Almost wine - Tank Samples at Domaine des Croix (Sam Ehrlich)

Domaine des Croix 2018 (Portrait of the Vineyard as a Young Man)

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Ten years ago, I was fortunate enough to spend just shy of two years studying and working in Burgundy. I made great friends, drank well and spent lots of time talking to many smart people about growing vines and making wine. It would be an understatement to say the time I spent there forms the core of my understanding of wine as both process and product. In particular, my time spent at Domaine des Croix in Beaune stands out in my memory as a formative experience. 

When we think of Burgundy, we often talk about family estates with lineages going back generations. But David Croix hails from Montlouis in the Loire Valley. He landed in Dijon for his oenology studies and stayed in Burgundy when esteemed importer Becky Wasserman hired him as winemaker for the recently purchased negociant Maison Camille Giroud in 2000. Domaine des Croix was founded in 2005 when he and a small group of investors purchased a venerable albeit somewhat neglected Beaune estate called Domaine Duchet. Starting with just over five hectares, the holdings have grown over fifteen years and today stand at nearly six and half. The majority of the vines are in Beaune but there are also holdings in Savigny, Aloxe and some Corton Grand Crus. 

David Croix, post harvest (Sam Ehrlich)

For me, what is most significant is that in all the time I have known him (and I would bet that anyone who knows him would similarly attest) David has always shown himself to be an uncommonly thoughtful and gracious person. I spent nearly a year in and out of various stages at Domaine des Croix and in that time he was unfailingly generous with his time and knowledge; always willing to break down advanced viticultural or oenological concepts into small words that I could understand. Outside of the cellar, he was a great friend. We shared many meals and bottles, a joint birthday party and some adventures (a trip to Piedmont that felt like something out of The Twilight Zone is burned into my memory).

Since then I've always looked for ways to support David's wines, which is easy, as they are outstanding Burgundies. In recent years Beaune has been unfashionable, the result of years of domination by large negociants making inferior wine. Along with a few other excellent producers (De Montille, Albert Morot and Lafon, to name a few), David has helped to rehabilitate its image by way of hard work and attention to detail. The estate has been fully organic since 2008 and they have begun trials in biodynamics. The winemaking is always careful, precise, and endlessly evolving. The last decade of vintages have presented an assortment of extreme challenges in the vineyard, (from catastrophic frost and humidity to several of the hottest years on record) requiring growers to be increasingly nimble in their decisions

Upon tasting several of the 2018s this week I was tremendously pleased and impressed with the wines. As I've mentioned in previous offers, 2018 was characterized by intense warmth. David elected to pick early to preserve freshness and balance as there was no rain predicted during the harvest period that might cool things down. The resulting wines are vivid and classic Burgundies, full of true Pinot character, with none of the black fruit that some estates who picked later in the season were left with. They also all clock in between 13% and 13.5% ABV! I hope you will avail yourself of the chance to taste these delicious and energetic wines. Sam Ehrlich

** In addition to the individual bottles on offer today, I have created the Beaune Box - a case of all six Beaune wines produced at Domaine des Croix. This is an opportunity to explore the appellation in depth, through the prism of a single estate making exceptional wines. EXTREMELY LIMITED so don't dawdle! **

The only white wine at Domaine des Croix

No Longer Available

Domaine des Croix 2018 Bourgogne Rouge

Bourgogne at Domaine des Croix is a limited affair, coming from a small parcel of declassified fruit in Savigny and is the smallest of any bottling at the estate, Corton Charlemagne included. But don't let its size put you off. This is a pretty extraordinary Bourgogne, bursting with pure strawberry and cherry skin fruit notes, a little dark spice and just a touch of rosy floral character. The sense of snap and energy here is beguiling to say the least. If you do not buy this today, let me assure you that there will not be a second opportunity. Terrific for the level and highly recommended. Sam Ehrlich

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  • $54.99

  • Organic

Domaine des Croix 2018 Beaune Sampler A Selection of Beaune Wines

Being a fan of these wines and the Beaune appellation, I'm always seeking ways to get them into the hands of consumers. So I've created the Beaune Box for the 2018 vintage. This is a six-pack containing the Beaune village wine and all five Premier Cru wines on offer today and priced at ten percent below single bottle pricing. For any Burgundy lover, this is a perfect opportunity to take a dive into a village that offers extraordinary diversity of terroir!     Sam Ehrlich

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  • $529.99

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Domaine des Croix 2018 Beaune

Sourced from several parcels spread across the village's diverse soils and climates, this is a serious village wine. It's marked by raspberry and darker berries like black cherry as well as baking spices and a touch of hoisin in the mid-palate. There is good weight here and enough acidity to suggest that this will age well for at least five to eight years. Another very good value. 

