FRENCH WINE

"The 2018 Bourgogne Côte d'Or offers up a pretty bouquet of ripe citrus fruits, warm spices, honeycomb and apples, followed by a medium-bodied, lively palate that's open-knit but precise, concluding with a delicately chalky finish. It's a fine introduction to this new domaine's elegant style." William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

Benoit Ente is the younger brother to Arnaud Ente, one of the greatest chardonnay producers in the world, but if he continues on his current trajectory he won’t be known as the "other" Ente for long. An equally fresh nose offers up cool nuances of pear, apple and floral scents. The very round and rich, indeed plump, flavors possess both good volume and a caressing mouth feel while delivering reasonably good length on the bitter lemon-infused finale.

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "Unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus oil, pear, warm bread, nutmeg and a subtle touch of reduction, the 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot is medium to full-bodied, textural and enveloping, with chalky structuring extract and racy acids, displaying real texture and mid-palate volume."

We recently tasted the 2017 releases from Domaine Chavy-Chouet and were thoroughly impressed. We called down additional staff members to try them at the wine bar and everyone was blown away by the entire line-up. This is exactly what we look for from fine Burgundy where Chardonnay achieves its greatest expression. We immediately grabbed as much wine as we could and are thrilled to offer you our best white Burgundy purchase in recent memory.

For those wanting to do a "deep dive" into what makes White Burgundy so special these wines from Chavy-Chouet are the perfect introduction. Romaric took over day to day operations of the estate in 2014 after growing up in the vineyards. He has great respect for the history and tradition of Burgundy yet has made improvements in the vineyard and the cellar which reveal themselves in every bottle.

The Bourgogne Blanc is a fantastic wine which will make believers out of anyone who tries it. You would be hard pressed to find a better white Burgundy for the price. Vinous Media's Burgundy critic, Neal Martin loved the Chavy Chouet wines and wrote, "There is a lot in this regional white and it represents great value." This wine is an absolute steal and one to purchase by the case with confidence.

Enjoy the wines from Chavy Chouet and discover how good Chardonnay can be.

VINOUS 90 POINTS - "The 2017 Bourgogne Blanc Les Femelottes comes from five parcels from 15 to 60 years old vines adjacent to the Puligny-Montrachet village crus. It has a lovely, almond and white chocolate scented bouquet that is very well defined. The palate is well balanced with a fine thread of acidity, a touch of bitter lemon and frangipane towards the composed, quite phenolic finish. There is a lot in this regional white and it represents great value."

ANTONIO GALLONI, VINOUS 91 POINTS - " "The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet Les Champs-Gain 1er Cru has an intense, voluminous bouquet of yellow flowers, white peach and crushed stone aromas that feel very cohesive. The palate has a rounded texture on the entry. Slightly lower in acidity and quite plush for a Puligny, with a pure and quite persistent finish."

Consistently excellent year after year, the 2018 Chablis is again, despite the warm year, a crisp, incisive and very pure wine graced with good energy and grip in its bright fruit and long, elegant finish. After time in the glass, the wine’s class begins to emerge and it’s saline, citrus and geological qualities build. This is flat out terrific Chablis from Sébastien Christophe.The wines of Domaine Christophe all display classic Chablis notes of shells and green apples on the nose, along with a pretty, underlying hint of white flower and lemon. It’s the kind of bright nose that gives the drinker an intimation of the acidity and tension that will follow on the palate, which is indeed nervy but also generous with an appealing balance of flavours offset by a rocky, shell-y harmony. The wine finishes with the sort of mouth-coating minerality and mouth-watering citrusy acidity that makes Chablis a favourite amongst lovers of wines that truly reflect their terroir.

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "The 2018 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest is also showing well, opening in the glass with aromas of crisp green orchard fruit, citrus oil, beeswax, honeycomb and oyster shell. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, it's fleshy and enveloping, with a lovely spine of acidity and a long, saline finish. Like the Vaillons, this is quite demonstrative for a young Dauvissat Forest, and it will deliver considerable pleasure straight out of the gates."

CERTIFIED ORGANIC

Jean Collet started Domaine Collet in 1954, the heir of a Chablis grape-growing family since 1792. Elegant and aromatic Chardonnay with fruity and floral aromas. Medium bodied. High-toned, Mineral,Bright Citric, Spicy, Soft Palate
The filtration is made with diatomaceous earth, a natural microscopic silica-based ocean shell.

We just received more of the 2018 Lafage Novellum after its instant sellout a few weeks ago. Now would be a great time to grab some while we have it!

The newest vintage of our best-selling French Chardonnay has just been released. The 2018 Lafage Novellum is firing on all cylinders and continues a string of successful vintages. This has been a huge hit with our customers who crave its delicious taste at a price that's hard to beat.

Critics have continually sung the praises of this custom cuvee from well-known importer Eric Solomon. Robert Parker has written, "I've raved time and time again about the quality -and value - coming from Domaine Lafage's Jean-Marc Lafage." Jeb Dunnuck gave this wine 91 Points and described it as "a rounded, textured, layered beauty that's well worth the going rate." We completely agree!

