THE CELLAR BOOK 2020
Cellar Book
There are wineries which have been driven by craft, tradition, and just deliciousness for years, decades, and in some instances centuries. These wineries are the pinnacles of fine wine. This is our list of the producers we feel are worthy of collecting, worthy of drinking, and worthy of a bit more reading. Our cellar book is here for you to learn, drool, and of course shop. Cheers.
Table of Contents
Krug
Among sommeliers, no Grande Marque garners as much love and respect as Krug. The style at this relatively small house is broad and oftentimes fashionably oxidative, influenced by aging in oak barrels rather than steel tanks. Even though this often makes the wines more approachable and delicious in youth, even the house classic Grande Cuvée gains from a few years of cellaring, and oftentimes a decades-old bottle of Krug has been the “wine of the night” even among stellar companions.
Pierre Péters
One of the original grower champagne houses. Rodolphe, the current proprietor, continues the legacy of making some of the greatest blanc de blancs champagne created in the area. Central to the Domaine is the outstanding Chétillons vineyard in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The Péters estate has become synonymous with this vineyard, or perhaps it’s the other way around. In youth, the wines here are piercing with finesse. After a few years of maturity, they blossom out, showing layers of minerality and subtle spice.
Domaine Dujac
It's easy to forget that Domaine Dujac was founded by the now-iconic Jacques Seysses in the late 1960s. It feels like a benchmark that has always been there. The number of winemakers in the region and around the world who model their philosophy on Dujac is impressive. The quality here speaks for itself. Dujac sits at the top of the hierarchy of producers in Burgundy. The Domaine is most commonly associated with the grand crus of Clos de la Roche and Clos Saint-Denis but their plethora of premiers cru and village wines are all worth collecting and drinking as often as humanly possible.
Comtes Lafon
Dominique Lafon took over this already storied family Domaine in 1985 and has realized the potential of an extraordinary portfolio of vineyards. The white wines here truly number among the greatest in Burgundy, while the reds are fantastic values, comparatively, and still somehow flying under the radar. The vineyards, centered around Meursault (Comtes Lafon is the only property to own vineyards in all premiers crus of the village) are cultivated along with biodynamic principles since 1989. The wines here have taken a turn for a leaner, more elegant style lately, and the results are magnificent.
Rousseau
In Burgundy, there are only a handful of icons; the types of wineries who have never steered away from making only the best product from the vineyards historic to their family. Those icons have never sold to larger companies, and with each new generation have maintained consistent quality. Domaine Armand Rousseau is without a doubt, an icon. Armand was at the forefront of Domaine bottling in the 1930s. Simply put, he was one of the first to say, my wine is great enough to be bottled on its own rather than sold into bulk or to a larger distributor.Today Eric, grandson of Armand, is in charge of the vines and cellar, with the help of his daughter Cyrielle. Their vineyards are all in the northernmost town of Burgundy’s prime stretch of land, called Gevrey-Chambertin. Chambertin is said to be the grand cru vineyard with the most richness and power. The larger village of Gevrey-Chambertin and its surrounding vineyards adhere to the same stereotypes. What makes the wines of Rousseau so unique is that they lean towards a more floral, lighter, and elegant style.
Domaine Marquis d'Angerville
Volnay is an enigmatic place. It is nestled between villages that make mostly white wines — or robust, hefty reds. But here, perhaps the most elegant and subtle wines in all of Burgundy are made. That reputation owes a lot to the d’Angerville estate, a fixture of the highest quality Volnay for over two centuries. Guillaume d’Angerville, the current proprietor, took over the estate in 2003, after his father Jacques’ death. He continues the philosophy of low intervention, letting the vineyards express themselves without getting in the way. The result is an exceptional lineup that ranges from the delicious Bourgognes to the singular premiers crus, with Fremiets typically being polished and joyful... Champans, curvier and denser... Taillepieds, structured — and for the lover of a classic, nervous Burgundy. The top of the hierarchy is Clos des Ducs, a mythical vineyard and a wine that deserves a few years of cellaring to really blossom out. Few wines in Burgundy can match its beautiful perfume once matured. And forget what you know about Volnays being light, soft wines for easy drinking – almost none have a track record of being age-worthy like the Clos des Ducs.
