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Cellar Favorite: 2017 Domaine Samuel Billaud Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Mar 2024
I have praised Samuel Billaud’s wines for around a decade now, going so far as to suggest that they rank amongst Chablis’ premier tier of producers, alongside Raveneau and Dauvissat. A recent dinner at the splendid Lorne restaurant, the same that saw the 1973 La Fleur-Pétrus opened, also witnessed a bottle that ‘sizzled’ with potential.
Merci, Monsieur Amiot: Clos des Lambrays 1923-2021
France: Burgundy, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Mar 2024
Behind every label of an iconic wine lie nameless men and women whose combined talent and labor led to its creation. This vertical of Clos des Lambrays is dedicated to Etienne Amiot, a predecessor of Jacques Devauges, who oversaw the creation of these sublime wines.
Domaine de la Romanée Conti: A Survey of the 2021s
France: Burgundy, featured
, Mar 2024
What a difference a year makes. After the decidedly exuberant 2020s, the 2021s from Domaine de la Romanée Conti show another side of Burgundy, one marked by a highly challenging growing season that tested the mettle of growers. In many ways, difficult years make for the most interesting discussions because individual choices so deeply inform the wines. There was plenty to talk about as Co-Directors Bertrand de Villaine and Perrine Fenal showed the 2021s in this tasting organized by long-time US importer Wilson-Daniels.
Nature Rules/Nature’s Rules: DRC 2021 In Bottle
France: Burgundy, featured
, Feb 2024
The travails of the 2021 vintage in Burgundy spared no one, not even the most illustrious domaine of them all. At the end of the day, Nature rules. So, how did the team at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti fare, and how are the resulting wines?
Cellar Favorite: 2020 Domaine Bernard-Bonin Meursault La Rencontre
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Feb 2024
Domaine Bernard-Bonin is a Meursault-based producer that I would dearly love to visit. For reasons I will not go into here, so far, that has not been possible. This has not prevented me from enjoying the occasional bottle that has come my way.
Vinous Table: Where Do I Eat In Burgundy?
Vinous Table, France: Burgundy
, Jan 2024
Instead of a series of Vinous Tables, over the holiday season, I wrote a single paragraph on places that I frequent during my annual three or four months in the region. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list, and for reasons of length, I reluctantly exclude Beaujolais and Mâconnais, each bejeweled with their own outstanding restaurants that often offer better value. My selection is listed in order of personal preference. Hopefully, it provides a useful guide. Feel free to add your own.
Fair Warning: Burgundy 2022 - The Market
France: Burgundy, featured
, Jan 2024
I cannot help thinking that Burgundy, or specifically the Côte d’Or, is analogous to a passenger in a sports car in which the accelerator has become stuck, and there is no means of slowing down. Everything hurtles past faster and faster. Everything is sped up. – Burgundy 2021: The Market
Now, For My Latest Trick: Burgundy 2022
France: Burgundy, featured
, Jan 2024
The Burgundy 2022 vintage defies all expectations. At best, it presents life-affirming, vivacious wines that leave you grinning like a Cheshire cat. Quality aside, the vintage raises two questions: How was this possible and who will be able to afford the wines?
The Quiet One: 1962 Burgundy & Bordeaux
France: Burgundy, France: Bordeaux, featured
, Dec 2023
The 1962 vintage is revered for both Burgundy and, to a lesser extent, Bordeaux, though its reputation is a recent phenomenon. This unique dinner put a host of iconic 1962s under the spotlight and found that even after six decades, the best represent the apotheosis of wine.
Pump Up The Volume: 2019 Burgundy - Blind
France: Burgundy, featured
, Dec 2023
This year’s edition of the annual Burgfest tasting examined the 2019 whites and reds, all poured single-blind, springing surprises along the way yet still vindicating 2019 as a vintage with a lot to offer.