White Burgundy Essentials
Vintage image sourced on Pinterest
How can you taste all of White Burgundy in just 6 wines? The answer: you can’t. But. You can still use this tasting guide to explore some of the region’s best-known White Burgundy appellations with friends without breaking the bank.
This is a tasting guide for those who hear the words “White Burgundy” and think, so what is that, exactly? Why are White Burgundies considered the Chardonnay wines? Is it Burgundy or Bourgogne? Why are there so many French words on the bottles, and why doesn’t it just say on the label that it’s a White Burgundy?
These questions and others will be answered within, promise.
If you’re already well into the world of Burgundy, you can still use this tasting as a refresher or an experience guide, a way to compare the best-known villages side-by-side. Just know that it’s written for those who are new here, and that 6 wines will never cover the beast that is Burgundy in its entirety. Even one of my beloved (and heavy) 800-page Burgundian tomes can’t cover every single thing.
Stuff to know
Place
Burgundy (or Bourgogne, if we’re using the proper French) is a region that’s all about place. Terroir, to be more specific. Terroir is that not-quite-translatable French word that connotes place, but also history, tradition, viticultural and winemaking practices, soil, climate, topography and more. It’s a word used not just in France, but all over the world of wine, and Burgundy is the king of terroir.
It’s impossible to explain Burgundy’s strong focus on terroir without sharing a bit of history. In particular, we have to talk about the monks. They weren’t the first to plant grapevines in Burgundy, since that happened during Gallo-Roman times more than 2,000 years ago, but the medieval monks of Cluny and Citeaux are the people we have to thank for modern Burgundy’s crazy intricacy, complexity…and appeal.
During the Middle Ages, when the church ran most of the viticultural and winemaking activities in France, the Benedictine and Cistercian monks of Cluny and Citeaux got busy defining the climats (”klee-mah”) - a Burgundian word for single vineyards - down to the nearest meter. Some of the vineyards were outlined by stone walls, making their boundaries even clearer. Clos Vougeot is the largest and most famous of these Clos (”kloh”) - the single vineyards bordered by stone walls.
This process of identifying and parcelling out single vineyards wasn’t just a monastic exercise - it was an early classification system. Every single vineyard was identified and ranked based on the wine quality, both for red (Pinot Noir-based) and white (Chardonnay-based) wines. Vineyards’ borders were carefully defined by everything from aspect, incline, soil composition, sunlight exposure, surrounding vegetation and more.
After the French Revolution, the church and its monks lost most of their authority and vineyard ownership, but their vineyard-based classification systems remained. Vineyards were confiscated by the government and auctioned off, breaking up some of the larger vineyards into smaller parcels as the monks’ quality rankings were used to drive auction prices.
Then there was the Napoleonic Code, requiring that all children receive equal inheritance, which isn’t exactly cut and dry when we’re talking about parcels of vineyards. Over the many years since, family vineyard holdings have been divided and sub-divided so much that things can get really confusing, since there are often several producers with the same last names, each with their own winemaking styles and vineyard holdings. Many families also donated parcels of vines, sometimes as small as just a single row, to the Hospices de Beaune, adding to the complexity.
This intricate situation has led to some Burgundy aficionados’ belief that the producer’s name on the bottle is a better indicator of quality than the name of the vineyard, appellation or even vintage. Whatever you believe, this system of climats is now so widely recognized and appreciated that it’s even become an UNESCO World Heritage site.
Burgundy is pretty far north as far as wine regions go, sitting at 47 degrees North in east-central France. Only vineyards in Alsace, Champagne and Germany further north, at least if you’re looking at the “classic” wine regions, since of course wine is now made in the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Canada. All wine regions are affected by the vintage, or the weather in a particular year’s growing season…but the ones in northern climes tend to be particularly affected, so vintage will always be an important factor with Burgundy wines. Some years are better than others, and things can vary within different parts of the region even in a single vintage. If you’re lost as to which to buy or drink, ask your local retailer or check online for vintage charts.
Grape
Chardonnay is the only grape used to make White Burgundy, even though there are other white grapes grown in Burgundy and used in Aligoté and Crémant wines.
