Deep Cover: What’s a day spent in Burgundy without a proper red?

And if you ask Wine Advocate, “It isn’t every day that one finds a promising new talent in Vosne-Romanée, but Benoît Chevallier is just that… Concentrated and characterful, the wines are beautifully structured and show compelling purity of fruit.”

It’s a Les Beaux Monts, too! Let’s see… per foremost Burgundy expert Steen Öhman aka Winehog “Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux Monts is located north of Richebourg, and above Échezeaux… the main part is classified as 1er Cru, and the bottom part is classified as Grand Cru and a part of Échezeaux.”

So, is it a Grand Cru, or not? While we get lost in Burgundy trivia once again, what’s crystal clear is that $199 ain’t gonna buy you no Richebourg or Échezeaux. For a 2022 Vosne Grand Cru like one of those, be prepared to spend A LOT. Value is in the eye of the beholder in Burgundy.

Here’s the catch, it has no reviews yet, while his first 3 vintages, 2019-2021 scored phenomenally well. With 2022 Vosne giving “rich, generous wines” per Wine Advocate, this is a sure bet that will only appreciate in time. If you get in on it at this price, it’s as low as you’ll ever see these wines. For the inaugural vintage, they wrote “aromas of plums, wild berries, warm spices, orange rind and raw cocoa introduce Chevallier’s debut Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts, a medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless wine with a fleshy core of fruit, lively acids, supple tannins and a long, perfumed finish… very successful indeed for a first release.” Just imagine Chevalier 4 years into his craft, working with some of the best possible fruit on the planet…

To emphasize how boutique the story of this vigneron is, back to Wine Advocate, “Benoît’s father, longtime mayor of Vosne-Romanée, retired in 2008, and the family vineyards were leased out, with the exception of one hectare… Happily, they were leased to a serious producer who farmed them attentively and organically, so when Benoît decided to commit to winemaking wholeheartedly and take back the vineyards in late 2018, they were well-maintained. Massal selections are the order of the day, as Benoît’s father did his own grafts, taking advantage of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s potting shed… Chevallier appears to have a bright future ahead of him.”

The short of it is, in this case, blind faith will pay. The catch? Only 2 barrels were made…