The Muzard brothers are based in Santenay, one of the rare Côte de Beaune villages that hasn't yet exploded into the popular consciousness as a source of collectible Burgundy. And so, Domaine Muzard also remains under the radar, despite being one of our go-to sources for spot-on, yet fairly-priced, Burgundy.

Now, nobody would be terribly surprised to hear that Domaine Muzard's 2021 Meursault "Meix Chavaux" is delicious. Meursault is a big name! And if we told you that this particular bottling is from old vines, one third of them planted in 1935 (!) and the rest from 1988 and 2001, you'd expect that the wine would express all the stony, mineral goodness you could want from the cool Meix Chavaux site.

And if we told you that not only do they farm organically, but that they treat each vine with individual care (for instance, they de-bud the vines that face the morning sun differently than the ones that face the afternoon sun, to ensure the best possible airflow and healthiest ripening), you would expect something exceptional. And you'd be right — the Meix Chavaux is very special!

Knowing about the painstaking work that goes into their village-level Santenay "Champs Claude" doesn't prepare most people for how delicious the wine is. These vines are farmed with the same care as their more famous cousins in Meursault. Even when we tell folks that the site abuts Chassagne 1er Cru vineyards, they don't necessarily expect something this good for this price. And that's just because Santenay isn't the big name that Meursault and Chassagne are.

There are reasons for that. The village's terroir is more of a hodgepodge than Chassagne's, making it harder to wrap your head around. In Santenay, geological faults create a patchwork of soils and subsoils. And Santenay has no Grand Cru vineyards to hitch its wagon to. But the facts are that the terroir is great, and there are more and more quality producers proving that vintage after vintage. And so, we reckon that pretty soon, the name Santenay won't be under the radar anymore.

Lucien Muzard et Fils, Santenay Champs Claude Blanc, 2021 $42.99

Lucien Muzard et Fils, Meursault Les Meix Chavaux, 2021 $89.99