Bize, Simon 2018 Bourgogne Blanc Les Champlains

We are huge fans of the Bize wines and what we have seen of the 2018s so far has us jazzed. The whites are of particular note, considering the warmth of the vintage. They have the poise and freshness that one expects from serious white Burgundy, while still showing the fruit and richness that characterizes the vintage. "Champlains" is a Bourgogne that performs at a high level, from a parcel that Patrick Bize planted himself. It includes about five percent of Pinot Beurrot (known as Pinot Blanc elsewhere) and has a beautifully ripe nose full of white peach and lilies. There is good weight on the palate and more of that stone fruit character, wrapped up in a lovely sea shell-like finish. We opened a bottle the day this arrived  at the store and put it away in not more than thirty minutes.   Sam Ehrlich

Bize, Simon 2018 Bourgogne Blanc Les Perrieres

Brocard, Julien 2017 Chablis 1er cru Vaudevey

Julien Brocard farms his 18 hectares biodynamically, using horsepower in the vineyards when possible. Grapes are hand-harvested and he's very hands-off in the cellar: using spontaneous native yeast fermentation, a mix of larger, wooden vats and foudre for aging, and lower levels of sulfur. Vau de Vey is a 1er Cru vineyard in a valley between the Côte de Léchet and the Vau-Ligneau. Slopes here can get very steep (too steep for horses), and there are lots of large chunks of limestone mixed within the soils. Eastern exposure and the location in the valley makes for a cooler site, fantastic for Chardonnay with a mineral finish. CB

Chandon de Briailles 2017 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru

Based in the village of Savigny-lès-Beaune with vines in Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses, the estate has roots going back to 1834. Claude de Nicolay, along with her brother François de Nicolay, fashion pure, old-school, age-worthy Burgundy. The vineyard work has been organic since the 1980s and certified biodynamic since 2005 with vines replanted with massale selection. Yields are kept low to express the terroir of each vineyard. 

Chazelles (Domaine des) 2017 Vire-Clesse Vieilles Vignes

Viré Classé is a privileged location in the Macon that enjoys a fantastic exposure to the sun on a slight slope. This yields wines that have an added weight and complexity compared to your run-of-the-mill Macon-Villages. At Domaine des Chazelles, organic vines with over 50 years of age broadcast dense flavors of golden apple and stone fruit with an invigorating touch of acid. This is a great Chardonnay with concentration and freshness that could age beautifully for years. 

Colin-Morey, Pierre-Yves 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes

Colin-Morey, Pierre-Yves 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ancegnières

Colin-Morey, Pierre-Yves 2018 Meursault

Domaine de Montille 2016 Bourgogne Blanc

The domaine currently known as Domaine de Montille was established in the 1750s, with the de Montille family coming into the picture through marriage in 1863. Now the estate is headed by the current generation, siblings Alix and Étienne de Montille. The Bourgogne Blanc sees up to a year of aging in a mix of used barrel and stainless steel tank. CB

Duplessis, Gérard 2017 Chablis

With 9 hectares of vines covering 5 various premier and grand cru sites, Lillian Duplessis crafts the most pure and compelling Chablis we have had the pleasure of tasting. All of the vines are planted in Kimmeridgian limestone giving the wines that classic, crunchy minerality for which the region is known.This wine shows baked pear and pineapple with a touch of honeysuckle and lime zest on the nose and is deeply mineral and focused on the palate.

Duplessis, Gérard 2017 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu

Fourrier 2018 Bourgogne Blanc

Goisot, Guihelm & Jean-Hugues 2018 Bourgogne Aligoté

Goisot is perhaps best known for their Sauvignon de St. Bris, considered a benchmark for the appellation, as well as riveting Cote d'Auxerre chardonnays that often outperform wines from neighboring Chablis. The Aligoté often goes overlooked, which is a shame, as it is firmly of a piece with the other wines in the range. The 2018 shows the weight of the vintage without obscuring the distinct character of limestone soils. This gleams white-green in the glass and the nose displays lime zest, under-ripe pear. white lilies and something I can only describe as dust from blackboard eraser. On the palate there is more citrus, white pepper, tarragon and a salty chalky finish. This will make a lovely aperitif and a welcome companion to oysters and clams this summer. Sam Ehrlich

(This is a pre-arrival and will be available for delivery starting Friday).

