Magnums of White Wines of Burgundy

Burgundy is really the mecca of great dry white wines. Magnum Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne, Meursault  to name only the most prestigious are names that resonate all over the world and thrill the taste buds of all amateurs.

The white Burgundy Magnums are mainly made from the Chardonnay grape variety which seems to find its origins in the small eponymous village of Maconnais. This variety subsequently enjoyed international success and was planted widely from Australia to California via South Africa or Argentina. He finds on the clay-limestone soils of Burgundy undoubtedly his most beautiful expressions. Mineral and stretched in Chablis, round and fruity in the Mâconnais, it is elegant, complex and perfectly balanced on the Côte de Beaune.

The system of Burgundian appellations is a four-storey pyramid:

• Regional appellations : you will have little information on 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; In general, it is the plots of lower slopes (so rather on very clayey soils that will bring roundness but little elegance) or plots on the plateaus above the hillsides that sometimes have more difficulty reaching maturity given the altitude and exposure. These wines with little prestige can be very pleasant and "easy" to uncork when they have been made by good winemakers. A beautiful magnum of Burgundy can be the ideal companion of an improvised aperitif back from the market.
• Village appellations: these are wines from identified plots within an appellation area surrounding the village that bears its name: Pouilly-Fuissé in the Maconnais, Montagny or Rully in 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 beautiful oyster bourriche with your friends. A magnum of white Mercurey will allow you to start a beautiful Friday evening aperitif. A magnum from Meursault will be the suitable companion to share a nice Bresse chicken Sunday at noon with all your cousins 
• The Premier Crus appellations come from clearly identified plots within each village generally located mid-hillside. They benefit from a good balance between clay and limestone, draining soils and an east, south-east exposure ideal for the grapes to receive the rays of the rising sun. The wines of Premier Cru appellations gain in aromatic complexity and length on the palate. You can enjoy a Breton lobster with a beautiful magnum of Meursault 1er Cru les Charmes or sole millers with a nice Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru les Vergelesses.

• At the top of the pyramid the Grands Crus appellations only 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 down the hillside, perfectly exposed, the happy winegrowers who own them willingly tell you that here the grapes always reach perfect levels of maturity and allow to make wines of a perfect balance capable of improving and gaining in aromatic complexity thanks to slow aging in the cellar. Enjoying a Grand Cru Burgundy, if it has been kept in a magnum format, it is traveled through an incredible range of flavors: citrus, empyreumatic, white flowers, honey and keep all these aromas long after the last drop of wine has been swallowed.

There are other white grape varieties in Burgundy nevertheless. The best known is undoubtedly the Aligoté which owes its reputation to Canon Kir who had the good idea to associate it with blackcurrant cream to make a very pleasant aperitif "the Kir". This practice is nevertheless linked to the fact that Aligoté has for a very long time been cultivated to produce large yields and it was therefore often sorely lacking in maturity at harvest giving "green" and very  acidic wines that the crème de cassis came to temper with talent. Today, there is a real revival of interest in this grape variety. First of all thanks to the creation of the village appellation Bouzeron 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, the golden aligoté which gives very beautiful wines. Aubert de Villaine (co-manager of the prestigious Domaine de la Romanée Conti) made no mistake in establishing their personal estate there with his wife. Another standard-bearer of the aligoté, the association "aligoteurs" bringing together talented young winegrowers who strive to highlight the potential of this grape variety. Pierre-Henri Rougeot offers beautiful magnums of Burgundy Aligoté "les Plumes", vinified and aged without sulfur that should accompany wonderfully your endless aperitifs of the summer!