($45): The names of Burgundy vineyards are fascinating, often evoking colorful images.  This one, one of my favorites, is roughly translated as “the boulders that look like the teeth of the dog.”  Alex Gambal’s 2011 from this vineyard is as wonderful as the name.  St. Aubin is slightly off the beaten tract in Burgundy, lying behind the three major Côte de Beaune villages for white wine, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault.  Les Murgers des Dents de Chien vineyard abuts a premier cru vineyard of Puligny-Montrachet, which helps explain its stony, firm nature that offsets its attractive ripeness.  Layered and long, it makes wonder why the wines of St. Aubin are not more well known.  Its finesse and focus makes you think it comes from more exalted terroir.  In the context of white Burgundy, it’s a fabulous buy.
91 Michael Apstein Oct 15, 2013