Burgundy is where Chardonnay originated, so it’s widely thought to be Chardonnay’s proper home. White Burgundy wines have long been considered to be the world’s best Chardonnay wines, and there are winemakers all over the world imitating the Burgundian style as a way to give their own wines more appeal and prestige. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard versions of “this Chardonnay is as good as the best of Burgundy” used to sell to Chardonnays from pretty much anywhere else in the world. Burgundy, without doubt, is still held up as the gold standard.
Winemaking
There are many ways to make a White Burgundy, despite what you might hear. Traditionalists might tell you that White Burgundy should start with just-ripe hand-harvested grapes, gently pressed, after which the juice is moved into oak barrels, usually old or lightly toasted new barrels for fermentation, followed by malolactic fermentation and lees stirring (bâtonnage) accompanied by more barrel aging before bottling, all of which is described in more detail in Full Bodied Whites. Only after all of this is a “true” White Burgundy made.
In wine regions elsewhere in the world, this process is even sometimes used as shorthand, when a winemaker might say that they follow Burgundian practices for their Chardonnays in the winery.
The thing is, this is just one way to make a White Burgundy, and there are options galore that winemakers are allowed to choose amongst - even within restrictive French appellation rules.
Some winemakers prefer to harvest slightly early, aiming for wines with higher acidity and aromatic restraint. Some prefer to harvest as late as they can, aiming for the ripest, most luscious wines they can achieve.
Some winemakers press their grapes in whole bunches, aiming for the gentlest possible press. Some press destemmed grapes, believing that a bit of skin contact adds flavor and texture to the final wine.
Some prefer to start fermentation in stainless steel vats before moving the juice into barrels. Some skip the barrels entirely, especially in Chablis, or if they’re aiming to make an inexpensive style of White Burgundy, like a Bourgogne Blanc.
Some prefer to use new oak barrels, some prefer only old oak. Some like their new oak with just a kiss of toast, some like a bit more heat on the barrels, so that they impart more vanilla flavor.
Many prefer malolactic fermentation to run its course, but some winemakers fully or partially block it to retain more of the tart green apple-like malic acidity, especially if it was a particularly warm year.
Some winemakers swear by lees stirring, aiming for creamy, textured wines, while others believe that minimal handling is the best way to achieve a balanced White Burgundy and to avoid oxidation.
All of this to say that there isn’t, and most likely never was, a just one way to make a White Burgundy wine, despite what so-called traditionalists or modernists might otherwise claim. As you taste, try to find out what choices the winemakers made so that you can begin to sort through which styles you most prefer.
Appellations (AOCs)
French wine regions are legally defined as appellations, or more accurately, Appellation D’origine Contrôlée (AOCs) or Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOPs). Each appellation is geographically defined, though it will also contain rules and regulations related to grape varieties, winemaking practices, harvesting yields and more in an effort to keep French wines’ reputation, characteristics and quality levels consistent and recognizable worldwide.
Burgundy has 84 different appellations, which is a lot for a single region that isn’t all that big, just about 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres). This is especially true when you consider that there are just about 300 wine appellations in the whole of France, and that the entire region of Champagne is pretty much just one single appellation. Bordeaux, by contrast, has 65 appellations, and is more than 3x’s the size of Burgundy at about 110,000 hectares (271,000 acres).
While useful in beginning to understand Burgundy, the region’s appellations unfortunately don’t entirely correlate 1:1 with vineyard classifications, adding to the Burgundian complexity.
Regions within a Region
Burgundy isn’t just one single region. Within Burgundy, there are four (or five, really) regions for still wines that each have their own styles. This printable map from Vins de Bourgogne offers a great visual guide.
Chablis (”sha-blee”) is the furthest north, known for its Chardonnay wines, though not included in this tasting, since I believe that Chablis deserves a tasting all its own. Chablis is not geographically connected to the rest of Burgundy, and in fact is closer to Champagne than the Côte d’Or (the golden slope), considered the heart of the Burgundian vineyards. In this cool, northern region, Chardonnay wines are usually unoaked and tend to be leaner, less creamy and more subtle than those from further south. Chablis is the only part of Burgundy that isn’t geographically connected to the rest.
The Côte d’Or (”coat door”) is the “golden slope,” a reference to the way that sunlight hits the mostly east- and southeast-facing vineyards along the succession of slopes that comprise this appellation, which covers both the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune.
