A Trio of Outstanding White Burgundy Deals!

Not long ago we did a piece on the exciting new Beaujolais project from Joseph Drouhin in conjunction with the Hospices de Belleville.  Even as long as we have been doing this, we still get surprised, and that trio of Beaujolais really got our attention.   But within the context of that piece we mentioned that we found those compelling Beaujolais by accident.  The normal part of that tasting involved doing our yearly check of their current white wine lineup, a series of wines that always provides a few pleasant surprises.

I know, Drouhin makes a fair bit of wine.  A lot of folks typically associate the Drouhin name with widely distributed ‘regular’ Beaujolais, and generically labeled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Yes, those are a big part of their business and clearly their most visible wines.  But, like Louis Jadot, they make a lot of different things from a wide range of locales in Burgundy, from those ubiquitous ‘little’ wines we mentioned to their $1000 per bottle Musigny Grand Cru.

We usually find their ‘big ticket’ wines too big ticket. We tend to find their ‘little’ wines too ‘little’.  But their mid-range, or Villages level, bottlings is where the magic really happens.  Be it a Rully here or a Pouilly Vinzelles there, we uncover at least one or two things that provide an excellent, affordable option for the category. 

This year, thanks to what we presume was a little help from the outstanding 2014 vintage, we found three really interesting, well-priced and appellation-true offerings that definitely ‘brought the drama’.  Before we get to the specifics, however, we want to make a quick point.  These are classic ‘euro’ Chardonnays, fresh, crisp, and with streaks of minerality.  If your thing is ‘Butter’, Kendall Jackson, or a heavier, toastier style of California Chardonnay, these are different creatures.  Citrus, yellow stone fruits and lively acidity, without a real sense of evident oak, are the order of the day here. 

These 2014s whites, shining brightly, were simply too hard for us (or the pundits) to ignore.   Classic wines with good acidity, fine balance and tender fruit, ‘14s are the vintage to buy and the wines in these middle-priced appellations were particularly successful and very ‘cost effective’, the best since 2010.

With that in mind, we present the following Winex-approved selections from this year’s Drouhin lineup.

Joseph Drouhin’s Saint Veran 2014 ($16.98) is a fastball down the middle for French Chardonnay fans.   A personal fave for many years chez Winex, this one managed to snare a huge 90-point score from the now-stingy Wine Spectator, who wrote, “Though rich, this is offset by vivid acidity, creating a nice tension to the lemon, apple and melon flavors. Long and tangy on the finish.”  A lot of character for not a lot of money.

Burghound’s Allen Meadows took the lead on the Joseph Drouhin Pouilly-Vinzelles 2014 ($16.98), with, “... the floral, citrus and white orchard fruit aromas are already emerging. The racy, intense and attractively detailed flavors possess a vaguely Chablis-like minerality along with an iodine hint on the clean, dry and refreshing finale. This too would be a fine candidate for an upper level house white.”  His 89 point score is impressive for him as well considering he isn’t one to pass out scores lightly.  And the 90-91 point ‘tank’ score from James Suckling is just the icing on the cake. This one shows a more elevated mineral note and perhaps a little more filigree in a more restrained presentation.  And to get anything of this level of quality with ‘Pouilly’ on the label for $17 is near-impossible.

We have been particularly stoked with the 2014 Chablis in general as you have likely noted from our offers. The Drouhin Vaudon Chablis 2014 ($19.98) is a spot-on representation of the vintage.  Tender but very classic with its lime and apple fruit and chalky minerality nicely juxtaposed.  There’s deceptive weight from later harvesting, bright underlying acidity, and no oak.  A relatively ‘monster’ 92-point score from Spectator on this one. They write, “This is all about texture and balance, allowing the apple, lemon and stone flavors to flow effortlessly. Cleansing and elegant, with a lingering aftertaste of lemon and mineral.”  This is definitely a house Chablis candidate for its purity and typicity. Look for this one to find a spot in their year-end Top 100 as well.

So impressive!  A vintage like 2014 gives these wines an ‘extra’ gear that makes them all the more engaging.  Get them while they’re here.