Red Burgundy Verticals
Drinking multiple vintages of the same wine is an excellent way to get to know a wine. In Burgundy, vintages play an important role in the character of a wine, and tasting the same wine in vertical be an educational (and delicious) experience.
Of course there are two vintage variables with every bottle: the time elapsed from the harvest year, and the patterns of that particular vintage itself. In other words, it’s impossible simultaneously to drink two wines at the same age from different vintages. But in our eyes that only adds another variable of intrigue.
So we’ve collected some red Burgundy vertical trios — the same wine in 3 vintages. Quantities are limited.
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 | Roger and Julie Belland are 5th and 6th… (+) Roger and Julie Belland are 5th and 6th generation growers in Santenay – their wines are perennial favorites among our readers, offering early drinking and friendly pricetags. Belland’s 2019s are magnificent, as classy and supple as anything they’ve produced.
The 2019 Maranges shows ripe red cherry Pinot fruit in the nose and excellent volume in the mouth (but like many 2019s, without any heaviness). Though it has less complexity than its neighbors to the north, it is a nimble wine that will be attractive in a wide range of settings, including all by itself at the end of a work day. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $35 | |
 | Named for winemaker Philippe Chautard’s grandfather, the cuvée JB… (+) Named for winemaker Philippe Chautard’s grandfather, the cuvée JB Chautard is as close to Champagne as we’ve had outside the region. It’s an 80/20 blend of chardonnay and aligoté, fermented in barrels then left on the lees for a remarkable five years.
The Wine Advocate’s resident Champagne expert William Kelley calls the JB Chautard cuvée “a persuasive case for taking [Crémant de Bourgogne] more seriously.” He found “an elegantly fine mousse, good cut and texture and a sapid, complex finish.” The nose shows brioche, nuts, and buttered bread. The mouth is fine, delicate, and very long. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $35 | |
 | The wines of Margaux are prized for their… (+) The wines of Margaux are prized for their elegance and perfume, and our find here delivers both subtlety of fruit and richness of palate. The Chateau du Courneau is the second wine of Chateau Haut Breton la Rigaudiere, a well respected Margaux vineyard which Jane Anson MW describes as “excellent and reliable.” It’s a blend of about 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The wine sees 70% new oak for a year, but has more than enough stuffing to withstand the wood.
We found the nose beautifully balanced, with the oak already well integrated. The nose shows notes of raspberry jam, wild dark cherries, and violets; the mouth has beautifully fine tannins with a long, very elegant finish. This will drink well with a steak and a decanter later this year. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $35 | |
 | Varoilles is best known (and deservedly so) for… (+) Varoilles is best known (and deservedly so) for their terrific village-level and premier cru Gevrey-Chambertins. They only began making a Bourgogne-level wine two years ago, but it’s an exciting addition to their lineup. And in 2018, a year of near-record ripeness, the wine is unusually good.
The nose is very dark and spiced, with briary blackberry fruit, notes of woods, cinnamon, smoke, and a hint of ginger. The mouth is bold and smooth with a solid texture laid under intense masculine fruit. It’s not as long or as deep as a Gevrey, but there’s far more material than most Bourgogne-level wines. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $35 | |
 | The 2021 Red Burgundies have a reputation as… (+) The 2021 Red Burgundies have a reputation as inconsistent and tricky, but someone forgot to tell Gautier. His lineup of 2021 Givrys is outstanding top to bottom, with each cuvée perfectly balanced and crafted – ripe plummy fruit, gorgeous floral aromatics, and sleek, polished textures. William Kelley credits the improvements in Gautier’s wines to the use of manure for fertilizer, a more careful oak regime, lighter filtration, and longer elevage.
