Cellar Favorite: 2014 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Jan 2020
I had tasted many vintages from barrel but never the finished article until a friend from the Far East invited me to choose any bottle from the enormous wine list at Maison de Colombier in Beaune. I knew instantly which one I wanted: the 2014 Clos des Lambrays from Taupenot-Merme. And it had only taken me 20 years!
2018 Burgundy: Confounded Expectations
France: Burgundy, featured
, Jan 2020
Burgundy can be confounding at the best of times, both in a positive and negative sense. For many, that’s part of its allure. The 2018 vintage sprung many surprises, thankfully many of them positive. The bigger question is whether it is a harbinger of things to come.
Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Perrières 1984-2014
Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy, featured
, Dec 2019
The finest vintages made by Dominique Lafon at his family domaine clearly demonstrate that Meursault’s mineral-driven premier cru Les Perrières is capable of producing wines with grand cru mineral intensity, precision, nuance and longevity.
Cellar Favorite: 2013 Domaine J-F Mugnier Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Dec 2019
When I visited the domaine in Chambolle-Musigny in November 2019, Mugnier poured me his latest vintage to see the light of day.
Dauvissat Chablis Les Clos: 1983-2015
Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy, featured
, Nov 2019
Vincent Dauvissat’s stunningly consistent grand cru Les Clos is a textbook example of the complexity, minerality and longevity Chardonnay can achieve in the exceptional terroirs and cool northerly climate of Chablis. This vertical encompassed a remarkable range of wines all the way back to 1983.
Cellar Favorite: 1994 Domaine Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis Clos des Monts Luisants Blanc 1er Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Nov 2019
It is a pity that Aligoté must reside in the shadow of Chardonnay. Too often it is dismissed, not only by consumers, but winemakers themselves since many “forget” to show me their Bourgogne Aligoté during cellar visits. Thankfully in recent years there has been a reappraisal of Aligoté spearheaded by Marsannay-based Sylvain Pataille and the grape is finally receiving due respect.
Marquis d’Angerville’s Volnay Clos des Ducs: 1920-2017
Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy, featured
, Oct 2019
Guillaume d’Angerville makes one of the Côte de Beaune’s true icon wines from an ideally situated walled vineyard whose borders have not changed for at least 500 years. His methods are uncomplicated: fanatical attention to detail in the vineyard and in the winery. This vertical tasting made it clear that the Clos des Ducs is frequently a wine of grand cru intensity, aromatic complexity and staying power.
Through the Other Side: Burgundy 2016 in Bottle
France: Burgundy, featured
, Oct 2019
The 2016 Burgundy vintage is infamous for the devastating late spring frosts and inclement weather. Yet the surviving fruit enjoyed a blissful second half of the growing season. The reds are small in quantity but supposedly big in quality. So how do they shape up when assessed blind?
Cellar Favorite: 1971 Domaine Robert Arnoux Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Oct 2019
I had never tasted a bottle from the era of Charles’s grandfather, Robert Arnoux, whose passing in 1995 led to his son-in-law taking over. But this bottle revealed a connection between Robert Arnoux and Charles Lachaux’s approach to winemaking.
Mugneret-Gibourg’s Clos Vougeot 1984 - 2015
Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy, featured
, Oct 2019
An extensive tasting of their top Grand Cru this spring demonstrated that sisters Marie-Christine and Marie-Andrée Mugneret have quietly and methodically taken their famous father’s estate to greater heights through steady improvements in the vineyards and in the winery.