SEPT. 30, 2019 • WINE SPECTATOR 69TASTING REPORT | WHITE BURGUNDYof 2019, referring to that coming spring. “They need time [in bar-
rel] to reach full potential.”
The fruit that came in was healthy, so little to no sorting was
necessary. There were other considerations, however, such as re-
taining elegance. At Bouchard, Weber reduced the length of time
and the degree of pressure when pressing the grapes in order to
preserve tartaric acid in the juice while reducing the percentage of
potassium, which is contained in the skins.
“The wines were rich and we needed to find elegance,” Weber
explains. “So after the malolactic [at the end of April 2018] we put
them into [stainless-steel] tanks for the rest of the élevage.”
Weber also waited for full ripeness of the Chardonnay skins.
“The weather conditions at the end of August were dry and hot,
and we had observed some hydric stress on the vineyard that
stopped the maturation,” he recalls. “That’s why for me it was re-
ally important to wait [longer] to reach true maturity. Fortunately,
at the end of August, the rain came back and that broke the stress
and maturity started again. I started the harvest Sept. 4 on the es-
tate [vineyards], firstly with Pinot from Côte de Beaune. I started
the Chardonnay Sept. 6 with Clos St.-Landry and I finished Sept.
15 with Meursault Les Clous.”
Things played out differently in Chablis, where frost hit again
in 2017 during the last two weeks of April. The vineyards could
not escape the damage, leading to reduced yields.
Didier Séguier, the director of William Fèvre, with holdings in
119 acres around the region, noted that 40% to 70% of the crop was
destroyed, mostly on the right bank where the grands crus are located.
Nonetheless, the quality of the resulting 2017s is high, and Séguier
describes the wines as “classic, concentrated and mineral.”
lthough the best white Burgundies have increased dramati-
cally in price over the past 15 years, there are many that
deliver both authenticity and value. Nonetheless, quanti-
ties are often limited and a diligent search required.
Beginning in the Côte de Beaune, where the most exalted ap-
pellations are found, you will have to spend at least $35 for a vil-
lage-level appellation such as the Alex Gambal St.-Romain 2016
(90, $35), showing balance between ripeness and acidity, with
peach, melon, citrus and spice flavors.
Gambal’s St.-Aubin En Remilly 2016 (91, $45), a fine premier
cru, ups the ante, as does the Marius Delarche Pernand-Vergelesses
White 2016 (90, $45), a sleek style with a supple, harmonious pro-
file. Domaine Clos de la Chapelle’s Beaune White Les Reversées
2016 (90, $53) features spicy oak, with clove, nutmeg and vanilla
notes wrapped around a core of apple and lemon flavors, while
Louis Latour’s Beaune White Aux Cras 2017 (90, $55) is also taut
and lemony. Latour’s Pernand-Vergelesses White En Caradeux 2017
(90, $55) offers focused quince, lemon verbena and floral notes.
The Côte Chalonnaise, a series of slopes extending south of
Chassagne-Montrachet and centered around five main villages, is
also a fine source of value white Burgundy, particularly the villages
of Bouzeron, Rully and Montagny. (Mercurey and Givry are more
notable for red Burgundy.)
Michel Briday’s elegant Rully 2017 (92, $33) offers pure notes
of spring blossoms, apple, lemon and spice, while Domaine
Berthenet’s bright and juicy Montagny Tête de Cuvée 2016 (90,
$24) boasts peach, apple, floral and lemon flavors. Domaine Faive-
ley, well-known for its reds from Mercurey, makes an enticing white
too, the Clos Rochette 2017 (90, $36). It’s compact, displaying
apple, lemon cake and baking spice flavors. From Vin-
cent Dureuil-Janthial comes the creamy and expres-
sive Rully Maizières 2016 (91, $45) and the toasty and
harmonious Rully 2016 (90, $37).
South of the Côte Chalonnaise lies the Mâconnais,
a large region of variable quality, but which is capable
of producing outstanding whites, particularly from its
best appellations: Pouilly-Fuissé, St.-Véran and
Viré-Clessé.
Bottlings to look for include Henry Fessy’s almost
creamy Viré-Clessé Maître Bonhome 2017 (90, $18)
and Albert Bichot’s lush Viré-Clessé 2017 (90, $20),
along with Bichot’s St.-Véran 2017 (90, $24), show-
ing good cut, and Merlin’s Mâcon-La Roche Vineuse
Vieilles Vignes 2016 (91, $30), a complex version.
From Pouilly-Fuissé, Louis Jadot’s 2017 (90, $28) is
likely the most widely available offering in the U.S.
Jadot also owns J.-A. Ferret, a top producer in the ap-
pellation, where winemaker Audrey Braccini crafts
complex and mineral whites, including the Pouilly-
Fuissé 2017 (90, $46), offering the most bang for the
Bouchard Père & Fils winemaker Frédéric Weber buck. The three single-vineyard bottlings (two of them“The style of white in ’17 for me is between 2015, with its high expression of
maturity and generosity, and 2014, with a beautiful acidity and tension.”
–Frédéric Weber, Bouchard Père & Fils