ANDRE AUVIGUE 2007 ST.-VÉRAN LE MOULIN DU PONT
As we mentioned this February in our "France: The Year Ahead" review, we noted that white burgundy from the Mâcon and Côte Chalonnaise would offer great value this year in that the 2007 vintage did quite well in these two areas. Here’s a prime example and we challenge you to find a Chardonnay from ANYWHERE in the world that’s this good at this price point! Redolent of delightful flavors and aromas of sundry pears, dried apricots, white peach and ripe nectarines, this little number flat out delivers! Not in a more-is-better manner but rather avec une sense de qualite sur quanitite. Even-keeled and complex with layer after layer of well-balanced fruit nuance, this wine just kind of grows on you as it sits in the glass. One can easily and effortlessly consume several glasses without becoming full or fatigued. Best of all, look at the price! At this niveau, Domaine Auvigue easily qualifies as a top-notch house pour that will astound and amaze your friends! Don’t show them the label and they’ll think you’re pouring a $40 Montrachet...yes, it’s that good! Bonne route avec ce tres bien fait St. Veran!

BILLAUD-SIMON 2007 CHABLIS
The taste is a pleasant compromise between richness, freshness and elegance; it remains full and supple right through to the finish. The ripe fruit with a hint of vanilla and a light vegetal and mineral touch are all in gentle harmony with the softness of its structure. It is a Chablis for the pure pleasure of the palate.

BILLAUD-SIMON 2007 CHABLIS FOURCHAUME
We’ve been huge fans of this estate for many years now and were quite happy to get the news that many of the estate’s wines would be here for the holidays. The estate is clearly on the verge of superstardom as evidenced by the recent prose and scores from the Burghound, Allen Meadows.

BURGHOUND 93 POINTS - "An ultra-pure and elegant green fruit nose that reflects plenty of sea breeze and saline notes that continue onto the powerful yet detailed medium flavors that exude a fine minerality and simple stunning length. This is really not far off the quality of this group’s Grand Cru. Worth searching for!"

BILLAUD-SIMON 2007 CHABLIS MONTEE TONNERRE The taste expresses perfect harmony and distinction. It would also seem austere if it wasn't so rich and fat. It is a perfect balance of fullness, freshness, mineral, soft and ripe fruit and bright, blooming flowers. A complex wine, both elegant and harmonious with great lenght whose name is engraved in capitals in our memory, so that we will never forget it.

BOURGOGNE BLANC 2008 JOSEPH FAIVELEY
The return of brilliant sunshine in early September and rigorous selection in the vineyards enabled us to bring in a harvest of exceptional quality. This wine comes from reserved plots located in the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise. Chardonnay grapes were picked towards the end of the harvest, thereby benefitting from the fine weather conditions. The wine has good acidity, freshness and elegance; it is already a pleasure to taste. TASTING NOTES: A brilliant, pale yellow color with green glimmers; expressive nose of white flower aromas. The attack is bold and generous. This wine is balanced on the palate, with good volume and quite an exceptionally long-lasting finish

BRUNO CLAIR 2005 CORTON CHARLEMAGNE

CHABLIS 2008 DOMAINE SEGUINOT-BORDET RESERVE STE VICTOIRE
Looking for that perfect summer sipper ? Try this 2008 Chablis from Seguinot-Bordet. Your eye will see a pretty pale golden yellow color with light greenish glints. Already on the nose, one can sense it's good breeding, freshness and maturity in a festival of flowers and fruit. The fruit is ripe and bursting with sunshine .This powerful wine has a pretty harmonious mellowness that is transported by a frank, yet far from aggressive liveliness. The pronounced mineral finish combined with delicate toasty, vanillary notes ensures long lasting pleasure.

CHARDONNAY DE CHARDONNAY 2008 BOURGOGNE BLANC
When it comes to home court advantage, Cave de Lugny's Chardonnay, from the village of Chardonnay, birthplace of the Chardonnay grape, is looking pretty good.

