrey-Chambertin.
“Quintessential” Chablis: 90 point Unoaked White Burgundy. $26
White Burgundy makes an excellent “by the glass” wine for your house. It pairs with a wide range of foods, and with no food at all — an essential component to a well-stocked cellar. Think of it as wine’s Swiss Army Knife, useful in far more often than predicted.
Bold 2015 St-Emilion: Rich, Muscular 92pt Bordeaux
Most of the world’s Merlot is undistinguished. Its default expression is a soft, rounded wine lacking tannin, acidity, and character. “Global” merlot is smooth and easy, but neither distinctive nor particularly interesting.
Regional Trios: Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône
The best way to learn a region is to taste its wines. We’ve collected four new 3-bottle samplers from Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Northern Rhône and the Southern Rhône. They’re all $125 and include East Coast shipping.
Unoaked $32 Premier Cru White Burgundy: Vibrant and Pure
Chablis is a singular place. Its combination of deep stony soils and cool climate exists nowhere else on earth. These factors produce a similarly unique wine — mineral and crisp, pure and clean.
Rhone Valley Legends: 90-95pt Gems
______________________ 1. Tunnel Cornas 2017 Wine Advocate 91-94 “rich, velvety texture,” “crushed stone, Christmas spices, violets and cassis” Vinous 92 “ Juicy and broad in the mouth, showing very good depth,” “supple tannins build on the finish” Ansonia Retail: $59 2. Tunnel Cornas 2016 Wine Advocate 92 “Can a Cornas be too easy to drink?” […]
“Textbook” Morey-St-Denis, 91 points: “Succulent,” “Lovely,” “Outstanding”
The town of Morey-St-Denis exemplifies the small scale of Burgundian winemaking. Wedged between two more famous neighbors, this village of 680 people has a vineyard surface of under 4 tenths of a square mile. It’s delicate, delicious, classic red Burgundy — there just isn’t much of it to go around.
Inky, Old-Vine Beaujolais: “for Drinking, not Contemplating”
We work with many winemakers with low profiles, but Jean-Marc Monnet might be the least visible. He has no roadside, no website, and no other American importer. We’ve gotten lost trying to find his domaine two years in a row. Jean-Marc himself is as humble as his winery is hidden, but the wines themselves are a wholly different story.
Stunning, “Opulent” 93-point Grand Cru White Burgundy | (Plus Limited Valmur Vertical)
The wines of Chablis are known for their limited oak, piercing minerality, and crystalline elegance. Our favorites are often mid-range bottles that combine everyday pricing and with great energy and beautiful precision.
New $16 Syrah-Blend: Fruit Jam, Lavender, Earth
For the careful shopper, the Languedoc can be an abundant resource. There’s still plenty of bad wine made in the vast region, but if you make good choices, $16 will take you farther here than just about anywhere else. Need proof? Today’s wine.
New Sampler: Best of White Burgundy Trio
Perched on a gently-sloping hill twenty minutes south of Beaune lie white Burgundy’s three gems: Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, and Meursault. The precise mixture of clay and limestone beneath these three neighbors is uniquely and perfectly suited to Chardonnay.
Sophisticated New Cru Bourgeois: $24 Red Bordeaux
Bordeaux is full of expensive wines that need cellaring — here’s a humble, inexpensive, delicious wine with loads of character that’s ready to drink.
New $25 Red Burgundy from 100-year-old Vines
From meticulously cultivated old vines and careful use of oak, the Perrachon creates remarkably delicious and refined red Burgundies. The domaine is among the only Beaujolais producers reviewed (and praised) by both Josh Raynolds (Vinous) and Allen Meadows (Burghound). Perrachon’s reds are honest, complex, delicious red Burgundies; they just happen to be made from Gamay.
“Exceptionally Rich” New Chassagne-Montrachet
Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet produce the world’s finest dry white wines. In production for nearly two thousand years, the vineyards surrounding these villages produce wines of different characters — Puligny a bit more serious, Chassagne a bit friendlier.
New $22 Syrah Blend: Lavender & Blackberries
Today’s wine is an overperforming Syrah from the Languedoc. It packs far more punch and balance than the average wine at its price point. Here are the details: