Monthelie Douhairet-Porcheret Volnay Champans Premier Cru 2019

The lineage of Monthelie Douhairet-Porcheret is quite incredible, as the legendary Andre Porcheret was called on to work on this project after years of making some of Domaine Leroy's most legendary wines in the 90s that now trade for 10s of thousands of dollars a bottle. Andre also made the wines at the Hospices de Beaune for years before joining this Domaine. Today the wines are made by Andre's granddaughter, a winemaker of equal skill and attention to detail, and you can taste it in the bottle.

Pure cherry, dark plum, forest floor, baking spices, and sweet earth aromas lead to deeper raspberry flavors and loads more plummy goodness in the mouth. Well judged and flat-out delicious in this terrific vintage, this is one to cherish as wines like this don't come around priced like this very often.

William Kelley, our favorite new critic at the Wine Advocate (Burgundy aficionados, take note!!) sums it up quite well: "This 300-year-old domaine located in the heart of the village of Monthélie is today directed by Cataldina Lippo...I've been visiting regularly for several years now, and I'm consistently impressed by the wines' progress: destemmed grapes, classical macerations and élevage with moderate percentages of new oak are the rudiments of what remains a fundamentally traditional approach, but under Cataldina's fastidious tenure, the wines have become purer and more elegant, improving year in, year out...For now, this estate and the talented vigneronne who directs it fly somewhat under the radar, but that's sure to change."

We were lucky to have about 96 bottles of this true gem. Silky, oh-so refined and polished, with amazing layers of flavor and complexity (old vines!). We love the weightlessness and balance – immensely satisfying Volnay. The savviest of you Burgundy people will already be grabbing some – don’t miss!

PAIRING IDEAS: We recommend this quite a bit, but honestly a simple, rich roast chicken with mushrooms and pan sauce is just perfect.

MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: We booked our tickets to see Norah Jones at the Oxbow Riverstage here in Napa. Put on some of her tracks ("Come Away with Me", "Dont Know Why") and sip on this wine!