Goisot, Guilhem & Jean-Hugues 2018 Sauvignon de Saint-Bris Exogyra Virgula

Estates making serious Sauvignon de St. Bris are as rare as hens' teeth and Goisot sits atop this tiny heap. The appellation, (in the near-vicinity of Chablis) is the only one in Burgundy that permits the planting of Sauvignon Blanc and often gets lost in the ocean of Chardonnay. But when handled right, these can be wonderful, refreshing, salty wines. 2018 was a warm vintage across France and this is a richer style than some previous iterations, redolent with lime curd, pineapple and fresh sage. But the limestone core is what gives this wine its soul. The finish is firm and saline, making this more than a match for almost anything you might be having for dinner. Thinking about a bottle of Sancerre for this evening? You'd do well to consider this instead... Sam Ehrlich

Guillemot-Michel 2018 Viré-Clessé Quintaine

We're extremely happy to have the wines of Guillemot-Michel back at Chambers Street! Along with Jean and Gautier Thevenet, and Julien Guillot at Vignes du Maynes, they are making white Burgundies with more depth and minerality than anything comparably priced in the Cote D'Or. The 2018 Quintaine is a gorgeous white Burgundy, showing a brilliant pale gold color and complex aromas of poached pear, almond, candied lemon, kiwi, stone and lime-flower, elegant and quite beautiful. The palate is round and dense, a bit riper than the 2017, with firm acidity, showing cool stone fruits and citrus with caramel, stone and mineral flavors. The finish is long and very mineral, with chalky white fruits lingering on the palate. This is a young wine, give it some time in a carafe if possible. (At a recent tasting, the 1989 and 1990 were showing beautifully, so put a few in the cellar!) Beautiful wine - congratulations to Pierrette, Marc, Sophie and son-in-law Gautier!

Guillemot-Michel 2018 Viré-Clessé Retour a la Terre

Created in 2017, this cuvee is issued from grapes in the "Champ-Rond" vineyard, vinified in amphora of 800 liters. The 65 year-old vines are grafted on "Riparia Gloire de Montpellier" an old root-stock obtained in 1880, giving very low yields with magnificent small grapes, of a deep gold color. The 2018 Retour a la Terre presents the exotic notes typical of the domaine with an extra dimension of expression due to the respiration of the amphora. The small grapes of "Champ-Rond" ripen beautifully without a high degree of alcohol -  they are picked on the last day of the harvest, and the elevage in amphora gives the wine a great purity. Tasted at the domaine in January 2020, the wine showed elegant floral, white fruit, apricot, lemon and stone aromas. The palate was round, dense and silky with fabulous length. This is a superb white Burgundy that is delicious now and will cellar beatifully for ten to fifteen years. Highly recommended!  David Lillie

Guillemot-Michel 2018 Viré-Clessé Une Bulle

The Guillemot-Michel "Une Bulle" comes from a tiny parcel of old vines on limestone with red clay, high in iron. The wine is a Pet-Nat (Methode Ancestrale) that is bottled after a short period of fermentation, leaving enough sugar in the wine for the fermentation to continue and create the desired bubbles. The wine is aged in bottle on the lees for around 18 months, then riddled and disgorged and re-bottled with a bit more "Une Bulle."  The result is a very delicious aged Pet-Nat showing honeyed aromas of pear and white peach with hints of almond, marzipan and brioche. On the palate the mousse is soft and creamy with flavors of peach and quince  with lime-flower and minerals and a long finish of white fruits, citrus peel and firm acidity. This is a delightful wine to sip by itself or pair with mild cheeses, patés and terrines, fruit desserts..  David Lillie

Lafouge 2016 Auxey-Duresses Les Hautés Blanc

From a north-facing parcel fairly high on the slope next to Meursault Les Vireuils. The Lafouge "Les Hautés" is a beautifully dense and well-structured Burgundy in this low-yielding vintage. The wine shows a bright gold color with aromas of spiced pear and apple, melon, honeysuckle, stone, flint and lemon zest. The palate is dense and well structured with ripe white fruits, toasted almond, citrus and flinty mineral flavors - quite ripe but with firm citrusy acids and fabulous length.  Serve now with sole meunier, turbot and cod - this will be a beautiful wine with 5 to 8 years of cellaring. David Lillie

