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At the start of every tasting, Rhône winemaker Denis Basset gives us small taste of white. “Just to set the palate,” he explains, before continuing on to his rich, syrah-based reds. The white is always lovely — floral and fresh, beautifully expressive, and a perfect way to start a tasting. And every year, when we ask how much we can buy, he smiles and shakes his head. (Loyal local restaurants are to blame).
The Loire Valley is known as the “Garden of France.” Its lush rolling hillsides produce nearly every type of wine, from dry to sweet, light to dark, and white and red to sparkling and rosé. One of region’s most distinct styles is an unoaked, juicy Cabernet Franc from the central Loire Valley.
Aligoté is Burgundy’s other white grape. Forever in the shadow of the finest Chardonnays in the world, Aligoté is rarely profound and never expensive. We’ve searched for years for one to add to our lineup, and have usually come up empty — most are too acidic, unbalanced, or thin.
“Remember gentlemen,” Winston Churchill once told his cabinet, “it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne.” Though no one may yet have matched Churchill’s enthusiasm for the stuff, Champagne continues to grow in popularity each year. Last summer we added our very first grower Champagne producer, and have since struggled mightily to keep it in stock.
As fashion has changed, dessert wines have faded from collectors’ inventories. But no serious cellar is complete without them. We think everyone — even casual wine enthusiasts — should have at least one dessert wine in their arsenal; and if it’s going to be just one, it should be Sauternes.
Winemakers in Burgundy often struggle with the weather — between hailstorms, vine maladies, and rain, it’s surprising wine gets made there at all. But two hours south in the Rhône Valley, things are (quite literally) much sunnier. The winemakers of the Rhône are blessed with abundant sun, disease resistant sandy soils, hearty vines, and a healthy north wind called the Mistral.
White Burgundy is a near-perfect food wine. With the possible exception of Riesling, no wine goes so well with so many different dishes. Bottles from famous producers can run well past $100 per bottle, but you don’t have to spend top dollar for delicious, classic white Burgundy.
Careful aging does fascinating things to a bottle of wine. Tannins soften, ripe fruits turn to cooked, and the palate adds fascinating secondary notes: mushrooms, underbrush, nuts, and tobacco. Not all wines require aging to reach their potential, but for those that do, there’s no substitute for time.
If enjoying life were an olympic sport, the French would certainly be on the medal stand. (Italy might well win the gold, but it’d be a photo finish.) Particularly in the south, things seem to move just a bit more leisurely. With warm sun and a cool dry breeze at your back, the bustle of Paris up north seems futile and far away.
Meursault is one of the oldest villages in Burgundy. The monks of Citeaux first planted vineyards here in 1098, and over the last 900 years the wines of Meursault have developed a reputation as some of the finest in the world. They were favorites of Thomas Jefferson, and today grace the wine lists and Instagram feeds of the celebrity sommelier class.
Sparkling wine is one of the culinary world’s most interesting creations. Many compete for the credit: the monks of Limoux in the South of France claim 1531 as the date of genesis; the Champenois, with their stories of widows and Benedictine monks, have certainly won the publicity war; and even the Brits, who invented glass thick enough to contain the pressure, stake a claim in the world of bubbles.
Burgundy isn’t always the most accessible of wines. The classification system is confusing, many bottles need cellaring, food pairing can be tricky, and there’s often a hefty entry fee. So we’re are always on the lookout for entry-level Burgundy — wine that drinks well young and that won’t break the bank.
Beside Chablis, the best secret in a white Burgundy lover’s cellar is his stash of St. Aubin. The village is easy to miss, wedged in a valley between Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. And though it rightly plays second fiddle to these two giants, it’s still a source for what wine writer Rajat Parr calls “some of the best-value Chardonnays in the world.”
Burgundy is expensive and luxurious by reputation. And with high demand and small supply, the number of Burgundies breaking the $100 per bottle threshold grows every year. We’re always on the hunt for honest, complex red Burgundy that won’t require a second mortgage.