Drink Up!

The combination of the words “Montrachet” and “Lafon” on wine labels guarantees two things: excitement among wine loves and great auction catalog photos. The only point of hesitation for collectors is typically the price, and you really can’t drink them all that often. So, what’s to be done? Best case scenario, you get lucky and find the same name making the same variety but within your budget. Playing this game well is what today’s offer is all about.

Browsing today’s list, you’ll see big names that dominate the auction markets, but at price points well below what you’re probably used to seeing. We mentioned Lafon, and their wines from the Mâcon are spectacular values, absolute must-haves for Burgundy lovers. There are 4 to choose from as well, so perfect for making a mixed case of drinkers. Rising star Sylvain Pataille also represents Burgundy today, whose reputation has skyrocketed with bottlings from vineyards shared by Roumier and Château de la Tour. He’s now focused on his Marsannay property, which has somms all over American begging for any bottles they can find. While we don’t have much, we wanted to make sure that all of you got a fair crack at these special wines.

Not to be overshadowed by these Burgundy stars, Sylvain Cathiard has two killer deals available today, including a great value Aligoté. Joseph Drouhin reps the big houses with a $35 stunner of a Pinot. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: this one is a blind case purchase, any vintage. And speaking of big names, Jean-Marc Roulot helped bring more than a few Meursault vineyards into the global consciousness, and today we’ve got two of them—Bouchères and Meix Chavaux—from one of the hottest young names in the region: Genot-Boulanger… but at a fraction of Roulot’s prices.

Beyond Burgundy, we’ve got a handful of German offerings from Keller and Emrich- Schönleber, all under $50. From the Loire, we have a trio of rare gems that will excite the somm and “nerd” crowds: two from Eric Morgat, and the incredibly rare pre-Phylloxera Clos de Maulevrier from Marc Plouzeau. For those unfamiliar, the latter comes from a very special clos in Touraine, with Cabernet Franc vines that are over 160 years old! Only about a thousand bottles are produced each year, so the fact that we have any at all is incredible. Expect these to sell very quickly. Finally, we close with two absolute classics from Rioja’s beloved Bodegas Muga, including a 97-point Prado Enea that is just entering its early drinking window, and will continue to develop for twenty years, easily.