Leflaive 2017 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

Lequin-Colin 2014 Santenay Les Hates

White Santenay is always a rare bird and to find one with bottle age at a good price feels a bit like Christmas. The Lequin-Colin wines we have tried have been generally excellent. The farming is first class and the wines feel uniformly restrained and elegant. "Les Hates" sits at the center of the appellation and sandwiched between several excellent 1er Cru sites. This is a nice bottle that shows a touch of reduction when the cork is pulled and then broadens as it opens up, with notes of preserved lemon, sesame and cured ham. 2014 was a truly great vintage for white and red Burgundy alike, notable for a wonderful sense of balance and focus. This won't last, so grab one before these are gone.  Sam Ehrlich

Marcel Couturier 2017 Pouilly-Loché Le Bourg

There is a host of terrific growers in Mâcon and Pouilly farming organically these days and Marcel Couturier is one of the best. He is meticulous and hard-working and it is reflected in the wine. "Le Bourg" is a  single parcel of vines that  average seventy years old, planted in quite heavy clay and limestone soils. The wine that it produces is quite classic Pouilly, with rich yellow apple fruit, preserved lemon and baking spice. It is certainly the more baroque side of the appellation but that feeling of richness is ultimately an illusion. Like all good white Burgundy, it is held in check by a core of limestone that lends freshness and structure.   Sam Ehrlich

Merlin, Olivier 2016 Macon - La Roche Vineuse Vieilles Vignes

Moreau, Bernard 2018 Bourgogne Blanc

Moreau-Naudet 2018 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

"Valmur" is nestled firmly at the center of the Grand Cru hillside and rises all the way to the top, just below the treeline. This parcel produces powerful mineral-driven wines that can age for ten to twenty years at a clip. Compared to a Cote D'Or Grand Cru white, this is a steal!

Morey, Pierre 2018 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

Morey, Pierre 2018 Bourgogne Blanc

The 2018 Pierre Morey Bourgogne Blanc, sourced from three parcels in Meursault, is a show-stopper of a wine. Upon opening, it shows lemon, a touch of creme brulee crust in the nose and an overall sense of richness that one would expect in a solar vintage such as this one. However, this is all held firmly in check by plenty of acidity and a sense of salty minerality that comes to dominate the wine. It is spilling over with chalk and cool stoniness, adding tension and focus as it sits in the glass. Everything else kind of fades away, leaving only you and the earth. This is magnificent for the level and will satisfy Burgundy cravings tonight or in five years if you are inclined to put a few bottles in the cellar.  Sam Ehrlich

Morey, Pierre 2018 Meursault Tessons

Morey-Blanc 2018 Saint Romain Sous le Chateau

Morey-Coffinet 2011 Chassange-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets 1.5L

Naudin, Claire 2016 Vin de France Pinot Blanc "Galanthus Nivalis

Rateau 2017 Beaune 1er Cru Les Coucherias

Beaune 1er Cru "Les Coucherias" is high on the slope on the site of an old quarry and much of the sub-soil is limestone tailings, permitting root penetration and drainage, with a topsoil of mixed clay and limestone "marnes blanches." In biodynamic agriculture since 1979, the vineyard is a south-facing semi-circle—a very warm spot. The 2017 has a pale green gold robe. The nose offers an array of stone fruit and citrus peel aromas with a hint of mineral spice. The mid-weight, punchy palate shows a melange of stone fruit and green apple flavors with a pungent sense of minerality driving the long, concentrated finish. There's plenty going on here with ripe fruit and floral overtones vying with an overt stoniness for attention. Just cracking with a wild mushroom risotto, and a natural match for chicken, roasted cod, or even blanquette de veau. Give a quick decant now or better still in 2-3 years and beyond. John McIlwain

Rateau 2018 Beaune 1er Cru Les Coucherias

Beaune 1er Cru "Les Coucherias" is high on the slope on the site of an old quarry and much of the sub-soil is limestone tailings, permitting root penetration and drainage, with a topsoil of mixed clay and limestone "marnes blanches." In biodynamic agriculture since 1979, the vineyard is a south-facing semi-circle—a very warm spot.The 2018 has a bright bronze/gold color and lovley aromas or ripe white peach and pear with exotic citrus and herbal notes. The ripe, deep palate palate shows stone,  apricot, pear and almond flavors with lovely density and a firm core of minerality that lingers in the very long finish. Delicious now, showing the lush fruit of 2018, it should cellar beautifully as well. David Lillie

Rateau 2018 Cote de Beaune La Grande Chatelaine (arrives 9/8)

