The full retail prices I’m seeing across the board in my neck of the woods for the village-level wines seem to start at $40 these days. It seems to me that Chablis is still the relative value play for white Burg in the under $50 category.
you just have to find something else to replace it. Chablis is certainly one choice, although I don’t know how long that will last, as it’s a relatively small place. Dry chenin blanc for me is becoming a more frequent substitute.
There is very little decent village Meursault, Chassagne and Puligny out there for under $50.
My feeling is that the riper, lower acid, earlier drinking style which (just in my opinion) is the main culprit in premox is also continuing to strengthen demand and pricing. And that is why producers show little interest and no urgency about premox.
Try this, an excellent Meursault based Bourgogne Blanc: Dupont-Fahn Bourgogne Blanc Chaumes Des Perrieres. Usually sells for $30 to $35/bottle. It is from a vineyard that was declassified from Meursault to Bourgogne level because some topsoil was added. Hence the name, which roughly translates to the Stubbles of Perrieres.
Meursault, like Puligny and Chassagne fetches such prices these days. Can’t change it. My cheaper alternatives, which hardly ever “work” the same way, are St. Aubin for a Puligny, Santenay blanc for a Chassagne blanc and Auxey Duresses or to a lesser extent St. Romain for a Meursault. Or a Bourgogne Blanc from good producers. I’d rather drink a Bourgogne Blanc from Roulot than an unexciting Meursault Village from a not so great producer at the same price point. Other less expensive alternatives such as Chablis or wines from the Chalonnais or Mâconnais are not really a substitute for me because they taste differently to me in very many (but not all) cases.
Since the Federal Reserve started inventing $1 Trillion in fake money every year, and the Top 1% were handed more free [albeit fake] money than they could ever dream of spending.