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

Back in the 1960s, Robert Drouhin, head of the venerable Beaune-based firm of Joseph Drouhin, had the vision to buy vineyard land in Chablis when the area was in crisis. At the time, many thought he was foolish, but today it’s clear he was a visionary.… Read more

($29, Dreyfus, Ashby & Co):  Saint Véran, an appellation in Mâconnais, the southern part of Burgundy, abuts and surrounds Pouilly-Fuissé.  Like its more famous — and expensive — neighbor, it makes only white wines and only from Chardonnay.  Drouhin, one of Burgundy’s top négociants, has been making a consistently excellent Saint Véran year in and year out for decades. … Read more

($40):  Combine William Fèvre, one of the top producers in Chablis, with an excellent vintage for that region and you get a terrific village wine.  William Fèvre owns a staggering 200 acres of vineyards in Chablis, just under half of which carry either 1er Cru or Grand Cru designations, which leaves them a lot of choice for what they bottle under the village appellation. … Read more

($32):  For hockey aficionados, this wine is a hat trick:  Great producer, great vintage, great price.  For non-hockey fans, just buy this wine.  Some of it is in my cellar.  You’ll smile.  Domaine Servin, one of Chablis’ top producers, succeeded admirably with their 2022s, which is not surprising given the stature of the vintage. … Read more

($22):  The appellation, Bourgogne Aligoté, is an anomaly in Bourgogne, the epicenter of terroir-based viticulture, because it is named for the grape, not the site.  The grapes for Bourgogne Aligoté can come from anywhere in Bourgogne, from the Côte Auxerrois in the north near Chablis to Mâcon in the south. … Read more

($26, Albert Bichot USA):  In my mind, Petit Chablis is a misnomer because “petit” somehow diminishes the wine.  Petit Chablis comes from Chardonnay planted in a different kind of limestone compared to those labeled Chablis, imparting more fruitiness and less minerality. … Read more

($38):  In just a few years, Benjamin Leroux has become one of the star young producers in Burgundy.  And with good reason.  His wines are precise with good weight, which describes this Aligoté.  The ripeness of the vintage marries beautifully with the cutting edginess inherent to the Aligoté grape. … Read more

($80):  Unlike the rest of Burgundy, the 1er Cru classification in Montagny has little significance since a whopping 58 percent of vineyards are classified as such.  In any case, this Montagny is outstanding, perhaps the best I have ever had.  It shows what old vines in the hands of a detailed-oriented and talented producer can achieve. … Read more

($49):  Domaine Louis Michel, one of my favorite Chablis producers, has put out a masterful array of wines in 2022, at prices that are quite reasonable, especially given the current Burgundy market.  Michel has been a longtime (since the 1960s) advocate of eschewing wood barrels for either fermentation or aging. … Read more

($56, Vineyard Brands):  Louis Michel’s floral Vaillons couldn’t be more different from their weightier Butteaux.  Yet, they are both superb.  That’s the beauty of Burgundy in general and Chablis in particular.  The same grape, Chardonnay in this case, grown on neighboring hills, produces vastly different, but equally enjoyable, wines. … Read more

($56, Vineyard Brands):  Louis Michel, one of Chablis’ top producers, eschews oak fermentation or aging for their Chablis, insisting that the use of stainless steel allows the magical combination of Chardonnay grape grown on Kimmerigdian limestone soil to shine.  And shine it does with their 2020s. … Read more

($23):  Aligoté is Burgundy’s “other” white grape and it’s the only time a Burgundy appellation wine carries the grape name on the label.  The grapes can come from anywhere throughout Burgundy, but in Goisot’s case, they come from around their estate in the Côtes de Auxerre, in northern Burgundy, near Chablis. … Read more

($30):  The Mâconnais in southern Burgundy is the place to find affordable Chardonnay-based white Burgundy, especially from a top-notch produced like Guillot Broux.  Although the wine is made from Chardonnay grape, the Chardonnay on the label in this case refers to a village of the same name. … Read more

($55):  Boris Champy, one of the Burgundy’s most talented winemakers is, paradoxically, one of the least recognized. Although he deserves it, Champy lacks the rock-star profile of a Dominque Lafon, Benjamin Leroux, and others.  Thankfully, for us consumers, the prices of his wines reflect that. … Read more

($50):  Tasting this Pouilly-Fuissé side-by-side with Domaine de La Garenne’s fine Mâcon wines, you easily see the differences between those two appellations, even though they abut one another in places.  Someone clearly knew where to draw the lines.  Always a popular Chardonnay-based wine in the U.S.,… Read more

($33):  Comparing this wine, from the southern part of the Mâconnais, to Domaine de La Garenne’s Mâcon-Azé, which is located in the north of the appellation, shows the fabulous diversity within the Mâconnais.  The bolder Mâcon-Solutré-Pouilly delivers more weight and more stoniness without losing any freshness. … Read more

($33):  It is worth repeating — the Mâconnais is the place to fine excellent white wines, especially from the 2022 vintage, at reasonable prices.  As more and more growers discover the beauty of this part of Burgundy, we will see wines, like this one, that provide greater specificity regarding the origin of the grapes. … Read more

($35):  Saint-Véran, which lies adjacent to Pouilly-Fuissé in the Mâconnais, lies between single village Mâcon wines, like Mâcon-Azé, and Pouilly-Fuissé in the appellation hierarchy.  That is not to say you can’t find a Mâcon-Azé that is more stylish and enjoyable than a Saint-Véran, nor does it mean that every Pouilly-Fuissé is superior to every Saint-Véran. … Read more

