2020 William Fevre Grand Cru Chablis Les Preuses

2020 William Fevre Grand Cru Chablis Les Preuses

with No Comment $100 and overBurgandyChablisFranceKevin Vogt

WILLIAM FEVRE

GRAND CRU CHABLIS
LES PREUSES 2020

2020 William Fevre Grand Cru Chablis Les Preuses
William Fèvre comes from a family with over 250 years of history living in the Chablis region, so he felt a deep connection to the land. He established his domain on just over 17 acres of vineyards in the heart of Chablis. The Domaine has expanded to be one of the largest land owners of vineyards designated as either Premier Cru or Grand Cru in the region.
 
Chablis’ famous Kimmerigian soils consist of layers of minerals and oyster fossils from the Jurassic period, giving Chablisienne wines their unique minerality and sense of place unmatched by any other location worldwide. Les Preuses is a Grand Cru vineyard situated at the top of the Côtes des Grands Crus and produces wines with a strong backbone for aging. The 2020 release matured in barrels no less than six years of age to promote varietal purity and showcase the miraculous terroir of the Grand Cru vineyard.
 
WILLIAM FEVRE
GRAND CRU CHABLIS
LES PREUSES 2020
 
 
 
“The 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is, if anything, even more electric than the formidable Valmur, wafting from the glass with notions of citrus oil, freshly baked bread, oyster jus and wet stones. Full-bodied, satiny and chiseled, it’s racy and intense, with a bright spine of acidity and a long, intensely saline finish.”
95 Points
2019 Chateau De La Greniere Lussac Saint-Emilion Bordeaux France

2019 Chateau De La Greniere Lussac Saint-Emilion Bordeaux France

with No Comment $30 and underBordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin VogtSaint Emilion

CHÂTEAU DE LA GRENIÈRE

LUSSAC SAINT-ÉMILION
BORDEAUX, FRANCE 2019

2019 Chateau De La Greniere Lussac Saint-Emilion Bordeaux France
Château de la Grenière was founded in the 17th century and acknowledged in the 1868 edition of “Bordeaux & Its Wines,” where it ranked amongst the finest producers in Lussac Saint-Émilion. The soils comprise limestone and clay with a top layer of gravel that encourages sufficient drainage and forces the vines’ roots to dig deep into the earth, ultimately providing compelling complexity to the grapes.
 
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc are the predominant varieties in Lussac, and Château de la Grenière’s 35-year-old vines yield a classic example of the region. The 2019 release is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc, providing an intrinsic spice that links the wine to a distinct sense of place unmatched anywhere in the world.
 
CHÂTEAU DE LA GRENIÈRE
LUSSAC SAINT-ÉMILION
BORDEAUX, FRANCE 2019
 
 
 
“Aromas of ripe dark and blue fruit with hints of chocolate, sweet tobacco and leaves. Plush and juicy with medium body, creamy tannins and a velvety mouth-feel. Soft and lingering. Drinkable now, but better after 2024.”
92 Points
2019 P. Ferraud & Fils Moulin A Vent Cru Beaujolais L'Eolienne

2019 P. Ferraud & Fils Moulin A Vent Cru Beaujolais L’Eolienne

with No Comment $30 and underBurgenlandFranceKevin Vogt

P. FERRAUD & FILS

MOULIN-A-VENT
CRU BEAUJOLAIS
L’EOLIENNE 2019

2019 P. Ferraud & Fils Moulin A Vent Cru Beaujolais L'Eolienne

Maison P. Ferraud & Fils was founded in 1882 and has been family owned for the last five generations, passing down valuable winemaking expertise and cultural values. The family has always placed high regard on traditional and regional practices in the vineyard and winery but also listens to today’s market, keeping a mindful eye on consumer preferences.
 
Moulin à Vent is known as the “King of Beaujolais” because it produces the most full-bodied, tannic, age-worthy wines of Beaujolais’ ten Cru Vineyards. This particular bottling comes from a unique plot named L’Eolienne, deliberately released up to two years later than other regional producers to ensure the right amount of age, creating a Pinot Noir-like profile at a very approachable price.
 
P. FERRAUD & FILS
MOULIN-A-VENT
CRU BEAUJOLAIS
L’EOLIENNE 2019
 
 
 
“The Ferraud & Fils 2019 “L’Eolienne” Moulin-a-Vent begins with aromas of fresh rose petals, cranberries, red cherries, bramble, white pepper, truffle, and dried herbs. On the palate, the wine has bright acidity that balances and highlights savory notes and earthy flavors with meaty undertones. This wine is at a prime drinking stage and will continue to develop for the next decade or so.”
94 Points
2020 Raoul Gautherin Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

2020 Raoul Gautherin Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

with No Comment $40-$50BurgandyChablisFranceKevin Vogt

RAOUL GAUTHERIN

CHABLIS 1ER CRU
VAILLONS 2020

2020 Raoul Gautherin Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons
Since 1585 the Gautherin family has cultivated vines on Chablis’ most exposed hillside sites, crafting beautiful wines that tell a detailed story of their origins. Because of low intervention in the vineyard and winery, natural yeasts, and limited or no use of oak, Chablis is one of the purest expressions of Chardonnay worldwide.
 
