Magnums of White Burgundy Wines

Burgundy is truly the epicenter of great dry white wines. Magnum Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne, Meursault, just to name a few of the most prestigious, are names that resonate worldwide and delight the taste buds of all enthusiasts.

Burgundy white Magnums are mostly made from the Chardonnay grape variety, which seems to have its origins in the small eponymous village in Macon. This grape variety has since achieved international success and has been widely planted from Australia to California, through South Africa and Argentina. It undoubtedly finds its finest expressions on the clay-limestone soils of Burgundy. Mineral and taut in Chablis, round and fruity in the Maconnais, it is elegant, complex, and perfectly balanced on the Côte de Beaune.

The Burgundian appellation system is a four-tier pyramid:

• Regional appellations: you will have little information about the precise origin of the grapes that allowed the production of these wines. The plots can be located in Macon as well as in Chablis or in the Cotes de Nuits; generally, these are plots at the bottom of the slopes (therefore on very clayey soils that will bring roundness but little elegance) or plots on the plateaus above the slopes that sometimes have more difficulty reaching maturity due to altitude and exposure. These less prestigious wines can turn out to be very pleasant and "easy" to open when they have been produced by good winemakers. A beautiful magnum of Burgundy can be the ideal companion for an impromptu aperitif upon returning from the market.
• Village appellations: these are wines from plots identified within an appellation area surrounding the village that bears its name: Pouilly-Fuissé in Maconnais, Montagny or Rully in the Côte Chalonnaise, Saint-Romain, Pernand-Vergelesses in Cote de Beaune, or Vougeot, Nuits-Saint Georges in Cote de Nuits. A magnum of Chablis village will allow you to enjoy a nice basket of oysters with your friends. A magnum of Mercurey Blanc will help you start a nice Friday evening aperitif. A magnum of Meursault will be the suitable companion to share a nice Bresse chicken on Sunday at noon with all your cousins.
• Premier Cru appellations come from clearly identified plots within each village, generally located halfway up the slope. They benefit from a good balance between clay and limestone, well-drained soils, and an ideal east to southeast exposure for the grapes to receive the rays of the rising sun. Premier Cru appellation wines gain in aromatic complexity and length on the palate. You can savor Breton lobster with a beautiful magnum of Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes or sole meunière with a lovely Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Vergelesses.

• At the top of the pyramid are the Grand Cru appellations, exclusively from the following climates: Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne, Corton, and several climates of Chablis Grand Cru (Les Preuses, Vaudésir, Valmur, Bougros, Grenouilles, Les Clos, Blanchot). Located halfway up the slopes, perfectly exposed, the fortunate winemakers who own them will gladly tell you that here the grapes always reach perfect levels of maturity more easily and allow for the production of wines with a perfect balance capable of improving in aromatic complexity through aging in the cellar. Enjoying a Burgundy Grand Cru, especially if it has been stored in a magnum format, is like embarking on a journey through an incredible array of aromas: citrus, smoky, white flowers, honey, and preserving all these aromas long after the last drop of wine has been swallowed.

There are other white grape varieties in Burgundy as well. The most famous is probably the Aligoté, which owes its reputation to Canon Kir who had the good idea to combine it with blackcurrant cream to create a very pleasant aperitif called "Kir". This practice is, however, linked to the fact that Aligoté was grown for a long time to produce high yields and therefore often lacked maturity at harvest, resulting in "green" and very acidic wines that blackcurrant cream skillfully tempered. Today, there is a real renewed interest in this grape variety. Firstly, thanks to the creation of the Bouzeron village appellation, which is the only village appellation in Burgundy where the wine is not made with Chardonnay but with Aligoté. Bouzeron is planted with a particular variety of Aligoté, Aligoté Doré, which produces very fine wines. Aubert de Villaine (co-manager of the prestigious Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) did not make a mistake in establishing his personal domain there with his wife. Another standard-bearer for Aligoté is the association "Les Aligoteurs," which brings together talented young winemakers who are committed to showcasing the potential of this grape variety. Pierre-Henri Rougeot offers very fine magnums of Bourgogne Aligoté "Les Plumes," vinified and aged without sulfur, which should perfectly accompany your endless summer aperitifs!