($33):  Despite the location of the vineyard, Le Grand Bussière, in the village of Fuissé, the appellation is Saint-Véran because Fuissé (the village) spans two appellations, Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran.  (Who ever said that Burgundy was simple to understand?)  This edgy Saint-Véran, with its cutting stone-y quality, shows why that appellation ranks above Mâcon in prestige. … Read more

($60):  There is no better producer in the Mâconnais than La Soufrandière, a family domaine owned by the Bret Brothers.  The brothers also buy grapes from neighbors and other growers who have the same meticulous philosophy as they and bottle them as a négociant under the label, Bret Brothers. … Read more

($72):  The French wine authorities have finally identified and codified Premier Cru vineyards for Pouilly-Fuissé so that moniker along with the vineyard name is now appearing on the label, just as in the rest of Burgundy.  Unsurprisingly, the elevation of some vineyards to Premier Cru classification has brought with it an elevation of price. … Read more

($93, Kobrand Wine & Spirits):  Maison Louis Jadot, one of Burgundy’s top producers, recently purchased Domaine J. A. Ferret, one of stars of Pouilly-Fuissé.  Under Jadot’s leadership, the quality of the Ferret wines, already top-notch, has risen even more.  (Sadly, so has the price.) … Read more

($30):  Florent Rouve, owner of Domaine Rijckaert, explains that he wants to “maintain the freshness and purity” of the grapes, so eschews aging in new oak barrels and batonnâge (stirring of the lees), which tends to increase richness of the wines. … Read more

($30):  The Mâconnais, a less prestigious part of Burgundy south of the well-heeled Côte d’Or, is the place to find superb Chardonnay-based wines.  When the wine come from a single village, such as Bussières or Lugny to name just two, the village name can appear on the label instead of the more generic, Mâcon-Villages. … Read more

($38, Louis Latour, USA):  Appellations within the Mâconnais, like Viré-Clessé, are the place to go to find affordable, or at least more affordable, white Burgundy.  Viré and Clessé, two adjacent villages whose wines previously were labeled as Mâcon-Viré and Mâcon-Clessé, convinced French wine regulators that their wines were distinctive enough to merit their own appellations. … Read more

($49):  The buzz engulfing Pouilly-Fuissé comes from the well-deserved designation of premier cru vineyards.  So, now that distinction will appear on labels.  But let’s not forget the village wines.  A village Pouilly-Fuissé from a top house, like Auvigue, will compete with those labeled premier cru from less talented producers. … Read more

($47):  Marsannay, almost a suburb of Dijon, is the northernmost appellation of the Côtes de Nuits.  Usually, wines from Burgundy’s exalted Côtes de Nuits, think Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, or Vosne-Romanée, are frightfully expensive.  Marsannay has not gotten the message — yet.  They will. … Read more

($106, Martine’s Wines):  Domaine Buisson-Charles, a well-regarded Meursault-based family domaine, blends grapes from six parcels to make this stellar village wine.   Some are hillside parcels that provide grapes with higher acidity, and some are lower down that imbue the grapes, and subsequent wine, with more richness. … Read more

($52):  The story goes that a parcel of vines in the Merusault Perrières vineyard lost its exalted appellation classification when the owner added 10-inches or so of topsoil to replace that which had been washed away.  That modification turned what is now called Chaumes des Perrières into Bourgogne Blanc — not even Meursault. … Read more

($24):  Albert Bichot, like many of Burgundy’s top producers, owns vineyards — is a grower — and acts as a négociant, buying grapes/and or newly pressed juice from other growers.  This elegant and refreshing Crémant falls into the latter category.  Its tiny bubbles dance on the palate. … Read more

($65):  Jean-Baptiste Ponsot, grandson of the founder of the estate, took it over in 2000 when he was just 20 years old.  My first and only experience with their wines — it certainly will not be my last — was at a tiny restaurant in Cluny, in southern Burgundy. … Read more

($45):  Though the crop was small in Burgundy and especially Chablis in 2021 because of severe frost, the wines, like this delight, can be excellent.  Fourchaume, one of the top premier cru vineyards of Chablis, abuts the line of Grand Cru vineyards, which perhaps explains its stature. … Read more

($37):  The back label tells us the wine made from vines planted in 1946 is a tribute to Jean-Marc’s “spiritual” father, Louis Petit, “who taught him how to make the soil speak.”  With more weight and density, it is a fabulous contrast to Brocard’s Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire, showing the impact of vine age. … Read more

($28):  Chablis remains one bright spot in Burgundy for consumers because its wines remain underpriced, and a great value compared to those from the Côte d’Or.  What they may lack it opulence compared to New World Chardonnay or the Chardonnay-based wines from the Côte d’Or, they make up for with a riveting minerality and focus. … Read more

($37, Jeanne-Marie de Champs):  Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau now runs this stellar domaine based in Meursault.  Bouzereau has used the new appellation, Bourgogne Côte d’Or, which indicates that all the grapes came from the Côte d’Or, the heart of Burgundy, as opposed to anywhere else in the region. … Read more

($65, Jeanne-Marie de Champs):  Alongside Domaine Parent, run by Anne Parent and her sister Catherine, is a small négociant business, called Jacques Parent et Cie.  The domaine is known best for their masterful array of Pommard that reflect the diversity and beauty of the appellation’s vineyards. … Read more

($29, Jeanne-Marie de Champs):  Though Chiroubles, one of the ten Crus (named villages) of Beaujolais borders Fleurie, the wines are vastly different, which is what makes drinking wines from the Beaujolais Crus so fascinating.  Château de Raousset, one of the region’s top producers, makes both. … Read more