The Givry 2021 is open, delicious, and lovely. Gautier dialed back the extraction for this cuvée, and it perfectly matches the intensity of the fruit. The nose is red fruited with cherries and raspberries; the mouth is delicate and silky with mid-to-low tannin and an easy finish. No patience here is required, just a few glasses and a few friends. If accessible red Burgundy is on your shopping list, grab this and cross it off. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $35 | |
 | The Boursot brothers passed the difficult vintage test… (+) The Boursot brothers passed the difficult vintage test with flying colors, extracting their wines perfectly and producing cuvées of balance and elegance. And no wine in their lineup was more successful than their humble Bourgogne rouge.
The Boursots decided that the correct amount of oaking for this wine in 2021 was… zero. Raised entirely in stainless steel, their 2021 Bourgogne is accessible, floral, simply delicious Pinot Noir. The nose shows cherry, plum and white flowers; the mouth is fresh and chalky with raspberry notes and low tannin. The dry, classy finish ties it up into a neat package. It’s a perfect house red Burgundy, and one that will pair with everything and nothing at all. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $35 | |
 | Of the 249 estates given Cru Bourgeois distinction… (+) Of the 249 estates given Cru Bourgeois distinction, Malleret one of only 14 elevated to “Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.” The blend is roughly 60/40 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon, and the wine punches well above its weight.
The nose is deep and intense without a hint of evolution – look for notes of blackberry, leather, and cocoa. The mouth shows slightly softened tannins (but with enough left to keep it clean-cut), excellent concentration, and a perfectly coated, surprisingly long finish. Neal Martin of Vinous, a notoriously tough grader, gave 91 points, finding an “intense bouquet” with “superb delineation” on the palate, concluding “this is definitely worth seeking out.”
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 | Denis Basset is a young winemaker based in… (+) Denis Basset is a young winemaker based in Crozes-Hermitage, recently included by Decanter and the Guide Hachette in a dynamic new generation of Crozes-Hermitage winemakers. His plot in Saint-Joseph covers less than an acre, and bears the name Abimes de l?Enfer (the ?Abyss of Hell?) for its vertiginous slope.
Basset calls it his garden: a minuscule plot producing only 200 cases per year. It?s always one of our favorite cuv?es from him, but in the near-perfect 2015 vintage it?s nothing short of extraordinary. The nose shows spices, violets and intense black pepper; the mouth shows blackberry jam with notes of roasted meat, licorice, and toast. The flavors are intense and distilled, a wine of remarkable complexity packaged into a sleek, sophisticated core. At only 13% alcohol it?s mouthfilling and chewy, but without an ounce of heaviness. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $36 | |
 | Originally part of Gros’s regular Hautes-Côtes, this new… (+) Originally part of Gros’s regular Hautes-Côtes, this new cuvée is from 30 year old vines on a particularly sunny hillside. This plot always turned out silkier wine than the other Hautes-Côtes cuvées, and so Michel decided to bottle separately beginning last year.
The 2016 Au Vallon caught our attention immediately during barrel tastings last year, and since then the wine press has rung in with agreement. The Guide Hachette awarded a star, citing its “power without roughness.” Jancis Robinson’s reviewers founding “a very good attack” and “lots of punch,” and called it a “deliciously complete wine.”
We’ve been even more impressed since this arrived in the states in December. The nose is ripe and red, with notes of pretty flowers and raspberries. The mouth is sunny and bright, showing low acidity and pleasant carefree notes of cherries and cinnamon. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $36 | |
 | Located at the northern end of the sprawling… (+) Located at the northern end of the sprawling Languedoc, winemakers Pierre Jéquier and Blandine Chauchat craft blends of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan that perfectly reflect their untamed, rugged landscape. Year in and year out, they manage to find balance and finesse in their warm region.
The 2017 Calades is a marriage of ruggedness and finesse. It’s young and inky, with a broad mouthfeel and fine, pretty tannins. The blend is 80/20 Syrah-Grenache, so the fruits are blue and peppery, with notes of violets, earth and spice. This should improve for 3-5 years, but with roast lamb and a decanter it's delicious today. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $36 | |
 | In the last decade the winemaker has modernized… (+) In the last decade the winemaker has modernized the house style, converting her opulent, palate-coating Chassagnes into something sleeker and more modern. Clive Coates MW considers her wines “not merely very good but fine;” Jasper Morris MW calls her top cuvées “spectacular” and “impressive.”
