At its best, white Burgundy is a balance of richness and elegance. Expressions range across the region from light and crisp (Chablis) to lush and ripe (Maconnais), but if we had to pick one, our favorite expression is somewhere in the middle. At the center of this spectrum lies the famous stretch of Meursault, Puligny, and Chassage.
The whites from these three famous towns deserve every bit of their fame, but warmer summers have expanded the range of this sweet spot in the middle. And nowhere is this more apparent than Saint-Aubin, a valley stretching just off the main slope between Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny Montrachet.
We have several sources for Saint-Aubin – in fact we buy it just about where we can find it – but our most recent favorite is Sofie Borhmann. Bohrmann somehow still flies under the radar of most of the wine world, but if her wines keep tasting like this, she won’t for long.
Bohrmann’s white Burgundies are magnificent in 2020, but today we’re focused on her village-level Saint-Aubin from “Champ Tirant.” It’s Sofie’s first year making this wine, and it’s a knockout. The nose is a pitch-perfect blend of thyme, butter, cream and toast – Bohrmann uses a particular fine-grained Austrian oak for her barrels, permitting a long élevage with limited wood influence.
In the mouth this wine shines, easily matching the richness of a village Meursault or Chassagne. The texture is rich and opulent, with plenty of zip and a long, velvety finish. Look for notes of sweet cream butter, button mushrooms, and warm earth. The wine achieves a balance of fat and lean only possible in Burgundy – simply delicious white wine.
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Bohrmann St-Aubin “Champ Tirant” 2020
bottle price: $49
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