6 Top-Rated Wines from the Côte Chalonnaise
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RP Digital
- 07 Aug 2018 | News & Views
“The time is ripe…to think again,” says William Kelley of his recent trip to the rolling hills of the Côte Chalonnaise, once a prosperous region that had a hard time recovering from pylloxera devastation and two World Wars. In his latest report, Kelley notes the number of “serious” producers in the area: “Their approaches differ but typically involve replanting with superior vine selections, working the soils, minimizing herbicides and pesticides, harvesting by hand and vinification and élevage along artisanal lines.”
Kelley says that the time is now for consumers to open their minds to the wines of the Côte Chalonnaise. (Bonus: prices here “remain modest and stable.”)
Here, the six top-rated wines from the region, all rated 93 points and higher.
“Of all Lorenzon's reds, this will require the most time in bottle, but its potential is immense.”
“Effortless and unforced, this wine is about as good as Mercurey blanc gets.”
“On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with amazing concentration and purity, combining textural gloss and a strikingly mineral character in a way that makes it stand out even in this superb portfolio.”
“This shone from barrel, and it shines just as brightly from bottle.”
“On the palate, it's full-bodied, tensile and mineral, with amazing depth and dimension; tight-knit at the core but exploding on the expressive, mouthwatering finish.”
2016 Domaine Dureuil-Janthial • Rully 1er Cru Gresigny Vieilles Vignes
“One of the finest wines in the cellar this year, unfurling in the glass with notes of citrus zest, white flowers, almond paste and crushed chalk.”
“One of the finest wines in the cellar this year, unfurling in the glass with notes of citrus zest, white flowers, almond paste and crushed chalk.”