Long Lunchers are always on the lookout for great value.
A recent Saturday tasting at the Sydney branch of the Prince Wine Store featured the wines of Jane Eyre, an Australian winemaker producing pinots in Australia but also in Burgundy. She had some interesting wines but for me the star of the show was the lead in act:
Jean Marc Pillot Bourgogne Blanc 2013
“Le Haut Des Champs”.
Although classed as a simple Bourgogne Blanc this is easily Villages quality and would test many premiere cru whites from Burgundy. Lack of fruit weight was all that separated this wine from that esteemed status of premiere cru.
It is fresh and vibrant with great acid and a noticeable mineral character, almost Chablis like. This is not dull, flat and flabby like a lot of lesser chardonnays but has plenty of life and leaves a wonderful zing in your mouth. A very different style to the fruit driven, oak drenched chardonnay often made in Australia.
This wine will appeal to many people. It would be a great introduction for people looking to experience White Burgundy but hesitant to part with the big dollars needed to buy wine from this region. And for those who have some familiarity with such wines they will be impressed with the great value.
From what I could work out talking to Jean Marc Pillot’s son who was conducting the tasting, their Bourgogne Blanc regularly does well in “blind” tastings. The grapes for this wine come from younger vines in their Chassagne-Montrachet vineyard, the same source as for their highly acclaimed 1er cru Chassagne-Montrachet.
I bought a case of the Bourgogne Blanc – $35 each by the dozen. Now you might not want to spend this much on your everyday drinking but you would be hard pressed to find anything close to this in the cost/quality analysis we all subconsciously apply when tasting wine.
Excellent value – highly recommended