I’m trying to turn my wife on to great wine and would like to explore Burgundy/Rhone. Her wines of choice tend to be dry Riesling, Viognier, Albarino, Veltliner and White Grenache from Priorat. She has never liked any of the Cali Chard’s I’ve shared but admittedly I’m primarily into Reds so most of the Chardonnay I’ve consumed fit the stereotypical oaky and buttery profile that we both dislike. The meet me half way has been Sauvignon Blanc which is the only white I tend to like along with Albarino. We like crisp, clean, nuanced wines and some of the best have had a fresh and creamy like texture (without feeling heavy, oaky or overtly sweet). Any guidance on producers and sub regions would be greatly appreciated.
Are Marsanne and Roussanne too ‘oily’, not crisp enough for her?
Fevre Chablis
Meursault might be a good place to start, too…
Like her, I have little to no experience with white burgundy. About the only thing I’ve had in recent memory was a Louie Latour Ardeche Cardonnay which I thought was better than some of the more pricey Cali Chardonnay’s but that’s not saying much and the buttery viscosity of it is probably not her cup of tea.
Phill, I’d try Condrieu (Viogniers), the first region to get me excited about French whites. Chapoutier and Guigal do a range of generally good ones but my favourite producer, with a good range, is Yves Cuilleron. Best of luck!
Chablis was my initial thought too. Plus also Loire Chenin (e.g. Vouvray dry or sweet, but don’t ignore sparkling Vouvray - Pinon is good value and their sparkler can be wonderful) and Sauv Blanc (Pouilly-Fume, Sancerre, Menetou-Salon).
Champagne worth a mention as well, and laying a few down can offer greater complexity.
Alsace can be great, especially for Rieslings), but also can be a bit of a minefield until you know which producers like to retain some residual sugar.
For Chardonnay from Burgundy if you appreciate freshness and don’t want a lot of oak Chablis is the place to go. 1.cru is often the better value and should have more complexity, the good Grand Cru are fantastic and really good value to boot. Do a search for producers. The Macon also offers good value though wines are in a broader riper style, often more oak and more careful choosing necessary.
If you would like to try wines that are crisp and also very mineral, almost saline, Muscadet-de-Sevre-et-Maine is fantastic, QPR unbelievable. Here too choosing the right producers is paramount, average quality is rather poor. Try Domaine de la Pepiere, Domaine de l’Ecu or Jo Landron. The top cuvees have a somewhat creamy texture from extended aging on lees and age wonderfully (though may be austere young).
Another choice would be Chenin Blanc from the middle regions of the Loire valley. Anjou, Saumur or Vouvray for instance. My favorite white wines and here too the best ones are insane QPR. Though it’s complicated to sort out a jungle of producers and styles. The wines are made in different sweetness levels, I prefer dry ones but many swear to some residual sugar. Soils also matter greatly in the character of the wines. The better wines often need time to show fully but develop wonderful complexity. I can give you some names if you’re interested.
Another vote for Muscadet and the Loire. How about Anjou Blanc?
Puligny-Montrachet? Henri Boillot makes some amazing wines that are crisp, clean, and not heavily oaked nor buttery.
What’s the price range?
Other than maybe Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur lie [which is very dry and chalky], I don’t of many value whites [sub-$30, even sub-$50] in France.
For instance, I just looked for Eric Texier’s stuff on free Wine Searcher - I got one hit on his Macon Bussieres [TVV] chardonnay and two hits on his off-dry “Opale”. In the entire world - not just the USA.
Similarly next to nothing on the Puzelat and Tue Boeuf sauvignon blancs.
I see slightly more hits on the Francois Carillon Bourgogne Blanc, but nothing from Jacques Carillon.
Honestly, I’d get my value reds from France but my value whites from Italy [Zardetto prosecco] and Germany [Donnhoff Estate].
Bold statements.