Roumier
Roumier is the equivalent of saying Oprah, Madonna, and the best versions of Kanye in the wine world. It’s a winery with the type of pedigree that only one name needs mentioning. Founded in 1924, the Roumier family has steadily built an astonishing reputation and its wines are among the most sought after in Burgundy. Today, the winery is led by Christophe, a third-generation winemaker who is as charismatic as he is talented. Their vineyards are based in and around the town of Chambolle-Musigny, an area that is most often regarded as producing the most ‘elegant’ of Burgundies. That means they are light, smell like exotic flowers, and are refreshing to drink both young and old.
J.F. Mugnier
Domaine Jacques Frédéric Mugnier or more commonly known simply as Mugnier is on the shortlist of France’s greatest wineries. Based in the small town of Chambolle-Musigny in Burgundy, this humble winery has become one of the benchmarks of pinot noir in the world. This is a style of light, floral, and ready to drink Burgundy which has increasingly become emulated as we all seek wines which are more refreshing, pure, and just unique. Fred Mugnier, the man behind this estate makes wine from his family’s historic vineyards which up until 1978 were farmed for others. Those vineyards with the exception of Clos de la Maréchale in the nearby town of Nuits Saint Georges are all within walking distance of his estate and are broken up between grand cru, premier cru, and a bit of village. Wines from vineyards such as Musigny and the super premier cru Amoureuses trade at some of the market’s highest while the Chambolle-Musigny and Clos de la Marechale are only increasing.
Comtes Lafon
Dominique Lafon took over this already storied family Domaine in 1985 and has realized the potential of an extraordinary portfolio of vineyards. The white wines here truly number among the greatest in Burgundy, while the reds are fantastic values, comparatively, and still somehow flying under the radar. The vineyards, centered around Meursault (Comtes Lafon is the only property to own vineyards in all premiers crus of the village) are cultivated along with biodynamic principles since 1989. The wines here have taken a turn for a leaner, more elegant style lately, and the results are magnificent.
Auguste Clape
J.L. Chave
The Chave family is nothing short of royalty in the world of wine. The current Jean-Louis is the 16th generation in father-son succession who have tended vines in St. Joseph and the fabled hill of Hermitage, possibly the birthplace and arguably the pinnacle of the Syrah grape. While several producers now separate out their various plots in Hermitage (perhaps a nod to the more marketing-savvy neighbors in Côte-Rôtie), Chave is all about the art of blending together these components into a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. The results is a wine that captures the soul of the Hermitage, structured and full, with hauntingly wild and floral aromas. In a handful of vintages, there is another label, Cuvée Cathelin. It’s not intended to be a prestige-cuvée, but rather a way for Jean-Louis to express a specific nature of a vintage that may not work in the Hermitage. Worthy of special mention is the wines from St. Joseph, not to be looked down upon as secondary. Remember that this is the ancestral home of the family, and Jean-Louis has been dedicating all his resources to re-establishing the terraced vineyards here. We will wish we had held on to more of these wines soon.
T. Allemand
One could argue that the Thiérry Allemand turned the tide for Cornas. His tireless, and many years of thankless work to resuscitate vineyards that were abandoned or deemed too hard to work for the money the négociants were willing to pay for the grapes did not go unnoticed for long, and slowly a cult-like following was built. Cornas’ start grew alongside Thiérry’s. There are two wines, Chaillot and Reynard (sold to him by mentor Noël Verset), although the distinction isn’t necessarily always along the lines of terroir. The vines for Reynard are older, and the wine tends to have a brighter, more floral streak alongside the classic black olive, brambly fruit and smoke notes. In a handful of vintages there is also a tiny quantity of Sans Soufre wine, just labeled Cornas, a wine of mythical status.
Valentini
Valentini is one of the most singular wines in the world, not only for how it tastes but in what it represents. It is one of the pinnacles of Italian wine, despite being from a region whose reputation for creating great wines is as good as Guy Fieri's reputation for opening outstanding restaurants. The wine is weird, impossible to find and proving to be timeless. For years, Valentini had produced wine in a mythic way, never speaking about their winemaking in detail. For this reason, no other producer has been able to emulate their style. Their lineup includes: Trebbiano, Cerasuolo, and Montepulciano.
Cerbaiona
Cerbaiona, one of the greatest estates in Tuscany, is tiny but mighty: The wines are a top-tier example of traditional Brunello and very small production makes them highly sought after. Diego Molinari, a retired pilot, purchased the estate in the late ‘70s to pursue his dream of winemaking and it’s easy to see why he was attracted to the region — the fruit strikes a perfect balance between the warm ripeness common in the south AND the structure associated with the north. The straightforward process at Cerbaiona uses the traditional techniques of the region. Nothing is taken away and nothing is added. Wine critic Antonio Galloni once said, “If forced to drink only one wine from Montalcino, I might very well choose Diego Molinari’s sumptuous Brunello.”
