($47, Kermit Lynch):  First, the backstory.  At a Paris bistro, I ordered a glass of 2021 Côte de Brouilly, from Thivin, one of the best producers of that cru.  Out came a glass of red wine, which was alluring, mineral-y and dense, and every bit as good as I had expected. … Read more

($50, Misa Imports):  Domaine Mont Bessay is a new project from the people who make the beautifully textured wines at Domaine du Cellier aux Moines in Givry.  Just as Philippe Pascal and Guillaume Marko are drawing attention to Givry in the Côte Chalonnaise — not to be confused with Gevrey in the Côte d’Or — they will make the world think differently about Beaujolais cru wines. … Read more

($21, Monsièur Touton Selection):  The wines from Morgon, another of the ten named villages of Beaujolais, tend to be firm, rather that fleshy.  With its chiseled profile, this long and lively one from Copéret fits that mold.  A savory accent of subtle smokiness complements its engaging austerity. … Read more

($50, Misa Imports):  Wines from this new estate have the potential to put Juliénas on the same level as Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent when speaking of the Beaujolais cru.  The stunning 2021 En Bessay delivers as explosive array of red fruit and spicy flavors, seamlessly woven together. … Read more

($22, Peter Weygandt Selection):  Chénas, the smallest of the ten named villages of Beaujolais, typically produces dark wines, like this one, that combine minerality and fruitiness.  This Chénas from Peter Weygandt, always a reliable name on a back label, displays a charming beefiness balanced by fine, not hard, tannins. … Read more

($23):  The wines from Brouilly, the largest of the ten named villages of Beaujolais, typically provide more interest that a straight Beaujolais-Villages.  This one supports that generalization.  Fine acidity and a hint of tannic structure balances this ripe and generous Brouilly. … Read more

($23, Vintus):  Domaine Guillot-Broux makes exceptional red wines from what most people consider an unexceptional place for them, the Mâconnais.  Sure, the Mâconnais is home to a slew of terrific, and well-priced, whites.  But reds?  It’s not the first, or even the fourth, place people think of for reds. … Read more

($46, Vintus):  This stunning Bourgogne Rouge will change your mind about the quality of red wines coming from the Mâconnais.  Firstly, Domaine Guillot-Broux is clearly a talented and detail-oriented producer.  They waited 18 years before making a wine from Les Genièvrières, a vineyard in Cruzille, a village not far from the Abbaye de Cluny, because they didn’t think the vines were old enough to produce high-quality wine! … Read more

($35, Jeanne-Marie de Champs):  I repeat what I’ve said before: Value in Burgundy these days is found at the lower pedigree appellations made by talented producers.  Pernot Belicard is a great example of a top producer bottling exceptional white wines at every pedigree. … Read more

($22, Kobrand):  Value in Burgundy these days is found at the lower pedigree appellations made by talented producers.  Enter this Bourgogne Rouge from Jadot.  With an engaging combination of savory notes intertwined with hints of red and black fruit, this mid-weight wine is real Burgundy, or Bourgogne as the French would prefer to call it. … Read more

($50):  This delightful wine shows that value in Burgundy is alive and well.  Owned by the Devillard family, the Château de Chamirey is one of, if not THE, leading estates in Mercurey, a village in the Côte Chalonnaise, just south of the Côte d’Or. … Read more

($51, Kobrand):  Domaine Gagey in the rectangle at the bottom of the label means that the Gagey family, the longtime directors of Maison Jadot, owns the property.  So, in essence, this is an estate wine as opposed to a négociant wine for which Jadot would have purchased the grapes from another grower. … Read more

($26, Kobrand):  In a word, delicious!  And an extraordinary value.  You rarely see Burgundy of this quality at this price.  Jadot, one of Burgundy’s top producers, takes advantage of a relatively new appellation, Bourgogne Côte d’Or, which means all the grapes came from the famed Côte d’Or part of Burgundy, rather than the region’s less prestigious subzones. … Read more

