If you forced me to choose my favourite wine, it would have to be white burgundy. At its best – and these days it is a ruinously expensive pastime – it’s a simply thrilling experience that reminds you why wine is such an incredibly special drink. Ethereal, creamy and with a crisp acidity that makes it a perfect partner for seafood, white burgundy is an absolute joy. And, after a run of tricky vintages, the 2022 is not only good, but plentiful – though sadly that doesn’t mean prices have gone down; rather that they just haven’t gone up much higher.
The 22s are already in the shops, and most of the affordable ones come from the Mâconnais, the region to the south, though bar a few exceptions I don’t find them as exciting, and too much like chardonnay you can find cheaper elsewhere. That said, the 22s are more in balance, with a fresh acidity that counterbalances the richness. (If you share my view, look for wines of 13% ABV or under that don’t have the word “chardonnay” on the label, because that often flags up a more international style.)
Chablis from the northern end of the region is particularly delicious this year, but it has got expensive. It’s still not like chardonnay from anywhere else, though. Petit chablis, which you might assume meant lesser quality, simply refers to wines made from vines grown outside the officially recognised Chablis region, and it, too, can be excellent, as proven by the Domaine Dampt wine in today’s pick. It’s also worth looking out for less well-known appellations that don’t carry the same price tag as the more famous ones: Auxey-Duresses and Pernand-Vergelesses, for example. Aligoté, Burgundy’s other white wine grape, is also a more affordable option, and many good producers are making it now.
If you want one of the better growers, however, the best buy is a basic bourgogne blanc, though even that can be pricey. I swooned over Dominique Lafon’s, which are available from Berry Bros & Rudd (in the unlikely event they have any left). You will most likely have to buy them en primeur, which means you pay for the wine upfront minus tax and duty, which are payable on delivery in about a year’s time. Wine merchants’ generic white burgundy tends to be more affordable, with the added advantage that the 22s are available right now: Adnams and Tanner’s are two I’d recommend.
Finally, you’ll be far better off drinking your white burgundy at home, rather than in a restaurant (unless you’re doing BYO), because restaurant mark-ups on the stuff tend to be more than a little cheeky.
Five (just about) affordable white burgundies
Domaine Dampt Petit Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2022 £19.99 (or £14.99 by the mixed case) Laithwaites, 12.5%. Disregard the ‘petit’: this has all the quality of a good chablis.
Booth’s White Burgundy Chardonnay 2022 £13.25, 13%. Exemplary basic white burgundy, and arguably the best-value wine in this lineup. The same store’s 12.5% chablis at £15 is terrific, too.
The Wine Society’s Generation Series Mâcon-Villages £16.50, 13%. One of the highlights of the first tranche of a new range that celebrates the Society’s 150th anniversary. Fresher, crisper and more elegant than many mâcons. Classy.
Bourgogne Aligoté Comte Armand 2022 £111 by the six-bottle case (in bond) Berry Bros & Rudd, 12.5%. If you like chablis you’ll love pure, pristine aligoté. Especially with oysters or sashimi. Limited supplies, though.
Drouhin Vaudon Chablis 2022 £27.50 (or £24.75 for a mixed case of 12) Great Wine Co, 12.5%. Surprisingly intense for such a young wine, delicately creamy and elegant. Will only get better over the next couple of years.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