The beauty of Novellum is it combines the perfectly-ripened fruit and richness you might find in a high-quality California Chardonnay with the brightness and minerality you expect in Burgundy. This combination makes it the perfect crossover wine which appeals to those who enjoy either California or French Chardonnay.

Domaine Lafage is on amazing roll where everything they touch seems to turn to gold; they are producing absolutely gorgeous wines. Lafage first came upon our radar with Bastide Miraflors, Narassa and Tessellae which have been huge hits. We emailed out the previous vintage of Novellum Chardonnay and our customers went nuts for it. We really enjoy this wine and feel it is an amazing value.

This is an excellent "Everyday Drinker" that you can open up during the week to enjoy with dinner or simply unwind with a glass on its own. Domaine Lafage's Novellum is a delicious wine, which would make a terrific case purchase.

JEB DUNNUCK 91 POINTS - "Made from all Chardonnay aged on Viognier lees, the 2018 Chardonnay Novellum reveals a medium gold color as well a rich, textured style. Honeysuckle, white peach, brioche, and spice notes all flow to a rounded, textured, layered beauty that's well worth the going rate. Brought up mostly in stainless steel, with 15% in new French oak, this wine always seems to deliver the goods, and the 2018 is no exception."

JAMES SUCKLING 91 POINTS - "A tangy and fresh white with sliced lemons and hints of dried tea leaves and flowers. Medium body, bright acidity and a long, flavorful finish."

Les Setilles is sourced from vineyards within the communes of Puligny Montrachet and Meursault, with each village representing roughly half of the final blend. Grapes are sourced from multiple plots within each village in an effort to maximize complexity of the final wine.

Coming from a small vineyard of one acre located in Les Bruyeres near the Cru Fleure in Beaujolais. Handpicked chardonnay, fermented and ged in stainless steel vats. Very fresh and clean and well-balanced to pair with cheese, salad or fish.

WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS: "The most youthfully reserved wine in the cellar was the 2018 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, a promising bottling that opens up to reveal scents of citrus zest, dried white flowers, green apple and pastry cream. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with racy acids and prodigious levels of searingly chalky dry extract that lend this wine incredible structure."

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "Aromas of citrus oil, white flowers, blanched almonds and crushed chalk preface the 2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières, a medium to full-bodied, racy and incisive wine that's chalky and tensile, with lively acids and a saline finish. This has turned out very well indeed."

WINE ADVOCATE 94 POINTS - "Jean-Claude Bessin only makes 5,000 bottles of this old vine cuvée from a lieu-dit within the larger Fourchaume Premier Cru. Combining stainless steel and oaked components, it's rich, concentrated and appealingly honeyed, with subtle wood spices, a thread of minerality and a pure, focused, enticingly balance finish. These are never wines that have to try too hard."

WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "The domaine's holdings extend over 2ha and are located next to Les Clos, with a west and north-west orientation. Combining vines of different ages and a mixture of stainless steel and oaked components, this is a wine that will reward patience. Vanilla spice, white flowers and subtle iodine notes combine beautifully on the palate here with salinity providing freshness on the finish."

WINE ENTHUSIAST 92 POINTS - "Faint reduction lends a little yeasty funk to the nose of this wine. The palate then presents a sense of fresh ripeness. Notions of ripe apple and fresh Mirabelle are countered by breezy freshness that comes with a zesty, pithy texture. Altogether this wine is balanced, fresh and has verve, energy and liveliness in this warm vintage."

WINE ADVOCATE - "From lieux-dits on the village's alluvial fan, the 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Village offers up notes of crisp yellow orchard dust, buttered peaches and fresh pastry. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, satiny and attractively precise, concluding with a saline finish."

WINE ADVOCATE 90 POINTS - "Aromas of green pear, fresh peach and hazelnuts introduce the 2018 Saint-Aubin Compendium, a medium to full-bodied, satiny wine that's racy but open-knit. Charming and already expressive, this will drink well on release."

Joseph Colin is one of the hottest young producers in Burgundy. The son of Marc Colin, and younger brother of Pierre-Yves Colin, Joseph, at the age of 19, Joseph began working full-time at Domaine Marc Colin in 1993. For the next ten years he worked alongside his father and older brother until Pierre-Yves left Marc Colin in 2003 to create his own domaine. In 2004 Joseph and his younger siblings, Damian and Caroline, took over Marc Colin. Then Joseph started his own domaine in 2017 with approximately 6 hectares of vines from the original Domaine Marc Colin. This spectacular Saint Aubin is made from 35+ year old vines, on one of the rockiest sites in the village, only 70 meters from the famed Montrachet vineyard. Aged in barrel (25% new), Joseph describes En Remilly as 'embodying the brightness of the vast sky and sunlight that you take in while standing on the crest of Le Montrachet.

"The colour of the wine is bright and limpid. The nose is floral and fruity. Very straightforward and direct on the palate, as if biting into a grape. Fresh and light, with a very pleasant aftertaste." Véronique Boss-Drouhin