The Côte de Nuits (”coat duh nwee”) is the northern stretch of the Côte d’Or, spanning about 20 km (12.4 miles) from north to south. Most of the Côte de Nuits is planted with Pinot Noir for Red Burgundy wines, though there are some White Burgundy appellations here too. Many believe the Côte de Nuits contains the most prestigious swath of Burgundian vineyards. There is also an Hautes Côtes de Nuits, a less prestigious section of vineyards that lie on plateaus at higher elevations than the rest of the Côte de Nuits.
The Côte de Beaune (”coat duh bone”) is the southern stretch of the Côte d’Or, similarly spanning about 20 km (12.4 miles) from north to south. The Côte de Beaune is more mixed between Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and the most prestigious White Burgundy appellations lie here. The town of Beaune, its namesake, is widely considered the historical heart of Burgundy, and is a must-visit for anyone heading to the region. There is also an Hautes Côtes de Beaune, a less prestigious section of vineyards that lie on a plateau at a higher elevation to the west of the rest of the rest of the Côte de Beaune.
The Côte Chalonnaise (”coat sha-loh-naze”) is just south of the Côte de Beaune, and spans about 25 km (15.5 miles) from north to south. The Côte Chalonnaise is even more mixed than the Côte de Beaune, with not just villages dedicated to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but also the village of Bouzeron, where Aligoté gets its chance to shine.
The Mâconnais (”mah-coh-nay”) is the southernmost region, spanning about 35 km (21.7 miles) from north to south. Two valleys run through the region, one to the east and one to the west, with vineyards galore in between. Most of the Mâconnais is dedicated to Chardonnay, and some Burgundy’s best-value white wines are made in this warm and sunny southern section. The reds here are usually made with Gamay, since the Mâconnais is just north of Beaujolais, where Gamay reigns.
Quality Levels
Quality in Burgundy is tied to place, even though it’s not a perfect proxy, since there’s simply too much variation between producers and vintages to claim that all Grand Cru wines are better than Premier Cru wines, for example. I’ve had enough tasting experiences both supporting and refuting the system to know that it serves a valuable purpose…but shouldn’t be taken for gospel.
The easiest way to depict the Burgundy quality levels is to imagine a four-tiered pyramid since there are more of the lower-quality wines produced, and far fewer of the top quality ones. You know the deal: supply and demand.
At the base of the pyramid: Bourgogne Blanc is the name for regional wines, in this case White Burgundy’s regional wines, which means that the grapes can come from anywhere within Burgundy. These wines are the gateway White Burgundy wines, as their affordability reflects. Most are unoaked, and they’re generally simpler, easy-going wines known for their everyday appeal.
The next level up: Village wines come from a particular village in Burgundy, as the word implies. There are 44 different village appellations in Burgundy, of which 34 produce White Burgundy wines (including those around Chablis). If you want to French things up, ask for a “vee-lazhe” White Burgundy, rather than using the English pronunciation.
The next level up: Premier Cru (or 1er Cru) wines are a big leap up the pyramid, since there are far fewer of these wines made from specific vineyards inside particular villages. It’s both easier and harder to learn about all of Burgundy’s Premier Cru, since the names of the villages are included on the bottles’ labels, making it easier to identify which village a Premier Cru vineyard lies within…but there are also 662 Premier Crus, each with its own rules, each thought to have its own quality level, with even more variation once you add in producer and vintage. Similarly, pronouncing this as “prehm-yay kroo” rather than using the English pronunciation will get you bonus points when ordering.
At the top of the pyramid: Grand Cru wines are the fewest, rarest and most prestigious (and expensive) of all Burgundy wines. The labels of these wines’ bottles won’t mention a village; the name of the Grand Cru vineyard is considered sufficient information, since these are the vineyards to know to be in the know. There are only 33 Grand Crus, of which only 10 can make White Burgundy, including Chablis Grand Cru. All of the Grand Crus are in the Côte d’Or, spread between the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. Several of the White Burgundy Grand Crus share names, like Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet, or Corton-Charlemagne and Corton. Sometimes, a Grand Cru is allowed to make both white (Chardonnay) and red (Pinot Noir) wines, in which case the wine will be called “Blanc” or “Rouge” accordingly, for example “Corton Grand Cru Blanc” for a White Burgundy wine from Corton.
Aging White Burgundy
If you’ve never even thought about aging wine, and frankly just don’t have the space or interest, feel free to skip this section.
