2016 Vincent Girardin ‘Les Vieilles Vignes’ Mâcon-Fuissé
Maconnaise, FR
Regular Price $26.99
Sale price $19.99
In the warmer reaches of southern Burgundy region of Maconnaise, Chardonnay exhibits more tropical flavors than their cousins to the north. This wine illustrates that, and with its seasoning of subtle oak, it pleases without overwhelming. Rich yet balanced, with bright pear and citrus acidity.
2016 Etienne Sauzet Bourgogne Blanc
Cotes du Beaune, FR
Regular Price $40.99
Sale price $29.99
Gérard Boudot, owner and winemaker of Domaine Sauzet, married the granddaughter of the late Etienne Sauzet, has modernized and improved the vinification, making the wines of this domaine among the most sought-after white wines of Burgundy. This wine, primarily of younger vines from family holdings, is fragrant and lovely with pear, apple and accompanying floral aromas, leading into a crisp and precise finish.
2016 Francois Carillon Chassagne-Montrachet
Puligny-Montrachet, FR
Regular Price $64.99
Sale price $45.99
Deep and full and rich; this is what everyCalifornia Chardonnay of note wants to be when they grow up. Bold yet balanced, this wine illustrates why the whites of Burgundy are revered. The wine is cultured and delicious, with juicy, fresh fruit flavors wrapped in a stole of harmonious vanilla oak. Persistent, enlivening citrus acidity refreshes the palate and urges one to sip again.
2016 Mongeard-Mugneret Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
Vosne-Romanee, FR
Regular Price $38.99
Sale price $28.99
If you, like me, have been dismayed by American Pinot Noir blended and constructed to resemble the false notion of what quality wine should taste like ( sugary fruit, toasty oak, drying tannins, rinse, repeat), welcome home. This is a wine built for simple enjoyment, yet with surprising complexity. Made of 100% Pinot Noir (unlike, say, Meomi), the bright, tart dark cherry is wonderfully enticing and the underlying forest aromas and sturdy but not overpowering tannins bring balance and a welcoming change of pace.
2016 Domaine de Courcel Bourgogne Rouge
Pommard, FR
Regular Price $59.99
Sale price $42.99
The de Courcel Family have owned the domaine for 4 centuries, and one could suggest that their vineyards and methods have not changed appreciatively over that period of time. (I mean that as a compliment, by the way.) This wine, from vines that the family owns from outside, but adjacent to, Pommard, shows their old-school bona fides. De Courcel has always picked late (by Burgundy standards) and uses 1 and 2 year old barrels to season their wines. This is a powerfully rich Bourgogne but still retains the elegant and rustic charm that typifies Burgundy.
2010 Domaine Philippe Charlopin Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Les Evocelles’
Gevrey-Chambertin, FR
Regular Price $99.99
Sale price $79.99
Father and son team, Philippe and Yann, farm 140 parcels spread over36 appellations, making elegant and class wines that drink well at all stages in their life. This wine, from 70 year old vines (which is really quite old, in the context of Pinot Noir) from a spectacular site just outside the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin, is frankly, wonderful. Aging, is, a best, a crapshoot, but this nearly 20 year old wine really illustrates how Pinot Noir transitions and changes, for better or worse.