Look for pretty lemon and white flowers in the nose, very low oak, and attractive chalky notes. The mouth is round and lovely, with plenty of depth and excellent freshness. Jasper Morris found it “Fresh and attractively reductive…. Fresh energy, lime acidity at the back, good tension, delicious in its style. Good length too.” (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $36 | |
| In the last decade the winemaker has modernized… (+) In the last decade the winemaker has modernized the house style, converting her opulent, palate-coating Chassagnes into something sleeker and more modern. Clive Coates MW considers her wines “not merely very good but fine;” Jasper Morris MW calls her top cuvées “spectacular” and “impressive.”
Look for pretty lemon and white flowers in the nose, very low oak, and attractive chalky notes. The mouth is round and lovely, with plenty of depth and excellent freshness. Jasper Morris found it “Fresh and attractively reductive…. Fresh energy, lime acidity at the back, good tension, delicious in its style. Good length too.” (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $36 | |
 | Bohrmann is a master of careful oaking. Her… (+) Bohrmann is a master of careful oaking. Her terrific cuvées from Meursault, Puligny, and St-Aubin channel each town’s terroir with honesty and precision – just enough wood to support the wine, but not enough to get in the way.
The Bourgogne blanc 2020 is smooth, elegant, floral, and concentrated. In the nose it reminded us of Meursault, and a bit of research confirmed Meursault and Puligny as the neighborhood for the regional-level vines. The mouth is cool, impressively long, and vibrant. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $36 | |
 | Sanzay's wines are pure Cabernet Franc, and fit… (+) Sanzay's wines are pure Cabernet Franc, and fit modern Loire style — small batch, organic, limited oak, concerned with balance and freshness rather than extraction and muscle. They use all wild yeasts, neither fine nor filter, and produce complex, natural expressions of the charming central Loire.
The vines here are nearly 60 years old, giving small yields and very intense fruit. This cuvée spends more than a year in barrel, and the resulting wine is serious, elegant, and ageworthy. We’d give this 2-3 years before trying it, and would love to try it in 10. The oak in the 2017 has already started to melt into the fruit, adding hints of mint and thyme to the dark, masculine fruit. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $38 | |
 | When we started buying from Gerard Thomas most… (+) When we started buying from Gerard Thomas most writers saw St Aubin as a sideshow to the celebrated white Burgundy towns of the Côte de Beaune. Whether it’s a changing climate or merely recognition of what has been there all along, today’s writers put St. Aubin at a comparable quality level; yet the wines remain more affordable.
The nose of the 2019 is delightful, with subtle notes of clove and spice, a lovely complement to the ripe citrus fruit in the mouth. It persists on the palate longer than does the Bourgogne, and the overall impression is one of finesse more than punch. Julia Harding MW called it “generous and creamy.”
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 | Charles Frey (formerly Mersiol) is a terrific Demeter-certified… (+) Charles Frey (formerly Mersiol) is a terrific Demeter-certified biodynamic source in Alsace. The family has made wine in Dambach-la-Ville since 1709, and today makes excellent wines of many colors. The Frey Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardive (late harvest) 2017 offers a beautiful floral bouquet of apricot, peach, and mandarin orange.
In the mouth it is sweet, but the sugar levels are on the order of fifty grams — about half the level of many other dessert wines. What is more, the underlying acidity prevents any cloying sweetness. Get this out at the end of a fine meal and it will surprise and delight your guests. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $38 | |
 | The Fontaine-Saint-Martin vineyard is named for a nearby… (+) The Fontaine-Saint-Martin vineyard is named for a nearby Cistercian abbey that dates to 1127. The hillside of vines was in production for centuries, and Michel has made wine there for over 40 years. The Fontaine St-Martin plot is indeed special — soil samples revealed the parcel contains the same mix of marl, clay, and limestone found on the Hill of Corton.