In theory, White Burgundies are the Chardonnay wines that age better than any other Chardonnay wines in the world. In reality, things get more complex. As they pretty much always do when it comes to wine.
Vintage variation is always, always a big deal when it comes to Burgundy. Which vintage should be enjoyed when is a never-ending topic of discussion amongst Burgundy aficionados, and there are guides galore to help you decide if you’re facing this dilemma.
There are also lots of opinions on when White Burgundies are at their best. Should they be drunk young, middle-aged, old? How old is old anyway? There isn’t really a clear-cut guide for this, since your own opinion is what matters most. Still, it’s worth understanding that younger wines tend to have more aromas and flavors of fresh fruits, while wines that are middle-aged will start to show more aromas and flavors from aging, like hazelnuts, almonds, honey and toast, with subtler fruit flavors, which sometimes start to taste more like dried fruits instead of fresh ones. White Burgundies that have been aging for a decade or more will usually start to have earthy aromas and flavors, like white button mushrooms, which I swear can be gorgeous despite how it might sound.
There’s another catch to all of this though. White Burgundies have faced this thing called premature oxidation, nicknamed “premox.” Oxidation is exactly what it sounds like, exposure to oxygen, which does things to wine that are similar to what you see when you leave a piece of cut apple on your counter and it turns brown and tastes weird. Oxidized wines darken and their flavors become muted, replaced by flavors of bruised apples and nuts that just don’t work well in these wines. The premox problem, in which some wines began to oxidize far earlier than they should have, began in the mid-90s. While it’s not entirely clear exactly what caused it, Burgundian winemakers have conducted research and made changes galore to their winemaking practices in efforts to eradicate this problem.
What to look for in this tasting
White Burgundy isn’t really known for its aromas and flavors first. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that they’re not important, it’s just that all of the quieter things, like structure and texture, tend to take precedence when discussing all of the varying subtleties that make White Burgundy special.
Structure-wise, White Burgundy wines generally tend to have moderate to high acidity levels, which should feel persistent no matter how full-bodied the wine is. As for the body, “traditional” White Burgundy is full-bodied, but really, the amount of body in the wine will vary from vintage to vintage, since there are cooler (lighter) and warmer (fuller) years, and the winemaking choices will also affect body, since oak-aging, malolactic fermentation and lees stirring all add body, while unoaked wines without any of those can be quite light.
Texture is similar to body in that there aren’t great words to describe liquid textures, so we tend to borrow from fabrics in an effort to help others understand what’s happening in our mouths. White Burgundies can be silky and satiny, but they can also impart a prickling sensation or feel almost yogurt-like in their creaminess. Again, textures can vary based on everything from vineyard to vintage to winemaking to age.
And ok, yes, there are still the aromas and flavors. These, too, vary widely, with everything from citrusy lemon and lime to white peach, green and golden apples to the occasional tropical pineapple, mango or banana. Aside from the fruit, there are often aromas and flavors from malolactic fermentation, oak aging or lees stirring, like fresh cream, yogurt, butter, toast, hazelnuts, almonds and vanilla. Minerality is an oft-debated wine word, but it’s still a common descriptor for White Burgundies, with aromas and flavors of flint, wet stone or crushed gravel.
As White Burgundies age, fruit flavors tend to take a back seat or start to taste more dried than fresh, while earthy aromas like white mushrooms and truffles begin to enter the scene.
The wines
Note: For this tasting, I’ve selected 6 Burgundian villages from the Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais to give you a sense of what White Burgundy is all about without breaking the bank. For each village, I’ve included the Premier Crus as well as neighboring village-level appellations as alternatives.
There are many ways to taste through Burgundy, comparing vintages or producers within a single village or vineyard, neighboring plots and more. This tasting guide is intended to give you a sense of the breadth of White Burgundy, at any level of wine knowledge.
#1: Meursault
Meursault (”mer-sew”) is the best-known village for White Burgundy. It’s the largest village in the Côte de Beaune, always a factor, but it’s also known for a style of White Burgundy that is soft, rich, decadent, even unctuous. When people say that White Burgundy always tastes like fresh butter and toasted hazelnuts, they’re likely generalizing based on experiences with wines from Meursault.
