The wine shop can be intimidating, with so many different styles of labeling. Here’s help in decoding a dozen basic types.
Buying wine can be a paralyzing challenge. Facing a wall of unfamiliar bottles can frustrate even the most worldly consumer.
Those bottles have labels, of course, often with loads of information about the character and nature of the wine within. But the more detail they offer to knowledgeable wine consumers, the more baffling they seem to the uninitiated.
To cut through the confusion, some wineries simply furnish fewer facts. These wines — often hugely popular ones like Yellow Tail, Barefoot and 19 Crimes — rely on brand names and marketing to build an audience. For dedicated wine lovers, though, the facts are crucial, even if it takes some education to decode a label.
The release of a new vintage from Ghislaine Barthod is always an eagerly anticipated and joyous occasion. There is perhaps no grower with a wider range of great vineyard holdings in Chambolle-Musigny, and Barthod’s lofty status in the pantheon of top Burgundy estates is firmly established and beyond well-deserved. Read More
Over the past two decades, Jean-Marie Fourrier has justifiably ascended to the upper ranks of Burgundy’s pantheon, and his thrillingly pure and articulate wines are among the most coveted in our entire portfolio. A former protégé of the legendary Henri Jayer, fourth-generation Jean-Marie assumed control of his family domaine with the 1994 vintage, and today he controls nine hectares spread among Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, and Vougeot.
Broad and imposing, the hill of Corton visually dominates its immediate environs, announcing the commencement of the Côte de Beaune in dramatic fashion as one heads from north to south. Here, the rigorous unbroken east-facing procession of the Côte de Nuits yields to a circular orientation, as the vineyards of Ladoix, Aloxe-Corton, and Pernand-Vergelesses fan out 360 degrees from Corton’s densely forested cap—echoing the more variegated orientations and multiple diversionary combes of the Côte de Beaune itself.
The 2016 vintage at the Domaine Fourrier presents in a classic manner with precision and grace. However, it is another in the recent spate of scarce harvests that makes this offer a challenge to place in front of those who have patronized the wines of this estate since the first vintage (1994) we imported so
Having been known as the U.S. importer for Hubert Lignier for over 30 years, in 2014 we expanded our connection to the Lignier name through another branch of the family.
Wines: Bonnes Mares Grand Cru, Bourgogne Passetoutgrain, Chambolle Musigny, Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru, Gevrey Chambertin, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Combottes”, Marsannay Blanc, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru “Clos des Ormes”, Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc, Morey-Saint-Denis Rouge
The Domaine Fourrier (previously known as Pernot-Fourrier) has a long history in Gevrey Chambertin extending over four generations. The estate was founded by Fernand Pernot during the 1930s and 1940s.
Wines: Bourgogne Blanc, Chambolle Musigny, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Gruenchers”, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Sentiers”, Gevrey Chambertin “Aux Echezeaux”, Gevrey Chambertin “Vieilles Vignes”, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru “Clos Saint Jacques”, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru “Combe Aux Moines”, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Champeaux”, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Cherbaudes”, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Goulots”, Griotte Chambertin Grand Cru, Morey Saint Denis “Clos Solon”, Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru “Clos Sorbes”, Volnay 1er Cru “Caillerets”, Vougeot 1er Cru “Les Petits Vougeots”
The Domaine Barthod-Noellat was founded in the late 1920s and obviously is a fusion of the work of two families: Noellat & Barthod. Gaston Barthod, whose family originated in the Jura, married into the Noellat family and took over the direction of the domaine after his military service concluded in the 1950s.
Wines: Bourgogne Rouge, Chambolle Musigny, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Aux Combottes”, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Baudes”, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Beaux Bruns”, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Charmes”, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Châtelots”, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Cras”, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Fuées ”, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Gruenchers”, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Veroilles”
