News — Chardonnay

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.

Magic in Meursault:
2017 Pierre Boisson Meursault Grands Charrons

The Boisson family makes Meursault exactly as we like it: intensely mineral, nervy, and with perfectly-judged richness. The Grands Charrons is always one of the high points of the lineup.

White & Red Burgundy: Coche-Dury, Colin-Morey, Lafarge,
Leflaive, Roulot, Roumier & More

With La Paulée officially a day away and festivities well underway, it's difficult for me to focus on anything except Burgundy.

Single Vineyard Splendor:
2013 Chartogne-Taillet Chemin de Reims

Chartogne-Taillet's lineup reaches its pinnacle in the exactingly-rendered single-vineyard bottlings. They dramatize just how sensitive and precise the winemaking is. The Chemin de Reims, first bottled as a single-vineyard champagne in 2011, is an extraordinary example of Chartogne’s skillful winemaking.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow:
2017 Pierre Boisson Bourgogne Blanc

This is an email that I write with trepidation. In a strong vintage, Boisson's Bourgogne Blanc is a guaranteed sell-out.

“Outstanding complexity” - Burghound
2017 Tribut Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Léchet

If you're after classic, mineral-drenched Chablis, Tribut is one of the most important names to know.

"Superb" - Neil Martin, Vinous Media
2017 Ballot Millot Meursault 1er Cru Perrières

The 1er Cru Perrières is holy ground for Chardonnay. Meursault doesn’t have any Grand Crus, but there’s no doubt that Perrières can rival Grand Crus from other villages.

"Genuinely Great" - Véronique Drouhin
2017 Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc Magnums

Clos des Mouches is a very important site for Drouhin. This prime mid-slope vineyard was one of the first purchases of Maurice Drouhin when he essentially established domaine bottlings in the 1920s.