2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
There was once a Guy Larue from Saint-Aubin, a young man drafted into the army in 1938, sent to the front against the invading Germans a year later, taken prisoner, and moved to a farm deep in current-day Poland for five years of forced labor. He found his way home in 1945, several months after the war ended, having endured seven years away from his village and family, with no one aware if he was still among the living. All the young ladies of the area had already married, and he worried he might have missed the boat. Patience paid off. Not only did he meet his future wife in due time, but also she was the owner of several choice parcels of Saint-Aubin, including a plot in Sur le Sentier du Clou—perhaps not the village’s most famous premier cru, but one of the most sought after by vignerons for its perfectly placed, mid-slope, east-facing position. The high limestone content gives this Pinot plenty of spice and ripe cherry with great acidity and persistence. Today the couple’s son Didier is the proud owner and steward of the land.
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Pinot Noir |
Appellation: | Saint-Aubin |
Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Producer: | Domaine Larue |
Vineyard: | 1.1 ha, planted 1966-1995 |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14% |
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Blagny
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
Domaine Robert Chevillon France | Burgundy | Nuits-Saint-Georges
Henri Costal France | Burgundy | Chablis
Domaine Méo-Camuzet France | Burgundy | Clos de Vougeot
In eastern central France, Burgundy is nestled between the wine regions of Champagne to the north, the Jura to the east, the Loire to the west, and the Rhône to the south. This is the terroir par excellence for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The southeast-facing hillside between Dijon in the north and Maranges in the south is known as the Côte d’Or or “golden slope.” The Côte d’Or comprises two main sections, both composed of limestone and clay soils: the Côte de Nuits in the northern sector, and the Côte de Beaune in the south. Both areas produce magnificent whites and reds, although the Côte de Beaune produces more white wine and the Côte de Nuits more red.
Chablis is Burgundy’s northern outpost, known for its flinty and age-worthy Chardonnays planted in Kimmeridgian limestone on an ancient seabed. Vézelay is a smaller area south of Chablis with similar qualities, although the limestone there is not Kimmeridgian.
To the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise extends from Chagny on its northern end, down past Chalon-sur-Saône and encompasses the appellations of Bouzeron in the north, followed by Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny.
Directly south of the Chalonnaise begins the Côte Mâconnais, which extends south past Mâcon to the hamlets of Fuissé, Vinzelles, Chaintré, and Saint-Véran. The Mâconnais is prime Chardonnay country and contains an incredible diversity of soils.
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy | Côte Chalonnaise
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy | Bourgogne
Henri Perrusset France | Burgundy | Mâcon Farges
Domaine Savary France | Burgundy | Chablis
Domaine Taupenot-Merme France | Burgundy | Morey Saint Denis
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Burgundy | Mâcon-Fuissé
Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils France | Burgundy | Volnay
Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils France | Burgundy | Gevrey-Chambertin
Jean-Claude Regnaudot et Fils France | Burgundy | Maranges
Benoît Cantin France | Burgundy | Irancy
Domaine Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy | Chablis
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa