Bernard pours us all a glass in his cellar

I knew immediately when I tasted these wines, I wanted them in my cellar.

La Revue has called Bernard "one of the most talented winemakers of his generation." He is one of the new generation of winemakers who has melded the best of the thinking of previous generations and huge respect for his vineyards with minimal intervention in the winemaking process.

When I tasted the 2006s in Burgundy, I thought they were fabulous, particularly the wines of Bernard Bouvier. These are wines with material! and complexity.

"At their very best, the '06s are classic burgundies that mirror the finest wines from the Côte de Nuits. This is to say that they are exceptionally aromatic and elegant with the best transparency to the underlying terroir since the 2001s, all wrapped in admirably persistent finishes with fine detail and a more pronounced sense of minerality than most vintages possess." -Allen Meadows, Burghound

If you are after a great expression of the best of French Pinot Noir at a refreshingly sane price (and who isn't these days?), you cannot ignore Bernard Bouvier.

Where is Marsannay? It is on the northernmost border of the Cote d'Or - just north of Gevrey-Chambertin. The Bouvier family has owned vineyards in the village of Marsannay at the northernmost border of the Cote d'Or for four generations.

Bernard's Marsannay Clos du Roy comes from a 5 acre vineyard high on the Marsannay slope. The vines are old - an average of 60 years. Bernard uses 30% new oak for Clos du Royand ages the wine 18 months. You don't get to be one of the best winemakers of your generation without a lot of effort and know-how.

The robe of Clos du Roy is a dense purply hue. The nose is of black fruits with some flowery notes of iris and violet. The mouth feel is ample. It's a Burgundy with substance. Bernard makes only about 400 cases of Clos du Roy total to satisfy the entire planet.

Bernard's Bourgogne Rouge - 100% Pinot Noir - is called Le Chapitre and is grown right on the border of Chenoves on a very special parcel of land. Bernard uses some oak, but nothing new to avoid overwhelming the fruit. You are experiencing all that is great in Pinot Noir in this glass at a wonderful price for good Burgundy.

Put your name on some of these bottles; you will be rewarded. Cynthia Hurley

  The harvest at Couly Dutheil

I have been spotting chilled glasses of Rosé all over the place - even where there's snow on the ground. It's a movement!

Rosé is no longer just a warm weather enticer. It's clear that when the thermometer takes a dive, nobody is willing to give up their glass and why should they! Full flavored, chilled Rosé is fantastic anytime, particularly this one.

I expected to like this Rosé because when Arnaud Couly of Domaine Couly-Dutheil makes a wine he really pours himself into it, but I didn't expect to be completely conquered by its nervy little charm. And, judging by the space I had to make for it in my last container, you feel the same way.

You can taste the hint of red berries (Rosé should never just taste like pink white wine) and there is that zing of fresh, perfect acidity in your mouth.

Domaine Couly Dutheil is in one of the most beautiful villages in all of France: Chinon. For a quarter of a mile in each direction along the River are charming stone houses built right into the hillside. The land rises steeply from the bank and on its highest part with a lot of vineyards in between sits a chateau, noble though in ruins.

Domaine Couly Dutheil has been making some of the Loire's best wines for more than 80 years now. This Rosé is produced on gravel and sandy soils. The grapes are picked by hand and the yields are low. This is not some after-thought of a wine, it is a beautiful expression of Cabernet Franc.

The best Rosé is made by pressing the grapes, the way you normally would for any red wine. The juice is allowed to sit with the grape skins briefly picking up color, but also tannins, pectins and proteins which give the wine structure. Then the juice is drained off, put into another vat without the skins and the fermentation proceeds.

This is what gives Rosé its beautiful, seductive, pale color and subtle red fruit notes. Are ready for winter? This Rosé says you are. Cynthia Hurley

  Some Saumur Blanc & the Ancient Saumer Chateau

This little dazzler is some of the purest wine you can put in your glass. It's dry, but not too dry. It's fruity with great acidity. And, it will not break the bank. This is a wine to uncork any time.

Loire is my source for some of the best values in French country wines. And my Saumur Blanc, at only $13.99, is delicious proof in a bottle.

My Saumur Blanc from Domaine Lavigne is a charmer with the taste of pear, grapefruit, and lemons zipping across your taste buds. You have to be skilled to turn out a great Chenin blanc. It's a finicky grape that flowers early and takes a long time to ripen, but if it's done well, a comely mouthful. And, sometimes it's stimulating to have something other than Chardonnay. N'est-ce pas?

Domaine Lavigne is in the commune of Varrains which is between Angers and Tours in the Loire Valley. The Domaine is a family effort. Gilbert Lavigne and his daughter, Pascale, and son-in-law, Antoine Veron run the place.

The Lavignes only have about 5 acres planted in Saumur Blanc. They have a palm tree right inside the walls of their domaine which tells you something about the climate. And, if you're like me and you're already hooked on their red Saumur Champigny, you'll also like their fresh, crisp Saumur Blanc. I know you will.

Pascale would suggest you accompany her Saumur Blanc with a fish fillet in clarified butter or scallops, but come on, Pascale, loosen up, what about pizza or a fabulous plate of cheeses. In fact, shh, we won't tell her her stylish Saumur Blanc needs no food at all to charm us. Cynthia Hurley

  The wild St Chinan vineyards between the sea and the mountains

Domaine des Jougla is located in Prades-sur-Vernazobre, a village of 200 people. The famille Jougla who has worked their property for many generations, makes a red St Chinian cuvee Ancestrale from a vineyard that is very close to the Mediterranean Sea.

St Chinian was awarded its own appellation back in the early eighties because of its superior soil (schist, clay, and limestone) and the passion of the winemakers there. If you talk to anyone about Domaine des Jougla, they will tell you the wines are a reference for the area.

Here's what Paul Strang (Languedoc Roussillon: The Wines and Winemakers) says:

"This is a typicité house, but by no means stick-in-the-mud; benchmark Saint Chinian, in fact. Spend a little time in the tasting room and you will find that most of the Jougla customers are relieved to find that Alain is not trying to achieve fifteen degrees of alcohol, that he is not over-oaking the wines, or aspiring to membership of the avant-garde. Rather, they have come to buy wines which flatter rather than kill food."

Cuvee Ancestrale comes from a vineyard that is very close to the Mediterranean Sea and right on the dividing line between the schist soils of the mountains and the limestone soil that was raised from the sea when the Pyrenees were forming.

This means the wines have the benefit of two soil types: the schist which produces wines with mineral notes, some coffee and smoky aromas and scents of the garrique (those rocky outcropping laced with lavender and herbs) and the calcaire (limestone) which makes a wine with bouquets of fresh black currants, raspberries, and cherries. The Jougla St Chinian Ancestrale is made from Mourvedre (40%), Grenache (30%), and Syrah (30%).

It's dinner time! Don't forget the Jougla Ancestrale! Cynthia Hurley

 Pascal Fulla, winemaker and owner of Mas de l'Ecriture gesticulates in his vineyards

Va-va-voom! I had this wine the other night and was enraptured. It was splendid - rich, smooth, and concentrated. Of course, it's a 2005 - the year the grapes were at their most beautiful and practically made themselves into wine without bothering the winemaker at all.

I can't really say I discovered Mas de l'Ecriture. Robert Parker got there ahead of me and planted the big 90 on one of proprietor Pascal Fulla's wines and Andrew Jefford, who wrote The New France (my current favorite book on French wines) includes the domaine in his summary of the best growers in the Languedoc-Roussillon, but their footprints were still fresh when I got there.

It takes a lot of guts to give up being a high-profile attorney in Montpellier to climb up on a tractor in the vineyards down in the middle of the Languedoc-Roussillon, but in the 1990s that's exactly what Pascal Fulla did. It didn't take him long to discover he was a pretty darn good winemaker.

I had Pascal's Cuvée Emotion amid a sea of other wines when I visited the Languedoc not long ago, and his wine bobbed right to the top. A clear winner. You should have been a fly on the wall when I took my first sips of my Mas de l'Ecriture the other night - I got pretty animated - Emotional, you could say. This wine won't last through the week at the Hurley house.

For those unfamiliar with the area, the Languedoc wine region rings the rim of the Mediterranean and runs roughly from the city of Nimes, westward to a bit north of Perpignan where Roussillon takes over and continues south to the border of Spain.

The Languedoc is the place to find extraordinary wines that won't break the bank. I say extraordinary because there is a bit of a wine revolution going on in the Languedoc these days. As the old guard dies out and the new sweeps in, there have been momentous changes in the way grapes are grown and how wine is made. No more machine-picking all the grapes (whether ripe or not) and trucking the load off to the cooperative to be vinified in the communal vat.

Now, growers are vinifying and bottling their own juice. They have lowered yields dramatically - sometimes, like at Mas de l'Ecriture, to half the region's former level. Hand-picking, careful selection, oak-ageing - all the technologies reserved for Burgundy and Bordeaux have arrived at the Languedoc.

The Mas de l'Ecriture is a pristine, pink-hued, modern winery in the village of Jonquieres. Mas de l'Ecriture is a Coteaux de Languedoc wine. Imagine several inkblots of land, all different sizes and shapes, strewn about from Nimes to Narbonne. These vineyard sites are recognized as having superior terroir. These are the Coteaux de Languedoc. Within these areas there are even better parcels, such as the Terrasses du Larzac, where the vineyard of Mas de l'Ecriture is located.

The winery rises out of a valley on flat land between hills. The soil is made of limestone, clay, and small stones - a magical combination that both drains well, during the often quite violent rainstorms, and holds moisture well, during the equally frequent droughts. In addition, the vineyards are regularly swept by the Mistral, which keeps the pests away.

Mas de l'Ecriture has 12 hectares under vines. The work in the winery is as meticulous as that in the vineyard. Pascal takes no shortcuts raising his grapes: he uses no herbicides, he keeps his yields very low, he hand-picks, he sorts his berries not once but twice to eliminate any unripe or unhealthy grapes, and in return, his fruit sings for him.

Cuvée Emotion is a fresh, fruity wine with a garnet robe and aromas of red fruit, blackberries, and a bit of garrigue (those scrubby outcroppings of lavender and herbs known best in the Rhone Valley). It is a fearless wine, not afraid of spicy stews and powerful cheeses, but at the same time smooth, with penetrating depth and great length. A lot of people are coming back for seconds on this wine. Find out why. Cynthia Hurley

  Maison Henri Boillot barrels.

Burgundy is a charmed place in France where Chardonnay finds its most inspired expression. These wines are stylish, elegant, and, viscous, with notes of citrus, honey, pears and melons, and are pure from start to finish.

There is nobody alive who doesn't say more than a word of thanks when these come to the table.

Here is what I found in my cellar.

1) HENRI BOILLOT - The white Burgundies of your lifetime from one of the Cote d'Or's finest winemakers. I have some very limited quantities left of 2002s, a 2006, and some 2007s.

2002 Corton Charlemagne - Grand Cru - Parker - 92-95 - 6 bts left $175 per bottle. 6 bottles $960
"... if elegance, precision, complexity, and detail are what they desire, then they will adore this nectar. Spices, minerals, and slate are found in its complex aromatics. Medium-bodied, fleshy, and revealing outstanding depth, this Corton-Charlemagne is the essence of crystalline purity. Loads of minerals and quartz are intermingled with spices in its deep, nuanced character. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2015." -Robert Parker

2002 Puligny-Montrachet - 1er cru - Les Folatieres - Parker 92-93 - 5 bts left $175 per bottle
"The 2002 Puligny-Montrachet premier cru les Folatieres boasts a nose of intense anise and spices. Medium to full-bodied, broad, rich, and deep, it is a suave, elegant effort. Minerals, pears and white flowers vie for the taster's attention in its concentrated character. Projected maturity: now-2012." -Robert Parker

2002 Meursault - 1er cru - Les Charmes - Parker 91-93 - 3 bts left $99 per bottle
"The 2002 Meursault Charmes boasts a nose of apples and buttered toast. Light to medium-bodied, displaying admirable depth, density, and freshness, this pure, slate and apple-flavored effort is concentrated and well-balanced. Projected maturity: now-2011." -Robert Parker

2006 Puligny-Montrachet - 1er cru - Clos de la Mouchere - Burghound 93 - 6 bottles left $110 per bottle
"(from 60+ year old vines and the vineyard is a whopping 4ha monopole within Perrieres ). This is (also) restrained and ultra pure with a similar white flower and spiced citrus nose that dissolves seamlessly into rich, full and beautiful, detailed middle weight flavors that are textured and silky yet here the finish is even more intense, indeed almost to the point of being painful. I really like the energy and punch" -Allen Meadows, Burghound

2007 Meursault 1er Cru - Les Charmes - Burghound 93 - 19 bts left $110 per bottle, 12 bottle case $1150
"(from vines in Charmes-Dessus). A subtle hint of wood toast sets off a more expressive nose of orchard fruit, anise and straw hints that complement the detailed, rich and exceptionally precise middle weight flavors that possess excellent volume on the classy, pure, lingering and palate staining finish. This is a terrific effort. 93/2013+" -Allen Meadows, Burghound

2007 Meursault 1er Cru - Genevrieres - Burghound 93 - 12 bts left $110, 1 case $1150
"A stunningly elegant and seductively spicy nose features apricot, violet and white flower aromas that merge seamlessly into rich, generous and palate staining flavors that possess superb underlying material and positively huge length. This is both stylish and classy and should age for years yet mature quickly. 93/2013+." -Allen Meadows, Burghound

2007 Grand Cru Bâtard-Montrachet - Burghound 96 - 9 bts left $375, 6 bottle wood case $2190
"limited (two-thirds from Chassagne and the remainder from Puligny). This is almost as ripe as the Criots and even more complex than the Bienvenues with a layered and deep nose of spice, toast, floral notes, peach, pear and lemon zest that can also be found on the utterly delicious, full-bodied and powerful flavors that are voluminous but focused, detailed and which detonate like a vinous bomb on the textured and palate staining finish that goes on and on. 2007 is a terrific vintage for this appellation as it adds a touch of elegance that Bâtard sometimes lacks. A monument that will age for years 96/2015+" -Allen Meadows, Burghound

2007 St. Romain - Burghound 88 - 48 bts left
$48 per bottle, 12 bottle case $563.88 ($46.99)
"Here the citrus influence is more pronounced with notes of acacia blossom serving as a background. The detailed, vibrant and precise barely middle weight flavors possess a lovely underlying minerality on the bone dry and lingering finish. This would also make for a really lovely house white plus there should be a year or two of upside development potential. 88/2011+." -Allen Meadows, Burghound

2007 St. Aubin 1er Cru - Pitangeret Burghound 90 - 27 bts left $52 per bottle, 12-bottle case $599.88 ($49.99)
"A background note of pain grillé frames a ripe and layered nose of straw, white peach and wet stone that is also picked up by the gorgeously fresh, energetic and intense flavors that are impressively complex on the seductive, sappy and persistent finish. Excellent quality here and worth a look. 90/2011+." - Allen Meadows, Burghound

2) CHATEAU DU CHOREY LES BEAUNE
Benoit Germain is the brilliant proprietor and winemaker here. He is energetic, intelligent and his knowledge about Burgundy is encyclopedic and each time I visit him I get a history lesson.

And, the other thing I get to do is taste his superb Pernand Vergelesses . It is one of my favorite white Burgundies. It is viscous, and rich with minerality and honey and lively, fresh, citrus fruits. It is pure and zaftig and reasonably priced. It drips with flavor. It achieves heights way above its appellation which is what I look for.

Here is what I found in my cellar:

12 bottles of 1999 Pernand Vergelesses $399 per case
48 bottles of 2006 Pernand Vergelesses $369 per case
"2006 Pernand-Vergelesses: (25% new oak). A subtle trace of wood frames notably ripe yet fresh aromas of exotic fruit that complement the rich, full and sweet flavors that culminate in a round and minerally finish. This is also easy to like but has a good deal more depth. 88/now+" - Allen Meadows, Burghound

Cynthia Hurley

 The lush hillsides of Visan in summer

"2007: Throughout the southern Rhône, 2007 is the greatest vintage I have tasted in my thirty years working in that region."

Parker's description below of his tasting of Chateauneuf du Papes lets us in on just how good all the wines in the southern Rhone are going to be. Savor every word. This is exciting. And, we can actually afford to uncork these wines every night.

