DECEMBER WINE CLUB
REDS   |   WHITES   |   PLUS REDS   |   PLUS WHITES

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***WINE CLUB REDS***

1. 1. Saint Clair Crozes-Hermitage “Etincelle” 2022
      GRAPE: Syrah
      TYPE: Northern Rhône red
      YEAR: 2022, warm and dry
      NOTES: The 2022 vintage was kind not only to Burgundy—growing conditions were also exemplary in the Northern Rhône. When we tasted the Etincelle 2022 from the barrel, Denis remarked that he thought 2022 his best vintage ever of the wine. (“Etincelle” means “spark” in French, and the name for the cuvée is in homage to his near-electrocution.) “Etincelle” 2022 is outstanding. With 13% alcohol it retains its freshness, amid an abundance of lush, dark, ripe fruit. It’s perfectly balanced, with good weight, a pleasant mouthfeel, and a longer than usual finish.
      FOOD: Pizza
      $25 —
      
      Wine Club Price: $20 (20% off)
      

 

1. 1. Goubert Gigondas 2021
      GRAPE: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre
      TYPE: Southern Rhône red blend
      YEAR: 2021, cool and rainy
      NOTES: Florence Cartier’s flagship wine is of course from Gigondas, home to her family domaine and most of their vines. Her 2021 Gigondas is a story of both vintage and varietal—as in the north, the growing season was cooler and wetter than is typical, and there’s more lift and delicacy than usual in this cuvée. The rainy spring also meant poor flowering for Grenache and Syrah, so Mourvèdre plays an unusually central role in this year’s blend, adding charming, rugged savory notes of garrigue and leather to the lush fruit. With less extraction it’s also more pleasant young, and we expect this to be delightful from the start. Look for notes of cassis, blackberry, and dried roses, and enjoy the delicacy of a low-alcohol (13.5%) Southern Rhône red.
      FOOD: Roast pork
      $35 —
      
      Wine Club Price: $28 (20% off)
      

 

1. Dupré-Goujon Côte de Brouilly “6-3-1” 2022
   GRAPE: Gamay
   TYPE: Organic, low-intervention Beaujolais
   YEAR: 2022, hot and dry
   NOTES: Sébastien Dupré and Guillaume Goujon’s superb cuvées of Beaujolais from the 2022 vintage are like no other Beaujolais you have tasted. Cuvée 6-3-1 is a blend of their three plots, readily drinkable but deceptively sophisticated. We loved its expressive nose of dark, ripe fruit—violets and cassis—with a croquant (crackling) texture. Kenna Wells of Wine Advocate found “a packed palate with notes of stewed cherries complemented by spice, white pepper, and charred wood.” James Suckling praised its “striking elegance” and “fine tannins,” and we agree with the critics that this wine is far more than a summer sipper. It will grace your table all year round.
   FOOD: Salad chèvre chaud
   $35 —
   
   Wine Club Price: $28 (20% off)
   

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***WINE CLUB WHITES***

1. 1. Paget Chinon Blanc 2021
      GRAPE: Chenin Blanc
      TYPE: White from the Central Loire Valley
      YEAR: 2021, cool and rainy
      NOTES: Paget’s Chinon blanc 2021 is pure Chenin Blanc, raised in large barrels (none new). The oak is deftly handled—you might not even notice it if you didn’t know what to look for—adding a bit of depth and white pepper to the clean orchard fruit. It’s deeper on the nose than most dry Chenin Blanc, with notes of gardenia and rose, but the same pretty pear fruit. The 2021 is drier than last year’s and more sophisticated and impressive. There’s a savory grape-skin minerality that gives a mouthwatering texture reminiscent of Chablis. It’s a classy wine that should pair beautifully with a range of foods.
      FOOD: Lobster roll, crab cakes, or raclette
      $29 —
      
      Wine Club Price: $23 (20% off)
      

 

1. 1. Gros Hautes-Côtes de Nuits “Fontaine-St-Martin” Blanc 2022
      GRAPE: Chardonnay
      TYPE: White Burgundy from the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
      YEAR: 2022, hot and dry
      NOTES: Pierre Gros (Michel’s son) now steers this iconic estate in Vosne-Romanée after his father ran it for 45 years. Neal Martin writes, “I detect a change in tack rather than charting a totally different course.” Like many of his peer group, Pierre has moved the domaine toward organics. Gros’s only white comes from Hautes-Côtes “Fontaine St. Martin,” and it shows that a skilled maker of red Burgundy can also show a deft touch with white. Neal Martin found “good weight and energy” and a “fresh nose of yellow fruit, hints of nectarine, and chai tea.” Under $50, it offers excellent value for a barrel-raised Burgundy.
      FOOD: Stir fry
      $42 —
      
      Wine Club Price: $34 (20% off)
      

 

1. Malmont Séguret Blanc 2024
   GRAPE: Roussanne
   TYPE: Southern Rhône white
   YEAR: 2024, warm and rainy
   NOTES: Many whites from the Southern Rhône Valley fall into traps of flatness and softness—victims of the scorching summer sun. Nicolas Haeni’s Malmont vineyard is perched high on a hill in a spot that receives consistent cool breezes and chilly nights. These natural advantages make it possible for him to craft whites with freshness and modest alcohol, which also happen to be flat-out delicious. His 2024 pure Roussanne blanc is delightful and clean, fermented in tank and aged in 3–4-year-old oak barrels. The nose is almost Burgundian, but with exotic notes of lychee, pear, and white pepper. A triumph of restraint and subtlety in a region whose whites seldom possess either.
   FOOD: White fish with fennel & citrus
   $34 —
   Wine Club Price: $27.2

