($375): Domaine Méo-Camuzet, located in Vosne-Romanée, is one of Burgundy’s top producers. They added a portion of Corton-Perrières, a vineyard that epitomizes the firm austerity of Corton, to their portfolio in 2009. Jean-Nicolas Méo is enthusiastic about the 2020 vintage saying, “[2020] is a great vintage, and you can believe me because I’m selling the 2021.” … Read more
Category Archives: France – Burgundy
Burgundy Buying Blueprint for the 99-Percenters
Even a brief glance at on-line ads from wine retailers shows that Côte d’Or Burgundy has become prohibitively expensive for everyone except the so called “one-percenters” at the very peak of the wealth pyramid. And I’ve seen even some of them balk at the prices. … Read more
Louis Latour, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Burgundy, 2014
Domaine du Cellier aux Moines, Montagny 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) Les Combes 2020
($45, Misa Imports, Craig Baker Selection): Montagny, a village in the Côte Chalonnaise just south of Burgundy’s famed — and expensive — Côte d’Or has always been an insider’s place to find affordable white Burgundy. With ever increasing prices in Burgundy, it has become and even more popular place for those wines. … Read more
Domaine du Cellier aux Moines, Mercurey (Burgundy, France) “Les Margotons” 2020
($38, Misa Imports, Craig Baker Selection): Domaine du Cellier aux Moines produced a stunning array of 2020 whites. With this one, they achieved a perfect combination of creamy character associated with Côte de Beaune whites and the stone-y mineral character of Mercurey whites. … Read more
Maison Louis Latour Made Outstanding 2020s
The 2020 vintage in Burgundy, currently on the market, is the third hot—temperature wise—vintage in a row. It’s also a “hot” vintage judging from some critics’ reviews and retailers’ enthusiasm. Hot vintages are tricky, especially in Burgundy. The good news about growing seasons with hot, sun-drenched days is that the wines have ripe flavors and lack green, unripe ones and the accompanying palate-searing acidity. … Read more
Domaine Louis Latour, Beaune Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) Les Perrières 2020
($100, Louis Latour, USA): The 7.5- acre Les Perrières vineyard lies high up on the slope in a cooler locale, which may help explain this wine’s bright energy in a hot year like 2020. Though tightly wound, as expected from a young top premier cru, its stature shows with gorgeous mineral-scented aromatics and impressive length. … Read more
Domaine Louis Latour, Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) Les Chaillots 2020
($117, Louis Latour, USA): Wines from Aloxe-Corton, even its premier crus, are overshadowed by grand cru Corton and overlooked by consumers. Do. Not. Overlook. This. Wine. Its fleshy body atop a firm frame of iron-tinged flavors identify it clearly as Aloxe-Corton. … Read more
Sylvain Langoureau, St. Aubin Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) En Remilly 2020
($53, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection): Sylvain Langoureau is one of those excellent producers who has not yet achieved cult status, which is good news for savvy consumers because his wines remain undervalued. Combine his talents with a fantastic vintage for whites and voilà, you have a stunning white wine. … Read more
Domaine de L’Églantière, Chablis Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) Fourchaume 2021
($27): Domaine de L’Églantière is one of two estates owned by Jean Durup Père et Fils, one of the top producers in Chablis. (Château de Maligny is the other.) You often will see both the name of the estate and Durup’s name on the label. … Read more
Château de Fleys, Chablis (Burgundy, France) 2020
($22): Its softer style makes this a wonderful introduction to Chablis for those who have yet to discover the magnificent wines of this appellation. Fruitier and less mineraly than many Chablis, it will appeal to those who may be turned off by the prominent stony edginess many Chablis. … Read more
Pernot Belicard, Bourgogne Côte-d’Or (Burgundy, France) 2020
($34, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection): The Pernot name is synonymous with great white Burgundy largely due to Domaine Paul Pernot in Puligny-Montrachet. But this being Burgundy, there are many estates with similar, or at least, overlapping names due to marriage and the French laws of inheritance. … Read more
Domaine Louis Latour, Beaune Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) Aux Cras 2020
($50, Louis Latour, USA): Though at least 85 percent of wine from Beaune is red, a small amount of white come from that appellation. Latour’s white Aux Cras is one of the best. And because white Beaune lacks the cachet of the big three, Meursault, Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet, the wines are less expensive. … Read more
Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis (Burgundy, France) “Sainte Claire 2019
($25): Simple advice: Buy whatever wines from Jean-Marc Brocard your budget allows. A leader in organic and biodynamic viticulture, Jean-Marc Brocard makes fabulous Chablis, from the “simple” village ones to the Grand Crus. His Sainte Claire bottling is a step up from his generic village Chablis and always over delivers for the price. … Read more
