Last holiday season, our staff had a smorgasbord tasting of champagnes from the Kogod cellar. I wasn’t able to attend, but Max was kind enough to hand-deliver some of the highlights to my doorstep, including David L'eclapart and Marguet. He also insisted that I needed to try Olivier Horiot, a micro-producer in the village of Les Riceys.

5 Sens (or five senses) is our favorite in the lineup and has the most breadth, as it's a blend of Arbane, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir. Les Riceys is a commune of three villages situated in the southernmost part of Champagne. The Kimmeridgian soil here is the same you'll find in Chablis and Sancerre, except these slopes primarily grow Pinot Noir. The village is also known for its Rosé des Riceys, a long-held tradition that’s now kept alive by a mere 15 to 20 producers.

Olivier is the third generation to pursue viticulture. His father and grandfather sold all their fruit to the local cave coopérative until Olivier began winemaking in 1999. The Horiots farm seven hectares—all farmed biodynamically—but keep just two hectares for themselves. Olivier jokingly calls it the Champagne equilibrium. “This balance [allows us] to have more fun with the stuff we vinify independently,” he explained to Louis/Dressner, “to craft them more to our taste.”

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While Pierre Yves was the first to go out on his own from the Colin family, his younger brother, Joseph, proved with his 2017 inaugural release that he's also the real deal. In his latest review, wine critic of The Wine Advocate William Kelley says: "Joseph Colin—who left Domaine Marc Colin to start a domaine of his own in 2016—is going from strength to strength and is justly delighted with his 2019 portfolio."

So how does Joseph's style differ from that of his older brother? They generally have less of a reductive element, and the new oak is a bit more (still just 25% nearly across the board). The fruit profile has a touch more flesh and forward personality but shares the hallmark salinity and verve found in Pierre Yves' wines. Stylistically, the brothers share much more in common than their father, Marc Colin, whose wines have a stronger imprint of new oak and softer, glossier texture.

In 1993, Joseph began working full-time at his family's domain at the age of 19. The brothers spent ten years working alongside their father until Pierre Yves left to start his own domaine in 2003. Joseph has been at the helm of Domaine Marc Colin ever since and, in 2017, took six hectares of the family's holdings for himself.

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From release through decades in bottle, no Cru Beaujolais producer consistently thrills like Jean Foillard. Young producers, like Yann Bertrand, call him a mentor, and other contemporaries call him the Morgon Master. Regardless of where your preferences lie within the unparalleled values found in Cru Beaujolais, Foillard is the benchmark.

Yes, Foillard's wines are breathtaking after decades in bottle, but the true gift of Cru Beaujolais is its unrivaled approachability upon release. These top cuvées will improve and transform with time, but for those who don't care to wait so long, the silky, harmonious, and pure-fruited elements and perfect focus from day one are how Foillard earned his fame. He offers the best of both worlds!

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