Bonhomme, Andre 2019 Mâcon-Villages Vieilles Vignes

This is the kind of Mâcon wine I spend a lot of time chasing - not just impeccably farmed (the Bonhomme domaine is cerified organic), but crisp and transparent. This is a paramount bistro wine, the kind of inexpensive white Burgundy that should be on every wine list in Paris. It's all there - the crisp green apple and yellow pear notes, the  little touch of baking spice and the limestone freshness. The ripeness and energy of the 2019 vintage is on full display. So buy yourself some skate to cook in brown butter, finish it with some capers and a little frisee on the side and pop one of these open. It'll be almost like getting on a plane to France. Sam Ehrlich

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. 

Dangin, Bruno NV Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc de Noirs

What a difference 2 kilometers makes! Bruno Dangin's Crémant de Bourgogne is made from 100% Pinot Noir from organically farmed vines in Molesme, located just beneath the southern border of Champagne's Aube.The limestone rich soils are the same as those of their pricier neighbor to the north.  Boasting a fine bead and soft mousse and aromas of red fruits and autolyse, one would be hard pressed to spot the difference. The palate offers great depth, pure pinot fruit, and a suave, layered, persistent finish. This is a great value in bubbles and will grace the holiday table nicely. John McIlwain

Domaine d'Edouard 2018 Bourgogne Aligote

Domaine Jean Fournier 2018 Bourgogne Aligote Champ Forey Vieilles Vignes

From two parcels in Marsannay where the vines average nearly ninety years old, planted in very rocky clay soils. This is incredibly serious Aligote, with a nose full of high-toned citrus and white fruits and flowers. On the palate the vintage is certainly evident, as this has a bit more weight and breadth than one normally expects but the mineral intensity of this wine is quite extraordinary. This is delicious but will age extremely well. Laurent is a charter member of the syndicat Les Aligoteurs, an organization of growers who are dedicated to growing and promoting top-class Aligote. This bottle is a good indicator of why. Sam Ehrlich

Domane de l'Enclos 2016 Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy

Here's a rarity, a new organic grower in Chablis. Brothers Romain and Damien Bouchard whose father Pascal is a famed negotiant. In 2015 their father sold the winery and passed on his vines to the sons who've built a new winery and begun the process of organic certification. The wines are fermented with natural yeasts and aged in stainless steel and bottled with minimal sulfur. The 2016 Beauroy 1er cru from the left bank of the Serein river is bright, high-toned and redolent of white flowers and sea spray on the nose. The palate is fresh, vibrant and nervy with punchy flavors of lemon zest, apple peel, and chalk on a galloping finish. This has great tension between the pungent mineral notes and ripe orchard fruit with a compelling, cool savory herbal notes. The Bouchard brothers are vignerons to watch. John McIlwain

Domane de l'Enclos 2018 Petit Chablis

Historically, Petit Chablis was often sneered at as something that rarely resembled Chablis. However, the leaps and bounds that have been made in the vineyards and the cellar mean that the overall quality of this humble appellation has grown exponentially in recent years. This is certainly the case at Domaine de L'Enclos. The estate is young but the Bouchard brothers have years of experience producing serious Chablis from organically farmed vineyards. The warm 2018 vintage produced especially excellent Petit Chablis. The nose and palate are redolent with lemon, pear, white peach and the minerality that makes Chablis unmistakable even within Burgundy. There is more weight than one might find in cooler vintages and leaves you with a general sense of satisfaction. This is very nice and a tremendous value. Sam Ehrlich

Dominique Gruhier 2017 Crémant de Bourgogne Extra Brut

The 2017 Cremant from Dominique Gruhier is 65% Pinot Noir/35% Chard, farmed organically and planted on classic Kimmeridgien soils. The fruit leans towards delicate red berries, with an anchor of limestone in the mid-palate that immediately reminds one just how close Dominique is to Chablis. The bubbles are quite fine and there is no shortage of acid or freshness. An excellent value and a great sub for Champagne without paying Champagne prices. Sam Ehrlich

Famille Paquet 2020 Bourgogne Chardonnay

The Paquet family is based in the Maconnais. They have nearly thirty hectares across a dozen appellations, all farmed organically and on the way to certification. This is their entry-level Chardonnay and it is delightful, full of lime and green herbs, with clear mineral tones and good freshness. There is no oak influence at all and no funny business. This is just tasty Chardonnay grown in limestone soils, perfect as we emerge from the ice and snow into  Spring.  Sam Ehrlich

Frantz Chagnoleau 2019 Saint Veran Prelude

Frantz Chagnoleau is one half of a Maconnais power couple - he makes some of the most compelling St. Verans being produced today, while his wife Caroline is the winemaker for Dominique Lafon's Macon property. This is absolutely terrific, especially considering the price. It's full of crisp stone fruit and citrus pith, without any apparent oak influence, and with terrific ripeness and mouthwatering texture. The minerality is exposed and quite intense - there would be no mistaking this for anything but Burgundy. Tremendous. Sam Ehrlich

Guillemot-Michel 2017 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 2017 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 with firm acidity, showing cool stone fruits and citrus with caramel, stone and mineral flavors. The finish is long and earthy, with chalky white fruits lingering on the palate. (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 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

Guillemot-Michel 2019 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 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.  The wine shows elegant floral, white fruit, apricot, lemon and stone aromas. The palate is round, dense and silky with fabulous length. This is a superb white Burgundy that is delicious now and will cellar beatifully for fifteen to twenty years. Highly recommended!

