One of the Greatest Wines in the FS White Burgundy Portfolio for 2013. From the Winery that Alan Meadows Buys for His Cellar A Top Tier Premier Cru White and an Incredible Everyday White

By now many of you know how great the Pommards of Billard-Gonnet are and will be over the next 25-50 years. If you follow Alan Meadows on Facebook, you can see open bottles of Billard-Gonnet at wine tastings with his friends (he has said that this is one of the wineries whose wines he buys to cellar).

Did you also know that Billard-Gonnet makes two exquisite whites, both being top values in their own respective categories?  The first is the 2013 Hautes Cotes de Nuits Blanc which can be had for as little as $22.99 a bottle on the 4-pack. This is made from Pinot Beurot, which is an old Burgundian name for Pinot Gris (2/3) and the rest, Chardonnay. Phillipe's Pinot Beurot vines are 50+ years old. The wine is just delicious but also offers more than delicious mouthfeel, flavors and texture, it offers terrific complexity and depth at a very small tariff. It is juicy, complex and lively with great acidity. Very intense and very pure. The yields are very low and it is aged in old 500 liter barrels which add to the lovely texture. It is unapologetically old school and has a feral/earthy quality to it as well as the lean apple/chalky flavors and exceptional length. The acidity is wonderful as 2013 has evolved into a brilliant vintage for white burgundy. A terrific terrific value and a must for Burgundy lovers for the distinctive character of the wine. We LOVE 2013 Cote de Beaune whites at Fass Selections and the at low end they provide profound value.

Up next is Billard-Gonnet's signature white and by far the best value wine from this vaunted and esteemed vineyard. It is the 2013 Billard Gonnet Beaune 1er Cru "Clos des Mouches" which can be had for $54.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. Compare to Drouhin and Chanson $120 (in 2013) and only goes up from there. The Clos des Mouches vineyard is one of the greatest overlooked great vineyards in all of Burgundy. It gets good attention in the Drouhin stable of course but others make it as well. Very few actually. But of the others, for me, Billard-Gonnet's version shines the brightest. It is a wine for the cellar. Billard Gonnet is old school as they come and all of his 1er Cru's demand age and this is no different. But you just have to wait a bit less on this one than the Pommards. But the ROI on this wine is off the charts. He opened some older ones when I was there and there is a Corton-Charlemagne level of complexity to these wines with age that shows how truly great that this vineyard is and it is great. It can be ready to go in 2-5 years I would think but can surely last 10-15 more years and that is an understatement I think. If one is to pop now it has a terrifically complex nose of mineral/wet earth, lemon curd, and exotic  fruits. Outrageous complexity and concentration on the palate with terrific length and purity. The finesse is Grand Cru all the way. I could not believe how elegant it was. Really vivid inner mouth aromas and a long, juicy finish. It can be drunk now, but ideally needs some time to become even more expressive. Truly one of the greatest white burgs I've tasted from the '13 vintage.

2013 Billard-Gonnet Hautes Cotes de Beaune Blanc - $24.99 

($91.86 4-pack)

2013 Bilard-Gonnet Beaune 1er Cru "Clos de Mouches" - $56.99 

($164.97 3-pack) (VERY LIMITED)