Montevertine
“Le Pergole Torte” the top wine from Montevertine is both cellar worthy if you’re into that but also one of the easier drinking Tuscan reds. In contrast to the perception of Tuscan wines being big and boozy, this wine is elegant and refreshing. Their focus is on Sangiovese, the grape of Chianti and Brunello. Based in the town of Radda, they have become the benchmark for a style of Chianti which is tart, savory, and essential with a big bowl of pasta.
Tignanello
The Antinori family are Italy’s most commercially successful winemakers. They’ve either started, bought, or sold nearly any and every large brand name we associate with Italian wine. They are genius marketers and once upon a time, they were genius winemakers too, which leads us to Tignanello. Arguably, Tuscany’s most iconic wine. A blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s the wine every Italian-American fantasizes over. It’s usually the most expensive wine at your favorite red sauce joint, the one your Dad would proudly serve after you won your first fight. Unfortunately, Tignanello today isn’t what it used to be. It’s sort of like if Gianni Agnelli reverse-aged into Pauly D. What was once one of Italy’s most elegant and prized possessions, now frankly is trash. We have some old Tignanello for you, so the next time your Uncle Tony comes to your spot you can show him you’ve really made it.
Soldera
Soldera was a confident, respected, and very talented winemaker. His style of Brunello endured the hype of an era in Montalcino which was chasing the flavors of California. Today, Brunello is returning back to being identified as elegant, long-lived, and wine of quality rather than brand. Soldera always stood for that. He made wines that are ready to drink young as juicy, tart and with some pasta. They have also proven to age as well as any other iconic region too. The older wines become very elegant, light, and earthy.
Sassicaia
G. Rinaldi
G.B. Burlotto
Cappellano
Teobaldo Cappellano is one of the most influential figures in the history of Italian wine. Although by no means outside of Barolo is his name a household one, he carved the path for what’s today’s traditional and also natural wine movement in Italy. In the 1980s and 90s as Barolo was gaining international success, many producers began to change their style in an effort to receive high scores and high prices. Reluctant to bend to fads, Cappellano championed traditional winemaking, was an early adopter of organic farming, only used native yeasts, and made decisions based on curiosity and craft rather than economics. Today, under the leadership of Augusto Cappellano, the winery makes two Barolos. “Rupestris” which is from the historic vineyards and the ultra-rare “Piè Franco” which is from vines planted on original rootstock. Both are long-lived, funky, and prove that Teobaldo was ahead of his time.
Prunotto
Prunotto was started by a couple in 1922 after the local co-op went through one of Italy’s many financial downturns and needed to sell off its assets. The story really begins in the 1950s with a guy named Beppe Colla. From 1956 to 1994, Beppe and his brother Tino made some of Italy’s best wines, under the Prunotto label and only a few know about them. In 1994, they were bought by the Antinori family who cut them a big check and the two brothers went on to start a family estate called Poderi Colla.
Rioja
Producers like C.V.N.E (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España), López de Heredia and La Rioja Alta are some of the most traditional + age-worthy wines in the world. All based in Rioja, Spains most deserving fine wine region, these are earthy, fresh, and distinctive. Although we’re psyched about some of the new wines coming out of Spain today, these old school producers can’t be overlooked.
Keller
It’s far to say that German wine is paradoxical. Most of its production is at worst, loathed, at best, ignored. At the same time there is no doubt among wine lovers that the best wines, usually Riesling-based whites, are truly world class, and perhaps even the best and most ageworthy white wines in the world - certainly when factoring value-for-money and consistency into the evaluation. But the top-lists have been pretty static and highly focused on producers of classic off-dry and sweet wines, primarily in the Mosel valley. Enter Klaus-Peter and Julia Keller, who have single handedly done more to change that perception in the global wine market in the recent years and paved the way for leagues of ambitious young german wine producers. While Keller does make sweet wine, and do grow other things than Riesling (all worth room in your drinking habits), the dry single vineyard Rieslings are where all the hype is. These reach these shores in minute quantities, and no-one gets full cases of any single wine. These are beautiful and intense wines, sculptured around piercing acidity with layers of hauntingly complex aromatics wreathed around it. We joke that people still need converting to drink Riesling (it’s not a joke at all in fact), and if there is any producer to bring the skeptics around, Keller is it.
