Two Amazing 19 Red Burgs You Can Drink Young and with Abandon - Under $40

 2019
- A Stunning Vintage
- Sadly - Very Small Quantities Across the Board
- In Vintages Like This, Wise Burg Lovers Stock up on "Lesser" AOCs that Have the Quality of the Big Boys in Regular Years

2019 Laurent Boussey Monthelie Rouge 1er Cru "Les Champs Fulliots"
- Nose: the Aromas Jump out of the Glass at You
- The Darkest, Densest Cherries
- Refined Mineral Character

- Palate: A Show Stopper
- Fruit is so Sweet and Intense
- Dense and Structured
- Insane Inner Mouth Aromas
- Ridiculous Balance and Freshness
- Monthelie Intensity and Charm
- Awesome Concentration and Freshness
- A Wine of Power and Concentration
- Echoes of young Clos des Chenes Which It Borders
- Very Densely Packed Fruit
- 50-60+ Years Old Vines - You Can Taste It

2019 Laurent Boussey Monthelie 1er Cru "Sur La Velle"
- From 30-50 year Old Vines
- Next to Monthelie "Les Champs Fulliots"
- Nose: Huge Pungent Lipstick-Like Fruit
- Mid to Late Season Red and Black Cherries
- Stunningly Complex
- Deep and Very Clean
- Palate: "Crank it up" Fruit
- So Succulent and Juicy

 - Dense, Complex

What Is a Sexy Burgundy?

When we think of Red Burgundy and how to describe it, the first things that come to mind are aromatics and finesse. It's not fruit and it's certainly not sex appeal. But there are certainly wines that have that fruit, that lipstick, that texture that make them so seductive, and yes, sexy. The aromatics tend more towards the fruit and spice side rather than florals and mineral. And these wines have the presence to stand up to almost any food. There is that Burgundy elegance, of course, but there is also that sex appeal for lack of a better word. I don't sell that many of these wines as they are less common but when I do sell them you should stock up. Because they are a very different style of Burgundy and one that you will want to drink on a somewhat regular basis.

The "Minor" Villages in 2019 - Ready to Go

In 2019, every minor village bottle, minor village 1er Cru bottle, minor village lieu-dit bottle, regional bottle and more of these off the beaten path Burgundies absolutely killed it. They were wide open, had thrilling dense fruit, the structure to age. Basically it's like every very good .265 hitter all decided to hit .350 in the same year. It's truly amazing. Picking wines to sell from our stable of producers was tougher than usual but in the best way possible. 2019's of these wines I highly recommend go into the a the cellar. Drink 2017 1er crus for now. But these little cru 19s drink them and get blown away. 

The Wines

First up is the 2019 Laurent Boussey Monthelie Rouge 1er Cru "Les Champs Fulliot" for $37.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This wine is ridiculous and a brilliant Champs Fulliot. You also know that I used to sell Florent Garaudet's Champs Fulliot (now $50+ if you can find it) and I think Florent is one of the most talented young winemakers in Burgundy. Alas, he's gone 3 tier and his wines are now around $50+, so it's on to the next discovery. And Boussey's Monthelie Rouge's are in Florent's zone, quality-wise (which is to say, spectacular). This vineyard lies on same plane as Volnay Clos du Chenes and has the same small pebbles as soil.

The nose. At first the aromas jump out of the glass at you. Big, ripe mid to late season cherries on a bed of serious rocks. Such a complex nose. Just the darkest, tightest cherries in a bowl of dark cherries. It's very fresh and enveloping. Stunning nose. Very refined. So elegant. After air the gorgeous nose of pitch perfect mid season cherries is roaring like a fire. Some black cherry as well with terrific minerality. Raspberry. Almost a jelly like aroma. But so pure. And that minerality. Smells like that 2018 well fruited essence of Pinot Noir and man, is there a refined mineral character that declares itself here after 50-60 minutes open.

The palate is where the show stops and is when I lost my poker face and called Laurent a genius. The fruit is so sweet and intense with just the most insane inner mouth aromas. Wonderful ripeness and purity. Deep and present cherry fruit. Ridiculous balance and freshness. Lovely and complex with stunning, big and ripe tannins that are top notch, pearly and sweet. Amazing inner mouth aromas. What an epic finish that doesn't end. After air it goes into 5th gear. Spectacular fruit and grip. Amazing sweetness and sap. Long, refined and so elegant but has that Monthelie intensity and charm. This is terrific. Laurent really killed it in 2019. Awesome concentration and freshness. God the fruit is insane in 2019. Terrific inner mouth aromas. Wow. This is so good. Really reminds me of Clos des Chenes which it borders and has the same soil. Powerful and super complex with amazing concentration, depth and energy. It's so straight and linear. This was young and raw in barrel but Laurent's wines travel well I've noticed and this will be more open by the time it arrives in spring 2022. Even young, this was a stunner. Very very long. Very complex and finishes mineral. This is a wine of power and concentration like a young Clos des Chenes in a way but once it ages it will finesse out like Clos du Chenes does. This is a stunner now but has a chance to become profound in 5-8 years. Do not miss this. I love this vineyard and I really had no idea it existed until I started this company. I noticed there is a Roulot Champs Fulliot Blanc now, that I saw for $165 at a NYC wine store this summer. Monthelie lies higher than Volnay, Pommard and Meursault and it feels almost isolated from the rest of the Cote de Beaune. It's very tranquil. Champs Fulliot borders Clos du Chênes (to the West). The soil is very poor and rocky, vines are 50-60+ years old.

Up next is the 2019 Laurent Boussey Monthelie 1er Cru "Sur La Velle" for $37.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack. This is from 30-50 year old vines and is located next to Volnay 1st Cru "Les Champs Fulliots." The most famous owner of this estate is Domaine Leflaive. Yes, that Leflaive. The good one. A 1er Cru that is a sleeper but really rocks in a vintage like 2019. Monthelie can be too rustic but in the hands of Laurent Boussey, it has the right amount of refinement. Man I love 2019.

Huge pungent lipstick-like fruit on the nose. Gorgeous mid to late season red and black cherries. Stunning detail and huge fruit perfume. Such purity and aromatic depth. Has a gamey depth as well but just a part of the depth. Mid season cherries that are just perfectly ripe. Raspberry as well. So alluring and accurate. Just stunningly complex aromas. There's also a wooly and tweedy element that just rules. It's so Burgundy. On Day 2 there was gorgeous sappy cherry fruit on the nose. Silky, sweet end verging on black cherry. Tweed jacket, huge minerals, so aromatic. Awesome.

Palate just has "crank it up" fruit. Juicy, dense, complex and full of big ripe velvety tannins. Amazing density and purity. What a finish. This is so epic. Such tiny berry fruit intensity. So good. Amazing concentration. Long, succulent, tangy and sappy. So fresh and energetic. Long. What a version of this. Sickness!

On day 2, palate is creamy, dense and ripe with lovely opulence allied with stunning freshness. Dense and chewy. Just delicious. Can be drunk now or cellared for 10+ years.

So what gets less respect than than a 1er Cru from Aloxe-Corton? How about a Monthelie 1er Cru? Yup. When you have the massive holdings that Laurent Boussey has (he inherited a bunch when his father retired) you've got so many, at least in my mind, really dope, cool, and quirky ones. But also these wines provide tremendous value.

2019 Laurent Boussey Monthelie Rouge 1er Cru "Les Champs Fulliot" - $39.99 

($151.96 4-pack) 

2019 Laurent Boussey Monthelie 1er Cru "Sur La Velle" - $39.99

($151.96 4-pack)