The Burgundy region of France makes some of the best wines in the world. The reds are mostly made from Pinot Noir and the whites are made from Chardonnay. And, the region of Beaujolais, whose wines are made from the Gamay grape, is also part of Burgundy. I was lucky enough to be able to sample some excellent wines this year from burgundy. These were the best of the best.
1. 2010 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2010
Score: 98
Grade: A
Current Price: $145.00USD
A stunning wine if still a bit young. In a day when Grand Cru Burgs are priced crazily, this is about the best one that is almost affordable. It certainly is not your typical Chablis in profile either. Golden in color. Not dark but not light either. No noticeable oxidation. The nose has peaches, slight chalk and a bit of pepper/spice. On the palate, the peaches carry thru over a concentrated minerality. Great round texture. Good acidity but not bracing. Nice finish. In general, this is a big round wine that is just delicious. Went well with St. Andre cheese and will work with most foods other than meat-centric dishes. It drinks young still but given its age, probably close to peak. Still, it easily has ten to fifteen years at its top.
2. 2001 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2001
Score: 97
Grade: A
Current Price: $1275.00USD
Wow. Stunning showing and WOTN at our tasting group's annual holiday party. This seems to be about at peak, but it also has some youth so perhaps it will get better. Ruby in color, if a bit flat. The nose is gorgeous with cherries, cinnamon, slight wet tobacco notes and just a bit of woodiness. On the palate, this has bright cherries with some underlying spice and just a hint of funk. Great texture. This straddles the line between elegance and fruit beautifully. Great balance. Long finish. This is great on its own but worked quite well with stuffed mushrooms. It would be great with roasted fowl or veggies. No hurry, this easily goes another decade.
3. 2005 Dominique Laurent Clos de la Roche, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2005
Score: 96
Grade: A
Current Price: $200.00USD
Nice to revisit this wine. It had been about 4 years since it was last tried and it hasn't really changed. It is open and drinking quite well. This is a big wine that one might peg for California if drinking blind. Of course, 2005 was an excellent and ripe vintage. Vibrant garnet in color. The nose is dusty, slightly earthy with nice cherries and a bit of plums. What a lovely texture. Soft yet structured at the same time. On the palate, layers of cherries, slight smoke and earthiness. Nice acidity. Long finish. This would pair with everything from hearty seafood to a steak. No hurry on this as it should have more than a decade left.
4. 2016 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2016
Score: 94
Grade: A
Current Price: $80.00USD
Light golden/green in color. Lovely nose of flint with slight green apples. A big nose over all. In the palate, this has a slightly oily texture. Great acidity. Slight green apples with lots of minerals. Long finish. This was my WOTN at a recent blind tasting of Chablis although the group had it in 4th place. Still young, this should continue to evolve and mature for the next decade and be good for another decade or more after that. It will pair well with seafood, salads and other lighter foods.
5. 2005 Gérard Raphet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2005
Score: 94
Grade: A
Current Price: $130.00USD
Well, this was one of the better values I have had in Burgundy in a while. It was $70 on release with current vintages retailing for $110 or so. Pop and pour, this seems to be at peak or just getting there. It improved in the first thirty minutes and then held until the bottle was empty. Light ruby in color. A bit pale. The nose is strong though with cherries and a slight earthy funk. Maybe just a bit of spice. On the palate, this has nice layering of fruit (cherries) and earth. Good balance. Persistent finish. It went very well with food. Delicious but also contemplative.
6. 2015 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, France, Wine Review
Vintage: 2015
Score: 94
Grade: A
Current Price: $89.97USD
Excellent wine that really needs some time. Lots of upside potential here. Light golden in color. The nose is fat (for Chablis) with red fugi apples over a nice chalky base. On the palate, this has a soft texture with good if not great acidity. It is delicious. Lots going on with tight layers of complexity. Long finish. Perhaps not a classic sort of Chablis, yet, it is an outstanding chardonnay.
