FRENCH WINE

From 104 year old Pinot Fin vines, this has to be one of the greatest value reds to be found in Burgundy, and the 2015 rendition is especially good. Brooding dark fruit, coniferous forest floor and espresso lead into a deep, fine-grained and very complete palate with a silky core of ripe, fine tannins and lovely concentration.

This Bourgogne rouge is surprisingly charming and floral. This Pinot is a blend of seven different plots around Cote de Nuits, 50% from Chambolle Musigny appellation, 25% from Nuits Saint Georges, and 25% from Vosne Romanée. Flamboyant aroma of supple rose petal, wild strawberries, and raspberry. 60% whole cluster. Great lightness and gentleness.

The Chambolle-Musigny is a beauty made from several different plots located quite high in the Chambolle appellation south of the village – i.e. from a quite cool area. This translates into a gorgeous village – the bouquet is brimming with fresh red fruit with notes of red currant, pomegranate and forest strawberries – infused by a classic Chambolle minerality. On the palate very vibrant offering gorgeous mid-palate fruit brought forward by a fresh acidity and the filigree minerality. A truly lovely Chambolle village.

WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS "...opening reluctantly in the glass to reveal aromas of red berries, grilled meat and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, satiny but dense, with a deep, concentrated core and chalky structuring tannins. This will need more time than the comparatively precocious 2017 rendition."

BURGHOUND 91 POINTS - "A spicy mix of both red and dark currant combines with notes of violet, tea and clove. This is also exceptionally intense with excellent detail and punch to the medium-bodied, sappy and caressing flavors that deliver first-rate persistence for a villages level Vosne. This too is worth a look provided you have at least some patience."

One could say Bruno Clair is a vigneron’s vigneron. His wines are loved worldwide by those lucky enough to know them. But truly impressive is the respect he garners within Burgundy, where his fellow growers consider him one of the greatest of their ranks. They admire his attention to detail in the vineyard, his organic practices (even if he doesn’t bother with certification), and the long hours he and his crews put in. In the cellar, along with his longtime oenologist Philippe Brun (they have been called “the Batman and Robin of Marsannay”), Bruno produces wines that are loved for their purity of expression. They show no ego or even style, but just seem to be true to the essence of each individual vineyard.

DECANTER - "The Clos du Fonteny is quite delicate and refined this year, a far cry from stereotypical Gevrey-Chambertin. Aromas of griotte cherry, fresh herbs, rich soil and dried flowers precede a supple, texturally expansive wine with an open core and an attractive elegance."

DECANTER 90 POINTS - "An overperforming village wine, the Champs Perdrix is reminiscent of a miniature premier cru Petits Monts, offering up an attractive bouquet of rose petal, wild berries and spice. On the palate the wine is juicy, fine-grained and medium-bodied, with detailed, chalky tannins."

VINOUS 99+ POINTS: "The 2016 Clos de Tart Grand Cru, cropped at 35hl/ha, is the first year farmed biodynamically. This was completely breathtaking in barrel, and now, in bottle, nothing has changed in that respect. It has an ineffably complex bouquet, not as intense as it showed in barrel yet extremely deep and cerebral, black fruit mingling with forest floor, crushed stone and a touch of sea spray. The palate is perfectly balanced with a deceivingly understated entry, before a wave of black and red fruit crashes over the senses. It is framed by supremely fine tannin, the intensity building toward a crescendo as it fans out. The aftertaste is unbelievably long, remaining in the mouth 60 seconds after the wine has departed. The best ever - simple as that. Tasted at Clos de Tart."

eROBERT PARKER 97 POINTS: "The superb 2016 Clos de Tart Grand Cru confirms the promise it showed from barrel, unfurling in the glass with a striking bouquet of raspberries, rose petals, blood orange, black tea, spices and smoked meats. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, pure and ample, with a deep core of vibrant, searingly intense fruit that entirely cloaks its structuring chassis of satiny tannin, concluding with a long and captivatingly floral finish. More elegant and transparent than the richer and fleshier 2015, this is an exceptional vintage for Clos de Tart. That there are fully 27,000 bottles makes this one of Burgundy's rare confluence of quality and quantity."

BIODYNAMIC ESTATE

Domaine Arlaud Père et Fils is a reference point for natural Burgundy wines. The singular experience each organically raised cuvée offers is a revelation for even the most experienced palates.

For more than 20 years we’ve partnered with this domaine in Morey-Saint-Denis, witnessing each vintage the ever-greater clarity of expression the family has been able to achieve in each of their harmonious Burgundy wines. Today the family stands side-by-side with Burgundy’s most respected names, especially distinguishing itself with its dedication to organic viticulture.

The family began to cultivate their vineyards organically in 2004. In 2009, they were inspired to push further, establishing biody­namic viticultural practices across all their holdings. As of the 2014 vintage, the estate will hold both organic and biodynamic certification, the very first estate to do so in Morey-Saint-Denis.

FINE WINE REVIEW - "The Volnay, Clos de la Cave has dark fruit aromas and flavors with minerality, medium-weight, and good acidity, length, and structure. 50% whole clusters here. The vines date from five different periods; the youngest are 20 years-old, the oldest 90 years-old, and the average is 45-50 years."