With a reputation for elegance and sophistication, white Burgundy wines are an enduring favourite among white wine lovers around the world. Typically made from Chardonnay grapes, white Burgundy is considered to be a class apart from your common or garden Chardonnay wine and is many a wine buff’s tipple of choice. Unfortunately, for wine buyers on a budget, white Burgundy often has a high price tag to match its high quality status, but as a special occasion wine, white Burgundy more often than not justifies paying a little bit more. For the budget conscious, there are some good value white Burgundies on the market – they may not be easy to find, but shop around and you could pick up a good bottle for little more than five pounds.
While Chardonnay is far and away the world’s most popular white wine, its very popularity has lent the drink a less than sophisticated reputation among some white wine drinkers. While there are indeed some excellent Chardonnays to be found everywhere from France to Australia, it is arguably true that few, if any, can match up to a good white Burgundy. It was in this celebrated wine-producing region of France that the grape first originated, way back in 200 AD. Centuries of fine-tuning viticulture techniques have led to some of the world’s finest white wines and a drinking experience that is truly unique. However, despite excellent weather and soil conditions, it could be argued that very few of the white wines from Burgundy live up to their full potential.
White wine from Burgundy is officially ranked in terms of quality – from the 13 Grand Cru vineyards (seven of which are to be found in Chablis) to the less acclaimed wines that command a much lower price. However, while few of us can splash out on Grand Cru white burgundies on a regular basis, even a lesser white Burgundy is usually a pleasant drink and most white wine lovers will be able to find a bottle that suits their taste and budget.
The Burgundy wine producing area is split into numerous sub-regions and the wines produced from these areas each tend to deliver distinctly different drinking experiences. Many white wine lovers will find that, while the white Burgundies of some regions are not to their tastes, others are exactly what the doctor ordered. It’s worth trying a few white Burgundy wines in order to find those that suit your tastes – although you’ll need deep pockets to sample some of the most acclaimed bottles.
Right at the heart of the Burgundy region, the legendary Côte d’Or region delivers some of the best-received Burgundy white wines on the market. This region is split once again into two smaller sub-regions – the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. The former is particularly acclaimed for its white Burgundies – those to look out for include Saint Aubin, Saint Roman and Auxey Duresses. Of the most celebrated white Burgundies from the Côte de Beaune, Meursaults tend to be softly complex and good depth of flavour, while Corton Charlemagne wines deliver a bold, powerful drinking experience.
Another of the most famous of the Burgundy white wine producing regions is Chablis, which lies some 60 miles to the Northwest of central Burgundy. Wines from this region have historically been among the most expensive to come out of Burgundy, but changing tastes and trends mean that today there are some very affordable bottles of white Burgundy from Chablis. The soil in the area is rich in limestone, resulting in a pale, very dry wine that is less robust than many other white Burgundies. One of the region’s most famous wines is Petite Chablis, a very dry, acidic and light white wine that is produced by numerous small vineyards in the area. There are many Premier Cru-status wines produced in the region, the most celebrated of which include Monte de Tonnerre, Vaillons, Fourchame and Montmains. Held in still higher esteem are the Grand Cru white wines of Chablis – name drop Blanchot, Bougros, Les Presuses, Grenouilles and Valmur if you want to impress white wine enthusiasts.
In the southernmost corner of Burgundy, Macon is famous for its Pouilly Fuisse white wines. White Burgundies from the region have a tendency to be prohibitively expensive, but some smaller vineyards are now developing white Burgundies that are complex and full of flavour without costing a fortune.