Neal Martin on the 2017: "a fragrant, rose-petal-tinged bouquet. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannin, moderate depth and more black than red fruit toward the chalky-textured finish. This is the best of Gros’s Hautes-Côtes." (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $38 | |
 | The Marsanne varietal produces rich, exotic, tropical notes… (+) The Marsanne varietal produces rich, exotic, tropical notes of pears and peaches; the Roussanne brings freshness, savoriness, and a crisp minerality to the blend. Together they are an expressive, generous, captivating combination.
The first thing we look for in a white Rhône blend is freshness – without it the wines easily slip into flatness – and indeed today’s wine is expertly balanced. The nose is bright and clean with citrus, pear, melon, and no toast. The palate is juicy and mouthwatering, with orchard fruit, straw and nectarine.
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 | For his 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons, Romain… (+) For his 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons, Romain uses an elevage of ⅓ barrels, ⅓ foudre, and ⅓ stainless tank, and it suits the vineyard very well. The vines here are between 55 and 60 years old, and they produce a nicely balanced wine, with good concentration and well-supported ripeness.
Jasper Morris found the bouquet “both stylish and typical, stones with lemon zest.” Burghound praised its “cool and airy aromas,” its “intense and attractively sleek” flavors, and its “lovely minerality.” The Burgundy pricing bubble still hasn’t floated to Chablis, and we think this is tremendously polished sub-$40 white Burgundy. Enjoy this all fall and into cocktail party season.
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 | Romain Collet’s 2021s are terrific, pulsing with crisp… (+) Romain Collet’s 2021s are terrific, pulsing with crisp minerality and beautiful tension. Romain raises his “Forêts” cuvée in cement eggs to give it a bit of extra weight from time on the lees, and the resulting texture is a perfect balance between depth and zip. We found notes of lemon peel, oyster shell, yellow fruit and salt air.
Burghound loved this cuvée, awarding 90-93 points and finding “white peach, sea breeze… fine volume…powerful, even muscular, medium-weight flavors that flash ample minerality.” This is delicious, dynamic, and (we think) a real bargain – we just wish there were more to go around. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $38 | |
 | The 2021 Red Burgundies have a reputation as… (+) The 2021 Red Burgundies have a reputation as inconsistent and tricky, but someone forgot to tell Gautier. His lineup of 2021 Givrys is outstanding top to bottom, with each cuvée perfectly balanced and crafted – ripe plummy fruit, gorgeous floral aromatics, and sleek, polished textures. William Kelley credits the improvements in Gautier’s wines to the use of manure for fertilizer, a more careful oak regime, lighter filtration, and longer elevage.
Desvignes premier cru “Grand Berge” vines lie just in back of the domaine, and the wine is particularly expressive this year. The nose shows raspberries and pepper with forest floor and violets. The mouth is sleek and medium weight, with layers of fruit neatly packed over a long, precise profile. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $38 | |
 | Michel Gros’s humblest wines still carry his signature… (+) Michel Gros’s humblest wines still carry his signature focus and polish. The 2021, from a cool vintage with a traditionally Burgundian shape, is understated and beautiful, wtih excellent freshness and a delicate cherry nose. Serve in large glasses and with food with a healthy amount of fat. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $38 | |
| The blanc de blancs Crémant Jean-Baptiste Chautard, named for the Founder… (+) The blanc de blancs Crémant Jean-Baptiste Chautard, named for the Founder, is the Maison Picamelot’s flagship wine. The current offering is from the 2016 harvest and a part spends time in oak barrels. With seven years on the lees it has developed plenty of complexity. The fruit recalls pear and apricot, and there are notes of brioche and oak alongside.
