Much has been written about Burgundy and its quality and value relative to California and Oregon, but in this case we need to get more specific. Regional level Burgundy (labeled, in French, as Bourgogne Rouge) represents around 50% of its total production, Village level (such as Gevrey-Chambertin, Pommard and Chablis) represents around 38% and Premier Cru (often written as 1er) level 10% with Grand Cru just 1% to 2%. As the boundaries of each of these levels, especially the Premier and Grand Crus, have been practically written in stone since the middle ages, the supply of these wines have not and will not increase regardless of population growth and, therefore, they are indeed expensive. We would, however, submit that the only level where the quality-to-price ratio is really out of whack in comparison to California and Oregon is at the Grand Cru level. Paying many hundreds of dollars to a few thousand dollars for a bottle of Grand Cru far exceeds the pricing of California and Oregon, but are Premier Crus more expensive than ambitious California and/or Oregon? Not really. So, we are excited to share this wine with you California wine enthusiasts as our baller selection, and believe that it is (as all Kompas wines are!) great value. And while one can quibble about the relative merits of specific Premier Crus versus each other and even against Grand Crus, and draw distinctions between them, the whole point of the Premier Cru designation is to identify the vineyards throughout the region that have consistently demonstrated quality that gives confidence to the consumer and brings respect to the Premier Cru classification itself. Laurent Cognard is the third generation of his family to grow grapes in Burgundy, but he is the first to bottle his own wine. Since starting in 1997 with 3.3 acres of his family’s Les Bassets (translating to “rather low”) vineyard, he has built the family domaine up to 26 acres. Farming with future generations in mind, he is certified sustainable and transitioning to organic. With an east-southeast aspect this vineyard gets relief from the late afternoon sun and is able to retain more freshness. Laurent makes the wine with traditional Burgundian methods such as using only the native yeasts to ferment the wine in open-topped oak fermenters, but he breaks with tradition by aging the wine in barrels that are more than twice the usual size to retain more freshness and minerality and uses less that 10% new oak so that oak flavors don’t dominate. The intense flavors and acidity of this wine would pair well with intensely flavored cream sauces.