Jadot 2001 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Les Demoiselles

Lafon, Dominque 2012 Meursault Les Narvaux 1.5 L

Maison Thiriet 2019 Bourgogne Blanc Cuvee Confidentielle

Camille Thiriet has made a name for herself in a very short period of time. Along with her partner Matt, whom she met while both working for Nicolas Potel at Roche de Bellene, she has created a tiny négoce dedicated to making serious wines. There are no grand appellations here, just fruit from farmers doing extraordinary work in the vineyards. The 2019 Cuvee Confidentielle is sourced from vines just outside Chablis - in fact, the parcel is planted on the far side of the Grand Cru slope. This is made in a decidely Cote D'Or style, with the round white fruit and crisp texture that is the hallmark of the outstanding 2019 vintage. Aged in about twenty percent new oak, this is stylish, elegant white Burgundy that will be excellent now or in five years. Sam Ehrlich

Maison Valette 2016 Macon-Chaintre Vieilles Vignes

Maison Valette 2019 Macon-Villages

Marcel Couturier 2017 Saint Véran La Cour des Bois

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. La Cour des Bois finds a great balance between green and yellow fruits and a lovely mid-palate spiciness. Like all good white Burgundy, it is held in check by a core of limestone that lends freshness and structure. Sam Ehrlich

Marcel Couturier 2018 Pouilly-Fuissé Clos Reyssié

Michel Lafarge 2018 Bourgogne Aligoté Raisins Dorés

From vines planted in 1937 in clay and limestone, this is an Aligote of terrific structure and density, with aromatics of lemon pith and a chalky dustiness that is reminiscent of clapping blackboard erasers. Like the Fournier, there is real power in this wine, with incredible mineral depth. A terrific wine, with excellent potential for aging and generally a benchmark for Aligote in the Cote D'Or. Sam Ehrlich

Moreau-Naudet 2018 Chablis

This is sourced from vines between twenty and sixty years old and aged all in stainless steel. This is Chablis at its most inviting. It's full of juicy white fruit, peach and pear and feels generally supple and accessible from the moment the cork is pulled. But what is most captivating and engaging is the mineral component here. Chablis is defined by its limestone soils and at its best its character comes through as something I have always identified as "Welch's grape soda." Some people compare it to fennel or licorice, others to something else - it's somewhat nebulous, as tasting stones is not something we do in life. But whatever it is, this wine has it. The finish is stained with this unique expression of limestone, which is what we should ask of it. Outstanding for the price. Sam Ehrlich

Moreau-Naudet 2018 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 1.5L

Rateau 2019 Côte de Beaune La Grande Chatelaine

About a kilometer or two northwest of the Beaune 1er Crus, La Grande Chatelaine is a cooler site on the Montagne de Beaune with soils comprised of gravel and 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 but full and dense due to the low yields  of 2019,  with fresh orchard fruit and lemon oil flavors, dancing astride sapid herbal notes with a clinging stoniness on the long, mouthwatering, expansive finish. Serve wth seared scallops, halibut or other full-flavored fish. This is lovely ripe and vibrant Chardonnay from a unique vineyard site - drink over the next 5 to 8 years.

Rateau 2019 Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Blanc

Jean-Claude Rateau makes lovely Biodynamic wines in the Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune in his east-facing vineyard of clay/limestone and marne soils.  In the dry, hot 2019 vintage, yields were extremely low so Jean-Claude combined his Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc into this cuvee which is quite round and lucious showing floral aromas with ripe pear, apple and spice with hints of citrus and almond. The palate is rounder and more ripe than usual, but perfectly balanced with pear, citrus and stone flavors, with terrific length and firm acidity. This food friendly wine will accompany everything from oysters and grilled seafood to roast chicken and mild cheeses. Delicious now or cellar for 5 to 8 years. This is a delightful Burgundy and a great value!  David Lillie

Rateau 2020 Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Pinot Blanc

 Permitted in Burgundy, but rarely seen on its own, Pinot Blanc grown by Jean-Claude Rateau in the Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune makes this lovely and versatile wine. The aromas are ripe and pretty, with apple and pear, lemon zest, almond and herbal notes. The palate is silky and pure with white fruits and hints of anise and verbena, supple, round and well balanced with firm acidity.  This is a perfect apéritif wine, and will accompany any fish or chicken dish, Asian foods and mild cheeses. 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.

Vignes du Maynes 2018 Macon-Cruzille Aragonite

Carved from vineyards once owned by the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny and farmed organically by Julien Guillot's family since 1954, Clos Vignes du Maynes is one of the most distinctive growers in Burgundy. Aragonite comes from 40- to 80-year-old Chardonnay vines high on the slope, on thin soils of clay, crystallized limestone, and laced with other minerals. This wine is incredibly aromatic upon opening with aromas of golden pear, green apple, apricot, white grapefruit, honeysuckle, and bergamot; there is a hint of earthy heather honey and butterscotch. On the palate it is quite rich and luscious, in this warm low-yielding vintage, and much more tropical and salty than in years past. In fact, if tasted blind, I could see this being mistaken for a great Chardonnay from the Jura as it has fantastic acidity, and is beautifully textured, long, and mineral. On day two the aromas have softened a bit, and the palate has gained an added savory note that contributes to a still stunningly long finish. The 2018 Aragonite is not to be missed.