About a kilometer or two northwest of the Beaune 1er Crus, La Grande Chatelaine is a cooler site with soils comprised of clay over limestone. Stone fruit and pear skin, white flowers and wet stone on the nose. Bright and fresh aromatically. The mid-weight palate is racy (especially given the vintage) and rainwater fresh with orchard fruit and lemon oil flavors, dancing astride sapid herbal notes with a clinging stoniness on the long, mouthwatering, expansive finish. Delicious with mezze maniche and sautéed fresh white corn, spring onions and grape tomatoes. And I can see this pairing beautifully with grilled sea bass or pan-roasted scallops. This is lovely vibrant Chardonnay with a sense of place and worthy of a look, though I’d drink in the mid-term while the fruit is singing, say until 2025. John McIlwain

Rollin 2017 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 1.5L

 The Rollin family has been making and bottling wines from Pernand and Aloxe since the mid-1950s and today are one of the best addresses in either commune. These are old-school wines made with a minimum of fuss - treating the vines only when absolutely necessary, hand-harvesting, fermenting only with native yeasts and without slavishly relying on new oak for flavor or richness. Their Charlemagne is a true Charlemagne, with vines on both the Aloxe and Pernand sides. This is notable because the two produce wines of such different character, with the south-facing Aloxe parcels contributing richness and the cooler Pernand side adding tension and freshness but each one delivering the intense chalk character  that distinguishes Corton-Charlemagne.

Rontets 2017 Pouilly-Fuissé Pierrefolle

"The Pouilly-Fuissé cuvée Pierrefolle is made from the only vineyard situated outside the Clos at Rontets: this plot is set only 500 meters south and is warmer because of its plain East exposure and the sheltered position from the North wind. This climate has older geological origins, preceding the Jurassic era: it sits on a granitic bedrock and its soil has no clay or limestone. This is why at the beginning of the 1970s it was planted using the Riparia rootstock, which has low vigor and guarantees limited yields and very good quality grapes. All these characteristics produce wines with lower acid, compared to those produced within our Clos. Although larger and somehow more generous, Pierrefolle is always sustained by a precise mineral expression and citrus aromatic note." (note from the estate) This is a beautiful Burgundy and a great food pairing - drinking well now, but five to ten years of aging will be very interesting. Highly recommended. David Lillie

Sainte Barbe 2017 Viré-Clessé La Perrière

 Jean-Marie Chaland owns two estates in Viré (Macon), Domaine Sainte Barbe and Domaine des Chazelles, both certified organic since 2006. The Sainte Barbe "la Perriere" is made from 35 year-old grapes from a half-hectare parcel near Viré on clay/limestone soils, never treated with herbicides. The grapes are hand-harvested and vinified with wild yeasts, the wine ages for 18 months, half in barrel, have in cuve inox. The 2017 shows pretty aromas of pear, apricot, lime flower and stone. There is nice richness on the palate, which is supple and elegant with chalky white fruits, a bit of nectarine, verbena and a hint of oak, with firm acidity, silky fruit and mineral notes in the long finish. This is a stylish white Burgundy that will accompany  any full-flavored fish dish, chicken in sauce and mild cheeses, and it will age nicely for 5 to 8 years.

Saumaize-Michelin 2017 Pouilly-Fuissé Vers Cras

This excellent Pouilly-Fuissé is a model of restraint. Coming from a parcel of vines averaging 45 years old,  the fruit hre leans tropical but never feels too lush or sticky. There is a touch of oak spice, particularly upon opening, but dissipating with air. There are notes of ruby red grapefruit, pineapple and an earthy quality reminiscent of modeling clay. The acidity is firm  and bracing and the chalky minerality become increasingly prominent the longer the wine is in the glass. It finishes with a pleasanty pith-like bitterness (almost like very dry tonic water) and is very persistent. If your heart is crying out for Chassagne-Montrachet, then you would do well to consider this delicious wine instead.  Sam Ehrlich

Thenard 2007 Montrachet Grand Cru Le Montrachet 1.5 L

Tripoz 2018 Macon Loche Cuvee du Clocher

We tasted a sample of this a few weeks ago and the staff was pretty much flattened by it. The 2018 vintage has been characterized by richness and lush fruit but this seems to defy all expectations. It's brimming with citrus fruit that feel like they were just peeled - tangerine and Meyer Lemon - wrapped around river stones and seasoned with sea salt. The racy texture and acid practically crackle with electricity, almost like great dry Chenin or Riesling. Tremendous.  Sam Ehrlich

Vocoret, Eleni & Edouard 2018 Chablis Bas du Chapelot