NOVEMBER WINE CLUB
REDS | WHITES | PLUS REDS | PLUS WHITES
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***WINE CLUB REDS***
1. Joncuas Gigondas 2019
GRAPE Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault
TYPE biodynamic, Southern Rhône blend
YEAR 2019; very sunny
NOTES The Chastan family was 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 in cement vats, followed by élevage 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 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 vintages are generous and fleshy, and easy to match with food.
FOOD roasted lamb shoulder
PRICE: $45 ($36.00/bot with club discount)
2. Sanzay Saumur-Champigny 2023
GRAPE Cabernet Franc
TYPE organic, unoaked Loire Valley red
YEAR 2023; warm, dry, and long
NOTES Didier and Céline Sanzay are fifth-generation growers in Saumur-Champigny producing fresh, pure Cabernet Franc in the modern Loire style — small batch, organic, wild yeasts, no fining or filtering. Their 2023s in particular are “Loire classique,” Didier told us last week — a return to the refreshing, low-alcohol style. Their 2023 Saumur-Champigny is exactly what you want Loire Cab Franc to be: pure, joyful, unoaked, and fresh. Clean, juicy fruit bursts from the glass — think wild cherries and graphite. The mouth is fresh, fruit-forward, inky, and intense, with a bold and vibrant attack and a quick, clean finish. Picture a juicy Beaujolais with more serious texture and darker fruit.
FOOD duck breast with cherry sauce
PRICE: $22 ($17.60/bot with club discount)
3. Poggerino Chianti Classico “Annata” 2022
GRAPE Sangiovese
TYPE organic Chianti Classico
YEAR 2022; warm and dry
NOTES As usual, Galloni is a fan of Poggerino’s new releases. He found this year’s pair “another set of terrific wines from Piero Lanza,” calling them “transparent, nuanced wines that capture the essence of Radda.” For earlier drinking, the Chianti Classico Annata 2022 is terrific. In his October piece, Eric Asimov confessed that for years his general Chianti preference was for Annata over Riserva because of its “gorgeous purity” and reasonable prices. Galloni thought the Poggerino 2022 Annata richer than usual, but also predicted that “this plush, open-knit Chianti Classico will drink well right out of the gate.”
FOOD pasta with bolognese
PRICE: $28 ($22.40/bot with club discount)
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***WINE CLUB WHITES***
1. Desvignes Givry “En Chenèves” 2023
GRAPE Chardonnay
TYPE Côte Chalonnaise white Burgundy
YEAR 2023; warm and dry
NOTES Gautier Desvignes has also turned into a serious white Burgundy producer. William Kelley describes his Chardonnays as “chiseled,” “crisp,” and “vibrant,” and we’ve begun to enjoy them more frequently in recent years. His just-arrived 2023s are accessible, delicious, and under $8 a glass. Think of this as a more floral Chablis, or a racier Pouilly-Fuissé. The 2023 Desvignes Givry “En Chenèves” is carefree and delicious, with low oak and a vibrant, fresh mouthfeel. From a north-facing vineyard that’s well positioned to weather today’s hot, dry summers, this is an overperforming spot in a town on the rise. It’s more polished than most wine of this level, but doesn’t take itself too seriously.
FOOD pork tenderloin
PRICE: $39 ($31.20/bot with club discount)
2. Garenne Sancerre “Bouffants” 2023
GRAPE Sauvignon Blanc
TYPE unoaked Sauvignon Blanc
YEAR 2023; warm and dry
NOTES Our producer in Sancerre is the Domaine de la Garenne, owned by members of a leading wine-producing family in the town. The Godon-Reverdys produce superb Sancerre at a variety of price points, and their wines are among the most popular in our portfolio. Bouffants is a limestone-laden terroir, and from it the wine draws its deep mineral intensity. The vines in Bouffants average 40 years old, and so it’s a more serious wine than the regular cuvée, with stony fruit that lingers long on the palate. It’s a more sophisticated Sancerre, and in the 2023 vintage, the finish is unusually long.
FOOD Thai green curry
PRICE: $32 ($25.60/bot with club discount)
3. Vessigaud Macon-Solutré-Pouilly 2023
GRAPE Chardonnay
TYPE biodynamic, unoaked white Burgundy
YEAR 2023; warm and dry
NOTES Vessigaud is Demeter certified (the highest Biodynamic level), and the results in the glass are obvious: vibrant wines full of tension and bursting with life. We are not alone in our view — as William Kelley writes: “succulent but serious, any bottle bearing Vessigaud’s label is worth seeking out.” The Macon-Solutré-Pouilly 2023 comes from a plot in Pouilly, along the line between the hamlets of Pouilly and Fuissé. The Vessigauds vinify and raise it in large oak foudres for eleven months, where micro-oxygenation develops density and flavor rather than any apparent oak. The 2023 is much like the 2022, which became the house white for many of our fans of white Burgundy.
