A good introduction to the lighter and dryer style of Southern Burgundy Chardonnays, and a great everyday-drinking white. Ready to drink.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  The youthful, fruity nose suggests apples and chalk. Light on the palate with a clean, refreshing acidity. Green apple and light nutty (almond) flavors. Smooth texture. Clean, fruity finish with a pleasant, slightly dusty note and a hint of lemon. Youthful but ready now. Drink up before 2016. Likely to be excellent as an apéritif or with seafood.

  Food pairing: as an aperitif or with seafood

Great value in everyday Pinot Noir! The grapes from this vineyard are grown directly across the road from Pommard, and create a nice basic red Burgundy that shows its fruit.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  Youthful with a bright, playful nose featuring medium-intensity cherry and kirsch aromas along with black pepper, sweet spice, and a woodsy note. Hints of something floral hover in the background. The palate features tart maraschino cherry and kirsch flavors. Good fruit intensity. Bright on a moderately long finish.

  Food pairing: Lighter meats, ham

Great value in everyday Pinot Noir! The grapes from this vineyard are grown directly across the road from Pommard, and create a nice basic red Burgundy that shows its fruit.

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  Looking for a Pinot Noir that will impress guests yet costs less than $20? A great wine to have on hand—dainty and easy to drink but with great acidity. Likely to complement light fare. Lovely, delicate cherry on a palate laced with floral notes. Light in body, making this a great warm weather red.

  Food pairing: Chevre

Immediately appealing and more lush and mellow than your typical Saint-Véran, this is the perfect Chardonnay for a nice glass of wine Wednesday night after work. Drink now.

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  Colin Talcroft

  A forthcoming nose makes this wine immediately appealing, with suggestions of pears, almonds, and something mossy dominating before these scents yield to lusher ones suggesting butter and honeydew melon. Remarkably rich and full-bodied for a Saint-Véran—a real overachiever. Borders on the unctuous, but balanced by a strong shot of acidity that persists on an extended finish. Hard to resist if you like your wines rich and fruity–even a little decadent. That said, manages to be fruit-forward without being gauche. Delicious now but likely to develop further nuance.

  Food pairing: Risotto, squash, scallops

Our favorite wine to take to parties or drink with friends! Blended from multiple Saint Véran plots, it’s a vibrant, young Chardonnay with a beautiful bouquet — great for everyday drinking.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  Apple and scents of nutmeg and other sweet spices show on a fruity, vibrant, youthful nose. Subtle smoke, lemon, a hint of butter, and a little perfume in the background round out the aromas. Light on the palate, with tart acidity lending verve to pronounced lemon-lime and pear flavors. Refreshing, with a silky texture and precise fruit flavors that persist through a clean, crisp, moderately long finish. Likely to be at peak in 2015–2016.

  Food pairing: salad, shellfish, light cheeses

Barely a notch below its better known neighbor Pouilly-Fuissé, this single-parcel Chardonnay displays the lively balance of fruit and minerality that characterizes Domaine Thibert’s wines.

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  Colin Talcroft

  An attractive medium gold. Fresh citrus and pineapple scents come up out of the glass to greet you. Hints of hay, pear blossom, and fresh pears on the nose as well. An initial richness on the palate suggestive of honey and pineapples is quickly followed by a rush of balancing acidity before a long finish marked by hints of melon, vanilla, and pineapples again. Has a distinctive and appealing astringency on the very end suggestive of apple skins. Not complicated wine, but delicious wine. Excellent value.

  Food pairing: Fish, shellfish, roasted chicken, roasted pork

This Pinot Noir features beautiful, concentrated fruit. An amazing value, we find it a great everyday wine. Ready to drink!

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  Colin Talcroft

  Still young and a little distant at first, mostly with dusty, earthy notes on the nose but also surprisingly concentrated ripe fruit scents, a hint of floral perfume, and suggestions of wood. Comparatively light in body, but exhibiting rich fruit flavors balanced by brisk acidity on the attack before a rush of renewed fruit on the mid-palate and then an extended, slightly tart finish with a hint of cola spiciness. Approachable now, but likely to improve in bottle through around 2016. Excellent value. An excellent example of the appellation.

  Food pairing: Duck; lamb; roasted chicken; earthy, mushroom-scented dishes

This Pinot Noir features beautiful, concentrated fruit. An amazing value, we find it a great everyday wine. Ready to drink!

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  Colin Talcroft

  A youthful pink-red color. Light and pretty on the nose with cherries, herbs, and a touch of resin. Later, hints of toast and cinnamon develop. Good fruit, bright tannins, and a solid finish make the wine immediately appealing, but with the structure to suggest it will evolve with a little time in the cellar. An excellent example of the Côte de Nuits Villages appellation.

  Food pairing: Duck; roasted chicken dishes; squab; rabbit or other light game; mushroom or lentil dishes

A particularly fine example of this small and little-known Burgundy appellation, this Pinot Noir is a must for the value seeker looking for off-the-beaten-track wines.

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  Colin Talcroft

  Pure fruit on the nose, tending toward strawberries, but overlaid with leather, musk, and darker fruit scents. Delicate yet intense. Keenly focused, with just enough acidity to balance the fruit and light tannins. Rich, seductive mid-palate preceding a moderately long, slightly grainy finish. A very pretty wine, in every sense—but not without substance. Far more refined than commonly encountered Ladoix. That Xavier Durand devotes this kind of attention to this oft-overlooked appellation speaks volumes about his dedication to fine winemaking.

  Food pairing: Duck; roasted chicken dishes; rabbit or other game; mushroom or lentil dishes

Sometimes compared to a Meursault, Bois de Fée is made from a single parcel of old vines with privileged exposition. It perfectly illustrates the potential for Southern Burgundy Chardonnays to outshine their more illustrious neighbors to the North — when placed in the right hands. Drink now.

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  Colin Talcroft

  An opulent, buttery nose with hints of caramel in the background. Straightforward, but appealing. Rich, buttery, up-front fruit flavors are complemented by bright acidity that lingers on a long, nicely balanced finish. Approachable now, but the lively acidity suggests this wine will mellow with a little more time in bottle. An excellent value for everyday drinking.

  Food pairing: Lobster, grilled fish, roasted squash with butter

Sometimes compared to a Meursault, Bois de Fée is made from a single parcel of old vines with privileged exposition. It perfectly illustrates the potential for Southern Burgundy Chardonnays to outshine their more illustrious neighbors to the North — when placed in the right hands. Drink now.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  A pretty, pale greenish-yellow in the glass with an appealing nose suggesting nuts, smoke, sweet spice, toasted oak, and dry sherry. Medium body. Slightly tart, with lemony citrus flavors but also a fruity richness overlaid with smoke and something nutty. Supple tannins and a creamy, slightly chewy texture balance the brisk acidity and give the palate weight. The acidity instantly made me hungry. Rich on the extended finish. A wine with verve!

  Food pairing: Shellfish in sauce

A good basic Burgundy Pinot Noir, this wine is fruity and balanced. Ready to drink now, it will mellow further with a year of cellaring.

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  Colin Talcroft

  Offers simple, clean, straightforward fruit on the nose tending toward strawberries but also with a hint of spice and mushrooms and a little oaky toast. Not a powerful wine, but with good body, excellent poise, and a very appealing delicate, ethereal quality hard to articulate. Ready to drink, but attractive, fruity sweetness on a moderately long finish suggests there may be a little further development. Solid. An excellent value.

  Food pairing: Duck; lamb; roasted chicken; earthy, mushroom-scented dishes