The idea of “value Burgundy” may seem like an oxymoron, and indeed, with low yields and high prices in the region’s most prestigious villages, many consumers have had little choice but to look elsewhere. Yet, there are exceptions to every rule, and Burgundy fanatics would do well to follow the age-old mantra to “look where no one else is looking”—or at least, where nobody is looking right now.
          The Hautes-Côtes may well be Burgundy’s future, and a number of top producers have already made investments in this curious appellation. Consisting of vineyards at the very top of the slope that makes up the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, it was long deemed too cold to produce wines of any quality. Add extremely poor, stony soils to the equation, and there was really no reason for a vigneronne to break her back to make an insipidly lean, thin wine.
         But in today’s warmer climate, these late-ripening sites have suddenly taken on immense value. The cost of land is a pleasant contrast to the exorbitantly priced parcels on the Côte, and those who had the foresight to plant here are already reaping the rewards of this as of yet unheralded appellation.
         Among these is Domaine Méo-Camuzet, the historic Vosne-Romanée estate with such a prestigious array of premier cru and grand cru holdings to its name that its Hautes-Côtes de Nuits parcel stands apart as the humble outlier. But, sitting at altitude directly above the grand cru Echezaux, the Clos Saint Philibert is just a stone’s throw from some of the most prestigious terroir in all of Burgundy. Sensing this potential, the domaine planted this monopole to Chardonnay in the early 1990s.
         The vineyard has since affirmed its character, consistently producing a white Burgundy of slicing vivaciousness. While such a cool, rocky terroir certainly favors freshness and minerality in spades, the abundant white limestone also reflects sunshine onto the grapes, endowing the wine with a delightful expression of ripe, fleshy fruit.
         Value, approachability, and undeniable pedigree—you’ll see exactly why the Hautes-Côtes is being hailed as Burgundy’s future shining star.