White Burgundy
by Chris Santini
2011 Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru “La Genelotte”
France | Burgundy
In 1811, the Chérisey family purchased their first vineyard, the Genelotte parcel in the lost hamlet of Blagny, high in the hills overlooking both Puligny and Meursault. Two centuries and six generations later, the same family still works this parcel, a monopole solely in their hands after all this time. To mark the bicentennial achieved in 2011, the estate decided to tuck away a portion of the vintage for a decade, to be released at its prime, to show the power and range of this terroir and their own savoir faire gained over the years. The vintage, austere and tense in its youth, has matured into the best a perfectly aged Meursault can offer—a broad, inviting bouquet of truffles, dried fruits, hazelnuts, and much more. To marry with the grandest cooking one can muster, a wine for the table if there ever was one.
2020 Mâcon-Villages
France | Burgundy
More than thirty years ago, as Adventures on the Wine Route was going to press, Kermit encountered a young Mâconnais vigneron at what was essentially a truck-stop restaurant in Fleurie. Upon learning that Kermit imported French wines to the United States, the vigneron, Henri Perrusset, invited him to come taste wines at his domaine. Kermit was impressed by the pure, pleasurable, unpretentious whites—wines that fittingly reflected the humble, farm country atmosphere of that initial meeting.
Ever since, we have imported Henri’s whites, which remain among the most stellar values for Chardonnay from Burgundy you can find. Crisp and mouthwatering, with hints of citrus and stone fruits, Henri’s Mâcon-Villages showcases a masterful balance of acidity and creamy roundness. An excellent match for salads, seafood, or chicken, it is also completely thirst-quenching served on its own.
2021 Chablis “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Burgundy
There’s good news and bad news about the 2021 vintage in Chablis. The good news is the ’21s are flush with all the qualities that made us fall in love with Chablis in the first place: crisp acidity, loads of stony minerality, and plenty of pleasure. The growing season was long and cool (a rarity these last few years), which did wonders with older vines such as these. Savary’s Vieilles Vignes, with its combination of brightness and depth, is akin to what I imagine Chablis enthusiasts were drinking decades ago. As for the bad news, a devastating frost struck Chablis in April 2021, resulting in the smallest harvest in modern history, so there’s not much, and it won’t be here long.