This white Burgundy is the “little black dress” of the wine world
White burgundy may seem like a contradiciton in terms, but its a versatile genre of white wine that packs a lot of nuance for little money.
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Louis Jadot Bourgogne Chardonnay
Burgundy, France
$20.89
13% alcohol
PLCB Item #6406
Regularly $22.89
White Burgundy may sound like a contradiction in terms to non-drinkers, but for wine lovers it is a revered and iconic style that will never go out of fashion. Wines like this one — an affordable but well-made unoaked white Burgundy — are the little black dress of the white wine world.
White wines from Burgundy can range dramatically in style based on their subregion, encompassing everything from the brisk and steely tartness of Chablis to the toasty opulence of the luxury tier barrel-fermented whites from the Côte d’Or, like Chassagne-Montrachet or Corton-Charlemagne that can sell for hundreds of dollars per bottle. Outside of a few rare exceptions, all white Burgundies are made with 100% chardonnay, but most taste nothing like the chardonnay Americans are more familiar with from California. Even the coolest coastal wine regions of California are much hotter and drier than the vineyards of Burgundy, so fruit can be overripe and wines heavy with dessert-like flavors of caramel or rum-raisin ice cream. In France, chardonnay wines are typically lighter in weight and fresher in their fruit flavors, as with this example that tastes like biting into a firm green pear. And when it comes to the aspects of wine style under human control, French winemakers tend to favor subtlety over power and a considerably drier flavor profile, which give this wine the sensibilities of a French art film, not a Hollywood blockbuster.
Sadly, wine prices in Burgundy are rising faster than those of any other wine region due to global demand and the growing frequency of crop failures driven by climate change. Luckily, there remain a handful of producers like this one who continue to deliver well-crafted wines that capture the essence of Burgundian chardonnay at a reasonable price. This cuvée uses fruit from two of Burgundy’s lesser-known sub-regions to produce a solid mid-weight unoaked chardonnay whose understatement and craftsmanship are informed by the company’s pricier offerings.
Also available at:
Total Wine & More in Claymont, Del., $16.99
Joe Canal’s in Lawrenceville, $17.99
West Deptford Super Buy Rite in West Deptford or Williamstown Super Buy Rite in Williamstown, $17.99