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  • $59.99

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Domaine des Croix 2018 Beaune 1er Cru Cents Vignes

Was $94.99


Cents Vignes lies at the north end of Beaune, just below "Bressandes" and is generally always the first picked of the premier crus at Domaine des Croix. The wine is composed of two parcels of quite sandy well-drained soils that yield early-ripening fruit. While the more extracted style of the estate's early years tended to yield wines that felt a bit flabby, today the fresher style means a Cents Vignes that is much crisper. The fruit here in 2018 is bright red berries, spicy strawberry and cherry, with a savory floral element in the middle and a touch of raspberry sherbet in the finish. This is great fun to drink and will improve, but honestly it's incredibly satisfying now. Sam Ehrlich

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  • $74.99

  • Organic

Domaine des Croix 2018 Beaune 1er Cru Les Tuvilains

Was $104.99Tuvilains is a recent addition to the lineup at the estate. It sits much further south and just below Pertuisots on the slope. The dense clay in the soil is rich in iron oxide and makes sturdy structured wines. This is the yardstick for extraction levels these days at the domaine. The 2018 is certainly squared-shouldered in its mouthfeel but once again it shows plenty of pure and bright red fruit and the finish shows a lovely mineral coolness. This may take a couple of years to really come together but will be delicious with a little time in a decanter and should age very well. Sam Ehrlich

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  • $104.99

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Domaine des Croix 2018 Beaune 1er Cru Pertuisots

Was $114.99


Pertuisots is part of the original Domaine Duchet purchase and has been a consistent star since the inception of des Croix. Sitting just below Les Aigrots and the legendary Clos des Mouches on the way to Pommard, the soils here are also rich with iron and limestone. This is generally a powerful wine  with formidable structure in its youth,  but as it unwinds the fruit sweetens and a beautiful gamy saltiness develops. There is always a decent percentage of whole clusters in the fermentation to help balance the natural intensity here.Sam Ehrlich

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  • $89.99

  • Organic

Domaine Des Croix 2018 Beaune 1er Cru Bressandes

Was $114.99


If there were a yearbook award for "Most Improved" this wine would get it. In the early days Bressandes was a challenge. Even in an excellent vintage like 2010, it seemed a struggle to develop enough material during fermentation. But through quite a lot of rehabilitative work in the vineyard and slow replacement of inferior vine material this has developed into a powerhouse. The fruit is always generous but the thin soil on a high steep slope lends a mineral intensity to the wine that is very compelling. The 2017 was a standout in a vintage chock full of terrific wines.

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  • $89.99

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Domaine des Croix 2018 Beaune 1er Cru Greves

Was $134.99


Greves is what many Burgundy lovers think of when they think of Beaune wines. It's smack in the center of the appellation, with clay soils peppered with the gravel that gives the vineyard its name. The wine produced is elegant, with the plump fruit Beaune is known for, but still light on its feet and at its best feels almost weightless. David always speaks glowingly of the vine material here, referring to the small, black clusters as "Beluga caviar." Sadly, the production is tiny, generally topping out at five barrels. Sam Ehrlich

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  • $107.99

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Domaine des Croix 2018 Corton Grand Cru Greves

Was $214.99


This parcel on the Grand Cru hill of Corton was acquired in 2009 as part of a multi-domaine sale (the Chambertin went to Rousseau). Greves sits just over halfway up the east face of Corton, adjacent to Louis Latour's Chateau Grancey  and just below the legendary Clos du Roi. This is real Corton, always with terrific power and mineral intensity.

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  • $169.99

Domaine des Croix 2018 Corton Grand Cru La Vigne au Saint

Was $214.99


La Vigne au Saint is another side of Corton, both literally and figuratively. It's a south-facing site, lower on the hill, below Corton-Charlemagne. The resulting wine is often less brawny, with more aromatic richness in its youth and a slightly slinkier mouthfeel. David refers to this as "Corton for people who say they don't like Corton."

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  • $169.99

Domaine des Croix 2018 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru

Was $279.99


This is undoubtedly one of the the great white wine vineyards anywhere in the world. "Charlemagne" faces south and west as it wraps around the far side of the hill. The steep slopes and thin soils lead to powerful wines with lots of dry extract and a sense of chalk like few others. The des Croix bottling comes from two parcels of quite old and low-yielding vines, producing just three barrels. In recent vintages David has switched to larger barrels for aging this and is leaving the wine in wood longer, rather than moving it into steel after twelve months as has become fashionable. This is not to develop oak flavor but simply because he feels the longer steel aging has a tendency to constrict the wine before it is really ready. Sam Ehrlich

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  • $224.99

  • Organic