Meursault, while famed, has reputational advantages and disadvantages when compared to the other top-quality White Burgundy villages in the Côte de Beaune: Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. Meursault is best known for the quality of its village-level wines, and there are just a few Premier Crus, including Les Perrières and Les Charmes, that are particularly well known as standout vineyards. There aren’t any Grand Cru vineyards in Meursault to add to its quality reputation, in contrast to the Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montachet, which boast a total of 5 Grand Crus between them.
Nevertheless, Meursault serves as a byword for White Burgundy, particularly at the village level.
You can find a printable map of the village of Meursault here, in case you’d like to include it in your tasting. There is also a list of the growers who produce wine in Meursault that can be found here.
What to ask for: Ask by name. Some bottlings may include lieux-dits (named vineyards or portions of vineyards) on the bottle, such as Les Tillets, Les Narvaux, Les Criots and Les Clous.
Alternative(s):
Côte de Beaune villages with similar styles: Pernand-Vergelesses, Blagny, Auxey-Durresses
19 Meursault Premier Crus: Les Perrières, Les Charmes, Les Genevrières, Les Cras, Les Caillerets, Blagny, Clos des Perrières, Le Porusot, Porusot, La Jeunellotte, La Pièce sous le Bois, Les Bouchères, Les Gouttes d’Or, Les Plures, Les Ravelles, Les Santenots Blancs, Les Santenots du Milieu, Sous Blagny, and Sous le Dos d’Ane.
#2: Puligny-Montrachet
Puligny-Montrachet (”poo-lee-nyee mon-rah-shay”) is the darling of most White Burgundy aficionados, beloved for its elegance and age-ability. The wines from this village in the Côte de Beaune are known less for the buttery richness that some believe defines White Burgundy, and more for their floral aromas like lilies and elderflower and their steely, flinty core of precise acidity and minerality. They’re more delicate than soft, though it’s the kind of delicate that’s like an iron fist in a velvet glove.
The original village of Puligny appended the name of the Grand Cru vineyard Montrachet to its name to add to its prestige and recognition. Chassagne-Montrachet, the neighboring village that shares a border and two Grand Cru vineyards with Puligny, did the same, as both villages borrowed caché from their most famous vineyard.
You can find a printable map of the village of Puligny-Montrachet here, in case you’d like to include it in your tasting. There is also a list of the growers who produce wine in Puligny-Montrachet that can be found here.
What to ask for: Ask by name. Some bottlings may include lieux-dits (named vineyards or portions of vineyards) on the bottle, such as Les Charmes or Les Enseignères.
Alternative(s):
Côte de Beaune Villages with similar styles: Saint-Romain, Savigny-lès-Beaune
17 Puligny-Montrachet Premier Crus: Les Demoiselles, Le Cailleret, Les Pucelles, Les Folatières, Les Combettes, Champ Canet, Les Referts, Les Perrières, Clavaillon, Champ Gain, La Garenne, Clos de la Garenne, Les Chalumeaux, Sous le Puits, La Truffière, Hameau de Blagny, and Clos de la Mouchère.
#3: Chassagne-Montrachet
Chassagne-Montrachet (”sha-sahn-yuh mon-rah-shay”), along with Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet, makes up the top 3 best-known villages for White Burgundy, all located in the Côte de Beaune. While Meursault and Puligny offer contrasting styles: one rich and buttery, the other floral and steely, the White Burgundies from Chassagne lie somewhere in the middle. There are floral aromas and minerality, but these wines tend to be rounder, softer and mellower than those from Puligny. There are flavors of fresh butter, toast and hazelnuts, but they tend not to be quite as prominent as they are in the wines of Meursault. If you’re in the Goldilocks camp of “not too much, not too little,” Chassagne-Montrachets might be right up your alley.
Chassagne-Montrachet differs from Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet in that the village used to be predominantly planted with Pinot Noir, rather than Chardonnay, and Pinot still makes up a significant portion of plantings today.
Like Puligny-Montrachet, the original village of Chassagne appended the name of the Grand Cru vineyard Montrachet to its name to add to its prestige and recognition. Puligny-Montrachet, its neighbor, shares a border and two Grand Cru vineyards with Chassagne as both villages borrow caché from Le Montrachet.
You can find a printable map of the village of Chassagne-Montrachet here, in case you’d like to include it in your tasting. There is also a list of the growers who produce wine in Chassagne-Montrachet that can be found here.
