Drink a really good white Burgundy before you die! Why?
It is the reason Chardonnay is the most planted white winegrape on the planet*
Vignerons around the world want to emulate the best … and a lot seem to think Chardonnay is the best when it comes to white wine … and that the best Chardonnay comes from Burgundy.
Yes, sure, there’s been lots of blind tastings over the last few decades (The Judgement of Paris being the first and most famous) where New World chardonnays have bested or been confused for top end Burgundy. But, does this mean white Burgundy is no good?
No! Not at all! It's like the classic sporting rivalry where the aspiring young athlete beats their hero. And, the real winner is the consumer. Yey, for us! The producers from both the New World and Burgundy keep each other on their toes and quality levels up.
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| Small fires protect the vineyards from frost in Meursault, Burgundy | © istock.com / Wirestock |
Burgundy is a fairly small but hugely fragmented region split into 100 appellations. In order of decreasing size these are either regional, district, commune, or single vineyard appellations. When people talk about white Burgundy they’re really talking about the wines from within the Cote de Beaune district and the communes and single vineyards within the Cote de Beaune. The three key communes that distinguish Chardonnay from the region are Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. And, then there’s numerous single vineyard sites within these communes that really are the pinnacle of Chardonnay.
In the 1850s, French wine connoisseur Dr Jules Lavalle ranked the vineyards of the region, and said, whatever price you were asked for a bottle of Le Montrachet, it was still a bargain. Prices have risen exponentially since then so he might not say the same now. However, I think the sentiment is the same—these wines are rare and ridiculously good so if you get offered to try one take it! Don’t do a Warren Buffett and take the money!!
Jancis Robinson MW sums Burgundy up in a nutshell rather well, saying it’s a small, expensive, infuriating, complicated region that can deliver paradise in a bottle. Availability and price will determine what white Burgundy(ies) will end up on your bucket list. But, given the plethora of producers and the variation between vintages, make sure you do some solid research on the wine beforeyou hand over the cash.
*Okay, sure there’s more Airen planted but most of this goes into making brandy in Spain and not very much into make white wine!