Domaine Bart, Marsannay (Burgundy, France) 2020
($35, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection): I taste at Domaine Bart every year because they are one of the top producers in Marsannay, the northern-most village of the Côte de Nuits. Wines from Marsannay remain under consumers’ radar, in part, because the village has no vineyards designated as premier cru, yet. … Read more
Simonnet-Febvre, Saint-Bris (Burgundy, France) Sauvignon 2020
($17, Louis Latour, USA): Saint-Bris is an odd-ball appellation in northern Burgundy near Chablis that requires the use of Sauvignon Blanc, not Chardonnay. Saint-Bris sits on the same Kimmerigdian limestone as Chablis, yet the microclimate favors Sauvignon over Chardonnay. Since Sancerre is barely 60 miles to the west, it’s easy to understand how Sauvignon could thrive here. … Read more
Maison Joseph Drouhin, Bourgogne Blanc (Burgundy, France) 2020
($18, Dreyfus Ashby): Another trifecta here — Drouhin, a great producer. Twenty-twenty, a great vintage across the board for whites. Eighteen dollars, an excellent price for a wine of this quality. Bourgogne Blanc, made entirely from Chardonnay, can come from vineyards throughout the region, from Chablis in the north to the Mâconnais in the south. … Read more
Maison Louis Latour, Marsannay (Burgundy, France) 2019
($37, Louis Latour, USA): Wines from Marsannay, the northernmost village of the Côte de Nuits, are finally getting the attention they deserve. French wine regulators are evaluating which vineyards within the Marsannay appellation will qualify for premier cru status. Once that happens, prices will accelerate even faster, much like what has happened since Pouilly-Fuissé vineyards received official premier cru classification. … Read more
Domaine Jean Féry, Côte de Nuits-Villages (Burgundy, France) Clos de Magny 2020
($40, Jeanne Marie Selection): In the ongoing search for more affordable red Burgundy, consumers must look to less familiar appellations, such as this one, Côte de Nuits-Villages, which encompasses vines in five different villages in the Côte de Nuits, but not the well-known ones. … Read more
Domaine Aurelie Berthod, Chorey les Beaune (Burgundy, France) 2020
($40): The vast majority of the vineyards of the Côte d’Or — and certainly all the great ones — lie on a slope to the west of the D976, (formerly the RN76), the major north-south highway than runs from Marsannay in the north to Maranges in the south. … Read more
Aligoté: Burgundy’s Other White Grape
White Burgundy is made from Chardonnay, right? Well, mostly. There’s another white grape in Bourgogne, Aligoté, that makes zippy, energetic wines perfect for summertime, and ones that are — I might add — are mostly affordable. Not an afterthought, Bourgogne Aligoté is treated with respect by top end producers, such as Coche-Dury, whose $300+ per bottle rendition is definitely not in the “affordable wine” category. … Read more
A Bullseye for Bichot
The house of Albert Bichot made an outstanding line-up of both red and white Burgundies in 2020, no mean feat since the growing conditions made success with both colors difficult because of the heat. Many critics, myself included, have raved about the overall success of the 2020 vintage for white Burgundies. … Read more
Don’t Overlook Village Burgundies
I’m just back from a week in Burgundy where I attended a spectacular week-long series of tastings, Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne, which turned out to be one of my best tasting experiences ever. Held biannually, visitors move from Chablis in the north to Mercurey in the Côte Chalonnaise, tasting wines from a group of villages each day. … Read more
Maison Louis Latour, Mâcon-Lugny (Burgundy, France) “Les Genièvres” 2020
($18, Louis Latour, USA): I’ve been buying and drinking this Mâcon-Lugny from Latour regularly since the 1979 vintage. It never disappoints and surprisingly, for a rather down-market appellation, actually develops beautifully with several years of bottle age. With the price of Côte d’Or white Burgundy through the roof, wines, such as this one, from the Mâconnais are the way to go for Burgundy lovers. … Read more
Domaine Eleni et Edouard Vocoret, Chablis (Burgundy, France) “Les Pargues” 2019
($43): This is another stunning example of Eleni and Edouard Vocoret’s talents. Like their Chablis Le Bas de Chapelot, their Les Pargues hits above its weight class, though with a slightly different profile. Flinty and stony, there’s a saline-like character in the finish. … Read more
Domaine Eleni et Edouard Vocoret, Chablis (Burgundy, France) “Le Bas de Chapelot” 2019
($43): Eleni and Edouard Vocoret are new kids on the Chablis block. Chablis-lovers would be wise to remember their names. Their domaine, not even a decade old, is spread over about a dozen acres in Chablis. Traditionally, producers in Chablis have not focused on its lieux-dits (named sites) that are under the village umbrella compared to say, Meursault, for example. … Read more
Maison Louis Latour, Volnay 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) En Chevret 2019
($100, Louis Latour, USA): Louis Latour, one of Burgundy’s leading négociants, hit a home run with their 2019 reds. From the array I’ve tasted, you could almost pick with your eyes closed and get a terrific wine. This Volnay 1er is especially attractive because of its seductive perfume, silky texture, and refinement. … Read more