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***WINE CLUB PLUS: REDS***

1. 1. Roc Breïa Rouge 2022
      GRAPE: Pinot Noir
      TYPE: Vin de France from the Mâconnais
      YEAR: 2022, hot and dry
      NOTES: Roc Breïa is a 10-hectare property in the Mâconnais that winemaker Théo Dancer (of Domaine Vincent Dancer) began farming in 2021. The Pinot Noir vines are 35+ years old, and the Chardonnay averages over 60. The 2022 Roc Breïa Rouge is deep and charming, almost Gamay-like in color, with a beautiful intensity that’s not the least bit harsh. William Kelley found it “deep and muscular” with “plumy fruit and sweet spices” and “sweet, powdery tannins.” It’s perfectly balanced—Pinot Noir in pure, unadulterated form. This wine is a chance to taste a superstar young winemaker’s work early on in a groundbreaking new project. Dancer is among the most exciting young winemakers working today, and in only the second vintage of this project he’s off to a terrific start.
      FOOD: Duck breasts
      $99 —
      
      Wine Club Price: $79 (20% off)
      

 

1. 1. Baron de Brane, Margaux 2018
      GRAPE: 60% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc & Carmenère
      TYPE: Left-Bank Bordeaux
      YEAR: 2018, very warm
      NOTES: Baron de Brane Margaux 2018 is the second wine of the famous Margaux château Brane-Cantenac, a second-growth property. This wine stood out particularly for the nose—it has the high-toned, silky character of classic Margaux that’s somehow both elegant and muscular. The palate is no slouch either, with an extremely well-balanced mouthfeel showing graphite, earth, cassis, and an old-school weight and shape. It’s more serious and less lush than the Murmure, as you’d expect from something on the Left Bank, but is drinking beautifully now.
      FOOD: Steak frites
      $55 —
      
      Wine Club Price: $44 (20% off)
      

 

1. Desvignes Givry 1er Cru “Ozymandias” 2022
   GRAPE: Pinot Noir
   TYPE: Red Burgundy from the Côte Chalonnaise
   YEAR: 2022, hot and dry
   NOTES: Gautier Desvignes’ 2022s show a talented winemaker firing on all cylinders. He has refined his cellar technique considerably, using gentler extractions and focusing his barrel work through exhaustive experimentation and tasting. The resulting wines rival reds from the Côte d’Or in detail and complexity—and simply blow them away on price. The “Cuvée Ozymandias” is a blend of two of Givry’s 1er Cru parcels: *Le Vernoy* and *Crémillons*, located southwest of the village near his hamlet of Poncey. The vines (7–11 years old) grow on clay-limestone soils. There’s brilliant clarity here, with excellent detail and a long, tense finish—think Volnay, but an hour further south.
   FOOD: Chicken in cream with mushrooms
   $45 —
   
   Wine Club Price: $36 (20% off)
   

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***WINE CLUB PLUS: WHITES***

1. 1. Malmont Séguret Blanc 2024
      GRAPE: Roussanne
      TYPE: Southern Rhône white
      YEAR: 2024, warm and rainy
      NOTES: Many whites from the Southern Rhône Valley fall into traps of flatness and softness—victims of the scorching summer sun. Nicolas Haeni’s Malmont vineyard is perched high on a hill in a spot that receives consistent cool breezes and chilly nights. These natural advantages make it possible for him to craft whites with freshness and modest alcohol, which also happen to be flat-out delicious. His 2024 pure Roussanne blanc is delightful and clean, fermented in tank and aged in 3–4-year-old oak barrels. The nose is almost Burgundian, but with exotic notes of lychee, pear, and white pepper. A triumph of restraint and subtlety in a region whose whites seldom possess either.
      FOOD: White fish with fennel & citrus
      $34 —
      Wine Club Price: $27.2

 

1. 1. Collet Chablis 1er Cru “Butteaux” 2022
      GRAPE: Chardonnay
      TYPE: White Burgundy from Chablis
      YEAR: 2022, hot and dry
      NOTES: Romain Collet skillfully matches new and old techniques across his terroirs, crafting wines of real precision and character. In Butteaux the ground is just a bit cooler, contributing extra briskness and just enough weight. Butteaux 2022 began its élevage in tank and finished in older Burgundian barrels. Between the two Montmains siblings, Forêts offers a bit more richness, Butteaux a bit more steely energy and salinity. The palate is very dry and tense, with less fruit than Forêts. In some years this wine approaches a Côte d’Or white; this year the oak is dialed way down and is almost imperceptible.
      FOOD: Scallops
      $45 —
      
      Wine Club Price: $36 (20% off)
      

 

1. Boyer-Martenot Puligny-Montrachet “Reuchaux” 2022
   GRAPE: Chardonnay
   TYPE: White Burgundy from the Côte d’Or
   YEAR: 2022, hot and dry
   NOTES: Vincent Boyer and his sister Sophie are the winemakers at this gem of an estate in Meursault. They farm an exceptional collection of vines organically and use long élevage in barrels followed by concrete eggs to give their wines regal depth and complexity. These are among our favorite white Burgundies from anywhere. Reuchaux is a small village plot right near Puligny that offers remarkable value for its class and is unusually good in 2022. The nose is stony and austere, with dried flowers, apple, lemon, and crushed stone. The palate is laser-focused and extremely elegant, with finely chiseled sucrosité balanced on a taut mineral core. “A lovely Puligny villages,” writes Burghound.
   FOOD: Veal medallions in cream
   $108 —
   
   Wine Club Price: $86 (20% off)