France

An exciting new domaine in Puligny Montrachet! The property has sold fruit for years to top producers (and still sell to cult Burg label Kei Shiogai) but do make just a few barrels of their own wine...and it's stunning...and a stunning value to boot! For now...

91 Points! A medium-bodied, savory Morgon with aromas of moss, sour cherries, clay and orange rind. It’s clean and pure with fine-grained tannins and a mossy, fresh finish. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! In spite of the richness and full body, this is an elegant expression of Gigondas, thanks to the expertly crafted tannins. Beautiful creamy texture in the long, complete finish. There's plenty of spice, but it’s like a tapestry of colors rather than a blast of heat. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! This is astonishing for the appellation with enveloping black-cherry and summer-flower aromas, so fresh and uplifting. Compelling nuances of mushrooms and forest floor on the very concentrated palate. Ample fine tannins are already almost perfectly integrated. Enormously long and precise finish with a wealth of fruit and mineral detail. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

This 2018 Bouchard Père & Fils Beaune Grèves Premier Cru is one of those Burgundy discoveries that almost feels like cheating: a domaine-grown wine from the same famed Premier Cru vineyard as Bouchard’s roughly $200 Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus, from an excellent vintage and already carrying years of bottle age, for around $70. Silky, satiny, spicy and beautifully refined, it delivers everything we love about mature red Burgundy at roughly one-third the price of its famous neighbor.

Francois Lequin's rows sit dead-center in Morgeot's mid-slope, in the climats Tete du Clos (vines planted 1971) and Les Grands Clos (planted 1987), directly across from the old Abbey ruins. Spicier and broader than his Les Vergers, this is the richer of the pair: velvety in texture with impressive length, yet carried by the racy, mineral spine of the cool 2024 vintage, a year shaping up like the brilliant whites of 2014 and 2021. Aged 12 months in French oak (10% new) plus 3 months in stainless steel before bottling. Organic farming since 2009, from a family making wine in Burgundy since 1679. Chassagne 1er Cru Blanc of this caliber under $100 is a vanishing breed.

From a family that has farmed Burgundy since 1679, Francois Lequin's Les Vergers comes from two prized plots (one planted in the 1950s) in the northwest corner of this renowned 1er Cru, bordering Les Chaumees and Clos Saint-Jean. It is the most taut, vertical wine in his Premier Cru range: racy and mineral-driven, built on structure and vibrant acidity rather than fat and cream. The cool 2024 vintage plays right into that style, echoing the profound whites of 2014 and 2021. Aged 12 months in French oak (20% new) plus 3 months in stainless steel to harmonize. Organic farming since 2009. Top-flight Chassagne 1er Cru Blanc at this price is nearly impossible to find, and quantities are tiny.

This wine, as musicians say, is 'in the pocket'. Straight up fire right now! Spicy, silky, lush but  with just enough austerity to highlight the terroir of the appellation, this one went great with some wild boar. Literally could not stop drinking it...untill the bottle was gone. A deal!

96 Points! A very lush and exotically floral gewurz with tremendous concentration and plenty of rose hip and caramel alongside the restrained papaya character. Very long creamy finish with a beautifully integrated sweetness that pulls you back for more. Still quite tight at the finish. Fermented for almost a year and may well show better after more bottle age. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2024. - JamesSuckling.com

95+ Points! The Alsace grand cru 2021 Furstentum Gewurztraminer is very clear and precisely aromatic on the bright, elegant and intense nose that combines ripe and concentrated lychee aromas with delicate flint, pastry and orange blossom notes. Full-bodied, rich and savory on the palate and based on a tight yet elegant structure with a fine acidity and tannin complex, this is a substantial, stimulating saline, grippy-mineral and still youthful but very promising Gewürztraminer that will benefit from further bottle age. 13% stated alcohol. Diam cork. Tasted at the domaine in April and at home in August 2024. - Stephan Reinhardt, robertparker.com

93-95 Points! Wild strawberries, raspberries, spring lowers, sandalwood, and Provençal spice notes all emerge from the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Sables De La Crau, a beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied Châteauneuf du Pape based on 100% Grenache that was fermented with some stems and brought up all in used barrels. It shows the ripe yet still fresh, elegant style of the vintage beautifully. - Jeb Dunnuck

The classic 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Tradition (95% Grenache and 5% Syrah) from Jean-Marie Royer reveals a vivid ruby hue as well as a beautiful nose of fresh raspberries, spring flowers, and Provençal spices. It's medium-bodied, supple, juicy, and elegant. It should be an outstanding wine and is a terrific example of the style – and quality – of the vintage. - Jeb Dunnuck

Bright currant, sweet cherry, and rose hip on the nose. The palate reveals layers of darker fruits, black plum, blueberry pie, and baking spices. A sappy and exceptionally drinkable CdR. Much richer than the average.