We cellar some of this wine in the bottle and recently have opened strikingly good bottles from the harvests of 2012 and 2015. During warehouse tastings last fall we put the 2015 up against some true Champagne – the Chautard more than acquitted itself (at half the price) and to some tasters won outright. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $38 | |
 | Like their neighbor Jacqueline André in Chateauneuf du… (+) Like their neighbor Jacqueline André in Chateauneuf du Pape, sisters Dany and Carol Chastan have run their family domaine for decades according to organic and biodynamic principles. The wines are all beautifully made, with minimal manipulation and no pretense. They practice old school winemaking — 100% whole clusters, ambient yeasts, no fining or filtering.
The Joncuas Gigondas 2016 is a magnificent. It’s 80% grenache (some from centenarian vines), with the rest Mourvèdre and Cinsault. The fruit is clean and very pure, with a gorgeous silky texture and notes of violets, raspberry, garrigue, and spice. Think of it as Grenache that wants to be Syrah. The Wine Advocate awarded 93 points, finding it “big and balanced,” “plush,” and “velvety and long.” Close your eyes and this is easily a Châteauneuf-du-Pape; open them and it’s an astonishing amount of wine for under $40. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $39 | |
 | After a leisurely maceration of 25 days, the… (+) After a leisurely maceration of 25 days, the wine is pressed off the skins and raised in foudres for 8 months, then bottled without the addition any sulfur. Mittelweg 2018 is strikingly expressive, not quite like any other wine you have tasted. The mouth is very dry, with white pepper and herbs.
The mouth shows plenty of muscat fruit for sure, but also herbal honey and notes of hay similar to sauvignon blanc. The nose has an attractive note of Cascade hops that reminded us of the Peeper ale from Maine Beer Company. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $39 | |
 | Michel Prunier and his daughter Estelle craft excellent… (+) Michel Prunier and his daughter Estelle craft excellent, traditional white and red Burgundies in their underrated down of Auxey-Duresses. Their reds are punchy and bright, with refreshing mouthfeels. Their whites are smooth, floral, and round, with excellent depth and beautifully layered expressions.
At the village level, the 2018 Auxey-Duresses rouge is the most drinkable young Auxey we have seen in years. There’s an expressive nose of dark cherry fruit and the wine is ripe enough on the palate to feel almost rich. The tannins are ripe and fine-grained, suggesting a wine that could age quite well. Look for a lovely mix of cassis and anise, and a delightfully chewy finish. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $39 | |
| The 2019 vintage at Michel Gros is dazzling… (+) The 2019 vintage at Michel Gros is dazzling and delicious. Like much else in 2019, the reds show exceptional concentration. A cool spring delayed flowering to mid-June (once considered normal) and after a warm, dry summer, the domaine harvested perfectly clean fruit under sunny mid-September conditions.
The nose shows perfume, toast, red berries, and minerals, with a precision and tension that reminded us of a village Morey-St-Denis. Burghound found “excellent volume,” and called it “big and rather serious wine.” We agree, and think this overperforms its appellation by a mile. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $39 | |
| The 2020 St. Aubin “Champ Tirant” may be the best… (+) The 2020 St. Aubin “Champ Tirant” may be the best vintage we have seen of this wine. The nose offers a lovely blend of oak and fruit. In the mouth there is plenty of energy, with a touch of grape skin and Puligny-like supporting acidity front and center; which then melts into something rounder and more complex. The balance is excellent, and there is very good persistence and a complex finale. This is first-rate Champ Tirant, resembling a premier cru more than a village wine. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $39 | |
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 | Year in and year out, in warm vintages… (+) Year in and year out, in warm vintages and cool, Maillet’s wines retain a balance and freshness that’s remarkably consistent. Maillet credits organic viticulture, natural yeasts, and long cool fermentations with the energy found in these lush, vibrant Chardonnays.
