French Wine Discoveries and purchases and Recommendations

Following is a list of wines we felt were exceptional and worthy of purchase, understanding most of these wines are unavailable in the US and some may now be sold out. My review is listed with the wine when available and some are in earlier blogs from the trip. They are listed with their tax-free price, shipping and insurance are additional. If you might be interested in purchasing any please feel free to contact Stevie Bobes(email stevie@wineambassadeur.com) who can help you obtain them.

Domaine Marc Morey Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet Les Referts 2016 $103.55

2016 Domaine Marc Morey Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru Referts sits NE of the Montrachet vineyard between Les Combettes and Les Charmes. It is not a large vineyard and I rarely see the wines from here often. But I was able to taste two side by side that were 2 years apart. This one the 2016 clearly was the older one with a dark color and the aroma and taste had both mineral and fruit expected there was a slight bitterness to the wine. I tasted it twice and after a few days of opening.  I and others tasted buttery popcorn.  It did have good balance and soft alcohol presence.  It was complex with tastes of honey, honeysuckle, lemon, and pear.  I think it is peaked and should be drunk now.  A few of us tasted it and everyone preferred the next wine the:

2018 Olivier Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Referts. $130. This wine was younger and had a clear yellow color with no age. It was also more complex and balanced. It still had a little bitter finish that I seem to remember being a character of this vineyard but overall it was more ageable and easier to drink. Closest to Meursault 1er Cru "Charmes", separated from its neighbor by the famous "Chemin des Moines". The marly soil at the top is more ferruginous at the bottom and, as a result, produces a Puligny-Montrachet that is a little smoother and fatter than the others. Sensitive to over-ripening and the soil is both clay and limestone.

Domaine Bzikot Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet Les Folatieres 2015 $81.75

Somewhat of a darker yellow color due to age.  the 2nd nose was light and fresh but there was a hint of musky smell that blew away.  Great mouth feel.  A lot of concentrated young fruit despite age.  I tasted lemon and pear flavors.  There was a nice finish.  I still feel it is at it's peak and needs to be drunk now.

Domaine Bzikot Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet Les Folatieres 2017 $81.75

SCEA Potinet Ampeau Premier Cru Monthelie Champs Fuillots 2016 $35.88

Domaine Michel Mallard & Fils Grande Cru Corton Marechaudes 2015 $113.55

Auxey Duresses Blanc "Clos du Moulin aux Moines" 2020 $44.50

Auxey Duresses Rouge in Magnum "Clos du Moulin aux Moines" 2018 $68.13

Domaine Bachey-Legros Chassange-Montrachet(region) 2021 $44.50 

*****This was hands down the greatest wine we tasted during the entire trip. The initial smell and taste by 100% of the group of 5 of us was OMG! Where did this come from! A stunning well balanced complex wine that experts will mix up with Grand Cru's. I don't know how much is out there but my highest recommendation is to purchase it as well as the Domaine Bachey-Legros Santeny Blanc. Also, the best price we saw for this high quality.

Domaine Etienne Sauzet Bourgogne Chardonnay 2021 $29.07 a true bargain

Domaine Edouard Delaunay Beaune Premier Cru Les Greves 2020 $50.14

I also purchased a mixed case of Nicole LeMarche's wines from her Godfather Frank Boyer of Vosne Romanee. Domaine LeMarche owns portions of the DRC vineyards like Le Tache, Richbourg, and Echezeaux as examples. Both LeMarche and DRC vineyards severely limit visitors(frankly none).

Other notable wines drunk during our trip primarily at dinners

Bouchard Pere et Fils Montrachet 2011 $720

Happily, I was able to visit the sacred ground these grapes were grown on this trip. It is somewhat of a pilgrimage. The wine presents a pleasant nose and future taste of light oak and butter. There was a velvet mouthfeel and initial tastes of lemon, pear, honey, and butter with plenty of fruit. I emphasized the finesse of the balance but again picked up on strong tastes of lemon, lemon zest, and lots of honey. Overall I rated it 20/20 and it has continued to be a great wine for me. I once had a case but I am down now to a few bottles. The price point of Montrachet continues to rise and for me may one day outprice itself. There clearly are Premier Cru's just as good and sometimes better. Walking the lay of the land this year I continue to marvel at the fact that Montrachet is surrounded on all sides the width of a dirt road by multiple Premier Cru vines that I cannot believe are not close enough to be as great.

Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste Bordeaux $45

Another 2013 that has turned out to be a great value for Bordeaux. A trip or two ago I visited the vineyard and witnessed a professional team trying to make great wines as well as converting to biodynamic production which I still have doubts about. The day we were there they had an outbreak of mildew and I watched them treat it by spraying tea on the vines. This wine had a slight browning of color on the edges which I would expect from 2013. But it still was young with pucker-up tannins. The nose was oaky with cedar which came through prominently on the taste. The aroma and bouquet were both characteristic and distinguishable. There were a lot of complex tastes here including black pepper, licorice, blackberry, cassis, molasses, cedar, oak, and some alcohol though it's 13.5%. Overall it is a complex strongly tannic tart wine but at a good price and drinkable now.

Chateau Branaire-Ducru Bordeaux 2013 $45

2013 was not a great year for Bordeaux and may not age well. But plenty of vineyards made great wines as did Branaire-Ducru. I was introduced to this vineyard by Bruno Delmas(deceased) who grew up in the vineyards of Bordeaux and felt this wine was severely underestimated. They were in the middle of improvements and upgrades during my visit for barrel tastings and it was evident there was a commitment to quality. Frankly, they are one of the least expensive Bordeaux wines so the quality-price ratio is there. The 2013 is a complex, balanced soft wine with somewhat less body than others. Yet there are complex flavors of Blackberries, black pepper, cassis, hazelnut, cedar, and light oak. The finish lingered and overall the experience was exceptional. You simply cannot beat the quality of this wine for the price.

Veuve Cliquot Champage NV $49

The nose was very nutty and effervescent. The taste included honeysuckle, pineapple, melon, and honey, Balance and acid integration were excellent. At some point, I said it sort of tasted like a whiskey sour to me, and that surprised even me. If you are staying in Paris for a while it is fairly easy to do a day trip to Champagne and Veuve Cliquot has multiple themed tastings you can schedule. I was sick so could not go but plan to on my next trip.

Royal Tokaji Essencia 2008 $1400

One of the greatest wines ever made and the first time I have ever had it and only the 2nd bottle I have seen in 40 years. Given to Catherine the Great by Hungary in tribute to not be invaded the wine was otherwise famous as over centuries at times it was the preferred wine of the European Kings. Frankly, no one else could afford it. Frankly the richest and sweetest sweet wine ever. The nose and taste were complex, rich, and balanced. Plenty of floral characteristics but for me primarily tastes of honey and plum. The finish seems to linger on for hours. Everyone at the table who tasted it was somewhat overwhelmed by the experience. We did drink it over two nights as it is too rich to drink an entire bottle in a single seating. A good friend who has had multiple bottles over the years confirmed my evaluation and experience and like him, we look forward to the future to drink it again.