"Think of 2007 as a hypothetical blend of an opulent, powerful, sumptuous year such as 1990, and a cooler drought vintage such as 2001. The cool weather and the remarkable three weeks of Mistral in September that concentrated the grapes without any spikes of high heat appears to have given the 2007s an aromatic dimension and freshness that I have rarely witnessed. Combine that with wines that are substantial, powerful, and relatively high in alcohol, with super depth of fruit! These are very aromatic wines of great concentration, freshness, laser-like focus, and amazing purity as well as depth. It is the vintage of my lifetime for this region, and I don't say that lightly. These 2007s will also be very long-lived given their extraordinary balance." - Robert Parker

Oh, and Wine Spectator gives the vintage a straight A!

We've got all of our bases covered here.

And the growers had something to say as well:

"2007 is without doubt a great quality vintage. Conditions in the vineyard are almost perfect - I haven't seen that for 17 years! Ripening was slow and gentle, producing fruity and straight-forward wines, showing great colour." -Cave des Vignerons de Rasteau

So, 2007 is a sure thing (and there are not too many of those around these days). 2007 was truly an amazing vintage in the southern Rhone. The grapes were harvested in total ripeness. The wines are extraordinarily balanced. And, they will be drinking well right away! And, I'll say it again. You will like the price of these bottles.

The container has just docked with my precious cargo of Olivier Cuilleras Cotes du Rhone Villages Visan le Deves and you should fill your glass.

Grab your cases fast, however, because this wine goes in and out quickly in every vintage and I'm forever calling up Olivier and saying: How fast can you label another 50 cases for me! I'm out! My container leaves in two weeks!

Olivier's vineyards are in Visan which is a commune with recognized, superior terroir which means Visan can appear on the label right after the words, Cotes du Rhone Villages. The Cuilleras family has owned the Domaine La Guintrandy since 1850. Olivier's first vintage was in 2000. He has gone from strength to strength since then.

Le Deves comes from 30-year-old vines. Olivier uses a blend of Syrah and Grenache. He does not filter his wines, which means all the flavor that is created from the juice mingling with the skins during the elevage does not actually get removed before the wine gets into the bottle and you and I get to drink it. He uses a combination of new and used barrels to age the wine.

Le Deves is a wine with great lively acidity which gives it great freshness. You'll taste lots of black cherry and currant fruit with some notes of licorice and minerals. You will be transported to the south of France. Now, that is a trip I never mind taking. Cynthia Hurley

 Domaine du Rochouard - precision outside in the vineyard and inside in the winery

Domaine du Rochouard showed up in Decanter magazine a while back with five out of five stars (5****) for one of its wines.

I was on the phone with proprietor Dominique Duveau shortly after to request a rendezvous. He was reluctant since he is such a small producer, and fearful of getting his production gobbled up by some big importer who cares more about quantity than quality, but after I explained that small, high quality independent producers are the only growers we deal with, he loosened up.

You probably know by now that if you like to drink wine often, as I do, the Loire has some of the best wine values out there. I know you've poured Sancerre from time to time and maybe some Muscadet and maybe even a Chinon, so it's hardly a leap at all to fill your next glass with a Bourgueil (boor-Goy).

Bourgueil is not far from Chinon. Bourgueil is part of the Touraine. It's north of the Loire River, west of Tours. The climate is mild and you will run into the odd palm tree. This red is 100% Cabernet Franc.

Here's what Guide Hachette says about the wines of Domaine du Rochouard:

"One appreciates the almost violet robe of the wine, its nose expressive of red and black fruits, embellished with some licorice, but above all, the abundant material coming from a ripe harvest. The tannins put their two cents in, but not too strongly and the final taste returns to that licorice." - Guide Hachette

It's always a relief to show up at a new vineyard and see an impeccable operation. You could do open heart surgery in the tasting room and that usually says something about the wine.

The Domaine was started in 1969, Dominique Duveau joined his father in 1995, and in 2007 Dominique's brother joined him upon their father's retirement.

Cuvée Coteau comes from a small two-hectare plot of limestone, clay, and sandy soil. The grapes are macerated in the tank for about three weeks. Dominique does not age Coteau in wood.

