The 2015 red Burgundies have been great successes. Warm weather, small berries, and low yields made for a vintage that many critics have called one of the best in decades.
Two Mixed Cases: 2015 Red Burgundies (up to $120 off)
Category: Burgundy
Exquisite Premier Cru White Burgundy: 2015 Chablis, 91 points
Chablis continues to be one of the best bargains in the wine world. Though the past few years have brought devastating frosts and hailstorms to the region and the available quantities have plummeted, winemakers have only gently raised prices. Where village level white Burgundies from the Côte d’Or quickly push past $50, fine Premier Cru Chablis can still be had…
Bursting 2015 Red Burgundy: Cranberry and Violets. $16
Jean-Marc Monnet is one of those winemakers an importer dreams about finding: no website, no press reviews, no American importer, not even a road sign. Located in Juliénas in the Beaujolais, Monnet’s wines are pure gamay -- clean, juicy, and bursting. They’re vibrant expressions of the lush rolling hills from which they come.
“Rich and Fleshy”: Affordable 2014 Red Burgundy from Michel Gros.
The most important thing to know about a wine from Burgundy is the location of the vines, but knowing the winemaker is a close second. We’ve had disappointing bottles from famous Grand Crus and brilliant wines from lesser terroirs. Often a highly skilled producer can create unusually good wine from humble origins.
2015 Grand Cru White Burgundy: 1,200 Years of Extraordinary Wine
Only two white wine terroirs in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or hold the status of Grand Cru. Montrachet and its satellites, in the south between Chassagne and Puligny, are the more famous. The other is Corton-Charlemagne, perched on a large hill marking the midpoint of the Côte d’Or, so named after it was made a gift from the Holy Roman Emperor.
2015 Juliénas Returns: Inky, Delicious, “Gulpable” Red Burgundy. $16
The Gamay grape has had a turbulent history. In 1395 Duke Philip the Bold concluded Gamay was “evil and disloyal,” and banished it from the northern half of Burgundy. For the past six centuries it has found refuge in Beaujolais, where it produces mostly simple reds -- fruit-forward and inexpensive.
Elegant, Old-Vine, No Oak White Burgundy. $25
Chablis remains among the best bargains in the wine world. Its wines are always more affordable than their counterparts in the Côte d’Or, a result of damage to the name from imitation “California Chablis” of decades ago. Drawing from the distinctive Kimmeridgean terroir and a tradition of subtle or no oak, the winemakers of Chablis create some of the purest…
Rich, Elegant White Burgundy from a Hidden Source.
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.
Elegance and Richness in White Burgundy: Old-Vine Pouilly-Fuissé
Excepting the famous towns surrounding Montrachet, the richest and most luxurious white Burgundies come from Pouilly-Fuissé. Grown an hour to the south of the Côte d’Or in the Maconnais, the wines of Pouilly-Fuissé show Chardonnay’s soft and opulent side. When carelessly made, Pouilly-Fuissé can be heavy and flat; but from a careful producer it can be a revelation.
Balanced, Refreshing, Everyday $22 White Burgundy
We enjoy the challenge of pairing food and wine. We’re enthusiastic home cooks chez Wilcox, and experimenting with flavors is one of our favorite pastimes. But it’s also nice to have a few wines that pair well with everything — a “house wine” that you can get out and not think too much about.
91-Point Old-Vine Red Burgundy from Morey-St-Denis.
There has been no shortage of ink spilled about the 2015 red Burgundies, and indeed the praise is warranted. But it might mean that 2014, a truly excellent vintage, won’t receive nearly enough hype. We are stocking up on 2014s, and we encourage fellow Burgundy enthusiasts to do the same.
Elegant Gevrey-Chambertin from 70-Year-Old Vines.
Gevrey-Chambertin is the largest appellation in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. Because of its clay rich soils, its wines are similarly grand. Known for power and longevity, Gevrey-Chambertin shows dark, intense fruit and a sturdy tannic structure.
Pure and Precise: Sparkling Pinot Noir from Burgundy. $25
Most wine buyers think Pinot Noir produces only red wine, whether light and elegant or rich and fruity. But in fact the juice of Pinot Noir grapes is clear. The color of red Pinot Noir comes from soaking the grape skins in the juice -- press the juice off the skins and ferment it on its own, and you get…
“Delicious, Velvety” Five-Year-Old Red Burgundy from Michel Gros.
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 dark, delicious, classic red Burgundy — there just isn’t much of it to go around.
Golden, Floral, Opulent: 2014 Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet.
The hillside of Montrachet produces the world’s finest dry white wine. In production for nearly two thousand years, the vineyard straddles the border between the towns of Puligny and Chassagne. Each produces wine of a different character, and though their terroirs meet in the famous plot, there are genuine differences in the extraordinary wines from both villages.