($63, Kobrand):  Jadot started this unconventional, by Burgundy standards, bottling with the 2009 vintage to celebrate its 150th anniversary.  Contrary to the Burgundy mantra of terroir — a specific delineated location is paramount — Jadot blends wine from upwards of 15 individual premier cru vineyards within Beaune, to produce a wine representative of the best Beaune has to offer (there are no Grand Cru vineyards in Beaune.) … Read more

($22, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants):  Wines labeled Mâcon-Villages vary from the banal to extraordinary value.  Put this one squarely in the latter category.  Mâcon-Villages, a regional appellation in southern Burgundy, is large by Burgundy standards, 8,500 acres, and comprises 26 named villages lumped under the same umbrella. … Read more

($19, Thomas Calder Selection):  Normally, wines from the Beaujolais-Villages appellation are a blend of wine from several different villages and do not carry the name of an individual village on the label.  However, French regulations allow producers to indicate the village, Lantignié in this case, on the label if all the grapes came from it. … Read more

($40, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection):  Fourchaume, one of top Premier Cru vineyards of Chablis, abuts the Grand Cru vineyards on the right bank of the Serein River.  Generally, the wines from Fourchaume are more voluptuous, relatively speaking of course, then the wines from other 1er cru vineyards. … Read more

($35, Louis Latour, USA):  The Saint Véran appellation abuts Pouilly-Fuissé and, unsurprisingly, the wines are similar.  Though when tasting the same producer’s Saint Véran next to their Pouilly-Fuissé, the latter always comes away the winner, at least until you see the prices. … Read more

($24, Louis Latour, USA):  The Mâconnais, a region of Burgundy that lies south of the famed and expensive Côte d’Or, is an unexplored treasure-trove of Chardonnay-based wines.  The base of the pedigree pyramid are wines labeled Mâcon-Villages, which means they came from grapes grown anywhere throughout the region. … Read more

($40, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection):  Fourchaume, one of top Premier Cru vineyards of Chablis, abuts the Grand Cru vineyards on the right bank of the Serein River.  Generally, the wines from Fourchaume are more voluptuous, relatively speaking of course, then the wines from other 1er cru vineyards. … Read more

($45, Louis Latour, USA):  This Santenay is just one example of the great success Latour had with their village wines in 2020.  Characteristic of the vintage, it has good depth that augments its charm.  Supple, fresh, and long, it is a delight now — and refined for a village Santenay. … Read more

($50, Louis Latour, USA):  Mercurey, a village just south of the Côte d’Or in the Côte Chalonnaise, is known primarily for red wines.  In general, the warmth of 2020 growing season added ripeness to these wines complementing their stoney character.  That explains the appeal of this Mercurey from Latour. … Read more

($45, Louis Latour, USA):  Burgundy lovers have discovered the charms of Marsannay, the northernmost village of the Côtes de Nuits.  Prices have risen as a result and are poised to continue their climb because the village is in the process of having some vineyards certified as 1er Cru. … Read more

($375):  Domaine Méo-Camuzet, located in Vosne-Romanée, is one of Burgundy’s top producers.  They added a portion of Corton-Perrières, a vineyard that epitomizes the firm austerity of Corton, to their portfolio in 2009.  Jean-Nicolas Méo is enthusiastic about the 2020 vintage saying, “[2020] is a great vintage, and you can believe me because I’m selling the 2021.” … Read more

($45, Misa Imports, Craig Baker Selection):  Montagny, a village in the Côte Chalonnaise just south of Burgundy’s famed — and expensive — Côte d’Or has always been an insider’s place to find affordable white Burgundy.  With ever increasing prices in Burgundy, it has become and even more popular place for those wines. … Read more

($38, Misa Imports, Craig Baker Selection):  Domaine du Cellier aux Moines produced a stunning array of 2020 whites.  With this one, they achieved a perfect combination of creamy character associated with Côte de Beaune whites and the stone-y mineral character of Mercurey whites. … Read more

($100, Louis Latour, USA):  The 7.5- acre Les Perrières vineyard lies high up on the slope in a cooler locale, which may help explain this wine’s bright energy in a hot year like 2020.  Though tightly wound, as expected from a young top premier cru, its stature shows with gorgeous mineral-scented aromatics and impressive length. … Read more