7. 2014 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2014
Score: 94
Grade: A
Current Price: $80.00USD
This is an outstanding Chablis that shows the vintage very well. Lean yet, powerful. Light silvery/gold in color. The nose is classic with green apples. Nice minerality too. On the palate, this broadens across the palate, yet has nice green apple notes with good acidity. An underlying minerality too. It presents almost as two styles at the same time. Delicious though. Will work with lighter foods, seafoodand poultry dishes. Still young and has some upside.
8. 2015 Marcel Lapierre Morgon Cuvée Marcel Lapierre MMXV, France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Wine Review
Vintage: 2015
Score: 93
Grade: A
This is the top cuvee from one of the top producers in Beaujolais. Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has a significant amount of barnyard on it. While I enjoyed it, this may be off putting to some. Also, plenty of cherries, black cherries, and charred wood. On the palate, the cherries come thru along with some sour cherries, and a bit of earthiness. Plenty of depth. Great acidity. Still showing very young with light tannins. Nice finish. This probably needs another three to five years if well stored. It will work well with casseroles and stews as well as roasted meats or fowl.
9. 2015 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
Vintage: 2015
Score: 93
Grade: A-
Current Price: $76.00USD
It is always a pleasure to drink Chablis Even more Grand Cru from a great vintage. These are some of the best expressions of Chardonnay. This was my second time being lucky enough to try this one. It was pretty consistent. This one was no exception. Green/gold in color. Shimmering bright. The nose has plenty of green apples with a nice chalk/sea shell quality. On the palate, this is ripe and broad. It has a slightly oily texture which is a good thing. More red apple with underlying chalk. Good acidity. Nice finish. This is still young and though ageing white Burgundies can be a crap shoot, this should drink well for at least another decade. It drinks well on its own and would work well with lighter foods but also heavier seafood and fowl dishes.
10. 2016 Denis (Isabelle et Denis) Pommier Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2016
Score: 93
Grade: A
Current Price: $45.00USD
This was the surprise of the Chablis tasting. My first time trying this winery. It was my #2 WOTN and the group's #1. Yellow/gold in color. The nose has a nice flinty quality along with green apples. On the palate, this has a slightly oily texture. Great acidity. Tart apple fruit over a chalky base. Also a bit of lemons. Long finish. This should drink well for a decade more. It will go great with sea food or lighter salads. Certainly a winery that I need to explore further.
11. 2017 Samuel Billaud Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2017
Score: 93
Grade: A
Current Price: $45.00USD
This is drinking quite well. At a time when Burgundy prices are soaring and the "best" producers are unaffordable, Chablis still offers the ability to get a great wine. The question is how long will this continue. Light green/silver with a slight gold in color. The nose is pretty classic with crushed shells, chalk and green apples. On the palate, this has a much creamier texture and more rounded than expected. Presumably that is due to barrel fermentation and a bit higher alcohol levels. No matter, it still has a nice green apple and mineral flavor set with is quite refreshing and delicious. Good acidity. Long finish. This will work great with lighter foods and sea food. It has a nice crispness that should serve it well at the table. It seems like it should last for a decade easily though that seems to always be a concern in white Burgundy these days (random premature oxidation).
12. 2014 Maison Evenstad Meursault, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2014
Score: 93
Grade: A
Current Price: $80.00USD
This is a project from the owners of Domaine Serene in Oregon. Light green/gold in color. The nose is chalky with slight vanillaand slight lemons. On the palate, this is a big and fruity Chardonnay. Quite tasty. Lemony with a slightly sweet-tart candied note which is nice. Big and long finish. Perhaps a bit atypical for the vintage but a very nice wine that would go with a wide variety of lighter and medium weight foods.
