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Cellar Favorite: 2005 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers 1er Cru
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Sep 2023
At an evening meal in Tokyo, I had the pleasure of tasting the excellent 2005 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers 1er Cru from Jean-Marc Pillot. This was poured from magnum.
Where Art Thou Chablis? - Chablis 2021 & 2022
France: Burgundy, featured
, Sep 2023
Chablis is wrestling with an identity crisis as it confronts warmer growing seasons. Today, what do you expect from a glass of Chablis? This report delves into the 2021 and 2022 vintages that could both claim to represent contemporary Chablis.
Cellar Favorite: 2011 Domaine d'Auvenay Bourgogne Aligoté Sous Chatelet
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Sep 2023
Let’s get the elephant out of the room. The secondary market price for this “humble” Aligoté is around £3,000 per bottle. That is absurd. That is unbelievable. But that is reality. Someone out there is prepared to pay that amount of money for this wine, motivated by the fact that it was crafted by Lalou Bize-Leroy or perhaps motivated by pecuniary gains.
Cellar Favorite: Domaine Jean-Marie Guffens Mature Pouilly-Fuissé
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Aug 2023
I have been drinking and enjoying Jean-Marie Guffens’ wines for a quarter-century now. With his larger-than-life personality and tendency to utter the utterable, Guffens might not be everyone’s cup of tea. What cannot be denied is that he has the magic touch when it comes to making wine, and over the last two or three years, the demand for back vintages has dramatically increased.
Moving On Up: Mâconnais 2021 & 2022
France: Burgundy, featured
, Aug 2023
The Mâconnais has come far over the last two decades. No longer a wine to rinse your glass, the Mâconnais now proudly boasts a clutch of newly-promoted Premier Crus. But readers should note that quality extends further than these, albeit in differing styles, in the 2021 and 2022 vintages.
Cellar Favorite: 2015 Domaine Y. Clerget Meursault Les Chevalières
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, May 2023
Sometime in the fall of 2016, I started hearing the buzz about Thibaud Clerget taking over his family’s domaine, thanks in large part to Damien Ravion, who worked at the time at Bistro de l’Hotel before leaving to start L’Expression, his restaurant in Beaune. A few days later, there I was, in the cellar with Clerget tasting the 2015s from barrel. The quality of the wines was immediately apparent, as was Clerget’s potential.
Burgundy Focus 4: Ponsot’s Clos de la Roche & Morey Monts Luisants 1934-2019
France: Burgundy, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, May 2023
To celebrate 150 years of ownership, last May the Ponsot family hosted an extraordinary double vertical of their Clos de la Roche and white Monts Luisants back to the 1930s. This in-depth report examines the roles various family members have played in creating Burgundy as we know it today and reveals some ethereal wines.
Burgundy Focus 3: Mugnier’s Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru 2007-1980
France: Burgundy, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, May 2023
This unique vertical of Frédéric Mugnier’s Musigny Grand Cru offered a chance to examine one of Burgundy’s most sought-after wines back to vintages that predate his arrival. In this instance, going back through time was not unlike witnessing someone unlearning their skill and experience.
Burgundy Focus 2: Domaine Comte Armand Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru 1945-2001
France: Burgundy, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Apr 2023
A vertical of any Burgundy going back to 1945 is a special event. This highly anticipated retrospective of Domaine Comte Armand’s Pommard Clos des Epeneaux was a timely reminder that older is not necessarily better. In vino veritas, as they say.
Cellar Favorite: 1945 Domaine Henri Lamarche Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Apr 2023
The reputation of a Burgundy domaine swings with the caliber of its wines. Certainly, under present winemaker Nicole Lamarche, the Lamarche wines are much more consistent and higher in quality than they were between the Seventies and Nineties when it is said that the aging Henri Lamarche spent insufficient time tending to his vines.