Chablis remains one of the best bargains in the wine world. Though the past few years have brought devastating frosts and hailstorms to the region and available quantities have plummeted, winemakers have only gently raised prices. Where village level white Burgundies from the Côte d’Or quickly push past $60, fine Premier Cru Chablis can still be had for under $40.
The best food-wine pairings enhance both elements. Oysters and Chablis, blue cheese and Sauternes, tomato sauce and Sangiovese — these classic pairings have been around so long for a reason. And among the most traditional (and successful) is steak and red wine. Bordeaux may be more famous for its marriage with steak, but we think […]
Côtes du Rhône is one of the world’s most widely recognizable wine brands. There’s a wide range of styles out there, and we have favorites in many camps. For rustic and rugged we like the Domaine les Goubert. For refined and serious, we like the Domaine Malmont. But for easygoing, fruit-forward, and effortlessly drinkable, it’s hard to beat the Domaine Coulange.
White Burgundy is among the food-friendliest wines around. It’s possible to go really specific with the pairing — match a perfectly aged Meursault, open for an hour, with veal medallions in just the right amount cream, a hint of lemon, carefully sauteed mushrooms, a sprig of parsley… you get the idea.
Much like Volnay and Pommard we wrote about recently, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St-Georges are neighboring towns with opposing characters. Vosne tends towards elegance, finesse, and spice; Nuits towards richness, more structure, and bolder flavors. In the hands of a talented winemaker, both can be superb.
Pascal Bardoux is a quiet, pensive winemaker. In Champagne, land of glitzy tasting rooms and glossy brochures, his humble demeanor and unassuming style distinguish him. Our tastings together are long and measured — each wine has time to develop in the glass, and a discussion follows with precise references to rare fruits and other scents.
The idea of terroir dominates the wines of Burgundy. From a single grape planted across 30 miles of small towns comes an astonishing diversity of wines. Cellar work, weather, harvest times, and other factors play a role in the final product, but in Burgundy, the place (terroir) is king.
Burgundy is in short supply these days. Seven consecutive short vintages, increasing demand from international buyers, and a weak dollar mean that even when you can find them, white Burgundies are noticeably more expensive than a few years ago.
The Grand Crus on the Hill of Corton are some of the longest lived wines in Burgundy. The top names like “Bressandes,” Renard,” and “Clos du Roi” feature sturdy tannins and intense, robust mouthfeel. Many require years to begin to show their stripes, and some are still in fine form several decades on.
Now six years on from the growing season, the 2012 vintage has become a favorite among French wine drinkers. In the Southern Rhône, a dry, sunny summer made for happy vignerons and delicious wines. Nature brought Burgundy a far more difficult vintage — everything from frost to hail to inconsistent flowering made vignerons’ lives difficult — but an even more successful one.
Two main distinctions separate Champagne and other French sparkling wine. First, terroir: Champagne’s unique chalky soils contribute to the singular flavors of its wines. Second, time spent on the lees: Champenois must age their wines for at least 15 months on the lees, adding complexity and depth.
Beaujolais has always had a turbulent relationship with the rest of Burguntdy. To many in the Côte d’Or, the Beaujolais represents overmarketed and undercrafted wine. But in recent years the Beaujolais has undergone a renaissance, as the prominence of Nouveau recedes and more vignerons make ageworthy wine.
The Côte d’Or produces nearly all of Burgundy’s most famous wines. It’s split into the Côte de Nuits (famous for its reds), and the Côte de Beaune (famous for its whites); if you’ve got an expensive, ageworthy Burgundy, it’s almost certainly from the Côte d’Or.
Jacqueline André is unusually passionate about her vines. She refers to one plot of grenache planted in 1877 as her grandes dames; they were a gift from her grandfather, and today she treats them with extreme care and affection. The ancient rows are hardly straight, but the fruit they produce is of the highest quality,
It’s hard to go wrong with the 2015 red Burgundies. Our favorite reviewers, those with restraint and objectivity, have all been effusive. “One of the half-dozen top vintages for red Burgundy of the past generation,” writes Steven Tanzer of Vinous. “A genuinely great vintage,” opines Allen Meadows (Burghound).