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There are bottles that ask to be admired, and bottles that ask to be listened to. Domaine de la Grand’Cour Fleurie “Le Clos” 2014 belongs firmly in the second category: a Cru Beaujolais that has moved beyond simple charm and into something more layered, more resonant, and much more interesting to drink with time in the glass. This is the kind of wine that reminds you why Fleurie, at its best, can sit comfortably at a table with far more famous names.

William Kelley’s path from Oxford tasting rooms to his own domaine in Burgundy says a lot about how top wines are made today. His story is not only about talent and terroir, but about how deeply a person can absorb the accumulated knowledge of a region and turn it into something new without losing respect for its classics.

There’s a particular kind of tasting where the bottles in front of you are clearly not built for the fine wine distribution, but still ask for more attention than their playful labels suggest. This lineup feels exactly like that: natural‑leaning wines that sit a few steps away from the world of great Bordeaux and Burgundy, yet still speak to anyone whose palate has spent a little too long in that company.

Epic lineups call for epic nights. 🍷 From grower Champagne and legendary Loire natural juice to back-to-back Right Bank Bordeaux royalty, this was pure magic in a glass. Here is the breakdown of what went down.