Domaine Louis Latour, Corton Grand Cru (Burgundy, France) “Corton Grancey” 2019
($190, Louis Latour, USA): Louis Latour is King of the Hill of Corton because of the quality of the wines that emanate from their extensive holdings there. Corton Grancey, a blend from five distinct Grand Cru climats of Corton — Bressandes, Perrières, Clos du Roi, Grèves, and Chaumes — is their top red wine from the Côte de Beaune. … Read more
Lucien Le Moine, Bourgogne Blanc (Burgundy, France) 2019
($62, vintus): Like Lucien Le Moine’s Bourgogne Rouge, the white punches far above its weight class. It delivers better concentration and depth than you would reasonably expect from this lowly appellation, especially since it weighs in at a modest 13 percent stated-alcohol. … Read more
Lucien Le Moine, Santenay 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) Clos Rousseau 2019
($100, Vintus): The wines from Santenay, an often-overlooked village of the Côte de Beaune, often display a touch of rusticity, charming in good hands, less charming in others. Clos Rousseau sits at the southern end of Santenay on the border with Maranges. … Read more
Lucien Le Moine, Bourgogne Rouge (Burgundy, France) 2019
($62, Vintus): Lucien Le Moine, a tiny “boutique” négociant, bottles only about 100 barrels of premier and grand cru red and white Burgundies annually (about 2,500 12-bottle cases). They are of uniformly high-quality, in short supply, and expensive. He also produces a Bourgogne Rouge and Bourgogne Blanc that are more readily available and punch far above their weight class. … Read more
An Early Look at the Excellent 2020 Vintage in Burgundy
The 2020 Burgundies, both reds and whites, are, in short, excellent, making it the the best vintage from that area since 2015. It’s been over a decade—2010—since a vintage has excelled in both colors. Offers for these 2020s as futures are just starting to appear. … Read more
Benjamin Leroux, Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) La Piece Sous le Bois 2019
($125, Becky Wasserman Selection): In a word, wow! Airy and mineraly, this Meursault has an underlying richness. All its glory is amplified by leaving the bottle re-corked in the fridge overnight. It’s like a cross between Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault, which given the location of the vineyard, high on the slope (literally, the area under the forest) bordering Puligny, makes sense. … Read more
Benjamin Leroux, Savigny-les-Beaune (Burgundy, France) 2019
($49, Becky Wasserman Selection): Benjamin Leroux is a small négociant who shows that, with all the fuss about growers, négociant is not a bad word. I tasted an extensive line-up of his staggeringly good barrel samples of his 2020s in November, which made me open some of the 2019s I had purchased. … Read more
Benjamin Leroux, Blagny 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) La Piece Sous le Bois 2019
($80, Becky Wasserman Selection): The hamlet of Blagny sits high on the slope within the limits of Meursault and adjacent to Puligny-Montrachet. Red wines from this terroir carry the Blagny appellation, while whites are labeled Meursault-Blagny. The elevation of the site, which keeps the grapes cool, plus the talent of Benjamin Leroux accounts for the wine’s charm and balance. … Read more
2019 Burgundies: A Mixed Bag
While consistency is rarely a word used when describing Burgundies, the 2019 Burgundies present the consumer with an even greater-than-usual stylistic variation. The usual suspects explain the diversity of the wines: Frost, poor flowering, and heat. Frost, which affected areas almost capriciously—some vineyards lost 40 percent of their grapes, while adjacent ones were spared—reduced the crop in many appellations. … Read more
Dominique Piron, Coteaux Bourguignons (Burgundy, France) 2016
($12): Coteaux Bourguignons, a relatively new appellation in Burgundy, has few rules, allowing growers broad latitude. They can blend Burgundy’s Pinot Noir and Beaujolais’s Gamay, along with a couple of obscure varieties, grown anywhere in Burgundy from Chablis in the north to Beaujolais in the south. … Read more
Dominique Piron, Beaujolais Blanc (Burgundy, France) 2019
($20, Baron Francois): Yes, some Beaujolais is white. And it’s worth looking for because it frequently delivers great value. As white Burgundies, even from the Mâconnais, rise in price, consumers need to search elsewhere for value for French Chardonnay-based wines. Made exclusively from Chardonnay, white Beaujolais accounts for only about five percent of the region’s production. … Read more
What am I Drinking Now? Pernot Belicard
Pernot Belicard 2017 Bourgogne Côte d’Or
Domaine Pernot Belicard is a name to remember because it will soon be included among the top names for white wine in all of Burgundy. The Pernot part is Philippe Pernot, grandson of Paul Pernot, a legendary producer in Puligny-Montrachet.… Read more
Louis Jadot: producer profile
It’s unbeknown to many that Maison Louis Jadot, one of Burgundy’s most venerable négociants, is also one of the region’s major growers – and a top one at that.
Jadot owns or controls over 141 hectares of vineyards in the Côte d’Or, the majority of which are Premier and Grand Cru.… Read more