What to ask for: Ask by name. Some bottlings may include lieux-dits (named vineyards or portions of vineyards) on the bottle, such as Pot Bois or Blanchot Dessous.
Alternative(s):
Côte de Beaune Villages with similar styles: Santenay, Maranges
55 Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Crus, including: Cailleret, Les Vergers, Les Chaumées, Les Grandes Ruchottes, La Romanée, Clos St. Jean, Blanchot Dessus, Vide Bourse, La Grande Montagne and Les Fairendes.
#4: Saint-Aubin
Saint-Aubin (”san-toh-ban”) is in the Côte de Beaune, tucked in near Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, but it’s not one of the “big 3” White Burgundy villages: Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
Saint-Aubin is considered an excellent alternative, a Côte de Beaune village where you can still find great value White Burgundy, sometimes even age-worthy wines. Saint-Aubin wines tend to be nearly as steely and flinty as Puligny-Montrachets, though not quite as floral or delicate. They often have more richness and can be easier to enjoy while young.
Saint-Aubin is predominantly dedicated to White Burgundy, but like Chassagne-Montrachet, it used to be mostly Pinot Noir plantings. Over the years, the quality of the White Burgundy wines has outpaced the reds, and growers have shifted their plantings accordingly, with just a small amount of Pinot Noir still planted today.
You can find a printable map of the village of Saint-Aubin here, in case you’d like to include it in your tasting. There is also a list of the growers who produce wine in Saint-Aubin that can be found here.
What to ask for: Ask by name. Some bottlings may include lieux-dits (named vineyards or portions of vineyards) on the bottle, such as Les Pucelles or Le Banc.
Alternative(s):
Côte de Beaune Villages with similar styles: Monthélie, Saint-Romain, Côte de Beaune-Villages
30 Saint-Aubin Premier Crus, including: En Remilly, Murgers des Dents de Chien, Sur Gamay, La Chatenière, Les Champlots, Charmois, Pitangeret, Les Combes au Sud, Derrière Chez Edouard, Sous Roche Dumay and Les Perrières.
#5: Rully
Rully (”rhoo-lee”) is in the Côte Chalonnaise, south of the Côte de Beaune, a region that often gets lost between the prestige of the Côte d’Or and the great values the Mâconnais is known for. It didn’t help that the demarcation line during World War II went right through the Côte Chalonnaise, splitting the region in two and stifling its post-war growth as families sought to rebuild relationships and regain access to towns and vineyards they needed to recover.
Rully’s production is about two-thirds White Burgundy, though it’s still known to produce good value Red Burgundies too. The whites are often great deals, as I’ve been particularly pleased to discover over the years, since my wallet can’t always swing a Puligny-Montrachet, not to mention that some occasions just don’t warrant the extra spend. White Burgundies from Rully tend to be riper, denser and more fruit-forward than those from the Côte de Beaune villages, though this can vary based on the producer and vineyard, as there are some that lean more toward Saint-Aubin’s style with steely minerality.
If you’re visiting the region, Rully boasts a beautiful château, Le Château de Rully, that’s been in the same family for six centuries, unusual amongst the often small villages and hamlets in Burgundy. Rully is also known as a center for Crémant de Bourgogne, if you’d like to taste some bubbly between all the White Burgundies.
You can find a printable map of the village of Rully here, in case you’d like to include it in your tasting. There is also a list of the growers who produce wine in Rully that can be found here.
What to ask for: Ask by name. Some bottlings may include lieux-dits (named vineyards or portions of vineyards) on the bottle, such as La Crée or La Chaponnière.
Alternative(s):
Côte Chalonnaise Villages with similar styles: Montagny
23 Rully Premier Crus, including: Clos St-Jacques, Gresigny, La Pucelle, Rabourcé, La Bressande, Clos du Chaigne, Margotés, Le Meix Cadot, Le Meix Caillet, Montpalais, Pillot, Raclot and Vauvry.
#6: Pouilly-Fuissé
The Mâconnais, furthest south in Burgundy, just north of Beaujolais, is widely known to be one of Burgundy’s best-value white wine regions, though prices have creeped up along with the rest of Burgundy over the years as this once-insider secret has spread and the quality levels continue to rise. There are still great deals to be found, along with reliably delightful wines that tend to be richer, rounder and fuller-bodied thanks to ample warmth and sunshine compared to those from Burgundy’s northern regions.