Raoul Gautherin’s father and son team relies on familial knowledge passed down over several generations and sustainable farming practices that focus on the vitality of the vines to produce world-class wines. The Vaillons Premier Cru vineyard produces wines with distinct minerality and delicate white fruit aromatics, making it one of Chablis’ most desired sites. The 2020 vintage provided wines with rich flavors and deep complexity that are dangerously easy to drink now and will pay tribute to those with the patience to cellar and age.
 
RAOUL GAUTHERIN
CHABLIS 1ER CRU
VAILLONS 2020
 
 
 
“The Raoul Gautherin 2020 1er Cru Chablis opens with expressive notes of chamomile, yellow apple, bread dough, chalky minerality, and oceanic salinity. On the palate, the wine has a silky smooth texture with flavors of apple, quince, apricot, and pastry. This wine has an impeccable balance of rich flavors and bright acidity that flows into a long finish.”
95 Points
2020 Chateau Hautes Versannes Saint-Emilion Bordeaux

2020 Chateau Hautes Versannes Saint-Emilion Bordeaux

with No Comment $30 and underBordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin VogtSaint Emilion

CHÂTEAU HAUTES VERSANNES

SAINT-EMILION 
BORDEAUX 2020

2020 Chateau Hautes Versannes Saint-Emilion Bordeaux
Chateau Hautes Versannes’ vineyards grow on siliceous silty soils around the village of Saint-Sulpice de Faleyrens in the celebrated Saint-Émilion AOC. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines have an average age of 40 years and produce concentrated fruit with distinct terroir markers, such as rich, ripe red fruit, dark brambly black fruit, herbs, and spices.
 
The 2020 vintage for Saint-Émilion has been rated as an excellent vintage, particularly for Merlot, due to the nearly perfect weather that continued through harvest and contributed to a structure with fine to firm tannins. This wine is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc aged in concrete vats giving clean, polished, pure flavors from France’s most acclaimed wine regions.
 
CHÂTEAU HAUTES VERSANNES
SAINT-EMILION 
BORDEAUX 2020
 
 
 
“Intense nose of rum, red liquorice and violets seasoned with cocoa and spices and earthy undertones. Really smooth on the palate, rich and vivid.”
95 Points
2020 S. Delafont Mosaique Rouge Languedoc-Roussillon

2020 S. Delafont Mosaique Rouge Languedoc-Roussillon

with No Comment $30 and underFranceKevin VogtProprietary Red

S. DELAFONT

MOSAIQUE ROUGE 2020
LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON

2020 S. Delafont Mosaique Rouge Languedoc-Roussillon
Samuel Delafont founded Maison S. Delafont in 2010, bringing innovative environmental biodiversity and the invention of the stainless steel barrel to produce and celebrate Languedoc wines. Samuel believes that respecting a balanced ecosystem is the best approach to growing vines with healthy fruit that naturally represent the nuances of their particular terroir.
 
The stainless steel barrels provide an ideal curved shape that enhances lees contact, preserves freshness, and reinforces the volume and complexity of the wine. Languedoc red wines combine Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache and can offer tremendous value. Samuel’s 2020 release highlights purity from a marriage of varieties and terroirs using his cutting-edge stainless steel barrels.
 
S. DELAFONT
MOSAIQUE ROUGE 2020
LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON
 
 
 
“A fine-grained yet grippy wine with a peppery leanness that evolves over time in the glass. Earthiness evolves into savoury herbs and dried spices which open into surprisingly juicy and multilayered black fruits with lovely refreshing acidity. Really intriguing and palatable.”
95 Points
2020 Fillon and Fils Petit-Chablis France

2020 Fillon and Fils Petit-Chablis France

with No Comment $30 and underBurgandyChablisFranceKevin Vogt

FILLON & FILS

PETIT-CHABLIS 2020
PETIT-CHABLIS FRANCE

2020 Fillon and Fils Petit-Chablis France
Domaine Fillon & Fils was established in the early 20th century and opened its first wine-tasting cellar in 1935 in the village of Saint-Bris-le-Vineux. The winery continues operation in the hands of the same family and still produces every wine in-house from their 90 acres of vines.
 
Chablis is located southeast of Paris in the northern part of Burgundy, where the harsh, cold winters and short, hot summers create the ideal environment for the racy, brightly styled Chardonnay famous worldwide. Petit Chablis is a style within Chablis with a less strict aging requirement and aimed at an easy-drinking wine with freshness and vibrant acidity, and this 2020 Petit Chablis is the epitome of just that.
 