Cuvée Coteau is a full-bodied, rich wine with notes of dark currants and that uniquely expressive nose that only comes from a wine that's 100% Cabernet Franc. I tasted ripe, roasted cherries. Bourgueil! You will want this in your glass. Cynthia Hurley

 Olivier holds a bottle of his excellent wine.

"These wines are delicious today
and will age for a decade or more'" -Robert Parker
"In addition to its remarkable fruit, the 2007 harvest offers terrific consistency. From domaine to domaine, appellation to appellation, and variety to variety, quality is extremely high. Wines from the lesser appellations such as Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône-Villages will merit buying by the case for their expression of both fruit and terroir." -Wine Spectator

It looks like more great news from the southern Rhone. In fact, this is a drinker's vintage: sumptuous, readily accessible fruit and soft tannins.

I was just reading in La Revue du Vin de France where they said, "If you want to understand Visan, then Olivier Cuilleras is your man."

The wines coming from Visan are more precocious than many other area communes, its soils are very varied and the vineyards wind around the small hilltop village benefiting from the slope. The wines coming from Visan are also known for their structure.

The Cuilleras family has owned the Domaine de Guintrandy since 1850. Olivier is the sixth generation to work the vines here. Olivier's first vintage was in 2000. He took over the family estate from his father who up until that time had been selling his grapes to the cooperative. That was the way things went back then, but Olivier had other ideas. He wanted to make his own wine and put the name Cuilleras on the label and on the map. And that is what he has done.

Olivier uses a blend of almost 80% Grenache (the rest is Syrah) in his "old vines" bottling. The results are striking and complex. He does not filter his wines which means all the flavor that is created from the juice mingling with the skins during the elevage does not actually get removed before the wine gets into the bottle and you and I get to drink it. He uses a combination of new and old barrels to age the wine. The vines in the Vieilles Vignes bottling are very old - 80 years!

His estate is on top of a hill which makes it less vulnerable to the scorching weather on the valley floor. Olivier has some of the best soil in the region - clay and limestone - great drainage on the top and water retention down below to pull the roots through those times of drought.

This is one of the best Cotes du Rhones (and Rhone values) I've found. It's got its fruit in all the right places. Cynthia Hurley

"Dark in color, with lots of ripe berry, plum and vanilla bean aromas. Full-bodied, velvety and round, with lovely tannins. A smart, well-crafted wine." 90 -JS (James Suckling of Wine Spectator)

And, you remember what was said about the 2005 vintage?

"Retasting all the 2005s a few months before they are bottled confirmed just about everything the pundits had declared last year. It is an extraordinary vintage and one that is different from anything I have tasted in the last twenty-eight years. As a general rule, the wines are very concentrated, extremely high in tannin, and backward, but the fresh acids combined with the massive concentration and higher than normal alcohols make for a distinctive vintage that will probably be one of the longest-lived I have ever tasted." -Robert Parker

Shimmery, garnet robe and dark berry fruit that is perfectly balanced with its tannins, this wine is real Bordeaux class. Biston Brillette is on my Top Ten list of my favorite Petits Chateaux, and I've sampled hundreds.

"The 2005 confirms our first impressions, it is a wine, radiant and seductive." Les Meilleurs Vins de France 2008 - La Revue du Vin de France

I love going on a quest for over-achieving, under-priced Bordeaux. I've been doing it for almost 25 years now and Biston Brillette was one of my first discoveries. I first got interested in Biston Brillette when I started seeing it on many restaurant wine lists in the Medoc.

This is significant because these are the restaurants that all the Chateau owners and winemakers go to and a bad wine is not going to stay on the list for long. Over the years, vintage after vintage of Biston Brillette has remained on those wine lists. And, it is no surprise to me.

Biston Brillette is a Moulis wine. This very high-value-to-price commune lies between Margaux and St Julien. The cepage for Biston Brillette is about 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot. Well-made wines like Biston Brillette tend to have the finesse of Margaux and the power of St. Julien. Serge Barbarin, the owner, uses about 30% new oak and integrates the wood so skillfully that the wine tastes like a pedigreed classified growth.

Biston Brillette has it all: ripe fruit, seductive nose, full-bodied goodness and a GREAT price. Put Biston Brillette on your trivet tonight! Cynthia Hurley