Category Archives: France – Burgundy

Domaine Bertagna, Hautes Côtes de Nuits (Burgundy, France) “Les Dames Huguettes” 2012

($29): One way to find well-priced Burgundy (no, that’s not an oxymoron) is to choose a down-market appellation from a top-notch producer, such as Domaine Bertagna.  Although Les Dames Huguettes lies in the appellation of Hautes Côtes de Nuits, just west (up and behind) the escarpment of the Côte d’Or, the vineyard itself still lies within the boundaries of the village of Nuits St Georges. Read more

Maison Louis Latour, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) Les Truffières 2012

($95, Louis Latour USA): Despite the concentration of Latour’s whites in 2012, the wines still reflect their origins.  This wine has a particularly stony edginess that screams Puligny-Montrachet and distinguishes it from the slightly creamier Meursault.  Like Latour’s Meursault Premier Cru, Les Truffières has a welcome vibrancy that balances its riches, amplifies its finish and puts its refinement into sharp relief. Read more

Maison Louis Latour, Meursault Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) Château de Blagny 2012

($70, Louis Latour USA): Louis Latour, one of Burgundy’s top-notch producers, hit a bull’s eye with their 2012s.  The vintage produced concentrated wines and capturing acidity, especially for the whites, was a challenge.  Latour succeeded brilliantly.  This Meursault has a beautiful, yet not overripe, density for a premier cru in 2012. Read more

Domaine Louis Latour, Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne (Burgundy, France) 2012

($155, Louis Latour USA): Latour, the largest owner of Corton-Charlemagne, makes sensational wines year in and year out from that vineyard. Indeed, in my opinion, there is no better producer of Corton-Charlemagne.  As expected from Grand Cru white Burgundy, Latour’s Corton-Charlemagne bottlings evolve gracefully and improve over a decade or two. Read more

Domaine Louis Latour, Beaune Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) Vignes Franches 2012

($80, Louis Latour USA): Consumers tend to forget that the top-tier négociants, such as Louis Latour, make wine from grapes grown in vineyards they own in addition to buying grapes from others.  Indeed, Latour, one of the largest vineyard owners in Burgundy, owns a substantial parcel in Vignes Franches, one of the best premier cru vineyards in Beaune. Read more

Château du Moulin-À-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent (Beaujolais, Burgundy, France) 2010

($38, Wilson Daniels): Similar to their 2009, Château du Moulin-À-Vent’s 2010 Moulin-à-Vent reflects the vintage’s cooler growing season.   Fresher and more lively than their 2009, the 2010 has an uplifting sour cherry-like finish that begs for another sip.  Still with the granitic edge and firm — not hard — tannins expected from top-notch Moulin-à-Vent, it’s more linear and less opulent compared to the 2009. Read more

Maison Louis Latour, Viré-Clessé (Mâcon, Burgundy, France) 2010

($18, Louis Latour USA): Viré-Clessé, a small, 500-acre appellation created only in 1998, was carved out of the Mâcon-Villages appellation because the wines from Viré and Clessé (along with a couple of other towns) had considerably more potential.  Louis Latour, one of Burgundy’s top producers, has realized that potential with their 2010 Viré-Clessé. Read more

Château Moulin-À-Vent, Pouilly-Fuissé (Burgundy, France) Vieilles Vignes 2012

($42, Wilson Daniels): Though Château Moulin-À-Vent focuses on their red wines, they also have old Chardonnay-planted vineyards in Pouilly-Fuissé.  Their Vieilles Vignes bottling conveys the stony character of Pouilly-Fuissé.  Tightly wound at this stage, I would give it a few years before pulling the cork even though it’s from the 2012 vintage, one known for lower-acid white wines, because there’s no lack of structure here — the old vines speaking, I’m sure.Read more

Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent (Beaujolais, Burgundy) “Couvent des Thorins” 2012

($28, Wilson Daniels): Ever since the Parinet family purchased this iconic property in 2009, they have been making marvelous wine.  They focus solely on wine from Moulin-à-Vent, one of the top crus of Beaujolais.  Moulin-à-Vent is home to well-structured rich wines that often need years of bottle age — these wines are as far away from insipidly fruity Beaujolais-Nouveau as you can get. Read more

Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent (Beaujolais, Burgundy) Clos des Londres 2009

($100, Wilson Daniels): Yes, you read the price correctly — $100 for a bottle of Beaujolais.  But to associate this wine with conventional image of Beaujolais — a fruity easy-to-drink wine — would be a terrible mistake.  The wines from Moulin-à-Vent, though a village in the Beaujolais region, rightly stand apart from that region and carry their own appellation. Read more

René Bouvier, Marsannay (Burgundy, France) “Le Clos” 2010

($30, Sherbrooke Cellars Selection): Marsannay, the northern most appellation of the Côte d’Or and practically a suburb of Dijon, is one of the last outposts of the “golden slope” where the consumer can find authentic Burgundy at reasonable prices.  Most Marsannay is red, but 15 percent of the vineyards are planted to Chardonnay, making it one of the rare white wines from the Côtes de Nuits. Read more

Simonnet-Febvre, Chablis Grand Cru (Burgundy, France) Preuses 2012

($65, Louis Latour USA): Simonnet-Febvre is one of the top producers in Chablis.  They eschew oak aging preferring to focus on the bracing minerality unique to the Chablis region, which gives their wines a lean, racy edginess.  The 2012 vintage was especially well suited to their style because it delivered fully ripe grapes with slightly lower apparent acidity, which meant that some producers’ wines lacked the usual verve of Chablis. … Read more

Jean Marc Brocard, Chablis (Burgundy, France) Vieilles Vignes 2012

($26): Jean Marc Brocard, always one of my favorite Chablis producers, made a stunning array of wines in 2012.  This one, from old vines, whose average age is 68 years, is one of the best village Chablis I’ve ever had.  With wonderful intensity–but no heaviness–and balance, it has penetration, energy and extraordinary length, especially for a village wine. … Read more

Jean Paul Brun, Beaujolais (Burgundy, France) Vieilles Vignes 2012

($18, Louis Dressner Selections): Brun’s Beaujolais, bottled under the Terres Dorées label, redefine that appellation.  The vast majority of Beaujolais — I’m not speaking of Beaujolais-Village and certainly not the cru — are nothing more than alcoholic grape juice.  But Brun’s is real wine filled with satisfying mix of fruitiness and herbal/spicy elements. … Read more

Maison Alex Gambal, Chorey-lès-Beaune (Burgundy, France) 2012

($45, Schneider’s of Capitol Hill): Chorey-lès-Beaune, like Savigny-lès-Beaune, is another good source of reasonably — for Burgundy — priced wines.  The wines from Chorey tend to be a touch more robust than those from Savigny.  Gambal’s Chorey-lès-Beaune conveys more black fruit than red and has an engaging immediate impact, without sacrificing any of what has become the purity and elegance that marks Geraldine Godot’s winemaking. … Read more

Maison Louis Latour, Chablis (Burgundy, France) “La Chanfleure” 2011

($22, Louis Latour USA): Chablis remains one of the best bargains for white Burgundy and this one from Louis Latour, one of Burgundy’s best producers, should be snapped up.  This village Chablis — Chanfleure is the name of the pipette used to extract wine from a barrel for tasting — is clean and crisp with underlying invigorating minerality and a zesty lemony finish. … Read more