($38):  In just a few years, Benjamin Leroux has become one of the star young producers in Burgundy.  And with good reason.  His wines are precise with good weight, which describes this Aligoté.  The ripeness of the vintage marries beautifully with the cutting edginess inherent to the Aligoté grape. … Read more

($80):  Unlike the rest of Burgundy, the 1er Cru classification in Montagny has little significance since a whopping 58 percent of vineyards are classified as such.  In any case, this Montagny is outstanding, perhaps the best I have ever had.  It shows what old vines in the hands of a detailed-oriented and talented producer can achieve. … Read more

($49):  Domaine Louis Michel, one of my favorite Chablis producers, has put out a masterful array of wines in 2022, at prices that are quite reasonable, especially given the current Burgundy market.  Michel has been a longtime (since the 1960s) advocate of eschewing wood barrels for either fermentation or aging. … Read more

($56, Vineyard Brands):  Louis Michel’s floral Vaillons couldn’t be more different from their weightier Butteaux.  Yet, they are both superb.  That’s the beauty of Burgundy in general and Chablis in particular.  The same grape, Chardonnay in this case, grown on neighboring hills, produces vastly different, but equally enjoyable, wines. … Read more

($56, Vineyard Brands):  Louis Michel, one of Chablis’ top producers, eschews oak fermentation or aging for their Chablis, insisting that the use of stainless steel allows the magical combination of Chardonnay grape grown on Kimmerigdian limestone soil to shine.  And shine it does with their 2020s. … Read more

($23):  Aligoté is Burgundy’s “other” white grape and it’s the only time a Burgundy appellation wine carries the grape name on the label.  The grapes can come from anywhere throughout Burgundy, but in Goisot’s case, they come from around their estate in the Côtes de Auxerre, in northern Burgundy, near Chablis. … Read more

($30):  The Mâconnais in southern Burgundy is the place to find affordable Chardonnay-based white Burgundy, especially from a top-notch produced like Guillot Broux.  Although the wine is made from Chardonnay grape, the Chardonnay on the label in this case refers to a village of the same name. … Read more

($55):  Boris Champy, one of the Burgundy’s most talented winemakers is, paradoxically, one of the least recognized. Although he deserves it, Champy lacks the rock-star profile of a Dominque Lafon, Benjamin Leroux, and others.  Thankfully, for us consumers, the prices of his wines reflect that. … Read more

($50):  Tasting this Pouilly-Fuissé side-by-side with Domaine de La Garenne’s fine Mâcon wines, you easily see the differences between those two appellations, even though they abut one another in places.  Someone clearly knew where to draw the lines.  Always a popular Chardonnay-based wine in the U.S.,… Read more

($33):  Comparing this wine, from the southern part of the Mâconnais, to Domaine de La Garenne’s Mâcon-Azé, which is located in the north of the appellation, shows the fabulous diversity within the Mâconnais.  The bolder Mâcon-Solutré-Pouilly delivers more weight and more stoniness without losing any freshness. … Read more

($33):  It is worth repeating — the Mâconnais is the place to fine excellent white wines, especially from the 2022 vintage, at reasonable prices.  As more and more growers discover the beauty of this part of Burgundy, we will see wines, like this one, that provide greater specificity regarding the origin of the grapes. … Read more

($35):  Saint-Véran, which lies adjacent to Pouilly-Fuissé in the Mâconnais, lies between single village Mâcon wines, like Mâcon-Azé, and Pouilly-Fuissé in the appellation hierarchy.  That is not to say you can’t find a Mâcon-Azé that is more stylish and enjoyable than a Saint-Véran, nor does it mean that every Pouilly-Fuissé is superior to every Saint-Véran. … Read more

($33):  Despite the location of the vineyard, Le Grand Bussière, in the village of Fuissé, the appellation is Saint-Véran because Fuissé (the village) spans two appellations, Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran.  (Who ever said that Burgundy was simple to understand?)  This edgy Saint-Véran, with its cutting stone-y quality, shows why that appellation ranks above Mâcon in prestige. … Read more

($60):  There is no better producer in the Mâconnais than La Soufrandière, a family domaine owned by the Bret Brothers.  The brothers also buy grapes from neighbors and other growers who have the same meticulous philosophy as they and bottle them as a négociant under the label, Bret Brothers. … Read more

($72):  The French wine authorities have finally identified and codified Premier Cru vineyards for Pouilly-Fuissé so that moniker along with the vineyard name is now appearing on the label, just as in the rest of Burgundy.  Unsurprisingly, the elevation of some vineyards to Premier Cru classification has brought with it an elevation of price. … Read more

($93, Kobrand Wine & Spirits):  Maison Louis Jadot, one of Burgundy’s top producers, recently purchased Domaine J. A. Ferret, one of stars of Pouilly-Fuissé.  Under Jadot’s leadership, the quality of the Ferret wines, already top-notch, has risen even more.  (Sadly, so has the price.) … Read more

($30):  Florent Rouve, owner of Domaine Rijckaert, explains that he wants to “maintain the freshness and purity” of the grapes, so eschews aging in new oak barrels and batonnâge (stirring of the lees), which tends to increase richness of the wines. … Read more