DAILY DRINK RECOMMENDATIONS

Aromas of cherries, black raspberries and dark chocolate introduce the 2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Noirots, a medium to full-bodied, rich and layered wine that’s brooding and muscular, with powdery tannins, a ripe core of fruit and a heady finish. This is one of the larger-scaled wines in the Sigaut range, and it will be interesting to see how it ages.

The NV Largillier Brut Nature is from the southwest-facing part of the lieu-dit, which is located on very old limestone soils. The wine opens with a highly pure and mineral, beautifully clear, fresh, complex and terroir-driven nose with some flint-stone aromas. On the palate, this is a beautifully round, elegant, highly finessed and well-balanced Côte des Bar with a long, intense, juicy and charming finish. This is a gorgeously pure, fine, fresh and complex Champagne of great expression.

Sourced in the more clayey part of the lieu-dit and macerated for 24 hours, the NV Brut Rosé Largillier opens with a rather reductive redcurrant, floral and earthy bouquet. Round and with licorice flavors, this is a pretty fruity and charming Largillier, but it lacks the purity and mineral tension of the finest white Largilliers in favor of the charming fruity character.

From a muscovite-based site above Chavanay, the 2019 Saint Joseph Terres d’Encre doesn’t come across as being from a particularly hot vintage. Instead, it offers charming nuances of violets and cracked pepper set against a backdrop of just-ripe cherries. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, simultaneously tart and silky, it finishes long and mouthwatering.

This Puligny Montrachet presents a beautiful pale yellow color and offers a delightful aroma of apples and pears. On the palate, it showcases a mineral body with refreshing acidity, complemented by hints of lemon and flinty wet stone nose.

Disgorged this year with 1.5 grams per liter dosage, the 2018 Extra-Brut Soliste Meunier Pierry 1er Cru Les Gouttes d’Or bursts with aromas of sweet orchard fruit, mango, white flowers and almonds. Medium to full-bodied, ample and pillowy, with a sweet core of fruit that’s framed by chalky dry extract, its fleshy mid-palate segues into a long, precise finish.

The 2020 Bourgogne Blanc offers up aromas of pear, waxy citrus fruit, orange zest, fresh bread and nutmeg, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny, racy palate that’s concentrated, chalky and perfumed. As readers may remember, this cuvée derives from a parcel owned by the commune of Meursault, optimally located above Grivault’s Clos des Perrières; and in 2020, it produced only four barrels.