This is the only cuvée Maillet raises in oak, and while it’s a departure in style, the wine is truly delicious. The 2020 Pouilly-Fuissé is a more serious wine than his others, with notes of lemon peel and crême brûlée. In the mouth the abundant yellow fruit and delicate acidity join a subtle salinity – think pear, seashells, sweet-cream butter and faint toast. The finish is exceptionally long and rich, carried through with excellent focus. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $39 | |
| The Gerard Thomas 2021s show neither the concentration… (+) The Gerard Thomas 2021s show neither the concentration nor the ripeness of the last three scorching years, but instead carry a daintiness and precision that some (including us) find a welcome relief.
The village level St-Aubin Champ Tirant is more earthy and savory than the Bourgogne, with less cream in the nose – it’s long in the mouth, with an easygoing mouthfeel and fresh finish. Jancis Robinson’s reviewer found “rich, broad fruit with precise, sculpted purity and freshness,” and “well-judged oak.”
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| While the market continues to bid up the… (+) While the market continues to bid up the price of Burgundy, the Domaine Michel Gros offers a refuge with its lineup of four excellent regional red wines, which are both delicious and capable of pleasing for many years.
Hautes Côtes “Au Vallon” faces directly south and so ripens a bit more readily than the regular cuvée. The 2021 Vallon will require less patience than the regular bottling, offering both dark and red fruits along with notes of spice and violets. It’s a wine of medium weight with good precision that should drink well immediately. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $39 | |
 | Located at the northern end of the sprawling… (+) Located at the northern end of the sprawling Languedoc, winemakers Pierre Jéquier and Blandine Chauchat craft blends of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan that perfectly reflect their untamed, rugged landscape. Year in and year out, they manage to find balance and finesse in their warm region.
It’s pure carignan from 60-year-old vines, aged half in amphora and half in barrels. The 2017 shows just how good Foualquier can be. The nose is clean and exquisite, showing gorgeous crushed strawberries and thyme. The mouth is at once dainty and dense, elegant and rugged — a combination we’ve only found to this degree chez Foulaquier. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
 | Poggerino’s wines are all pure sangiovese — dark… (+) Poggerino’s wines are all pure sangiovese — dark, delicately balanced expressions of an intense, powerful grape. We’ve worked with Poggerino for almost 15 years, but recently their star has risen dramatically. In his recent book Rajat Parr calls their wines “some of the purest expressions of [Sangiovese] in Italy.”
Antonio Galloni, who called the 2016 Riserva “a total knockout,” called the 2017 “another stellar wine.” He found much freshness in its “freshly cut flowers and sweet, red berry fruit,” and identified notes of “rose petal, blood orange, and spice” lingering on the “racy, exquisite finish.”
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 | The 2018 Forces Tellurique Viré-Clessé features clean, pure… (+) The 2018 Forces Tellurique Viré-Clessé features clean, pure, lemony fruit, along with remarkable freshness and energy from such a sunny vintage. On the palate it’s unctuous and smooth with a long finish that would outlast many a Meursault. The nose bursts with yellow orchard fruit and notes of tangerine and honey. Reviewing the 2018 under its primary label, Kelley awarded 93 points, finding notes of “honeycomb, orange oil, and elderflowers,” calling it “layered and succulent… with a charming core of fruit and a saline finish.”
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 | This wine is packed with dry yellow fruit… (+) This wine is packed with dry yellow fruit, with delicate minerality amid a faint background freshness. The soil composition of this plot is very similar to Corton-Charlemagne, about 10 miles away in the Côte d’Or — and indeed the soft white flowers for which the famous Grand Cru is known are present in this cuvée too. Exotic fruits and apricot dominate the palate, with restrained notes of oak. This is lovely, unusually aromatic white Burgundy that requires no patience. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
 | Of the 2020 Jasper Morris MW writes: “… (+) Of the 2020 Jasper Morris MW writes: “ This has a most beautiful bouquet, just the right degree of ripeness, the lightest of peaches but no honeysuckle. Just the right acidity too, drink this unsparingly across the summer months." 5/5 Stars (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
| Romain Collet took over as principal winemaker not… (+) Romain Collet took over as principal winemaker not long ago, and he has transformed the winemaking. He is both a very talented winemaker and an innovator — for proof one need only walk through the cellar, where the stainless steel tanks and large foudres are now joined by cement eggs, demi-muids, and most recently, amphorae.
Forêts 1er cru is particularly elegant in the 2020 vintage. This lieu dit is actually at the top part of Montmains, and the farming has been certified organic there since 2018. Its élevage is more complicated, with 90% raised in cement eggs (whose shape fosters natural circulation of the lees over the lunar cycles). The last 10% is raised in Burgundy-sized barrels, bringing a soupçon of oak into the mix. The result is extra refinement and complexity, the sort of hard-to-explain quality that will cause a taster to add an asterisk to the margin of his tasting note.
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 | Romain Collet took over as principal winemaker not… (+) Romain Collet took over as principal winemaker not long ago, and he has transformed the winemaking. He is both a very talented winemaker and an innovator — for proof one need only walk through the cellar, where the stainless steel tanks and large foudres are now joined by cement eggs, demi-muids, and most recently, amphorae.
This top premier cru vineyard produced very attractive wine in 2020, offering a combination of power, length, and complexity that is hard to beat. The nose is deep, dry, and beautifully layered, with white flowers, saline, seashells and lemon peel. The mouth is rich but not heavy, with oak carefully integrated and notes of dry apple and stones. Jasper Morris gave 90-93, calling it “harmonious” and “one of the more powerful wines” in the lineup. Burghound awarded 90-92, finding “excellent volume” and calling it “unusually powerful yet refined.” (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
 | The Chastan family has been making wine in… (+) The Chastan family has been making wine in the same style for two generations. They were among the earliest in the region to farm organically (they were certified in 1980!), and their winemaking is simple and straightforward. Vinification for all the wines is cement vats, followed by an elevage in either vats or neutral oak foudres. The wines are neither fined nor filtered.
The Clos du Joncuas Gigondas 2019 has more structure and more prominent tannins than the 2020, but it is also very round, and also eminently drinkable already. There’s a bit more minerality mixed in with the ripe fruit here, and the wine may have a longer drinking window; but both wines are generous and fleshy, and will be easy to match with food. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
| The nose is extraordinary, hitting high notes and… (+) The nose is extraordinary, hitting high notes and low notes simultaneously in a symphony of fruit and earth. We find notes yellow orchard fruit and notes of tangerine and honey. The mouth is expansive and rich, but with pulsating energy and exquisite balance, with a finish that would outlast many a Meursault.
Reviewing the 2018 under its primary label, Kelley awarded 93 points, calling it “another terrific wine from this address,” and finding “white flowers, crisp melon and orchard fruit,” with “satiny and layered palate that’s racy and precise.” Jasper Morris MW was similarly impressed, predicting the 2020 might “join the very top vintages of the domaine.” (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
 | At the Domaine Michel Gros, 2020 brings another… (+) At the Domaine Michel Gros, 2020 brings another stellar lineup of beautiful red Burgundies, very much in the style of the superb 2019s. The 2020 growing season in the Côte de Nuits was much like 2019: hot, sunny, dry, and very early.
A substantial part of the Fontaine St. Martin is planted to Chardonnay, producing the Domaine’s only white wine, Fontaine St-Martin blanc. Like most white Burgundies from the vintage, the 2020 Fontaine St. Martin blanc offers particularly nice balance, offering ripe fruit and attractive aromatics along with a surprising amount of freshness and support for the wine despite the hot growing season. Look for a touch of lemon peel that brightens the palate, which also shows notes of more exotic fruit. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
 | After three vintages characterized by extraordinary heat and… (+) After three vintages characterized by extraordinary heat and historically early harvests, 2021 is a return to typical in terms of weight, ripeness and richness. It is what the French like to call “classique” and its virtue is in approachability and elegance rather than boldness.
