I still drink a lot of Bourgogne Blanc versus Bourgogne Rouge as I find the quality is slightly better in general vs. Bourgogne Rouge. Some of the best ones are near the primo villages in all of the Beaune. Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet of course come to mind and some of these are only a few feet away from AC or even 1er Cru terroir. These can be terrific values and still manage to outperform village and even 1er Cru wines on the rare occasion. This was a tough list to compile as the choices were numerous. When Bourgogne Blanc is good it should be a business card for the estate. It should give a window into the style of the winery as in Burgundy, style is not as important as terroir but comes a close second. There also should be a bit of fruit in these and a good chunk of minerals but many of the best ones offer a nice mouthful of Chardonnay grown on limestone slathered fruit. As usual these are in no particular order.
1. Domaine Roulot - The Master. No other way to put it. It's not the most complex Roulot wine around but boy does it nail that precise Roulot style. It's mineral focused, super clean and always precise. It's snuck up in price but still is a terrific value and such a nice, affordable intro into Roulot's style.
2. Domaine Berlancourt - Quickly becoming one of my favorite estates in all of Burgundy. They specialize in Bourgogne Blanc with tiny yields from vineyards right across the road from Puligny. They make 3 cuvées in a good vintage and they are like a village, 1er Cru and a Grand Cru but all are Bourgogne Blanc. Stunning, deep, ripe, gothic and baroque. Ageable and will make you think twice about what Bourgogne Blanc is and can be.
3. Patrick Javillier Cuvée Oligocene - I had to include this particular wine as it is THE wine from the estate when it comes to Bourgogne Blanc. There is also the Cuvée des Forgets but for me Oligocene is where it is at. This is a hop and skip away from Meursault Charmes, lying below it and the wine has uncommon depth and structure for a Bourgogne Blanc. Dazzlingly mineral it also ages very well. Javillier uses oak but it is perfectly integrated. At around $28 this is a stellar value.
4. Francois Raquillet - I adore his Bourgogne Blanc. It tastes to my palate like a baby Chassagne. Juicy, vibrant and full of appley/pear fruit. Complex and explosive. Really nervy. '14 is particularly great. I used to rep him and sold the 14 for $19.99 and it's a great deal. I see it nowhere on winesearcher in America and that is not a good thing. This wine needs to be here. If not from me from other suppliers.
5. Domaine Leflaive - Clocking in at around $50, this is one of the more expensive wines on this list. But it's a great intro into the Leflaive style. Big, dense, ripe, structured, elegant, refined and mineral this is a brilliant wine. It can age for 10-12 years but it's hard to keep your hands off it young.
6. Arnaud Ente - This is a crazy expensive Bourgogne Blanc but it is worth it. At least once. You can find between $84 and $109! I know, it's nuts. Using tiny yields he makes mostly higher end Meursault and Puligny which are generally more eye popping in price than the Bourgogne Blanc. It's two parcels in Meursault and one in Puligny and truly drinks like village or 1er Cru wine. Such purity, depth, finesse and minerality.
7. Jean-Phillipe Fichet - This estate has been under the radar since I've been in wine business. I don't know how that happens. They make two exceptional Bourgogne Blancs, with the VV being extra special. The normal is from grapes from the north and south side of Meursault. Super lean focused and mineral and has a great knack for aging. The VV is another beast altogether and richer, deeper and more ageworthy. I've seen the VV for $30 which is a steal but the normal price is around $40. Still a great wine between $30-$40. The regular BB can be had for around $30.
8. PYCM - A terrific Bourgogne with purity, richness, fatness and laser like precision. The classic PYCM style. It's snuck up in price to $35-$40 but as recently as last year seen for $19.99 which is an obvious steal.
9. Simone Bize - At Bize they make a Bourgogne Les Perrieres red and white and both are achingly classic Bourgognes. The Blanc is a dazzler. From vines planted in 1967, the wine has energy, grace and structure. It has slightly exotic Savigny Les Beaune Blanc style fruits but razor sharp minerals and purity.
10. Florent Garaudet - I sell this for around $25 and the '12 was nice enough. The '13 was a vast improvement and the '14 was just transcendent. He is getting better as were the vintages but this wine is like a baby Meursault now. A stunning value as it goes for $35 or so via 3-tie
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