I suspect the source of the grapes—their own—explains a good part of this wine’s stature. Bichot, a respected Beaune-based négociant, like many négociants, owns the vineyards from which they make some of their wines, which has important advantages. It allows the winemaker to determine how to farm the land.… Read more

Boris Champy has been, as they say, around the block. A native of the Champagne region, he worked at Napa Valley’s Dominus Estate for a decade and then was technical director at Maison Louis Latour, the venerable Beaune-based negociant, for another decade.… Read more

Meursault-Blagny sits high on the slope, just under the tree line, on the border with Puligny-Montrachet. The cooler locale explains why the white wines from this appellation are always racier and more delicate than other Meursault Premier Crus. Latour’s 2022 supplements that profile with refined power and an engaging floral component.… Read more

Latour, the largest owner of Corton-Charlemagne, consistently makes stellar wine from that Grand Cru site. Their 2022 is no exception. A thrilling wine that makes you gasp, it has a bit of everything—minerals, creaminess, depth, and verve—but not too much of anything.… Read more

Wow, what a wine! Domaine Louis Latour, with its almost 8-acres, owns two-thirds of the Premier Cru portion of Les Chaillots, a 11.7-acre plot bordering the Grand Cru Corton-Grèves. Like many Burgundy vineyards, another 4.8-acre chunk of the vineyard is classified solely as village Aloxe-Corton because it lies further down the slope on heavier soil.… Read more

The term Château is used far less commonly in Bourgogne compared to Bordeaux. French authorities allowed Latour to use Château Corton Grancey because of its historical significance. The wine, frequently just referred to as Grancey, is a blend of five of the Grand Cru lieux-dits on the hill of Corton: Perrières, Grèves, Bressandes, Clos du Rois, and Chaumes.… Read more

Although Aligoté, the second white grape of Bourgogne, comprises only about 10 percent of the white plantings there, climate change and increased interest in the grape by growers makes Bourgogne Aligoté worth exploring. In the past, Aligoté, a lean and acidic wine, was used primarily to offset the sweetness of crème de cassis in an aperitif, Kir.… Read more

Alexandre Burgaud represents the 4th generation of the family producing wine in Beaujolais. Although not a cru like Moulin-à-Vent or Fleurie, Lantignié, a village in the Beaujolais-Villages appellation that lies just outside of the designated cru appellations, can make distinctive Beaujolais (and deserves to be granted cru status).… Read more

Goisot, one of the top producers in the Côtes d’Auxerre, an up-and-coming appellation just west of Chablis, makes an extraordinarily consistent range of wines from that appellation. Their name on the label is a guarantee of quality. And because the appellations of Côtes d’Auxerre and Bourgogne Aligoté are less well known, the wines provide superb value.… Read more

The major Beaune-based négociants either make wines from their own vineyards or from grapes or newly pressed juice (must) they purchase from others. Sometimes they even buy wine made by others and finish the aging process themselves. They prefer to make wine from either their own grapes or purchased grapes because they control the pressing of the grapes, and the resulting wine is usually better.… Read more

A small amount, less than five percent, of Beaujolais is white and made from Chardonnay. Maison Louis Jadot, the venerable Beaune-based Burgundy négociant, saw the potential of the Beaujolais region when they purchased the famed Château des Jacques in Moulin-à-Vent, among Beaujolais’ most famous Crus, in 1996.… Read more

The Tremblay family has always been a leader in Chablis. They were among the first to build a gravity-flow winery, which eliminates the need for pumps in Chablis shortly after WWII. (Pumping can harm the grapes and juice intended for more delicate wines such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.)… Read more