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Burgundy is the widely accepted as the birthplace of Chardonnay and as much as we love Chardonnay made in other parts of the world there’s a special place in our hearts for those grown and produced in Burgundy. When we’re blind tasting by ourselves or with other wine lovers there’s always someone that sticks their nose in the glass and quickly proclaims “Burgundy!” There’s a typical bouquet of gun flint, wet river rock, crushed oyster shells, and perhaps a pleasant note of petrol that hits you before you go deeper to determine the fruit aromas. When you finally get down to the fruit characteristics, you’ll be enticed by aromas and flavors of lemon zest, white stone fruits, peach, apricot, and lemon curd.
White Burgundies are our go to wines for late spring or early summer meals and casual entertaining; just because it’s hot out doesn’t mean you have to throw steaks and burgers on the grill. There are plenty of lighter dishes like lobster, scallops, veal chops, and pasta with light cream sauces that pair perfectly with white Burgundies. Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines generally have a judicious use of oak and the right balance of texture, freshness, and complexity to pair with your favorite dishes, but for more saline driven seafood dishes don’t be afraid to open an appellation village wine.
In all honesty, it’s hard to pick our favorite white Burgundy. There are so many to choose from including appellation village, Premier Cru, Grand Cru, Côtes du Beaune, Meursault, Chablis, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne Montrachet to name just a few, but we tried. We hope you find our seven picks below to be as exciting as we did, and we’re betting that you will.
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Domaine Du Cellier Aux Moines 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Pucelles Burgundy France
Twelve Cistercian monks left the Abbey de Cîteaux in the year 1113, founded the Abbey La Ferté-sur-Grosne, planted vines, and established the Clos du Cellier aux Moines. Unfortunately, over time it fell into a state of disrepair until Philippe Pascal and his family acquired the domain in 2004. Their 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles is classified as a Premier Cru and has aromas of lemon curd, citrus blossom, and Gala apple. It is well structured with balanced acidity and flavors of melon, white peach, lemon zest, with a touch of caramelized orange peel and cinnamon in the elegant finish.
Buy Now: $195
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Joseph Drouhin 2020 Beaune Clos des Mouches Premier Cru Blanc, Burgundy France
Domaine Joseph Drouhin was founded in 1880 and four generations later it is considered one of the premier domains in Burgundy. It currently has just about 200 acres in some of the best appellations in Burgundy including Chassagne-Montrachet, Clos Vougeot, and Corton-Charlemagne. The Clos des Mouches consists of 16.85 acres near Pommard in the southern part of appellation and takes its name from beehives that once existed on the property. The 2020 introduces itself with aromas of freesia, slivered almond, and lemon zest which transform to flavors of brown baking spices, acacia honey, lemon curd, and Honeycrisp apple. The finish is long and elegant with a hint of brown baking spices at the very end.
Buy Now: $235
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Espirit Leflaive 2019 Pouilly-Fuisse Maconnais Burgundy France
Pierre Vincent and Brice de La Morandière teamed up in 2018 to produce wines from lesser known Burgundian appellations and expanded their search beyond the Côte de Beaune. Their portfolio includes wines from the Macconnais, Chablis, and the Côte de Nuits. The majority of their wines are produced in very small quantities and are certified organic. This delightful Pouilly-Fuisse hails from the Macconais and is brilliant straw colored in the glass. It offers aromas of lemon pith, citrus blossom, and Anjou pear and flavors of creamy lemon curd, Gala apple, and a touch of citrus zest.
Buy Now: $160
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Domaine Louis Michel & Fils 2021 Vaudesir Chablis Grand Cru Burgundy France
The Michel family has been making wine for generations in Chablis since the 19th century. The estate is currently under the watchful eye of Guillaume Michel who proudly continues his family’s legacy. The estate’s vines average 45 years old, are planted in Kimmeridgian soils typical to the region, and cover all four of Chablis appellations including Chablis, Petit Chablis, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru. This tasty Vaudesir Grand Cru introduces itself with aromas of crushed oyster shells, a touch of petrol, and citrus blossom that lead to flavors of lemon curd, mandarin orange zest, and Fuji apple with just a touch of finely ground cinnamon on the close.
Buy Now: $121
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Bouchard Aine & Fils 2021 Mersault Le Porusot Premier Cru Mersault Burgundy France
The Le Porusot Premier Cru covers 28 acres and roughly translates to “worn stone” in the ancient local dialect. We know this appellation extremely well having cycled through it many times; it sits in the center of the Côte de Beaune just north of Puligny-Montrachet. This stunning wine is fermented in wooden vats and then aged in 30 percent new French oak for 12 months. It has aromas of white flowers, acacia, lemon zest, and chamomile. It is full bodied and round in the mid palate with flavors of lemon meringue, baked apple, and Bartlett pear with just a touch of freshly ground white pepper in the finish.
Buy Now: $185
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Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Burgundy France
Pierre-Yves Colin worked for his father’s winery until the mid 2000s when he decided to set out on his own. His winemaking techniques step outside of the traditional box and include the use of larger barrels and modification of typical Burgundian sur lie aging. He also purchases grapes in addition to those he grows himself. His 2021 Puligny-Montrachet is golden straw in color with aromas of white lilac, a touch of grilled almond, and citrus zest. It is well balanced on the palate with flavors of tangerine zest, lemon curd, and Fuji apple. Drink now or don’t hesitate to lay it down for a few years in your cellar.
Buy Now: $200
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Christian Moreau 2021 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru Chablis Burgundy France
We’re big fans of Christian Moreau and his son Fabian’s wines. When Christian is not on the ski slopes, we’re always happy to find him out and about in New York City, London, Paris, and Burgundy. Christian handed off the winemaking torch to Fabian a few years ago and we’re happy to see the family tradition of making quality wine continue into the next generation. Their 2021 Blanchot Grand Cru has aromas of crushed oyster shells, a touch of petrol, gun flint, lemon zest, and honeysuckle blossom. It is full bodied with balanced acidity in the mid palate and has flavors of apricot, lemon curd, tangerine zest, and Granny Smith apple. If you can resist drinking this now, it will continue to age beautifully over the next 15 years.
Buy Now: $180
