Although Aligoté, the second white grape of Bourgogne, comprises only about 10 percent of the white plantings there, climate change and increased interest in the grape by growers makes Bourgogne Aligoté worth exploring. In the past, Aligoté, a lean and acidic wine, was used primarily to offset the sweetness of crème de cassis in an aperitif, Kir.… Read more

Alexandre Burgaud represents the 4th generation of the family producing wine in Beaujolais. Although not a cru like Moulin-à-Vent or Fleurie, Lantignié, a village in the Beaujolais-Villages appellation that lies just outside of the designated cru appellations, can make distinctive Beaujolais (and deserves to be granted cru status).… Read more

Goisot, one of the top producers in the Côtes d’Auxerre, an up-and-coming appellation just west of Chablis, makes an extraordinarily consistent range of wines from that appellation. Their name on the label is a guarantee of quality. And because the appellations of Côtes d’Auxerre and Bourgogne Aligoté are less well known, the wines provide superb value.… Read more

The major Beaune-based négociants either make wines from their own vineyards or from grapes or newly pressed juice (must) they purchase from others. Sometimes they even buy wine made by others and finish the aging process themselves. They prefer to make wine from either their own grapes or purchased grapes because they control the pressing of the grapes, and the resulting wine is usually better.… Read more

A small amount, less than five percent, of Beaujolais is white and made from Chardonnay. Maison Louis Jadot, the venerable Beaune-based Burgundy négociant, saw the potential of the Beaujolais region when they purchased the famed Château des Jacques in Moulin-à-Vent, among Beaujolais’ most famous Crus, in 1996.… Read more

The Tremblay family has always been a leader in Chablis. They were among the first to build a gravity-flow winery, which eliminates the need for pumps in Chablis shortly after WWII. (Pumping can harm the grapes and juice intended for more delicate wines such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.)… Read more

Back in the 1960s, Robert Drouhin, head of the venerable Beaune-based firm of Joseph Drouhin, had the vision to buy vineyard land in Chablis when the area was in crisis. At the time, many thought he was foolish, but today it’s clear he was a visionary.… Read more

($29, Dreyfus, Ashby & Co):  Saint Véran, an appellation in Mâconnais, the southern part of Burgundy, abuts and surrounds Pouilly-Fuissé.  Like its more famous — and expensive — neighbor, it makes only white wines and only from Chardonnay.  Drouhin, one of Burgundy’s top négociants, has been making a consistently excellent Saint Véran year in and year out for decades. … Read more

($40):  Combine William Fèvre, one of the top producers in Chablis, with an excellent vintage for that region and you get a terrific village wine.  William Fèvre owns a staggering 200 acres of vineyards in Chablis, just under half of which carry either 1er Cru or Grand Cru designations, which leaves them a lot of choice for what they bottle under the village appellation. … Read more