If the temps combined with the glorious sunshine are any indication. Spring has sprung here in SoCal and, with it, comes the first yearnings for white wine.
But not just any white wine, let’s celebrate with some seriously tasty white wine.
I’m talking Premier Cru White Burgundy level gear at not-so-Premier Cru prices.
Today it’s Last Call for some of you First Call for many of you, on a quintet of remarkable whites from the Maconnais.
The Maconnais is located in the far south if Burgundy, just north of Beaujolais. At the heart of the Maconnais, dead center, lies the areas of Pouilly Fuisse, St. Veran and, just to the north of those two areas, the newer appellation of Vire-Clesse.
The vines here are old, the soils, pure, the farming meticulous, the winemaking clean and conscientious.
People are really taking notice. The Macconais is starting to take a bite off the plate of even the most prominent of neighboring villages like Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet. The result of all this? Some of the greatest Chardonnay you’ll ever drink at more than reasonable value.
Domaine de la Croix Senaillet’s 2012 St. Veran Les Rochats is from a 5 acre vineyard on the border of Solutré-Pouilly. Croix Senaillet’s parcel is a patch of 50 year-old Chardonnay located on stony, well-drained soils. Proprietor Richard Martin says this site gives the most complex and refined of this power trio.
Neal Martin noted it, “…has quite a complex bouquet that you have to really pause while nosing, with subtle notes of white chocolate and dandelion infusing the citrus lemon and dried apricot aromas. The palate is crisp and fresh with a fine thread of acidity and great tension on the finish. 92 points.”
Their 2012 St. Veran Les Pommards comes from one of the most storied vineyards in the region. Savvy drinkers of white Burgundy will recognize the name as it’s the only parcel of St. Veran bottled separately by the great Domaine Robert-Denogent. Croix Senaillet’s vines are 40 years old and work hard ripening fruit in the shallow, limestone-rich soils of this cru. The wines from here are more generous, with a fabulous candied lemon meringue quality that fleshes out this vineyard’s stonier nuances.
Martin’s note: “It has a brisk bouquet with attractive scents of citrus lemon, white flowers and just a faint hint of sweet nougat/white chocolate that lends a touch of exoticism. The palate is well-balanced with crisp acidity and plenty of substance. It is tightly wound at the moment, the finish rather closed, but there is certainly good intensity here with a touch of white pepper lingering on the aftertaste. 91 points.”
The 2012 St. Veran Sur-la-Carriere is considered perhaps the finest of these three very special sites. It’s a tiny (less than an acre) plot of 50 year-old vines on the edge of an old limestone quarry (carriere) which gives a more intense minerality to the wine. Only a scant 800 bottles or so are produced every vintage.
Neal Martin writes, “This has always been one of my go-to Saint Veran wines and the 2012 does not disappoint. It has a detailed bouquet with subtle scents of lemon curd, white peach and touches of yellow flower that blossom in the glass. The palate is very well-balanced with crisp acidity, great tension, well-integrated oak and a very harmonious, saline finish that lingers long in the mouth and begs another sip. This is an utterly delectable Saint Veran. 92 points.”
Then there’s the great Daniel Barraud’s 2012 Pouilly Fuissé Alliance Vergisson. It’s exactly what the name implies, an alliance of several parcels from the outstanding Vergisson section of Pouilly Fuissé, all from 40-60 year old vines. It’s the perfect opportunity to taste for yourself that wicked combination of power, precision, finesse and sense of place at a pretty remarkable price. Allen Meadows noted its “…solid concentration and an abundance of dry extract on the seductively textured, lush and fleshy medium weight flavors that possess average depth at present but very fine length.”
A step up, Barraud’s 2012 Pouilly Fuissé En Bulands Vieilles Vignes is awesome. A wine of even greater power and tension that begs for a year or two in the cellar to allow this cuvée, sourced from 78 year-old vines, to collect its thoughts and unleash them upon the world.
From Allen Meadows, “…elegant and pure aromas of apple, citrus zest, acacia blossom and spice are easily appreciated. As is often the case this is a big, powerful and seriously concentrated effort that oozes mouth coating dry extract before culminating in a dry but not really austere finish that delivers strikingly good length…excellent.”
Martin wrote, “It has a sensual bouquet with touches of white chocolate, nutmeg and orange rind that is reticent at first, but soon develops great intensity with minimal encouragement. The palate is very well-balanced with touches of mandarin, orange zest and a hint of nutmeg. It is very well-defined with a powerful and intense finish that lingers on and on in the mouth. 93 points”
Finally, we’re featuring Guillemot-Michel’s astounding 2013 Vire-Clesse. This wine, in plain wine talk, is flat-out sick. How they can extract this outrageous candied lemon peel thing, the richness, the intensity of flavor, the lemon meringue and citrus, and still build so much minerality into the wine is simply beyond me. The wine is 100% Chardonnay and goes through 100% malolactic fermentation with no use of oak. The vines average 45 years of age and are farmed biodynamically, with a typical yield of only 2.5 tons per acre. There are only a handful of great producers in Vire-Clesse, Guillemot-Michel is one of them and the wine should not be missed. Astounding!
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