ReturnWhites
2005 Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles ($17)
Winemaker Franck Grux has a deft touch with white Burgundies at all levels, from grands crus down to this lemon-and-apricot-inflected Bourgogne Blanc, made from declassified Meursault (60 percent) and Puligny-Montrachet (40 percent) fruit.
2005 Domaine Philippe Chavy Bourgogne Chardonnay ($18)
This richly spicy bottling, made by up-and-coming young winemaker Philippe Chavy, comes from several parcels of vines he owns in and just below the famous white Burgundy commune of Puligny-Montrachet.
2005 François d’Allaines St-Romain ($25)
This small négociant is unusual in that its owners buy only grapes (not juice or finished wines), often from some of Burgundy’s top producers. That quality-driven approach is clear in wines like this luxurious St-Romain, full of ripe apple notes.
2005 Vincent Girardin Rully Vieilles Vignes ($25)
Rully, located in the southern part of Burgundy, produces roughly equal amounts of red and white wines, but the whites—like this old-vines bottling, which starts off flinty and ends on a lush lemon-vanilla note—tend to be the ones to look for.
2005 Faiveley Mercurey Clos Rochette ($30)
The commune of Mercurey, south of the Côte d’Or in the Côte Chalonnaise, is known primarily for reliable, affordable (in Burgundy terms) reds. But this creamy white, with its bright green-apple fruit and hints of nuts and savory spices, suggests that reds aren’t this region’s only strong point.
2005 Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay ($33)
One of the most recent Burgundy appellatons to receive AOC status (in 1987), Marsannay produces primarily reds and rosés, plus a small amount of appealing white wines—such as this earthy, old-vines bottling from fourth-generation grower Charles Audoin and his wife, enologist Françoise Audoin.
2005 Domaine Thierry & Pascale Matrot Meursault ($33)
Thierry Matrot, who has been in charge of his family’s long-established domaine since he took over in 1976 at the age of 21, avoids using new oak barrels for his whites, resulting in crisp, expressive wines like this quince-scented, earthy Meursault.
2005 Bernard Morey Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves ($46)
Morey’s rich style of winemaking strikes a nice balance with the delicacy characteristic of the premier cru Les Grèves vineyard. In 2005, he produced a white with a bright lemon-lime scent leading into more lush, oak-influenced white peach flavor.
2005 Henri Clerc Puligny-Montrachet ($50)
Clerc produces textbook Puligny, from premier cru bottlings down to village wines like this one. It’s taut and intense, with a fine precision to its pear, mineral and smoke notes. The estate itself dates back to the 16th century.
2004 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Boudriotte ($70)
Domaine Ramonet, now in the hands of third-generation winemaker Noel Ramonet, is justly acclaimed for its complex, forceful Chassagne-Montrachets. This vivid ’04, with its herbal scent and stony minerality, exhibits the quality of the domaine.
2004 Domaine Darviot-Perrin Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières ($75)
This premier cru white has exactly the rain-on-wet-stone scent and focused minerality that often characterize the top Meursaults from Les Perrières, the commune’s most famous vineyard—which derives its name from the French word for stones, pierres.
Reds
2005 Nicolas Potel Cuvée Gérard Potel Bourgogne Rouge ($22)
This vibrant, raspberry-inflected red, named after Nicolas Potel’s father (who was manager of the respected Volnay producer Domaine de la Pousse d’Or until his death in 1997), uses grapes primarily from a single small vineyard just below the Pommard premier cru vineyard of Clos Epeneaux.
2005 Joseph Drouhin Chorey-lès-Beaune ($24)
Chorey-lès-Beaune is home to red Burgundies that tend to be light and delicate. This fragrant bottling from well-known négociant Joseph Drouhin is characteristic of its appellation; its silky wild-strawberry fruit is lifted by black pepper notes.
2005 Catherine & Claude Maréchal Chorey Côtes de Beaune ($30)
Claude Maréchal was a longtime friend of legendary Burgundy winemaker Henri Jayer, and to this day, he follows Jayer’s philosophies: organic farming, severe pruning to keep low yields and non-interventionist winemaking. This aromatic bottling is reminiscent of wild berries right off the vine.
2005 Pierre et Jean-Baptiste Lebreuil Savigny-lès-Beaune ($32)
This floral, pretty red comes from talented young winemaker Jean-Baptiste Lebreuil, whose family domaine was founded by his grandparents in 1935. It’s firm without being particularly tannic, giving it unusual grace.
2003 Domaine de la Vougeraie Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Marconnets ($49)
Founded in 1999, this domaine brings together under one name the various vineyards owned by the Boisset family (one of the region’s largest négociants). Les Marconnets, a steep hillside vineyard, produces firm, juicy reds; the hot 2003 vintage adds notes of game and cinnamon to the black cherry fruit of this bottling.
2005 Domaine Joblot Givry 1er Cru Clos de la Servoisine ($54)
Although Givry, at the very southern edge of Burgundy, is not as famous as many of the communes to the north, the wines of Jean-Marc and Vincent Joblot—like this seductive bottling, full of raspberry confit and Asian spice notes—certainly make one wonder why.
2004 Domaine Alain Burguet Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Favorites Vieilles Vignes ($70)
Unusual for an ’04 red, this pretty, cherry-driven Gevrey—a selection from Burguet’s favorite barrels—has a roundness and fullness of flavor that’s hard to resist. This particular cuvée, which he’s been making for several decades now, comes from vines averaging 60 years old.
2002 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Angles ($71)
At age 33, Nicolas Rossignol—the fifth generation of his family to cultivate grapes in Burgundy—has already established a name for himself as one of the best young winemakers in Volnay on the strength of wines like this violet-scented, velvety premier cru bottling.
2004 Camille Giroud Pommard 1er Cru Epenots ($78)
Though vineyards in Pommard suffered hailstorms in August 2004, the best winemakers—like David Croix at Giroud—used sorting tables to ruthlessly select only the best grapes. His Epenots bottling is marked by pure, focused raspberry and cranberry fruit that glides above the dark, earthy notes characteristic of wines from this commune.
2005 Domaine Henri Perrot-Minot Morey-St-Denis 1er Cru La Riotte ($135)
This well-known Côte de Nuits producer operated primarily as a négociant before Christophe Perrot-Minot took over the estate in 1993 and shifted it toward making its own wines. The domaine’s reputation has skyrocketed since then, thanks to powerful, focused wines like this one—a thrillingly aromatic, wild berry-rich premier cru red.
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