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Stefan Vetter: Origin Story

The brilliant wines of Stefan Vetter are incredibly famous. Eric Asimov in the New York Times has called them a "revelation of how good sylvaner can be". They are also shockingly unknown.

"Simply breathtaking"
2008 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne

When Taittinger Comtes de Champagne is on, it can reach heights that only a select few Champagnes can achieve.

Grand Cru in everything but price
2021 Weingut Peter Lauer "Senior"

This is a bottle we introduced to the U.S. nearly 15 years ago; it is a wine that is bought by the most serious collectors. Yet it is also a perennial staff favorite, a "Grand Cru" Riesling priced to be nearly a summertime go-to wine.

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

Drouhin's Clos des Mouches quickly became an expectation-defying wine beloved by Burgundy insiders.

"An extraordinary set of wines"
2014 Roagna Barbaresco Pajè

It's difficult to think of Roagna and not think of the Pajé vineyard. They have other great sites, like Asili, but Pajé often seems like the beating heart of the estate.

2019 Hubert Lignier:
Morey St. Denis "Les Chaffots", Morey St. Denis 1er Cru VV, & Charmes-Chambertin

The Other Side Of Coche:
2018 Coche-Dury Volnay 1er Cru

The entire red lineup is stunning but if I had to limit myself to a single wine, it would certainly be the Volnay 1er Cru.

Utterly Brilliant:
2010 Agrapart L'Avizoise Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru

The 2010 L'Avizoise combines fine-ness, precision, and elegance with an impressive power and punch. The combination is absolutely thrilling. It weaves a chalky kinetic verve with brash intensity. 

A Study in Grace and Understatement:
2019 Jouan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbé

Jouan's wines are all about subtlety and a mysterious quiet depth. The Clos Sorbé captures this signature with heartbreaking beauty.

"Unusual in every respect"
2018 Château Simone Palette Rouge

We recently tasted Simone's 2018 and it simply wowed us. This is a vintage with class to spare. While the incredibly well calibrated harmony of the 2018 makes us excited to watch the wine evolve for the next couple of decades, it's also a bottle that's really enjoyable to drink today.

Kirchspiel GG’s Alter Ego:
2020 Keller Kirchspiel RR

It can be an absolutely thrilling bottle. We've tasted numerous bottles with a decade of age that have been stunning.

"Impeccably well-balanced"
2014 d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs

D’Angerville’s 2014s show brilliant complexity and saturating minerality. As always, Ducs is a high point of the lineup.

Chassagne Benchmark - Sharply Priced:
2019 Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie

The 2019 Clos de la Maltroie flaunts a lifted high-toned citrus profile.  It is beautifully clear with explosive layers of stone fruits, spice, and wet stone. The overall impression is one of refinement and mineral persistence. 

"This is a terrific villages"
2019 Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny Magnums

Drouhin simply has the touch when it comes to Chambolle. This can be seen everywhere from their incredible 1er Cru Amoureuses to their massively overachieving Chambolle AC.

“One of the wines of the vintage"
2013 Chave Hermitage Rouge

Chave's 2013 Hermitage is not only an extraordinarily pure and transparent vintage, but also one with an architecture that promises an incredibly impressive evolution. 

Brilliance in the Côte des Blancs
2007 Agrapart L'Avizoise Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

It stands out for its combination of presence and length with exacting focus, lift, and finesse.

Morgon's Master In Fleurie:
2020 Foillard Fleurie

Foillard captures the beauty and delicacy of Fleurie in a way that few others achieve. Fleurie's irresistible lifted, silky profile and elegance is laid bare.

"Focused, pure and impeccably well-balanced"
2015 Lafarge Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Aigrots Rouge

Lafarge's 2015s are stunning. "They may very well have made the wines of the vintage from the Côte de Beaune... if you can find them, buy them." 

Lauer Auction Kabinett - From Rebel to Legend?

Lauer's Auction Kabinett has always been one of our favorites. For many, the 2019 Auction Kabinett was the top example of the vaunted vintage.

"Excellent"
2019 Bachelet Gevrey VV

When you catch Bachelet's Gevrey in a vintage like 2019, the wine can simply floor you. It has a class and complexity that village-level wines pretty much never have.

The Crown Jewel of the Northern Rhône
2019 Chave Hermitage

Chave’s masterful Hermitage is the crown jewel of the northern Rhône. There’s simply no better expression of Syrah on the planet. The 2019 seems destined to be one of the most important vintages of the wine in the past decade.

A Study in Grace and Understatement Revisited:
2020 Bertheau Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

They are wines that feel as though they're without artifice. The wines are animated by a fine-ness, a delicacy. They speak softly, but with captivating precision.

"This gorgeous Spätlese will turn into a modern-day legend"
2020 Willi Schaefer Domprobst Spätlese #10

The wines boast a seamlessly miraculous clarity, precision, and intensity. 

Implausible Harmony:
Selosse Cuvée Initial & Version Originale

Selosse exists in his own realm. The Champagnes are some of the most captivating wines around. I can't think of another Champagne that delivers as much personality in such a seamless and finessed way.