One day a year. For someone who has been managing, anticipating, and quietly fixing things that no one else noticed were broken. The least we can do is open something that took the same level of care to produce.

Here are 3 bottles worth featuring — and worth talking about — before May 10.

Numa Cornut 2023 Meursault

Meursault, Southern Côte de Beaune, Burgundy | 100% Chardonnay | Plot: Les Narvaux

Meursault is the most celebrated white wine village in Burgundy, and Numa Cornut makes wine there by tasting and assessing each wine before any cellar decision, rather than working from formulas. Fermented in a combination of oak and stainless steel, aged approximately 10 months in 228L Chassin and François Frères M+ barrels. The 2023 vintage gave Burgundy a warm, generous growing season with good freshness and healthy volumes across appellations.

The Les Narvaux plot sits on the gentle east-facing slopes of the Côte de Beaune, between 230 and 360 meters, where soils shift from deep and colored near the village to lighter, stonier profiles higher on the slope.

In the glass: golden color, aromas of honey, lime blossom, and hazelnut butter, with occasional notes of camomile or hawthorn. The palate is silky. The finish is long and persistent, closing on yellow plum and gingerbread. 

Pair with pan-roasted fish, lobster with butter, roast chicken, or soft-rind cheeses.

Philippe Fontaine Champagne Brut Prestige NV

Balnot-sur-Laignes & Les Riceys, Aube | 40% Pinot Blanc, 35% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier, 10% Chardonnay

The Philippe Fontaine team farms 30-year-old vines on chalky, marly superior Jurassic era soils at 590 feet in the Aube. The Brut Prestige spends 48 months aging sur latte before release — more than 3 times the minimum required for non-vintage Champagne.

The result is burnished yellow with flecks of copper. Fresh pastry, creamy golden fruit, subtle rosemary, and tarragon on the nose. The palate is round and medium-heavy, with fine bubbles carrying chalk, white flower, orange blossom, and white fruit through a long, lush finish.

Pair with seared scallops, lobster, butter-broiled steaks, or triple crème cheese. Equally compelling on its own.

Chêne Vert 2022 Crozes-Hermitage Rouge

Rhône Valley | 100% Syrah | “des Châssis” plateau, La Roche-de-Glun

The “des Châssis” plateau sits on rolled pebbles, gravel, and sand — fast-draining soils that push old vines to work. Many of those vines were planted between the 1940s and 1980s. Farming is organic throughout: natural soil enrichment, manual harvest, plot-sorted fruit. The 2022 was macerated 10 days, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and aged 12 months in Burgundian barrel.

Sweet spice on the nose, a clear violet note with air. The palate is finely tannic — coated, smooth, and fresh — with real length and no heaviness. For a table that wants a red with some weight and personality. The winemaker recommends a rib of beef, or  Valrhona chocolate to close the evening properly.

Pair with braised or roasted red meats, aged cheeses, or dark chocolate.

To get these into your inventory before May 10, contact your JPB rep or reach us at marketing@jp-bourgeois.com.