Maison Lestimé Hautes Côtes de Beaune “Clos Bortier” 2021 opens with a gorgeous, exuberant nose of fresh strawberries. The freshness carries through onto the palate, where its lighter weight leaves the focus entirely on the strawberry fruit and the mineral line that complements it. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
| For more than fifteen years we thought of… (+) For more than fifteen years we thought of Poggerino as our secret, but the word is definitely out now. Vinous’s Antonio Galloni considers their wines “some of the purest expressions of the Sangiovese grape in Italy."
The Chianti Classico “Riserva Bugialla” 2019 offers a different texture from the Classico. It is richer and more full-bodied than the Classico 2020, with dark red fruit and mouth-filling roundness. Galloni thought that “Black cherry, incense, leather and spice give this virile Riserva plenty of complexity.” He called it a “dark, powerful wine, . . . impressive, especially in terms of its depth and overall substance.” (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
 | Gautheron's Chablis are old-school: little to no-oak, brisk… (+) Gautheron's Chablis are old-school: little to no-oak, brisk freshness, clean minerality, excellent clarity of terroir. Jasper Morris MW is also a fan, writing in early 2023, “I must say that Cyril Gautheron’s wines are climbing up my table of Chablis producers.”
Fourneaux premier cru is another right bank premier cru and lies just down the slope from the Gautherons’ winery in the hamlet of Fleys. There’s more clay in the soils here, which adds some power, and the name (meaning “oven”) refers to the warm, sunny valley where sits the domaine. The wine is raised entirely in tank, and lacks for nothing in the way of complexity. The Fourneaux 2021 is delightful, with white more than yellow peach in a pleasantly chalky nose and a particularly nice balance in the mouth. It has an elegant, unctuous concentration that persists on the palate and finishes long. With intense fruit and a nice dollop of sucrocité, this is sure to be a crowd pleaser – perfectly balanced Chablis. (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
 | The Vaillons premier cru lies on a slope… (+) The Vaillons premier cru lies on a slope parallel to Montmains on Chablis’s left bank, known as a source of chiseled, vibrant wines. Gautheron’s Vaillons 2021 is round and full on the palate despite the vintage’s relative freshness. Morris gave it 90-93 points, writing: “Very pale colour, with impressive tension on the nose. The stones are there and a bit of flesh, too, pure and typical with the usual dry finish. Old vines here. Really very long.”
This is everything you want from Chablis – savory intensity, perfectly ripe fruit, brisk stony backbone and laser focused finish. This needs no accompaniment – a delicious, complete glass of white wine on its own. But should hunger force your hand, this will match anything in need of zip – scallops, creamy oysters, swordfish, lobster, chicken sausages, etc (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
 | Jancis Robinson: "A very classy Hautes-Côtes de Beaune… (+) Jancis Robinson: "A very classy Hautes-Côtes de Beaune with a precise, chiselled character... Plenty of freshness... Nice mineral hint to finish."
Jasper Morris (5 stars): "This has a most beautiful bouquet, just the right degree of ripeness, the lightest of peaches but no honeysuckle. Just the right acidity too, drink this unsparingly across the summer months." (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 | |
 | Winemaker Philippe Cheron’s newly formed Domaine du Couvent… (+) Winemaker Philippe Cheron’s newly formed Domaine du Couvent is quietly making a stellar name for itself from its unmarked and unadorned cuverie in Nuits-St-Georges. Cheron perfectly navigated the 2021 vintage, and his wines are beautifully formed from top to bottom. None was more successful than his humble Bourgogne rouge.
Cheron’s only regional-level wine comes from two plots around Gevrey-Chambertin, and the wine’s fruit has an unmistakably Côte de Nuits tenor. The nose is dark and pretty with violets and red berries; the mouth is sleek and fresh with notable length and notes of plum, rose petals, and toast. Burghound awarded it his “outstanding for the appellation” award, finding it “vibrant and solidly voluminous” with “good detail and… fine length.” Jasper Morris found it “very pretty with a lively finish” (-) Free East Coast Shipping | $42 |