Though Pouilly-Fuissé (”pwee fwee-say”) has been recognized as an individual appellation spread across four different communes since 1936, it’s taken longer for other Mâconnais villages to gain recognition, and longer still for Premier Crus to be added to the mix. It wasn’t until 2020 that Pouilly-Fuissé became the first village in the Mâconnais region to receive Premier Cru vineyard status for 22 of its climats.
It’s all too easy to confuse Fuissé for Fumé, so be careful when asking for a Pouilly-Fuissé, since there’s also a famous region in the Loire Valley called Pouilly-Fumé making Sauvignon Blanc-based wines.
You can find a printable map of the village of Pouilly-Fuissé here, in case you’d like to include it in your tasting. There is also a list of the growers who produce wine in Pouilly-Fuissé that can be found here.
What to ask for: Ask by name. Some bottlings may include lieux-dits (named vineyards or portions of vineyards) on the bottle, such as En Buland, Les Chataigniers, Les Courtelongs, En Chatenay, or Les Combettes.
Alternative(s):
Mâconnais Villages with similar styles: Saint-Véran, Pouilly-Loché, Pouilly-Vinzelles, Viré-Clessé
22 Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Crus: Le Clos de Monsieur Noly, Les Chevrières, Aux Quarts, Le Clos Reyssier, Le Clos, Les Brulés, Les Ménétrières, Les Reisses, Les Vignes Blanches, Les Perrières, Vers Cras, Les Crays, La Maréchaude, Sur la Roche, En France, La Frérie, Le Clos de Solutré, Au Vignerais, En Servy, Aux Bouthières, Aux Chailloux, and Pouilly.
Tasting tips
The eats
White Burgundy is extremely versatile, one of the reasons why you’ll find them on so many restaurants’ wine lists. One of the easiest and best pairings with White Burgundy, in my opinion, is roast chicken. Simple, delicious and somehow also thoroughly decadent. That smell when you walk into a home with a roasting chicken in the oven! You’re going to be spending enough time diving into the world that is White Burgundy as the host of this tasting, so it’s probably best to keep the food side of things easy.
If you prefer to go all-out, lobster will be your best friend here. If it’s summer, you can get away with lobster rolls, though this might be harder to do in winter. Scallops, crab, white fish or shrimp are all great options too, as long as they’re slathered in butter and kissed with lemon juice.
If the charcuterie route is more your thing, look for creamy Brie or Brillat-Savarin, a bold Époisses, Comté or goat cheeses to serve with and slices of cured ham or dry-aged salami, crusty bread, rosemary crackers and toasted hazelnuts.
The prep
White Burgundy wines can get pricey. Very pricey. This tasting focuses on Village-level wines, which are generally moderately priced, though there are good deals and expensive selections amongst these, too. There are also alternative options offered for each wine, with both Premier Cru options (usually more expensive) and neighboring Villages, which can be less expensive. Top producers’ wines, even at the Village level, will generally have higher prices.
Another factor to consider is that there are certain winemaking choices that add cost to these wines. Purchasing high quality oak barrels with just the right amount of toast is expensive, as is the manual labor required to stir lees, which gives wines a textured, creamy mouthfeel.
These and other factors in your respective market can add to the final cost of a wine, making this tasting a truly decadent one, both in terms of cost and in terms of what you’ll taste. Keep this in mind as you decide when to plan this tasting and how to communicate spending expectations with your guests.
Some of these wines will be easy to find, others might take some time, depending on where you live. It’s worth giving your guests at least 2 weeks to find their wines for this tasting.
Encourage your guests to give their wines some pre-tasting fridge time, since this is a tasting where it’s best if the wines are chilled…but not too chilled. Lightly chilled is the goal here, so if the wines didn’t get their fridge time before arrival, just keep the ice bucket dunk time brief, since you’ll want to enjoy the fullest expressions of these wines and that’s just impossible to do when they’re ice cold.
A note on the tasting order: The wines are listed in the order of which should be included first, so that even if there are just 4 wines in the tasting, you’ve got a well-rounded experience ahead. However, I’d suggest switching up the order in which you taste the wines, regardless of how many wines make it in the final cut, as follows:
Rully
Pouilly-Fuissé
Saint-Aubin
Puligny-Montrachet
Chassagne-Montrachet
Meursault