If your idea of value is Prosecco, sure Italy is fine. A part from the fact OP wanted to explore French whites, if your idea of value is sub $50 there’s plenty to choose from in France. The whole of the Loire valley is a treasure trove for starters, and at prices much below $50 too. The best part, to me, is there is a whole lot of world class wine at the top levels at incredible value, compared to most other regions making great wine.
Disclaimer: I don’t know exactly what’s available in the US, much less in Texas.
I’m not sure how refined your tastes are, but if you like playing in the cheaper end of things, I’ve had some recent sub $15 whites I liked recently.
The Michel Gassier “Cercius” is really enjoyable and rich without being cloying. It also costs $13 so you can spit it out if you think it’s gross. It got really high scores and was the subject of a million email blasts, but I find it to be objectively delicious.
There’s also a widely available Lafage white at the same price point that you may want to check out and see if it gets you going.
Picpoul de pinets can also be great values at the low end.
And I heartily endorse muscadet, which would fit your crisp, clean nuanced bill.
Try white Burgundies from Dublere, Chablis from Christian Moreau or Tribut, Macons from Lafon, or St. Veran from Drouhin, for Chardonnay.
Try Albert Mann for Riesling from Alsace.
Try Vouvray or Montluis from Childane.
Try Champagne from Bereche.
Try Sancerre from Cotat.
Try Bordeaux from Carbonneaux.
I’d like to experiment a bit at various price points to get a decent perspective of quality. Probably going to be buying a few listed on this thread (thanks all!). So maybe a budget range of $30 - $200 per bottle for immediate consumption. Obviously, I’d expect some thrills at the higher price points. It’s very much an expedition for me to branch out from Red and for my wife to experience well made Chardonnay.
$30 is so difficult for quality French whites [after they’ve passed through our 3-tier system].
As above, you can try looking for wines like Puzelat [and Tue Boeuf] and Texier, but I’m just not seeing them on free Wine-Searcher.
Around $50, you might find a nice 1er Cru Chablis [like the Vaillons vineyard], but you better drink it young, before it premoxes.
In the general vicinity of $75, you can find aged Huet [Chenin Blanc] and young Vatan [Sauvignon Blanc]. For instance, here is a recent library release of Huet which is drinking really well right now:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/huet+clos+bourg+demi-sec/1992
Also, neither Huet nor Vatan taste particularly good upon first release, so they need a fair amount of time to start strutting their stuff, and there are disturbing reports of recent Huets falling apart and becoming prem-oxed.
Out beyond $75, do not purchase any “still” Chardonnay until you have familiarized yourself with the Oxidized Burgs Wiki:
http://oxidised-burgs.wikispaces.com/
Right now, in the general range of $100 to $150, the best value in Chardonnay is actually not in still wine but in Champagne [sparkling wine]. For some reason the bazillionaires haven’t yet discovered Champagne, and they continue to throw their fiat currencies at 1er and Grand Cru burgundian chardonnay [still wine]. So at that price point, I’d splurge on a really nice Champagne rather than on a very mediocre 1er Cru burgundian chardonnay.
Out towards $200, you might find a really nice 1er Cru burgundy from a great vintage, which pre-dates the prem-ox plague, but you’re going to be bidding against bazillionaires.
You might be able to find a Didier Dageneau [Sauvignon Blanc] in the sub-$200 range, but since his death, his wines are becoming real cult items.
And you can forget about any white with the words “Haut” and “Brion” on the label - that ship sailed a long time ago.
A little known source for really good Chardonnay is the Limoux. Surprisingly fresh and lively wines, they can’t measure up with the great Burgundies but are fun and good value, plus will confound most people in a blind setting. Try e.g. Dom. de Mouscaillo.
Huet?
To experience some killer Chard for immediate consumption, I can think of nothing better than 2010 Corton Charlemagne. A recent bottle from Vincent Girardin was ridiculously awesome.
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I’d hate to be buying Chablis in your market. I can get Vaillons here for sub $30.
