FRENCH WINE

WINE SPECTATOR 94 POINTS - "Pure cherry, raspberry and stony mineral flavors are the hallmarks of this juicy red, with a firm, well-integrated structure. Combines elegance and muscle. The finish is dense and long. Best from 2022 through 2036."

This Bourgogne rouge is surprisingly charming and floral. I don’t normally care much for Bourgogne wines but this is something special and worth the attention. This Pinot Fin 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. Around 60% of the crop was lost in 2016 due to frost, around 20 barrels of Bourgogne Pinot Fin produced in 2016. Flamboyant aroma of supple rose petal, wild strawberries, and raspberry. 60% whole cluster. Great lightness and gentleness.

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."

The Boisson family roots run deep in Meursault, dating back some 200 years. Today, the estate is run by father-son duo Bernard and Pierre, creating earth-driven bottles full of depth and complexity. The 2016 Pommard is silky and fragrant, oozing with notes of raspberry, cherry, and baking spice, coupled with fresh acidity and grainy, well-integrated tannins. Lengthy and sophisticated, will improve over the next five years.

DECANTER 97 POINTS: "Elegant raspberry-dominant nose, with a sheen of new oak. Lean and pure attack, lifted and refined. Exquisite fruit and concentration, impeccably balanced.Drinking Window 2019+

ROBERT PARKER 95-97 POINTS: "The 2015 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques has a very well-defined bouquet that offers lifted redcurrant and wild strawberry aromas, interwoven with wet limestone and almost flint-like scents. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin. This is seamless and silky smooth, a Clos Saint-Jacques determined to show the other vineyards what it can do. Beautiful delineation and focus on the finish, this is an outstanding Clos Saint-Jacques from Bruno Clair that will offer 20 or 30 years of drinking pleasure.(NM)

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."

BURGHOUND 92 - 94 POINTS, SWEET SPOT OUTSTANDING - "A background whiff of wood easily allows the earthy yet quite pretty aromas of plum, violet, dark cherry and soft spice nuances to shine. The mouth feel of the slightly bigger and richer flavors is also admirably sleek while delivering excellent length on the mouth coating and well-balanced finish. This is perhaps a bit less structured than is usually the case as it should be reasonably approachable young if that's your preference." DRINK 2028+

The Duband estate chose to convert entirely to organic agriculture in 2006. David Duband made the choice first and foremost out of respect for the environment but also for the intrinsic quality of the wines.
Age of vines about 50 years average
The dress is of a red ruby bursting with beautiful dark reflections. The nose gets involved aromas of black and red fruits with a lot of neatness. The mouth is frank with a touch of licorice and one finale slightly spiced.

"Light and fresh. Unforced. Very delicate and lively. Great balance. For quite early drinking. Very precise." Jancis Robinson

"A real pleasure to discover this compelling domaine." - William Kelley, Decanter Magazine

This fantastic Pinot Noir from Burgundy makes an immediate impression. Several wine staff happened to be present when this Bourgogne from Berthaut was opened. Everybody fell in love with the intoxicating aromas of fresh Bing cherries, dark Pinot fruit and potpourri which leaps from the glass. The palate is pure silk with generous fruit yet remains fresh and amazingly balanced. It is truly a wonderful Burgundy on a budget.

The reaction of the wine staff confirmed our impression of this wine and of Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet in general. We visited Burgundy in June and had the pleasure of tasting the whole line-up With the talented Amelie Berthaut. The wines showed extremely well and we knew that the domaine was in the very capable hands of this young seventh generation vigneron.

Amelie is the daughter of Denis Berthaut and Marie-Andree Gerbet and took over winemaking responsibilities a few years ago. She previously studied oenology in Bordeaux before making wine in Bandol, France and Dunn in California before returning to her family's estate in 2013. Amelie has taken the wines from the humble appellation of Fixin in the Cotes de Nuits to a new level with her passion and attention to quality.

We feel so strongly about this wine that we bought all we could get. Unfortunately, supply is always an issue in Burgundy so we couldn't purchase as much as we would have liked. For now, enjoy this terrific value from one of the new star winemakers of Burgundy.

Once you have savored this wine, take a look at our other offerings from Berthaut-Gerbet, which are also delicious and add a touch more complexity and depth.

Bright ruby in color. On the nose, expressive aromas of violets, perfectly ripened cherries, red berries, plum and sweet spices leap from the glass. On the palate, the wine is dry and medium-bodied with a wonderful silkiness. The lusciousness and depth of the fruit is striking, with focused red and black cherries, blue plum and boysenberry along with baking spices. The complexity, depth and lengthy finish make this a compelling wine.

WINE ADVOCATE 91 - 93 POINTS - "The 2016 Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets was not touched by frost this vintage according to winemaker Thomas Bouley. It has a very focused, energetic bouquet that unfurls with alacrity in the glass, offering more black fruit than red and subtle earthy/loamy tones. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a crisp line of acidity, bright and tensile with just a little attenuation on the finish that I am sure will not be there once in bottle. Give this 3 or 4 years in bottle and you will have a quintessential Caillerets."

BURGHOUND 90 - 92 POINTS - "A whiff of wood is present on the pretty and airy mix of raspberry, cherry, lavender and soft spice nuances. There is a beguiling inner mouth perfume to the super-refined and well-detailed flavors that are also quite delicate on the lingering finish. This is a textbook Carelles, which is to say a wine of lace and grace."

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."

Allen Meadows - Burghound -"A fresh and attractively spicy nose is composed by notes of plum, earth and a pretty red berry nuance. I very much like the texture of the lively middle weight flavors that possess a subtle minerality and even a bit of muscle on the delicious and balanced finish. This should drink well both young and with a few years of bottle age."