13. 2017 Verget Pouilly-Fuissé Les Combes Vieilles Vignes, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2017
Score: 92
Grade: A-
I don't buy much white Burgundy anymore, but this one was reasonably priced and meant for short term drinking so I tried. Glad I did. Light golden in color. The nose is slightly buttery with red apples and slight smoke/minerality. Medium bodied. On the palate, this is crisp with red apples and slight lemon. Good finish. This is enjoyable if not really showing a "sense of place". It will work well with sea food and fowl dishes or buttery pasta. Assuming no pre-mature oxidation, this should last for ten years at least.
14. 2014 Domaine Pinson Frères Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2014
Score: 92
Grade: A-
Current Price: $34.00USD
Medium golden in color. The nose has green apples with a slight chalkiness. On the palate, there is a slight gun powder note with tart lemons. Plush texture. Slightly yeasty. Is this barrel fermented? An interesting takeon Chablis that I very much enjoyed. Seemed to be love or hate it at the table. It does seem a bit advanced for its age. If this bottle was representative, it probably should be consumed in the next five years.
15. 2015 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Valmur, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2015
Score: 92
Grade: A-
Current Price: $76.00USD
Silvery gold in color. The nose is initially quiet with slight gun powder. That becomes more pronounced with air and in addition, some green apples. On the palate, this is slightly oily in texture. Tart lemon-lime flavors. Juicy acidity. It does seem riper in style for a Chablis. This is still young and should continue to come together for the next few years and be good for a decade more after that.
16. 2015 Sebastien Dampt Chablis 1er Cru Les Beugnons, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2015
Score: 92
Grade: A-
Current Price: $35.00USD
Chablis continues to be an excellent source or white Burgundy especially when considering the price and the premox issues. While Chablis is not immune on either issue, it is a bit better on both. This is a newer-ish producer making some great wines and reasonable pricing. Light silvery gold in color. The nose is very nice with green apples and chalk. Very clean. On the palate, those flavors continue with a nice depth and complexity. Very nice acidity. Some grapefruit as well. Long finish. This will work great with salads and sea foods but also with fowl dishes. It really does beg for food though.
17. 2016 Joseph Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2016
Score: 92
Grade: A-
Current Price: $60.00USD
Though young, this is drinking quite well and in "Burgundy" terms a good value. Deep garnet in color. The nose has cherries, spice, and slight black cherries. The texture on this wine is very pretty. Round but intense. Lots of black cherry fruit and some underlying earthiness. Good balance. Nice finish. This should continue to improve for five to ten years and be good for another five to ten after that. It will pair well with game or fowl.
18. 2016 Domaine Chavy-Chouet Meursault Clos des Corvees des Citeaux, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2016
Score: 92
Grade: A-
Current Price: $64.96USD
Silvery gold in color. This has a really great nose. Clean with just a touch of oak showing. Salinity and ref apples. With air, some citrus emerges. On the palate, the apples come thru. There is underlying minerality. While the wine has a rich fat texture, it has enough acidity to work with. Good finish but there is a touch of oak/harshness. The wine seems to be drinking quite well right now, but may (or not) get a bit better. Still, it seems prudent to drink these younger. It will match well with sea food and lighter fare.
19. 2015 Xavier Monnot Meursault Les Chevalières, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2015
Score: 92
Grade: A-
Current Price: $57.00USD
Light golden in color with slight green tinges. The nose is very nice with some lemon cream and underlying minerality. This has a nice smokiness to it and also a bit of salinity. On the palate, this is a bit fat and more acidity would be nice. That said, it has lovely lemon fruit and a nice minerality. Good finish. It would work well with some rich seafood dishes.
20. 2016 Domaine de la Choupette Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot, France, Burgundy, Wine Review
Vintage: 2016
Score: 92
Grade: A-
Current Price: $45.00USD
Light green gold in color. The nose is nice with slight vanilla, lots of minerality and some lemon. Also, with air, some eucalyptus/minty notes. On the palate, this is crisp and lean (in a good way). Less oak showing on the palate. Nice clean finish. This should work nicely with sea food and lighter foods. Youthful, it should age out a bit over the next ten years.
