News — Chardonnay

"This is excellent"
- 2017 Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Porusots

Lafon's 2017 Porusots is epic.

The wine is a finely etched and tension-filled powerhouse.  

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow:
2016 Tribut Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy

Coche-Dury 2007-2017:
From Aligoté to Meursault Perrières

It is extremely rare to see so much Coche on one list.

Coche represents one of the pinnacles of Burgundy. When I use the word epic, it is applied just as much to the Bourgogne and his reds as it is to the dazzling Meursault 1er Cru Perrières.

2017 White Burgundy Oasis: 2017 De Montille Saint Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly

Saint Aubin's 1er Cru En Remilly pulls in all sorts of people - collectors, Burgundy fanatics, value hunters, etc.

Not many other places offer white Burgundies at this level for this price. After all, En Remilly sits just behind the Grand Cru, Le Montrachet.

Leflaive Magnums, Lowest Price:
2016 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon Magnums

Stated simply, this is a serious deal on one of Burgundy's iconic estates.

We always look towards Clavoillon for where quality and pricing so irresistibly intersect.

"A classic tightly coiled La Forest that is clearly built-to-age."
2017 Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru La Forest

This is a don't miss vintage of Forest.

In Dauvissat's hands, Forest brims with notes of saline, crushed rocks, sea-breeze minerality, and bright citrus fruits.

Irresistible White Burgundy Value - Revisited:
2014 Lamy Bourgogne Blanc Les Chataigners

Lamy's Bourgogne Blanc Les Chataigners has become one of my go-to white Burgundy values.

We first offered the 2014  Bourgogne Chatagners in February of 2019, and I'm happy to have another opportunity to offer it. 

Poured at George V, The French Laundry, and Per Se - The Don't Miss $40 Champagne: Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs Cuvee Prestige NV

Diebolt-Vallois is a long-standing benchmark in Champagne.

The impressive list of world-class restaurants where their cuvée Prestige is poured by the glass drives home how impressive this Champagne is.

The Utter Brilliance of PYCM: 2017 Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot Cuvée Clement et Emma

I've become obsessed with 2017 white Burgundies, and I'm happy to offer an especially dazzling example of the vintage.

If you had to neatly explain why Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey is included among Burgundy's absolute greats, purity and rigor would work perfectly.

"One of the finest grower-producers" - Ledru Extra Brut NV

Blazingly Mineral - Value in 2017 White Burgundy:
2017 Rapet Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc Les Combottes

Rapet makes my style of Burgundy. They are stony and unadorned wines, direct and full of charm.

Chassagne Magic:
2017 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet

Ramonet is one of the time-tested greats of white Burgundy. Catch a Ramonet in top form, which is usually the case, and you'll find a case study in tension and intensity.

Under-The-Radar, For Now - 2017 White Burg Stunner:
2017 Génot-Boulanger Meursault 1er Cru Les Bouchères

Génot-Boulanger has become a pillar of the store. In 2017, they hit a new level that demanded an offering. When you factor in price and complexity, the Meursault 1er Cru Les Bouchères is the star of Génot-Boulanger's 2017 lineup. 

Ramonet In Top Form - Revisited:
2017 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes

Ramonet's Ruchottes overachieves to such an extent that it can compete with many Grand Crus. In 2008, Allen Meadows tasted a 1978 that was in great shape. Ruchottes is dense and tactile with a sleek chiseled minerality and a soaring tension that is Ramonet's signature. It's a wine that is ruthlessly focused with a gripping concentration.

White Burgundy - 1993-2017:
Coche-Dury, Dauvissat, Lafon, Raveneau, Roulot & Much More

Last week, I put together a long red Burgundy offering. Today, I put together a similarly sized list of white Burgundies.

"One of Champagne's most dynamic young growers” - Savart L'Ouverture & L'Accomplie Brut NV

"There is little doubt Fred Savart is one of Champagne's most dynamic young growers.” -Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media The champagnes of Fred Savart have steadily become some of our favorites.

"This is lovely and a classic example" - Revisited:
2017 Heitz-Lochardet Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières

It's been fun to watch Heitz-Lochardet start to really take off. It seems like everyone I give a bottle to comes back wanting a half-dozen more.

2016 & 2017 Tribut Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy

I'll make this quick. Anytime that we offer Tribut, we brace ourselves for a quick sell out. Tribut's wines have long been aggressively hunted down by those in the know. If they haven't quite achieved the status that they deserve, it's because they tend to disappear from the market.

"Snappy, delicious, complex and focused" - Lowest Price:
2017 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon

Leflaive's 2017s are more than worthy successors to their amazing 2014s. For many years, Leflaive has resided at the very highest level of white Burgundy. Right there with Coche-Dury, Lafon, Roulot, and Ramonet.

A Magical Combination: 2013 Robert Moncuit Blanc de Blancs

Mesnil's chalky soils deliver Chardonnays at the pinnacle of precision and energy. The area is responsible for some of my favorite expressions of Chardonnay and Champagne. 

Roulot, The Next Horizon:
Incredible Tension and Poise - 2018 Chacra Mainque Chardonnay

As strange as it seems, Argentina, the land of Malbec, is home to one of our favorite new world Chardonnays - and Roulot’s first project outside of Burgundy. As it turns out, Patagonia’s Río Negro region is perfect for producing high-quality Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. The region’s unique climate, with warm days and cool nights, produces complex and highly finessed wines.

Punching Above Its Weight Class:
2017 Ballot Millot Meursault Les Criots

If 2014 represented a breakthrough vintage for Ballot Millot, 2017 cements just how important this domaine is destined to become in Burgundy. For us, the outrageous quality of Ballot Millot's 2017 shines brightest at the lower end. Their Perrières and other Meursault 1er Crus are great, but at the villages level, the quality is shocking.

"A gorgeous, beguiling wine... "
2017 Moreau-Naudet Chablis 1er Cru Forêts

Moreau-Naudet is producing some of the most exciting wines coming out of Chablis. In 2017, they reached a high-water mark. Their 2017s represent a break out vintage for one of Chablis' top talents. They nailed the vintage. 

"A wonderfully complete wine that impresses for its exceptional balance"
- 2017 Moreau-Naudet Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

We were not prepared for the blazing greatness of the 2017 Moreau-Naudet collection. That's saying a lot. We have been beating the drum for Moreau-Naudet for the past five years. Still, the dazzling quality of the 2017s shocked us. This is a break out vintage that places them among the best of Chablis.