Domaine des Chambris Hautes Côtes Nuits Rouge 2018

It takes some off-roading to win the race to find red Burgundy at a price that doesn’t break the bank. It’s easy to cruise down the rue nationale and find world-class Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanee, or Nuits Saint Georges. It just takes a driver and a fat wallet as those wines start at $75 and quickly go north from there. In the case of Domaine des Chambris, I had to get up into the Hautes Côtes, a pastoral area set in the hills above the more famous Côtes de Nuits.

Here, winemaker, Pierre Laurent’s high elevation, organically farmed vineyards are a terrific new source for fresh red Burgundy. Pierre produces Pinot Noir with crunchy red fruit, pure, fine aromatics and a sharp vibrancy that makes it just sing with food. It’s a bargain; in my experience, there are very few red Burgundies with at $40 that deliver this kind of delicious drinkability.

At today’s price? Forget it, load up, I backed up the truck on this one.