A few from Bourgogne Crown, all roughly 90-91 pointers, just for the sake of perspective. Our world of wine has sprouted many fine specimens in the lesser appellations, if one just know where to look.
Xavier Gerard, Saint Joseph, Le Blanchard, 2017"X" marks the spot - if you could somehow create a map made of scents and flavors, this would be dead center Saint Joseph. All the key ingredients are in place: the black pepper, the hints of bacon, the pliant, succulent, black tinted fruit. Look, it may not be the deepest, most complex Syrah you'll drink, but its flowing, moreish form will bring infinite joy to your palate with its easy grace. 2017 was a warm vintage, but it seems to have transformed the warmth of the vintage into this dynamic verve and vitality. I don't know how this vineyard thrives in colder vintages, but this young winemaker seems to have a talented touch and the domaine's output is so small that I'm sure he can give the wine his undivided attention, even though his family heritage includes plots in Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu - but, anyway, 2017 is a sure bet. Buy as much as you can find. (Nov. 25, 2020)
Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot, Bourgogne, 2017
I guess marriages aplenty were involved in a domaine with such an elaborate name. It's a venerable family estate currently ran by cousins Claire Fleurot and Thomas Colladot. I have no idea how much the entry level Bourgogne is indicative of the house style, but this lovely creature shows lithe, pure fruit with an elusive suggestion of forest floor and meat/vegetable broth. (Nov. 26, 2020)
Jules Desjourneys, Pouilly-Loché, 2016
Fabien Duperray is a newcomer to Beaujolais and Maconnais. He'd been a top merchant in Burgundy and decided over a decade ago to become a grower. He's now considered a force to be reckoned with in Beaujolais and I really need to buy a few of his Crus. But I'm writing about a Macon white here, and this is the second Desjourney Maconnais wines I've tried. Like the Pouilly-Vinzelles, Les Longeays, 2015, it's a thrilling, racy wine, whose focused, elegant form and nose carry forth lime, iodine, rocks and matchsticks. It's a bit one-dimensional, but that flavorsome form is focused enough to make up for that deficit. It could well stare down, eyeball to eyeball, many village whites from the Cote d'Or. All you need to do it wait patiently for a good discount. P.S. My online research shows the wine is made of organically farmed grapes bought from Domaine Thibert. (Nov. 28, 2020)
Comm. G.B. Burlotto, Nebbiolo Langhe, 2018
I'm just as appreciative of a Nebbiolo Langhe masquerading as mini-Barolo as the next guy or gal, but I also love the joy of Nebbiolo for Nebbiolo's sake and the small scale, unpretentious charm here is as unquestionable as the wine is fresh and pure. There's a raspberry/cherry scent and taste, like licking freshly picked, crushed fruit off your fingers and it needs but an hour of air to flesh out the nose with an additional layer of minerals, and then develop a lovely, savory finish, in order to complete the picture. (Dec. 1, 2020)
Vincent Pinard, Sancerre, Nuance, 2018
My second bottle from this estate and what a smart selection on Boyrgogne Crown's part it is! The Nuance is placed just about smack in the middle of the Pinard hierarchy. It's a blend of from two limestone plots with Caillottes pebbles typical of the area. If you love a nose with flint and smoke-tinged citrus fruit, echoed on a steely/saline finish, let Pinard be your valentine.
Of course, you might want to lay this down for a couple of years. (Dec. 2, 2020)
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