FILLON & FILS
PETIT-CHABLIS 2020
PETIT-CHABLIS FRANCE
 
 
 
“The Domaine Fillon 2020 Petit Chablis opens with delicate floral notes, lemon zest, cream, brioche, and a chalky minerality. On the palate, the wine has a light body with mouthwatering acidity and flavors of crisp green apple, peach yogurt, and pastry dough. The wine has a lively finish and is dangerously easy to drink.”
93 Points
2016 Esprit de Pavie Red Bordeaux

2016 Esprit de Pavie Red Bordeaux

with No Comment $30-$40BordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin Vogt

ESPRIT de PAVIE

RED BORDEAUX
BORDEAUX, FRANCE 2016

2016 Esprit de Pavie Red Bordeaux
Esprit de Pavie made its debut in 2008, created by the visionary Gerard Perse, who is also the owner of world-famous estates such as Chateau Pavie, Chateau Monbousquet, Chateau Pavie-Decesse, and Chateau Bellevue-Mondotte. The wine receives the same care and attention as its illustrious sister properties, ensuring a high-quality level for each bottle produced.
 
Esprit de Pavie arose from southern-facing slopes in the valleys of the Dordogne, characterized by sandy and gravelly foothills, clay hillsides, and a clay-limestone plateau. This classic regional blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon came from one of Bordeaux’s best vintages and spent just the right amount of time maturing in the bottle for more complex flavor development and a softer tannin structure. The wine is a “total charmer,” as Jeb Dunnuck writes, and it’s also an incredible value.
 
ESPRIT de PAVIE
RED BORDEAUX
BORDEAUX, FRANCE 2016
 
Your Price: $35
 
 
“Extremely aromatic with kir, cherries and flowers. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins. Juicy fruit. So round and inviting now. Drink and enjoy.”
91 Points
2020 Domaine Guerrin Saint Veran Le Clos Vessats White Burgundy

2020 Domaine Guerrin Saint Veran Le Clos Vessats White Burgundy

with No Comment $30-$40BurgandyChardonnayFranceKevin Vogt

DOMAINE GUERRIN

SAINT-VERAN 2020
LE CLOS VESSATS
WHITE BURGUNDY

2020 Domaine Guerrin Saint Veran Le Clos Vessats White Burgundy
Nestled in the protected area between the Roche de Solutré and the Roche de Vergisson, Domaine Guerrin lies West of Mâcon in Southern Burgundy, in a region known for exceptional value. Founded in 1926, today the Estate is run by the fourth generation of the family with a passionate, respectful, and responsible philosophy that promotes the terroir from their vineyards in Pouilly-Fuissé, Saint-Véran, and Mâcon-Vergisson.
 
Saint-Véran is known for its Chardonnay with a harmoniously round and fresh balance of stone fruit, floral, and mineral notes similar to its neighbor, Pouilly-Fuissé. The 2020 “Le Clos Vessats” comes from a unique plot on clay-limestone soils giving ripe, rich fruit aged in stainless steel to preserve the fruit’s purity and is meant to be enjoyed now and for the next four to five years.
 
DOMAINE GUERRIN
SAINT-VERAN 2020
LE CLOS VESSATS
WHITE BURGUNDY
 
Your Price: $38
 
 
“The Domaine Guerrin & Fils 2020 Saint-Véran ‘Le Clos Vessats’ opens with decadent notes of orange blossom, acacia, honeydew melon, toast, roasted almonds, and wet stones. On the palate, the wine has a seamless, rich texture balanced by crisp acidity, with flavors of golden apple, pear, pineapple, and vanilla. This wine is excellent with or without food, on a cold or hot day, any time of the day.”
94 Points
2019 Henri De Villamont Corton Grand Cru Les Renardes

2019 Henri De Villamont Corton Grand Cru Les Renardes

with No Comment $100 and overBurgandyFranceKevin VogtPinot Noir

HENRI DE VILLAMONT

CORTON GRAND CRU
LES RENARDES 2019

2019 Henri De Villamont Corton Grand Cru Les Renardes
Pinot Noir exists on the famous Hill of Corton because of the Roman Emperor Charlemagne, who enjoyed drinking it daily and ordered planting the vines. Legend has it that in his later years, Charlemagne spilled a fair amount of Pinot Noir into his beard, staining his clothes and annoying his wife, who in turn demanded he quit drinking wine. Instead, Charlemagne switched to white wine and replanted part of the hill with Chardonnay, so he could continue drinking wine to his heart’s content.
 
Les Renardes is a climat within the renowned Corton Grand Cru AOC planted with Pinot Noir, and the wines produced there are still as prized as they were during Charlemagne’s reign. The 2019 vintage was barrel aged in 50% new French oak for 15 months and exudes a generous aromatic expression and impressively mouth-filling, sensual wine.
 
HENRI DE VILLAMONT
CORTON GRAND CRU
LES RENARDES 2019
 
Your Price: $135
 
 
“While subtle and smoky on the nose, this wine has rich, ripe flavors of blackberry and plum that are densely packed on the palate. Matured 15 months in 50% new oak, the spicy, firmly structured wine is shaded by hints of licorice and black walnut. Taut tannins will ease with a few more years of cellaring. Best approach from 2025–2035.”
93 Points