“Wines that refuse to compromise in any way the character of the place they spring from.” – Food & Wine

Somebody pinch me. Premier Cru red Burgundy by DRC winemaker yet UNDER $50?

95 points too?! This MUST be a dream. Or did I hit snooze too many times?

Nope, wide awake. Senses heightened. Caffeinated and JAZZED UP. This is it, fellow Burgundy freaks, the one we’ve been waiting for all year. All the pedigree and complexity wines 10-100 times its price bring to the table at a price that you can no longer find mediocre Burgundy by the glass.

Sadly, it’s a 50-case stash that we found behind the proverbial door and went scratching our heads while it was already on a truck, how could this still be around?! Santa, you hear me?

Wine Spectator has the story: “Philippe Pascal didn’t want to spend his retirement simply drinking great Burgundy - he wanted to make it. After decades as an executive at luxury giant LVMH, working as CEO at Moët Hennessy Group, and serving as the adviser to LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, Pascal purchased Cellier aux Moines, a run-down ancient monastery with vineyards, in 2004. Eight years later, he left corporate life behind to focus on it full-time… In 2015 he hired Marko Guillaume, whose resume includes stints at Arnoux-Lachaux and Domaine de la Romanée Conti. The winemaker introduced whole cluster fermentation and a single-plot winemaking approach.”

Ahem. The cheapest Arnoux-Lachaux red you’ll find will be way over $1,000 a pop. And DRC? You don’t even wanna know these days! Roughly 50 bottles worth of this 1er Cru deal may get you 1 bottle of theirs. It’s THAT great a value proposal, with par winemaking, equally pampered and spoiled grapes.

One whiff and you know what all that means. The authority, the purity, the intensity, and the expensive oak, all are a testament that this is in the upper echelon of the world’s greatest Pinot Noirs. Flawlessly balanced, silky in mouthfeel, and strikingly complex, it’s as good as it gets, really, with a finish that goes on and on.

Can’t think of a better source than the ultimate luxury-lifestyle magazine Robb Report to conclude that “Domaine du Cellier aux Moines now produces some of the most coveted wines in Givry… And while Pascal’s wines are currently among the most expensive in the Côte Chalonnaise, he is quick to note that the price gap between his bottles and those from the Côte de Nuits ‘is still enormous.’ Which means now is a perfect time to pick up vintages for both drinking and cellaring: “Enjoying Givry’s finest could soon be a far more expensive proposition.”

This may be the last chance to pile up on this investment-grade Burgundy today, while it’s here.

95 Points – James Suckling

“Rippling with cassis, sour-cherry and forest-berry aromas, this is a stunning Givry 1er Cru that marries excellent concentration with very fine, precisely crafted tannins, the lively acidity adding a light touch at the very graceful finish, where the wonderful freshness suggests this has excellent aging potential. From biodynamically grown grapes. Bottled unfiltered. Drink or hold.”