When does a non-cru Beaujolais wine taste and age like a fine Burgundy? When it’s crafted by a talented winemaker such as Paul Durdilly from Le Bois d’Oignt in southern Beaujolais. The town’s terroir secret is that many of its vineyards have soils that are pure limestone, the same “mother rock” of the Côte d’Or.
Once you taste the wines of Domaine Calot, you immediately understand the potential of cru Beaujolais. The family’s ancient vines, pure granite vineyards and philosophy in the cellar combine for a Morgon that is serious yet seductive, and certainly made for the long haul. Think fine Burgundy; not simple Beaujolais!
Régnié (reh-NYAY) is one of Beaujolais’ more harmonious crus, combining the floral perfumes of neighboring Brouilly with the complex, black-fruited flesh of Morgon. Two young winemakers are now the new face of Domaine des Braves, and the future looks very bright for great Gamay wines.
For nearly 300 years, the Vesselle family has been tilling the chalky soils of Bouzy and cultivating some of the village’s best-placed Pinot Noir vines. The family’s collection of top terroirs and generations of leadership in championing Pinot Noir is what makes their wines such eloquent examples of Blanc de Noirs Champagnes.
Quietly in the shadows of the larger houses of the Côte de Blancs, vine-growing Champagne artisans such as Jean-Michel Turgy are crafting character-rich, memorable wines based on the traditions and passions of past winemaking generations. For more than 130 years, the Turgy family has grown and harvested Chardonnay grapes on these chalky soils…
Winemaker Michel Chauvet is one of the last artisans who chooses to craft his Champagne exclusively by hand, the way it was made in the early 1900s before machines replaced manual labor. While Chauvet certainly makes “grower” Champagne, his methods are so much more; if you seek truly authentic Champagne, Lancelot-Royer is the obvious choice.
Domaine Egly-Ouriet Champagne is sensual, unforgettable and highly sought after, a “cult” wine for Champagne lovers who crave the power and finesse of Pinot Noir-based wines. What you’ll find at this family “grower” house is truly vinous Champagne, wines striking in their concentration and complexity.
The finest wines from the Côte Chalonnaise are known for their effortless beauty, with delicate aromas, fruit-driven flavors and light, silky textures. Burgundy from Domaine Michel Sarrazin et Fils both exemplifies this elegant style and sets an even higher standard for the region—each cru is unquestionably the finest in its class, yet still offers exceptional value.
The talents of winemaker Vincent Dureuil in Rully are such that it’s easy to forget that there are others making wine in the Côte Chalonnaise. But there just is no other artist in the region that faithfully crafts Burgundy with as much purity, elegance or character as does Vincent. Not only is he a gifted winemaker, but also he is blessed with some exemplary older-vine vineyards that for years have been cared for organically—a higher level of attention that sets Vincent qualitatively apart from the pack.
When people talk seriously about “natural” wines, they talk about the organic wines of Mas de Gourgonnier. In the heart of Provence in the 1970s, this family estate was one of the first officially certified organic wineries, back when such a practice was seen as foolish for vine growers trying to make a living.