What's Laird Drinking Now?

Pterre Moncuit Grand Cru Mesnil Champagne: Mesnil, here Chardonnay finds a voice that is epic, equaled only in Montrachet and Grand Cru Chablis. Chalk, brioche, and almost crystalline mineral flavors come right to the surface; followed up by lemon, ginger, vanilla wafer, and iodine. Red apples peek out from the pitched acidity in a way that seems both piercing and yet mellow. The long finish hints at dry sherry with its nutty character.

2007 Domaines Leflaive Macon Verze Burgundy: Anne Leflaive is a towering figure in the world of wine. Her white burgundies are highly prized and sought the world over. Most of her wines are also quite rare and priced stratospherically. What is a poor wine lover to do? Luckily for us the Domaine has started a project in the much lower rent Macon area. This offers a chance to see the Leflaive style without another mortgage. Lemon custard, talcum powder, and split vanilla bean lead into nectarines and a stony quality. This wine is as clean as a whistle with a tremendous sense of youth and freshness. The Macon is up and coming and if more really serious winemakers from the northern end of Burgundy keep coming down it could get very interesting.