Domaine de la Tour du Bief, Moulin-à-Vent

Gather round everyone, because this $32 SommSelect exclusive hails from a historic “Grand Cru” site that was once consumed, priced, and admired on the same plane as Pommard, Hermitage, Meursault-Charmes, and Bâtard-Montrachet. Already intrigued? Then brace yourself for the following: In the 1800s, several elite Burgundy villages were granted the rare privilege to append the top vineyard to their name which gave birth to Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Puligny-Montrachet, and Romanèche-Thorins. Obviously, we know about the world-renowned fame, high prices, and luxurious appeal of the first three, but what of Thorins? This ancient lieu-dit makes up a small piece of legendary Moulin-à-Vent, the undisputed “king” of the crus—in fact, wines from here were labeled “Grand Cru Classé” as late as the 1970s! And if there was ever a producer to emphatically prove and revive “Thorins” premier status of yore, it’d be Domaine de la Tour du Bief. We discovered this 17th-century domaine while in Fra