Wine geeks are notorious for liking to bicker amongst themselves about their favorite regions, varieties, etc. Get ten wine geeks in a room and ask them what their favorite region or grape is, and all you'll get is a lot of shouting and arguing. But if you asked ten of them to name the best (or most important, or most famous) winery in the world, chances are high they'll agree it's Burgundy's Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. DRC's owner, Aubert de Villaine, commands more lavish praise than perhaps any other figure in the world of wine. And while DRC is where he made his name, his home and his heart lay elsewhere, in the little known village of Bouzeron.
Today, we're pleased to offer a limited amount of Domaine de Villaine's current releases.
Despite the global praise he receives, Aubert ultimately considers himself a farmer at heart. In 1971, he and his wife sought out a quiet home and found one in the village of Bouzeron. Here, Aubert could be left alone to make his own wines without the demands of upholding an international reputation. Bouzeron is unique in Burgundy, as it's the only village whose white wines are made from Aligoté. Aligoté is Burgundy's "other" white grape, and has long had the reputation of being thin, shrill, and austere. That its claim to fame was as the key ingredient – along with a copious amount of crème de cassis – in a Kir is about all you need to know about how much respect it got.
But as many Burgundian winemakers will tell you, there are actually two Aligotés. All those Kirs were actually being made from Aligoté Vert, a higher-cropping, less aromatic clone. Aligote Doré ("golden Aligote") on the other hand, given the right site and treatment, can reach heights similar to any of the great Burgundian Chardonnay. It was this discovery that led Aubert to believe that the wines of Bouzeron could be as great as those of the Côte d'Or. These are uniquely terroir-expressive, mineral wines, and with age become something truly profound, on par with any Grand Cru Chablis.
The estate is now run by Aubert's nephew, Pierre de Benoist. In the way that a great Mosel winemaker's eyes light up when he talks Riesling, so do Pierre's when he talks Aligoté. Under his guidance, the wines have hit new strides, and Aubert readily admits Pierre may be making better wines than he ever did.
We're also offering a range of Chardonnay-based whites and a few reds. Benoist has taken it upon himself to explore more fully than anyone else the terroirs of the Cote Chalonnaise, and the results are stunning. For lovers of Burgundy, these are must-haves, and represent some of the best values in the whole region. The Aligoté gets the attention here, but the Chardonnays and Pinots are some of the best under the radar finds in all of Burgundy. His Rully blanc wines are stunning--on the level of the Pierre Yves Colin-Morey wines we offered last week. His reds in 2018 are open, fleshy, and are beautiful out of the gate, or eager to be cellared for a decade or more.
When the winemaker of DRC fame takes his efforts to the south, you follow. Especially when prices are a fraction of his domaine to the north!
To order, please click here. Shipping and curbside delivery are available, as always. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to respond to this email or call us at (607) 319-0500.
Extra discount of 10% off any mixed 6 and 15% off of any mixed 12 bottles!
WINES ARRIVE NEXT WEEK.
1) Domaine de Villaine Bouzeron Aligoté 2018
750ml Sale Price: $41.99/btl!! BUY NOW
1.5L Magnum Sale Price: $124.99/btl!! (6 bottles available)
True to its varietal nature, our Bouzeron is a lively, fruity wine, but it also has a finesse and roundness that spring from the essential nature of the terroir. These qualities lend it great versatility. To best appreciate the freshness and fruit, our Bouzeron would be drunk young, within two or three years. To allow the wine to fully develop fullness and "fatness", age it for up to ten years.
2) Domaine de Villaine Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Blanc "Les Clous Aimé" 2018 750ml
Sale Price: $49.99/btl!! (12 bottles available) BUY NOW
Les Clous Aimé comes from several parcels located on a south-facing slope of Bouzeron's valley, sheltered from summer's north wind during ripening. Les clous Aimé is a vin de garde- it's meant to be aged. It is made from the fruit of old vines on a predominantly limestone terroir, and in its youth displays a pure mineral character. Patience, however, is urged: only after five to seven years does this wine reveal the full scope of its finesse and complexity of aromas.
3) Domaine de Villaine Rully Blanc "Les Saint-Jacques" 2018 750ml
Sale Price: $59.99/btl!! (12 bottles available) BUY NOW
Our vineyard in the "Les saint-Jacques" parcel is located at the foot of an east-facing slope, just below the Clos Saint-Jacques- one of the Rully's most famous premiers crus.
Planted in 1990, this vineyard is the legacy of an old Côte d'Or vineyard-it is made up of moderate-yield Chardonnay selections. The charm of our Rully Les Saint-Jacques lies in its finesse and subtlety of aroma rather than its power.
4) Domaine de Villaine Rully Blanc 1er Cru "Les Margotés" 2017 750ml
Sale Price: $104.99/btl!! (24 bottles available) BUY NOW
Margotés occupies the southern part of the 1er Cru of Rully. It benefits from a terroir mixing limestone and white marl, very similar to the soils found on the Côte de Beaune, and a perfect exposure to the Southeast. A rich and creamy expression of Chardonnay.
5) Domaine de Villaine Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Rouge "La Fortune" 2018 750ml
Sale Price: $52.99/btl!! (24 bottles available) BUY NOW
A selection of young vines from parcels in the Côte Chalonnaise. Partial whole cluster with extended maceration, and aging in large wooden tanks. A juicy, vibrant, floral and elegant expression of Burgundy.
6) Domaine de Villaine Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Rouge "Les Clous " 2018
750ml Sale Price: $52.99/btl!! (24 bottles available) BUY NOW
1.5L Magnum Sale Price: $139.99/btl!!
A single parcel in the Côte Chalonnaise. Wine is fermented and aged in wood tanks with a minimum two-thirds of the stems, depending on the vintage. The wine stays in tank for 10-12 days, so as to add extra skin tannins and just a little tannin from the seeds and stems. A more brooding, dusty Côte Chalonnaise.
7) Domaine de Villaine Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Rouge "La Digoine" 2018 750ml
Sale Price: $59.99/btl!! (24 bottles available) BUY NOW
La Digoine is a site at the foot of a slope, known for centuries to provide the deep soil and growing conditions necessary for excellent red wine. La Digoine can be drunk very young. Within two or three months of bottling, it demonstrates immediate appeal with red berry fruit and a balance of roundness, structure, and length on the palate. However, this is another versatile wine that benefits from bottle aging.
8) Domaine de Villaine Mercurey Rouge "Les Montots" 2018 750ml
Sale Price: $69.99/btl!! (24 bottles available) BUY NOW
Les Montots is situated on fairly steep slope with southern exposure, planted with a selection of Pinot Noir vines from Nuits-Saint-Georges chosen for teir aromatic qualities and moderate yield.
Les Montots is a Mercurey of its own kind, structured and vigorous, deep with a dark ruby color.
It will open up gradually with age, revealing the breadth of its complexity only after five to seven years. Depending on the vintage and your cellar, it will age and develop for fifteen to twenty years.
9) Domaine de Villaine Rully 1er Cru Rouge "Les Champs Cloux" 2017 750ml
Sale Price: $104.99/btl!! (12 bottles available) BUY NOW
Both more firmly structured and more concentrated than the Mercurey Les Montots, it offers up complex notes of cherries, black currants, game bird, rich soil and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, juicy and youthfully chewy, with some structuring tannin that will demand a few years in the cellar.
Extra discount of 10% off any mixed 6 and 15% off of any mixed 12 bottles!
To order, please click here. Shipping and curbside delivery are available, as always. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to respond to this email or call us at (607) 319-0500. |
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