by Chris Santini
2011 PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU
“HAMEAU DE BLAGNY” • DOMAINE DE CHÉRISEY
Traditionally in Burgundy, many tasks of the vineyard were the exclusive domaine of women, perhaps because they demanded a softer touch and a more delicate approach. Today, a few domaines, including Romanée-Conti, still require some work to be under the sole management of women. In Blagny, where grapes have grown uninterrupted for more than one thousand years and the Chérisey family has been growing them for the last two hundred, Hélène, the proprietress, manages the labor in the vines. While her husband may run a simple and hands-off cellar—allowing native yeasts, a cold cave, and the terroir to do their job—it’s Hélène who toils most in the soil. The Hameau de Blagny is an absolute rarity in Burgundy. Located on the high slope that dominates both Meursault and Puligny below, its wine contains the power and weight you’d expect from those villages, nuanced with the higher-altitude limestone chalkiness and precision one finds in the top estates of Chablis. A dazzling combination!
$89.00 per bottle $961.20 per case
2011 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 1ER CRU
“LES CHAIGNOTS” • DOMAINE ROBERT CHEVILLON
The Chevillon brothers have an impressive lineup of no less than eight different premiers crus of Nuits-Saint-Georges. No matter the vintage, when they taste you through their range of premiers crus, they’ll always pour the Chaignots first. It’s the most delicate, the most floral, and the softest on the palate. The 2011 vintage in particular is bestowed with a silky, plush texture, full of earthy undertones. It is traditional Nuits-Saint-Georges at its best.
$97.00 per bottle $1,047.60 per case