This walled-in “clos” in the village of Dampierre-sur-Loire on the southern bank of the Loire River may have been Thierry Germain’s most exciting acquisition, strong praise for a domaine whose parcels read like a who’s who of the appellations of Saumur and Saumur-Champigny. They produce a red and a white from this vineyard that both exhibit exquisite balance and tastefulness. This dry Chenin Blanc is etched from the white limestone beneath—crystalline, pure, and chiseled.

The expansion of the De Villaine family deep into Rully territory, with two acquisitions in 2015 and 2017 of exclusively premier cru vineyards of both colors, has been one of the most important developments in the domaine’s history. We watched and waited with great anticipation as the domaine did all the important work necessary to get to the point where they could proudly release wines such as this one: old-vine Chardonnay from one of the top terroirs of the Côte Chalonnaise, worked organically by their talented vineyard crew, patiently aged to perfection in cask, and bottled with the utmost care. The domaine has overachieved with village-level Burgundy for decades. Now we get to see them do it with premier cru vineyards!

Boxler proves convincingly that Pinot Gris deserves a place in your cellar alongside your outstanding bottles of Burgundian Chardonnay. None more so than his bottling from the famed Turckheim grand cru of Brand, where steep southern exposure on granite allows the vines to deliver grapes with the perfect balance of rich, smoky depth and hot stone minerality, built to age, with sublime aromas, textures, and flavors. On a recent trip to London with Kermit, our wine list find of the weekend was a bottle from vintage 2014 with exquisite Indian cuisine.