2019 Albert Morot, Beaune Teurons, Premier Cru, $67

Background: Albert Morot, based in Beaune, in central Burgundy, dates back to the early 19th century when it was established as a négociant business.  

When Albert Morot’s great-granddaughter, Françoise Choppin, took over in 1984, she closed the négociant business, and turned the focus to producing estate wines from their own parcels. In 2000 her great nephew Geoffroy Choppin de Janvry joined and began transitioning the vineyards, located in and around Beaune, to organic farming. This wine comes from their parcel in Les Teurons, one of Beaune’s most highly respected Premier Cru vineyards

Wine details: 100% Pinot Noir, aged 14 months in French oak, 30% new. Sourced from vines planted in 1963 on a southeast-facing slope with soil that is mostly limestone along with sand and clay. Fermented with natural yeasts.

Flavor Profile: Pinots from Les Teurons tend to have exceptional depth and structure, with an inviting earthy, spicy character. This one is very elegant and aromatic, with flavors of ripe red fruit, subtle hints of earth, and balancing acidity and minerality. It’s a lovely wine, even at this early age.

Recommendation: Enjoy now, or up to 2030, with duck or game birds, lighter meat dishes, or cheeses such as Reblochon or Comté.

2021 Domaine Borgeot Bouzeron, Les Tournelles Aligoté, $27

Background: Domaine Borgeot is based in the village of Rémigny, near Santenay in Burgundy. It is run by fourth generation winemakers, Pascal and Laurent Borgeot and increasingly, with the help of Pascal’s daughter Julia, herself a talented vigneron. They farm about 50 acres of vineyards, spread across several appellations, including Bouzeron, from which this wine is sourced. Bouzeron, in the Côte Chalonnaise, is the only village in Burgundy with its own appellation for Aligoté, the “other” white grape of Burgundy, where the white wines are almost exclusively made from Chardonnay. Not surprisingly, the village produces the finest examples of the grape.

Wine details: 100% Aligoté, from Les Tournelles, a single vineyard site with limestone marl and limey-clay soil.

Flavor Profile: Aligoté tends to produce fresh, dry white wines with floral and herbal notes and plenty of acidity. This single-vineyard offering is all that, but even more expressive and elegant, with more texture and complexity than one typically finds from the grape, plus nice, stony minerality.

Recommendation: Enjoy over the next few years. It would pair well with seafood, fish, white meat, or pasta in lightly creamy sauces such as Alfredo or Florentine.