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."

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)

ANTONIO GALLONI 91 POINTS - " The 2013 Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix is one of the overachievers in this range. Pliant and expressive on the palate, the Champs Perdrix captures the essence of the year in its graceful, midweight personality. Dark plums, crushed rocks and spices are all given an extra sense of urgency by the veins of underlying salinity that lie in the background. I very much like the sense of energy and structure here."

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."

WINE ADVOCATE 90 POINTS - "The 2016 Pouilly-Fuissé Madrigal saw contact with a new barrel, and notes of spice and toast inflect its bouquet of ripe citrus fruits. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with the most texture and mid-palate amplitude of any wine in the range, though there's still plenty of tangy acid lending cut and tension."

Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau is a small estate run by two talented winemakers, Frantz Chagnoleau and his wife Caroline Gon (winemaker at Heritiers du Comte Lafon). Frantz has a degree in Oenology and cut his teeth working for Olivier Merlin in the Mâconnais. Caroline holds two degrees in agricultural engineering and oenology; she worked at Newton Vineyards in Napa Valley before returning to France to work with Dominique Lafon as head winemaker for Héritiers du Comte Lafon. The relationship with Dominque as a friend and mentor has had a great influence on the couple, which is evident in a lineup of pure, terroir driven Mâconnais wines.

Since 2013 all of the vineyards have been certified organic. As with Lafon, this dynamic duo believe in minimal intervention, which includes the use of only indigenous yeast, as the best way to express the nuances of each unique terroir. Aging is done in mostly large, used French oak, harvest is done completely by hand on a plot by plot basis, allowing each vine to achieve the appropriate balance of sugar and acidity before being picked. This dynamic duo is one of the most talented teams in all of Burgundy, farming the old-fashioned way and making micro-quantities of single vineyard White Burgundy from some of the finest Chardonnay terroir in the world.