100% pure and unoaked, this wine is full of fresh citrus fruits, pear, apple and undertones of croissant and mineral aromas. Crisp and round, it has a light creamy texture on the palate and an elegant, fruity finish. This wine is full of delicious and pure Chardonnay character and is definitely one to watch in the "bracket buster" category.

CHRISTOPHE CORDIER 2008 POUILLY FUISSE VV
Christophe Cordier is one of the hottest winemakers in Burgundy. The domaine is located in Fuissé and is renowned for making first class wines from fruit grown in only the best terroirs or sites. Christophe believes the work begins with low yields, hand harvesting only physiologically ripe fruit and intervening as little as possible. while concentrated, impeccably balanced rich, long flavors take over in the mouth. The wines from Pouilly Fuissé are often thought to rival and surpass many of the top level wines found in the Côte de Beaune and at a fraction of the price.

DEUX MONTILLE 2005 MEURSAULT CHARMES

DOMAINE DE ROALLY 2007 MACON VIRE CLESSE After the 2000 vintage, Goyard retired, and his estate went to Gautier Thévenet, son of Jean of Domaine de la Bongran in Clessé. The 14 acres of old vines continue to be plowed, do not see herbicides, fertilizers and anything other than copper and sulfur for treatment. There have been a few changes, the harvest is slightly later than before, the stainless-steel tanks are horizontal rather than vertical, and bottling is done after 15 ot 16 months in vat rather than 11. There is the same natural richness of flavor and ripeness in these grapes, and the wines follow the same pattern of slow alcoholic fermentation, ending with some residual sugar.

DOMAINE MALTROYE 2005 CHASSAGNE MONTRACHET MORGEOT

DOMAINE PAVILLON 2005 CORTON CHARLEMAGNE

DOMAINE THOMAS 2008 ST VERAN
The St-Veran, made from 40-50 year old vines, bursts with ripe pear and citrus flavors and a long, minerally finish. Focus, clarity and intensity of fruit are the hallmark of Thomas wines. This exciting St-Veran is a great match for lobster and scallops, veal piccata, and grilled chicken.

DOMAINE VOCORET 2006 CHABLIS
Allen Meadows writes: "A deft touch of wood frames ripe and pure green fruit aromas that combine with round, rich and generous flavors that retain a good sense of cut and definition on the racy and mineral-infused finish. Very solid quality here and worth a look."

DOMAINES LEFLAIVE 2006 MACON VERZE
Sometimes it is the simple things that delight-- comfort foods from childhood; the scent of a corn field following an afternoon rain; the sound of a Sunday baseball game over an old AM radio resonating throughout the neighborhood (and, we must confess, Vin Scully's voice). This is just a delightful Chardonnay: unpretentious, balanced, clean.

WINE SPECTATOR 88 POINTS - "A whiff of sweet corn gives way to peach and butter in this lush white. Harmonious, with a lift of acidity on the finish. Drink now."

DOMAINE F & L PILLOT 2005 CHASSAGNE MONTRACHET GRANDS RUCHOTTES
The Grand Ruchottes vineyard is tucked up high above and south of the village; its soil is pure limestone. wines from this vineyard are often the most backward and therefore among the slowest to evolve. If there’s a Premier Cru Chassagne that is deserving of Grand Cru status, Grands Ruchottes is the one. A great wine for la cuisine française and best enjoyed when its 7 to 10 years old.

