When we first met Gautier Desvignes he was 12. We happened across the Desvignes family domaine in 1998, during our year spent living in Burgundy. Having been fans for over two decades, it warms our hearts to see the Propriété Desvignes begin to receive the acclaim it deserves.
For years we’ve searched for a source in Chambolle-Musigny. The town has both a stellar reputation and miniscule size (population 300), and it hasn’t been easy to find a domaine without existing importing relationships. But this spring we finally stumbled upon the Domaine Boursot, a humble family of winemakers right in the heart of Chambolle.
Burgundies aren’t always the most accessible of wines. The classification system is confusing, many bottles need cellaring, food pairing can be tricky, and there’s often a hefty entry fee. So we’re are always on the lookout for entry-level Burgundy — wine that drinks well young and that won’t break the bank.
There’s not much left hidden in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. A mere 30 miles long, the region is home to many of the world’s most famous vineyards. Limited supply and increasing demand mean even its most obscure corners receive visitors from around the world.
The 2018 vintage was a warm one in Burgundy. The grapes were ripe and full, and the harvest began in September in 86 degree heat. We visited France around harvest time in 2018, and wondered aloud whether the wines would be warm and missing balance. At least in the Maconnais, we needn’t have worried. The […]
Experienced collectors often say that Burgundy’s best values come from a great winemaker’s simpler wines. Today’s winemaker, Michel Gros, is world famous for his exquisite, high-end red Burgundies – several older vintages of his finer cuvées are listed here.
This April, during a tasting at Domaine des Varoilles with owner Gilbert Hammel, he left the room suddenly, saying “I think I have something you might be interested in.” He returned with a bottle of 2014 Gevrey-Chambertin, but a cuvée we didn’t recognize from his price list or vineyard map.
Pouilly-Fuissé was once the darling of American wine drinkers. Fun to pronounce, rich and voluptuous in texture, it was among the first high-end French wines to gain wide appeal in the US.
The Domaine Ravaut is the ultimate local wine source. For 120 years the family has cultivated a loyal clientele of friends, neighbors, and workers at the stone quarry in their tiny hamlet of Ladoix. Today winemaker Vincent Ravaut still sells over half their wine to folks who walk in the front door.
These days cellaring wine has become a rarity. Not all wines are meant to age, and indeed the wine world’s style continues to shift toward early maturity. But for wine that rewards patience, the transformation of bottle aging is nothing short of magic.
Of all the white Burgundy we import, none is a purer expression of Chardonnay than Nicolas Maillet’s classic Maconnais cuvées. If the Côte d’Or offers Burgundies of pedigree and refinement, then the Maconnais offers Burgundies of vibrancy and joy.
Vignerons: From meticulously cultivated old vines and with careful use of oak, the Perrachon creates remarkably delicious and refined cuvées. Perrachon’s reds are honest, complex, delicious red Burgundies; they just happen to be made from Gamay. Appellation: Beaujolais is best known for the Beaujolais Nouveau, a cheap insipid red rushed to market a month after […]
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.
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.
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.