Based in Savigny-lès-Beaune, Domaine Pavelot’s Bourgogne Rouge comes from plots in that village plus the villages of Pernand-Vergelesses and Alox-Corton, but obviously outside of those village appellation boundaries, so it is reflective of the Côte de Beaune. This well-priced 2023 has good weight and a marvelous combination of berry fruit and savory non-fruit nuances that make Burgundy unique.… Read more

Aligoté, Burgundy’s other white grape, accounts for only about five percent of all plantings in the region, which explains why it’s not very well-known. Regulations for the Bouzeron appellation mandate its use there, but otherwise it’s Burgundy’s only appellation that uses a grape name instead of a geographic one.… Read more

Domaine Jean-Marc Bouley has embraced a “modern” label, displaying a proprietary name prominently while relegating the appellation to the back label. The wine itself is quite traditional—and stunning. The roughly 2.5-acre plot from which the Pinot Noir for this wine comes is located on a slope just above Volnay with excellent southern exposure.… Read more

With prices for many Côte d’Or wines approaching triple digits, it a treat to find authentic Burgundy with a more affordable price tag. Climate change has helped the wines from the Hautes-Côtes, the areas above the Côte de Nuits, or in this case, the Côte de Beaune, which in the past produced coarse wines because of unripe tannins.… Read more

The wines from Marsannay, the northernmost outpost of the Côte de Nuits, almost a suburb of Dijon, has flown under the radar for decades. Indeed, it gained its legally recognized Village appellation status only in 1987. Prior to that time, its wines could only carry the regional appellation of Bourgogne rouge.… Read more

Domaine de Montille, one of Burgundy’s leading producers, has been organic since 1995 and biodynamic since 2005. They have a stunning array of wines that focus on finesse rather than power. With grapes coming come exclusively from their home base in Volnay and plots in Puligny-Montrachet, this refined Bourgogne Rouge is a fine introduction to their style.… Read more

One of the wonderful delights of Montille’s wines is how they express their terroir. That is, how they differ one from the other despite using the same grape, Pinot Noir, grown in the same region, only a few miles apart. This beautiful Beaune, from one of that village’s top premier cru vineyards, delivers an earthier and weightier profile compared to Montille’s more aromatic and suavely textured Volnay Taillepieds.… Read more

Domaine de Montille owns just over 20 percent of Les Taillepieds, one of the finest vineyards in Volnay. So, it is not surprising that it is one of Domaine’s flagship wines. The stunning 2021 grabs you immediately with gorgeous aromatics that leap from the glass.… Read more

Ernst Loosen, the talented and dedicated German Riesling producer, has said he has always been struck how both Riesling and Pinot Noir transmit a sense of place. Well, now he has the chance to see the similarity first-hand because he has started to produce wines in Burgundy.… Read more

Maison Drouhin, one of Burgundy’s most reliable négociants, shows the house’s talents with their low prestige wines, like this one. Every producer should make a stellar Grand Cru Burgundy, like Bonnes Mares, which often retails above $300 a bottle, but it takes real skill to craft an authentic Bourgogne, which is what Drouhin’s has done with their 2022.… Read more

Montagny, a village in the Côte Chalonnaise just south of the famed Côte d’Or that makes only white wine, remains an underappreciated site for white Burgundies. As usual, Domaine du Cellier aux Moines shows the heights an appellation can achieve. Les Combes, produced from young vines planted in 2012 in this south facing vineyards, displays the stoniness you’d expect from Montagny, but with an added touch of excitement.… Read more

Philippe Pascal, who along with winemaker Guillaume Marko, run Domaine du Cellier aux Moines, explains that the soil and exposure of the vines for their Les Charmelottes are basically the same as for their Les Combes. The difference is the age of the vines.… Read more

The team at Domaine du Cellier aux Moines has been fanatical in replanting their vineyard over the last decade plus, pulling out old vines, which as owner Philippe Pascal quips, “produced grapes the size of potatoes.” They are replanting with a massale selection, a traditional viticultural practice that propagates a variety of vines from the vineyard instead of using a “Mother” vine or clone.… Read more

Domaine du Cellier aux Moines is setting a new benchmark for the wines from Givry. Their 2022 from the famed Clos du Cellier aux Moines, arguably Givry’s top Premier Cru vineyard, is just one example of how they are redefining the appellation.… Read more

The 2023 vintage in Burgundy has the reputation of producing forward or “approachable” wines that are ready to drink. Don’t be fooled. This stunning and age-worthy Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées is not. Don’t get me wrong. It is a fabulous wine, as my score shows.… Read more

Despite climate change, Chablis remains a unique expression of Chardonnay, as this stoney wine shows. It delivers an alluring combination of floral and flinty elements, all buttressed by saline-tinged acidity in the finish. Domaine Jean Defaix has crafted a terrific village wine that shows that bargains still exist in this unique part of Burgundy.… Read more

It turns out that Domaine Bonnardot is as talented with Pinot Noir in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits as they are with Chardonnay. With unusual refinement for a wine from the Hautes-Côtes, this mid-weight Pinot Noir combines dark fruitiness with an attractive brambly quality.… Read more

The combination of soaring prices for even village wines and climate change have made the Hautes-Côtes the place to find affordable Burgundy. The Hautes-Côtes, both de Beaune and de Nuits, are the higher elevation land above the Côte d’Or. In the past, the elevation made it difficult to ripen the grapes and the wines had a rustic edge to them.… Read more

The tiny and Pinot Noir-only Bourgogne Côtes du Couchois appellation lies just south of the Côte d’Or in the Côte Chalonnaise. Though it encompasses some 1,000 acres, only 30 acres are actually declared under the appellation by a handful of producers.… Read more

Bichot, one of Burgundy’s top producers, opts to use the relatively new, Bourgogne Côte d’Or, appellation that indicates all the grapes came from the Côte d’Or. None from the Mâconnais or the Côte Chalonnaise. In fact, I’m told that all the grapes came from the revered Côte de Nuits, which I wouldn’t doubt after tasting this suave and refined beauty.… Read more

Although Le Clos du Château, a walled vineyard that sits directly in front of the Château de Puligny Montrachet, lies within the village of Puligny-Montrachet, it lies outside of that village’s appellation. Hence, it carries the Bourgogne Blanc appellation. Who said Burgundy was simple?… Read more

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

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

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

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