In Burgundy as in real estate, location is everything. Today’s wine comes from a vineyard classified Premier Cru but surrounded by five Grand Crus. It sits along the famous stretch of Grand Crus between Morey-St-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin, and many believe its premier cru classification has as much to do with centuries-ago politics as with terroir. […]
Credit for the discovery of sparkling wine is a matter of dispute. The monks of Limoux in the South of France claim 1531 as the date of genesis; the Champenois, with their stories of widows and Benedictine monks, have certainly won the publicity war; and even the Brits, who invented glass thick enough to contain the pressure, stake a claim.
We usually go to the Domaine Pierre Amiot for our Morey-St-Denis. Amiot has fantastic properties around the town, and when the vintage and maturity line up they can be exceptionally fine. But today’s suggestion comes from Amiot’s childhood friend and schoolmate, Michel Gros.
Gevrey-Chambertin is at the bold, masculine end of the red Burgundy spectrum. Gevreys are still complex, beautiful Pinot Noir, but they show a rugged richness that makes them meatier than most of their neighbors.
Harvest is in full swing in Burgundy. Yesterday we visited the Côte d’Or, where the air is alive with the fragrance of grapes and the chatter of busy harvesters. Most of this year’s white grape harvest has finished, and the grapes have begun their journey to becoming wine.
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 the hamlet of Ladoix. Though they have expanded their reach in recent years, they still sell more than half of their wine to folks who walk in the front door.
The Beaujolais has always had a turbulent relationship with the rest of Burgundy. To many in the Côte d’Or, 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.
Many of our winemakers are multi-generational. Some stretch back for centuries, others are more recent père et fils (or fille) operations. At their best they maintain a family’s hard won knowledge of its land.
Of the seven Chablis vineyards classified as Grand Cru, most consider Les Clos to be the finest. Taken as a share of the region’s production, Les Clos accounts for only 0.6%. But as Master of Wine and Burgundy expert Clive Coates says, it is “Chablis at its very, very finest.”
Thomas Morey is a master of Chassagne-Montrachet. His properties are among the finest in the town, including magnificent white Burgundies at village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru levels. We’ve been thrilled to welcome his 2016 Chassagne-Montrachet and 2016 Chassagne 1er cru “Embrazées” to our lineup.
For centuries Champagne has been a symbol of refinement and class. It’s sophistication in a glass, the pick of high rollers from Gatsby to Churchill. And for the most serious aficionados, Blanc de Blancs is the best of the best. Made from only white grapes, its Champagne at its most elegant.
The villages of Puligny and Chassagne sit side by side, sources for the world’s finest white wine. The famous vineyard of Montrachet straddles their border, and while both towns produce extraordinary Grand Crus from their respective halves, as you leave Montrachet in either direction the styles diverge.
It’s not every day we add a Burgundy producer to our portfolio. Burgundy is a small region, with well-trodden paths -- many winemakers are exclusively represented or have very little wine. But every once in a while the stars align and a top notch producer falls into our lap.
We are hardly alone in our enthusiasm for the 2015 red Burgundies. The hype began even before the harvest, and critics now consider it one of the finest vintages in recent memory.
Most wines made from Pinot Noir are red, whether light and elegant or rich and fruity. But in fact the juice of Pinot Noir grapes is clear. The color of Pinot Noir rouge comes from soaking the grape skins in the juice -- press the juice off the skins and ferment it without them, and you get a wine that’s…