($117, Louis Latour, USA):  Wines from Aloxe-Corton, even its premier crus, are overshadowed by grand cru Corton and overlooked by consumers.  Do. Not. Overlook. This.  Wine.  Its fleshy body atop a firm frame of iron-tinged flavors identify it clearly as Aloxe-Corton. … Read more

($53, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection):  Sylvain Langoureau is one of those excellent producers who has not yet achieved cult status, which is good news for savvy consumers because his wines remain undervalued.  Combine his talents with a fantastic vintage for whites and voilà, you have a stunning white wine. … Read more

($27):  Domaine de L’Églantière is one of two estates owned by Jean Durup Père et Fils, one of the top producers in Chablis.  (Château de Maligny is the other.)  You often will see both the name of the estate and Durup’s name on the label. … Read more

($22):  Its softer style makes this a wonderful introduction to Chablis for those who have yet to discover the magnificent wines of this appellation.  Fruitier and less mineraly than many Chablis, it will appeal to those who may be turned off by the prominent stony edginess many Chablis. … Read more

($34, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection):  The Pernot name is synonymous with great white Burgundy largely due to Domaine Paul Pernot in Puligny-Montrachet.  But this being Burgundy, there are many estates with similar, or at least, overlapping names due to marriage and the French laws of inheritance. … Read more

($50, Louis Latour, USA):  Though at least 85 percent of wine from Beaune is red, a small amount of white come from that appellation.  Latour’s white Aux Cras is one of the best.  And because white Beaune lacks the cachet of the big three, Meursault, Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet, the wines are less expensive. … Read more

($25):  Simple advice: Buy whatever wines from Jean-Marc Brocard your budget allows.  A leader in organic and biodynamic viticulture, Jean-Marc Brocard makes fabulous Chablis, from the “simple” village ones to the Grand Crus.  His Sainte Claire bottling is a step up from his generic village Chablis and always over delivers for the price. … Read more

($35, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection):  I taste at Domaine Bart every year because they are one of the top producers in Marsannay, the northern-most village of the Côte de Nuits.  Wines from Marsannay remain under consumers’ radar, in part, because the village has no vineyards designated as premier cru, yet. … Read more

($17, Louis Latour, USA):  Saint-Bris is an odd-ball appellation in northern Burgundy near Chablis that requires the use of Sauvignon Blanc, not Chardonnay.  Saint-Bris sits on the same Kimmerigdian limestone as Chablis, yet the microclimate favors Sauvignon over Chardonnay.  Since Sancerre is barely 60 miles to the west, it’s easy to understand how Sauvignon could thrive here. … Read more

($18, Dreyfus Ashby):  Another trifecta here — Drouhin, a great producer.  Twenty-twenty, a great vintage across the board for whites.  Eighteen dollars, an excellent price for a wine of this quality.  Bourgogne Blanc, made entirely from Chardonnay, can come from vineyards throughout the region, from Chablis in the north to the Mâconnais in the south. … Read more

($37, Louis Latour, USA):  Wines from Marsannay, the northernmost village of the Côte de Nuits, are finally getting the attention they deserve.  French wine regulators are evaluating which vineyards within the Marsannay appellation will qualify for premier cru status.  Once that happens, prices will accelerate even faster, much like what has happened since Pouilly-Fuissé vineyards received official premier cru classification. … Read more

($40, Jeanne Marie Selection):  In the ongoing search for more affordable red Burgundy, consumers must look to less familiar appellations, such as this one, Côte de Nuits-Villages, which encompasses vines in five different villages in the Côte de Nuits, but not the well-known ones. … Read more

($40):  The vast majority of the vineyards of the Côte d’Or — and certainly all the great ones — lie on a slope to the west of the D976, (formerly the RN76), the major north-south highway than runs from Marsannay in the north to Maranges in the south. … Read more

($18, Louis Latour, USA):  I’ve been buying and drinking this Mâcon-Lugny from Latour regularly since the 1979 vintage.  It never disappoints and surprisingly, for a rather down-market appellation, actually develops beautifully with several years of bottle age.  With the price of Côte d’Or white Burgundy through the roof, wines, such as this one, from the Mâconnais are the way to go for Burgundy lovers. … Read more