2022 Château de la Chaize Brouilly
When a historic Beaujolais estate that's been making wine since 1671 decides to go full organic and build an underground winery longer than a football field while running the whole operation off-grid, you don't get "nice Gamay" as a result. You get Gamay operating at levels that make Burgundy collectors nervously check their bank accounts. This 2022 Brouilly from the Château with gardens designed by Louis XIV's personal landscape architect is what happens when 350 years of winemaking meets modern ambition that makes Dolly Parton's to-do list look reasonable.
The facts
100% Gamay from organically certified vineyards
Semi-carbonic maceration with 10% whole cluster fermentation
Aged 6 months: 50% concrete vats, 50% large oak foudres
13.5% ABV from a scorching 2022 vintage
Best drinking window: now through 2027+
The estate literally grazes sheep in the vineyards and treats wastewater with reeds like some kind of viticultural permaculture paradise
In the glass
Raspberries, blackberries, earth, and ink layered with orange peel and notes that taste like old bricks fell into a fruit basket and everyone was weirdly into it. The palate delivers what Jancis Robinson's Tamlyn Currin called "plashy juiciness" (which is now your new favorite wine descriptor) wrapped in soft tannins that graffiti the fruit with street-art panache. There's a dark stoniness underneath all that berry brightness that reminds you this came from actual Brouilly terroir, not a laboratory or a focus group. James Suckling noted the wine is juicy and subtle with lively acidity and soft tannins that somehow make "elegant" and "crushable" the same thing. The finish stretches with earthy complexity and makes you wonder why everyone's spending mortgage payments on Burgundy when Beaujolais is out here doing THIS. Pair it with roast chicken, mushroom dishes, charcuterie, grilled salmon, anything from that Thanksgiving leftover situation, or Tuesday night when you need something that tastes expensive but costs like you have common sense.
2023 Charlene & Laurent Pinson Petit Chablis
When a Chablis family that's been farming since 1640 (yes, before America existed) plants Chardonnay vines directly above the legendary Grand Cru Les Clos and calls it "Petit" Chablis, that's not modesty—that's a flex disguised as humility. Charlène and Laurent Pinson took 35+ year-old vines on Portlandian limestone, fermented them with indigenous yeast in stainless steel, and bottled proof that appellation hierarchy is sometimes just expensive gatekeeping with better marketing.
The facts
100% Chardonnay from 35+ year-old vines
Grown directly above Grand Cru Les Clos near the village of Fyé
Portlandian limestone terroir with eastern exposure
Indigenous yeast fermentation and aging in stainless steel
No herbicides, no pesticides, just organic methods and Kimmeridgian swagger
Zero oak, zero malolactic—pure Chablis in its most honest form
In the glass
Citrus (lemon, grapefruit, green apple) meets mineral tension that could cut glass, delivering classic Chablis brightness without any of the oak-induced identity crisis some producers inflict on perfectly good Chardonnay. The palate is crisp and flinty with saline minerality that makes oysters weep with joy, lifted by enough acidity to keep everything taut and refreshing. There's a stony purity here that tastes like liquid limestone filtered through centuries of family knowledge—the kind of wine that proves great farming and minimal intervention can make "entry-level" appellations taste like they're punching way above their weight class. This is what happens when you treat Petit Chablis with Premier Cru respect. Pair it with oysters (obviously), seafood of any persuasion, goat cheese, roasted chicken, butter-poached lobster if you're feeling fancy, or anything that needs bright acidity and mineral backbone without the oak-and-malo fanfare.
2020 Great Heart Red Blend, Swartland
While most wine projects start with "let's make something expensive and exclusive," Chris and Andrea Mullineux looked at their Swartland vineyards and said "what if we made wine that funds our employees' futures instead?" Great Heart isn't just a clever name—it's an employee ownership project where everyone who's been with the winery for 2+ years becomes a shareholder and shares in the profits. The wine itself is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Shiraz from 16-40 year-old dry-farmed bush vines, aged 18 months in older French oak, and bottled as proof that doing good and making great wine aren't mutually exclusive.
The facts
82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Shiraz from Swartland, South Africa
Dry-farmed bush vines aged 16-40 years across 4 parcels
50% whole cluster fermentation with indigenous yeast
Aged 18 months in 3rd and 4th fill French oak (225L & 500L barrels) and 5000L foudre
4% ABV, employee-owned, and featuring a Cape Wagtail bird label (known for selflessness in South African folklore)
In the glass
Plums, mulberries, cloves, and black pepper meet lavender-scented dark fruit that Platter's South African Wine Guide rated 91 points while calling it supple with savoury bramble and cassis. The palate is full-bodied but never heavy—just concentrated Swartland sunshine wrapped in smooth tannins and enough freshness to keep everything lifted and compelling. There's peppery Shiraz spice playing backup to the Cabernet's structure, creating a wine that's both generous and restrained, bold without shouting. The older oak adds complexity without overwhelming the fruit, and the whole-cluster fermentation brings subtle herbal notes that make this the most versatile red in your arsenal. This is South African winemaking at its most thoughtful—great terroir, smart winemaking, and a business model that proves wine can be both delicious and meaningful. Pair it with braised short ribs, grilled lamb, herb-crusted beef, game meats, mushroom risotto, or anything that deserves wine with both power and grace working overtime to make the meal legendary.