Thanksgiving Week Selections

Domaine Pascal Balland Sancerre Les Caillotes 2024 comes from Bué, the historic heart of Sancerre, where Kimmeridgian limestone packed with fossilized oyster shells—remnants of ancient seas—creates the region's signature mineral drive. Pascal Balland farms 22 acres using sustainable, organic, vegan, and biodynamic practices. The name Les Caillotes references the small pebbles embedded in soil that provide exceptional drainage. After pneumatic pressing and temperature-controlled fermentation, the wine develops lemony brightness, crisp green apple, flint, and citrus zest with pronounced chalky minerality—a textbook Bué expression.

Domaine du Roc des Boutires Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Aux Bouthières 2021 represents the Parinet family's commitment to southern Burgundy's finest terroir. From their 4.2-hectare estate purchased in 2017, just 0.65 hectares of old-vine Chardonnay are reserved for this single-vineyard Premier Cru, planted between 250 and 500 meters elevation on clay soils interlaced with shale—the same Jurassic limestone substratum as Côte d'Or's grands crus. Winemaker Brice Laffond ages the wine 12 months in 50% oak and 50% stainless steel, yielding orange peel, citrus, jasmine, and a saline finish with round, unctuous texture.

Domaine Parent Ladoix 1er Cru La Corvée 2022 carries the weight of history. In 1787, Etienne Parent guided Thomas Jefferson through Burgundy's vineyards, pioneering exports to America. Claude Parent founded the Domaine in Pommard in 1803, and today Anne Parent—founder of Femmes et Vins de Bourgogne—leads the 12th generation into organic and biodynamic farming. La Corvée's clay-limestone soils produce Pinot Noir harvested by hand with double sorting, cold macerated 3-5 days, fermented 16-18 days on skins, then aged 14 months in 30% new French oak. The result: cherry, redcurrant, ripe silky tannins.

Jean-Baptiste Souillard Cornas Saint-Pierre 2022 comes from a site so cold it wasn't planted until 2000. After training at Château Latour and Comte Armand, Jean-Baptiste founded his micro-négociant in 2014, working from his family's 1900 farmhouse to champion single-parcel Northern Rhône terroirs. Saint-Pierre sits at 400 meters elevation on south-facing slopes of deeply weathered biotite-rich granite with metamorphosed schistose fabric, ripening 2-3 weeks after other Cornas sites. Using 40-100% whole clusters and aging 16-20 months in used barrels, this Syrah delivers black olive, smoked meat, crushed stone, and dark plum with mineral tension.