FONTAINE-GAGNARD 2005 CHASSAGNE MONTRACHET "BOUDRIOTTE"
The style of the wines at Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard is for intense, racy, deep and complex Chassagnes that start out life classically balanced and accessible, but always with fine expressions of terroir and the underlying structure to age gracefully as well. The wines are always focused and detailed, and are generally aged in about a third new oak for the premier crus and a bit more for the grand crus. Richard Fontaine makes a very good Chassagne villages which is not to be overlooked, but the real fireworks begin with the premier crus. The range of Fontaine-Gagnard premier crus is quite similar to those of Michel Niellon. There is Chassagne “Clos St. Jean” that is always the most forward of the premier crus and quite popular on wine lists, due to its early appeal. There are holdings as well in Chassagne “Maltroie” and Chassagne “Vergers” that are generally a bit more structured than the Clos St. Jean, and will reward at least a few years bottle age, and have no difficulty aging for fifteen to twenty years in a top vintage. The top two premier crus in the Fontaine-Gagnard lineup are their Caillerets, (whose very chalky soils typically produce the longest-lived premier cru in the domaine’s portfolio) and their dramatic and always superb la Romanée. The domaine also has a rare holding in the tiny vineyard of Chassagne “Grande Montagne”, which is located in the heart of the band of the best Chassagne premier crus at the top of the slope that includes Virondot, Grandes Ruchottes, la Romanée and Caillerets.

FRANCOIS JOBARD 2005 MEURSAULT GENEVRIERES
"A seductively spicy and ripe white peach and orange blossom nose marries into supple intense and vibrant medium-bodied flavors that are very fresh in the mouth and evidence a bit more ripeness on the gorgeously long finish. This is a wine of style, grace and class and is absolutely recommended." Allen Meadows, Burghound.com

GUY ROULOT 2007 MEURSAULT BOUCHERES

GUY ROULOT 2007 MEURSAULT MEIX CHAVAUX

HENRI BOILLOT 2005 BATARD MONTRACHET
Henri Boillot's Batard-Montrachet is one beautiful bastard (that's what "batard" means). Boillot's 2005 Batard Montrachet is a spectacular wine. Aromas of mineral, smoke and apples and limestone. Silky, silky! This Chardonnay will age nicely over the next decade.

HENRI BOILLOT 2005 CHASSAGNE MONTRACHET CHENEVOTTES

HENRI BOILLOT 2005 CHEVALIER MONTRACHET

HENRI BOILLOT 2005 CORTON CHARLEMAGNE

HENRI BOILLOT 2005 CRIOTS BATARD MONTRACHET

HENRI BOILLOT 2005 MEURSAULT
Henri Boillot, brother of Jean-Marc, is making some of the most exciting wines in Burgundy at the moment. He has his own family vineyards (Domaine Jean Boillot) as well as a negociant business, Maison Henri Boillot based in Meursault. Henri is driven in his pursuit of great wine, only small quantities of these wines are available as the vines yield is restricted in favour of quality over quantity. This results are evident in the stunning complexity, concentration and purity of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. A Chardonnay with powerful aromas of peach, hazelnut and spicy, vanillia oak. The flavours of sweet peach and spice are balanced by ripe acidity culminating in a very long satisfying finish.

HENRI PERRUSSET 2008 MACON FARGES
Perrusset gets the most from his vines and the result is this fruit-forward style Chardonnay with honied aromas of spiced baked pears, minerals and a hint of oak and a medium-bodied palate of rich, ripe, minerally fruit. And, since there's plenty of acidity , the wine finishes quite fresh and flavorful. This outstanding old vines Macon delivers serious value at a very agreeable price. California Chardonnay fans looking for a refreshing alternative to the butter and oak brigade will definitely enjoy this one.

JEAN MARC PILLOT 2007 MONTAGNY LES GOURESSES 1ER CRU

JEAN-LOUIS CHAVY 2007 PULIGNY MONTRACHET
Blended from 8 different parcels across the appellation, this wine gives an excellent representation of the terroir of Puligny-Montrachet. Neither overtly fruity or over-oaked, Jean-Louis Chavy's wines are extremely well balanced, emphasising the classic minerality of Puligny-Montrachet. Alain Chavy has delivered a fresh, floral and mineral wine here. This is really generous with bright greengage fruit, neatly honed with a light touch of oak.