FOOD dover sole
PRICE: $25 ($20.00/bot with club discount)
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***WINE CLUB PLUS: REDS***
1. Mégard Pommard 2019
GRAPE Pinot Noir
TYPE Côte de Beaune red Burgundy
YEAR 2019; dry and sunny
NOTES Pommard is known for its intensity and bold character, but Mégard’s has a lighter touch. Much of it comes from vines near the Volnay border, and the winemaking style is traditional. We’ve stocked this wine in the store for years, and it’s become a crowd favorite at Depot tastings in Newton. The nose is expressive and high-toned, with pretty notes of dried flowers, raspberry, and earth. The mouth is sturdy and ripe but decidedly middle-weight, with good freshness and excellent lift — look for notes of cassis, iron, and wild cherries. This is well-priced, delicious, and decidedly old school — even in recent hot vintages, the wine retains its Burgundian elegance.
FOOD chicken in cream with mushrooms
PRICE: $65 ($52.00/bot with club discount)
2. Poggerino Chianti Classico Riserva “Bugialla” 2021
GRAPE Sangiovese
TYPE Chianti Classico from Tuscany
YEAR 2021; cool and rainy
NOTES We found Piero’s 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva extraordinary — perhaps the best vintage he’s made. It’s long and sleek, packed with deep black fruit and tension. The oak is already beautifully integrated, as are the tannins. It will drink better young than recent vintages but has more than enough material to go the distance. Galloni thought the 2021 Bugialla “another superb offering,” and awarded 94 points, finding “macerated black cherry, dried herbs, lavender, and spice, all amplified in the glass.”
FOOD braised short ribs
PRICE: $45 ($36.00/bot with club discount)
3. Gros Nuits-St-Georges “Chaliots” 2022
GRAPE Pinot Noir
TYPE Côte de Nuits red Burgundy
YEAR 2022; hot and very 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 peers, Pierre has moved the domaine toward organics, and if his first few vintages are any indication, the future at Gros may be even brighter than the past. “Chaliots” is classic Nuits-St-Georges, with plenty of density. Its dark Pinot fruit joins with beef-broth umami notes in a wine that is robust and earthy. “A lovely NSG, elegant without shortchanging you on fruit.” – 91–93, Neal Martin, *Vinous*.
FOOD duck breast, ratatouille
PRICE: $85 ($68.00/bot with club discount)
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***WINE CLUB PLUS: WHITES***
1. Desvignes Givry 1er cru blanc “Grands Vignes” 2023
GRAPE 100% Chardonnay
TYPE Côte Chalonnaise white Burgundy
YEAR 2023; warm, dry, and abundant
NOTES Gautier Desvignes is best known for his excellent reds from Givry, but he’s also a talented winemaker when it comes to whites. The Givry 1er cru “Grands Vignes” is more serious than the village-level Givry blanc — and it’s hands down the best vintage of this wine we’ve tried. Gautier raises this entirely in oak, with one-fifth new barrels. The nose is exquisite and detailed, with golden apple fruit and delicate stones. The mouth is floral and long, bursting with juicy fruit and finishing clean and delightful. We’d put this in the same category as a St-Aubin from Thomas Morey or Sophie Bohrmann, and it comes at a serious discount.
FOOD roast chicken with carrots
PRICE: $45 ($36.00/bot with club discount)
2. Morey Bourgogne blanc 2023
GRAPE 100% Chardonnay
TYPE Côte d’Or regional white Burgundy
YEAR 2023; warm, dry, and abundant
NOTES Morey’s white Burgundies are quietly extraordinary. They’re concentrated but perfectly channeled, long but refined — immaculate fruit and stones join the merest whisper of oak. This cuvée shows all the meticulous concentration of Morey’s wines but without the site-specific terroir shining through. It’s not about the chiseled stoniness of Puligny or the shimmering golden energy of Chassagne; this is about winemaker style. And what a style it is. The nose shows lime zest and white flowers; the mouth shows yellow plum and earth. Burghound called this “lovely,” and we think you will too.
FOOD grilled halibut
PRICE: $48 ($38.40/bot with club discount)
3. Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru “Embrazées” 2021
GRAPE 100% Chardonnay
TYPE Côte d’Or 1er cru white Burgundy
YEAR 2021; cool and classic
NOTES Look up “Thomas Morey” in the proverbial Ansonia winemaker dictionary and you’ll find words like “deliberate,” “thoughtful,” “minimalist,” “precise.” Morey’s cellar style is as clean and detailed as his wire-rimmed glasses and Zalto stemware. You might imagine a hot, dry year would threaten to blur his crisp, focused style, but Morey has turned in a classic vintage, and each cuvée perfectly reflects its terroir. The vines in Chassagne 1er cru “Embrazées” are 63 years old, planted by Thomas’s grandfather in a field abandoned after phylloxera. The 2021 is long and lithe, with deep fruit channeled beautifully into a concentrated core that ripples with energy and intensity. Morey’s usual restraint is in effect — rich without an ounce of heaviness.
FOOD scallops
PRICE: $99 ($79.20/bot with club discount)