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Meursault Benchmark:
2018 Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre

When it comes to riper vintages, Lafon's wines are often amazing. Even with high expectations, the 2018s are seriously impressive. 

In Top Form:
2019 Chevillon Nuits-St-George Vieilles Vignes

Their Nuits has long been one of my bulletproof village Burgundies. The 2019 ups the ante in a serious way. 

Cote-Rotie At Its Most Riveting
2011 Bénetière Côte-Rôtie Cordeloux

There may very well be no Côte-Rôtie being made today that can match Bénetière in terms of focus, balance, and streamlined mineral elegance.

1HA - Lapierre Côte du Py:
2020 Lapierre Morgon Cuvée Camille Bottles and Magnums

"Pretty, lacy and mineral-suffused'
2017 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.

Cult Chablis in Magnum:
2018 Tribut Chablis 1er Beauroy Magnums

When you taste the wine, it's pretty obvious why. This is a seriously good, classic Chablis at very fair pricing.

Stand Alone Barbera:
2018 Castello di Verduno Barbera d'Alba Bricco del Cuculo

Even though much of the trip was spent tasting the great 2016 Barolos and Barbarescos, the 2018 Barbera Bricco del Cuculo was the revelation of my tastings. I immediately asked the importer how much I could buy. 

The Other Side of Jamet 2019 Jamet
Côte-Rôtie Fructus Voluptas

Jamet's signature finesse,  with darker fruits and more overt florality.

Essential Bourgogne:
2018 Barthod Bourgogne Rouge

2019 Heitz-Lochardet Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières

2018 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Kabinett Alte Reben

Across the range, Müller's are simply extraordinary. Still, there's a quality to the Kabinetts that's special, especially so for the Auction bottling.

D'Angerville: 2006-2018

D'Angerville is one of our favorite producers of red Burgundy.

Today, we're very excited to celebrate his benchmark Volnays.

Cult Northern Rhone Part II:
2019 Gonon Saint-Joseph

The amount of gracefulness that Gonon is able to coax from the hills of Saint-Joseph is extraordinary.

Laser Beams of Terroir:
2013 Larmandier-Bernier Terre de Vertus 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Non-Dosé

Larmandier-Bernier's wines are laser beams of terroir laid bare. They offer some of the most riveting and assertively mineral expressions of Chardonnay.

Throw-Back California:
2017 Enfield Waterhorse Ridge Fort Ross-Seaview Cabernet Sauvignon

Enfield focuses primarily on Chardonnay, Pinot, and Syrah, but it’s their Cabernet Waterhorse Ridge that impresses me the most.

Cult Chablis:
2019 Tribut Chablis

Tribut's signature is a complex Chablisienne minerality and sweeping notes of stone fruits, flowers, and a crackling acidity.

Piedmont Holy Ground Revisited:
2013 Oddero Barolo Vigna Rionda

Hitting The Bull's Eye:
2019 Duroché Gevrey-Chambertin "Champ"

He is a 5th generation winemaker who took over the domaine in 2005 and immediately turned out breathtaking examples of Burgundy. 

At The Top of His Game:
2018 Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes

In recent vintages, the wines have simply been breathtakingly good. Lafon's 2018s highlight the level that the domaine is working. 

Loire Icon:
2019 François Cotat Sancerre Les Culs de Beaujeu

Purity To The Extreme:
Suenen Oiry & C + C Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru

Both wines highlight how sensitive the farming and winemaking at Suenen are. There are few producers anywhere in Champagne that are capable of wines of such pristine expression. 

Raw Power:
2005 Chevillon Nuits-St-George 1er Cru Les Vaucrains

The red Burgundies of 2005 are extraordinary. It's a vintage of nearly unheard-of structure and terroir imprint. It's a very special vintage and one that seems destined to be included with the greats of the past fifty years.

Magnums!
Allemand, Conterno, Dauvissat, Dom Perignon, Envinate, Gonon, Leflaive & More

Cult Northern Rhône:
2019 Gonon Saint Joseph Blanc Les Oliviers

White Rhônes can be a tricky category. The best can be amazing, but for better or worse our tastes are very selective. Gonon's nails the category.