($35, Louis Latour USA): This is what everyone is looking for in white Burgundy — an affordable overachiever.  Three elements come together in a “perfect storm” to create this overachiever.  First, there’s the village itself.  Pernand-Vergelesses lies “behind” the hill of Corton (to the west) and is often overlooked since it is hidden as you drive the main road of the Côte d’Or. … Read more

($190, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection): White Corton is a rarity, since most producers label it Corton-Charlemagne.  Indeed, Anne Parent, who runs the eponymous domaine with her sister, Catherine, says she legally could label hers as Corton-Charlemagne, but since it comes from the east-facing portion of the hill in the Ladoix-Serrigny commune, she prefers to label it simply…Corton. … Read more

($70, Becky Wasserman Selection): Seventy bucks for Pouilly-Fuissé?  That’ll get your attention, but so will the quality of this wine.  It’s a joint venture between two Burgundy super-stars, Dominique Lafon from Meursault and Olivier Merlin from the Mâconnais, who purchased the vineyard together. … Read more

($21, Becky Wasserman Selection): I first became aware of Domaine Merlin’s wine when I tasted — no, drank — his stunning Moulin-à-Vent in a Paris bistro.  I’ve been a fan ever since.  It turns out that the Domaine makes stunning white wine as well. … Read more

($49, Becky Wasserman Selection): The producers in Marsannay have petitioned the authorities to elevate some of their vineyards, all of which now are lumped together and sold under the village name, to Premier Cru.  Clos du Roy is a prime candidate for promotion as this wine demonstrates. … Read more

($57, Becky Wasserman Selection): Sylvain Pataille, a terrific producer based in Marsannay, produces this Bourgogne rouge from vines that average about 35 years of age.  Indeed, a third of the vines in this 2.5-acre vineyard date from 1950s.  The old vines explain the gorgeous complexity and density you rarely fine in Bourgogne Rouge. … Read more

($12, Louis Latour USA): Though the appellation is just Saint Bris, the wines are often referred to as Sauvignon St. Bris, incorporating the name of the grape into the appellation.  Saint Bris, located just southwest of Chablis, is an anomaly in Burgundy because it is the only area where Sauvignon Blanc is allowed, indeed, required. … Read more

($135, Louis Latour USA): Louis Latour, the largest owner of the Grand Cru Corton Charlemagne, consistently makes superb examples of that wine.  They show their glory with a decade of bottle age.  I’ve not tasted all producers’ Corton Charlemagne so I can’t say Latour is “the best,” but for the price, there’s nobody even close. … Read more

($20, Louis Latour USA): The 2014 vintage was superb in Chablis and the rest of Burgundy for white wines.  Prices have nowhere to go but up because of the short crop in 2016, so I advise friends to buy as many 2014 white Burgundies as they can afford. … Read more

($21, Louis Latour USA): With the prices of Burgundy going through the roof, it’s always a delight to find authentic red Burgundy, especially from the revered Côte de Nuits, that is affordable.  Marsannay, the most northern appellation of the Côte de Nuits, is practically a suburb of Dijon, resulting in a constant battle between vineyards and suburban housing. … Read more

($55, Louis Latour USA): Village Burgundians, those wines made from vineyards that are not classified as Premier or Grand Cru, are often overlooked.  Burgundy collectors typically scramble to buy the wines from those more revered appellations.  Wise consumers, however, should look for village wines from top growers or négociants, such as this one. … Read more

($90, Kobrand Wine & Spirits): Maison Louis Jadot, one of Burgundy’s top négociants, is also a “grower,” owning vineyards under a variety of Domaine names, such as Domaine Héritiers Louis Jadot (i.e., the heirs of Louis Jadot), throughout the Côte d’Or. … Read more

($102, Esprit du Vin):  Les Caillerets, one of the grandest premier cru vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet, lies further south and further up the slope from Les Blanchots. Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay’s 2014, a bit closed at this stage, is tightly wound and racy, showing a dramatic stony minerality in contrast to the chalkiness from Les Blanchots Dessus. … Read more

($104, Esprit du Vin):  Les Blanchots Dessus (upper Blanchots; note the slight difference in spelling and, at least according to the French, but not this Anglophone, an enormous difference in pronunciation) comprises the upper part of the Blanchots vineyard and lies immediately to the south and adjacent to the Grand Cru vineyard, Le Montrachet. … Read more

($64, Esprit du Vin):  The Domaine Coffinet, established in 1860 in Chassagne-Montrachet, has been passed from one generation of the Coffinet family to the next.  In 1989, Fernand and Cécile Coffinet split their 30-acre domaine between their two daughters, giving rise to Domaine Coffinet-Duverney, now run by Laura Coffinet and Philippe Duvernay.… Read more