Chardonnay special (part 1)

UPDATE ; DAY

From Chablis to Cape Town, via the Niagara Peninsula, plus 30 chardonnays of all styles to accompany you, from aperitifs to cheeses, including lobster. Health!  

First part – Burgundy  

Chablisien 

In the opinion of many, Chablis is the quintessence of the Chardonnay grape variety, the vast majority unoaked, relying heavily on the expression of the limestone soils of the Kimmeridgian.  

Drouhin-Vaudon, Chablis 2020, Joseph Drouhin, France&nbsp ;

$34.75 – SAQ code 199141 – 12.5%

I want to believe that Chablis, and Burgundy in general, have had several small harvests in a row, but I still have trouble explaining a $7 increase for this wine, between the 2019 and 2020 vintages. The quality is at the rendezvous (fortunately!); the wine is faithful to the expectations of the appellation and representative of a very fine vintage, with fruit and notes of flint; balanced and satiating.

★★★ $$$   

William Fèvre, Chablis 2020, Les Champs Royaux, France 

$34.75 – SAQ code 276436 – 12.5%

The management of William Fèvre announced in 2019 that it would officially switch to organic conversion. The seriousness of the work of Didier Séguier and his team is also reflected in this cuvée resulting from the purchase of grapes, remarkable from year to year. Everything is there, in harmony, the texture is both vinous and tense; the flavors are straight, chiseled, highlighted by a delicate bitterness. Nice job. 

★★★ 1⁄2 $$$ 

Côtes de Nuits < /h3>

Domaine de Montmain, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits 2016, Le Rouard, France 

$46.75 – SAQ code 15096594 – 13%

< p>From a secondary region of the Côte de Nuits, a modest white wine, fully relying on the barrel and on stirring. In the absence of structure or real depth, lovers of fatty, buttery and vanilla chardonnay will be served.  

★★ 1⁄2 $$$$  

Côte de Beaune 

Domaine de Bellene, Beaune Premier Cru Les Perrières 2020, France 

$135 – SAQ code 15084260 – 13.5% 

Nicolas Potel created Domaine Roche de Bellene in 2008, a few years after selling his eponymous trading company. In this premier cru terroir located on the site of former limestone quarries, in the northern part of the commune of Beaune, Potel signs a full and ample 2020, still very young and full of future; at least if I judge by the freshness of the wine after a whole day of opening, without any other protection than the cork. The flavors are a little timid at first, but develop fairly quickly on contact with the air, long and deep; the palate offers a pleasant, harmonious, racy hold.

★★★★ $$$$$  

Mâconnais< /strong> 

Domaine de la Croix Senaillet, Saint-Véran 2020, France 

30.25 $ – SAQ code 15040929 – 13.4%

From a selection of vines grown organically and spread over 40 plots at the foot of the rocks of Solutré and Vergisson, this wine from Richard and Stéphane Martin is vinified and then aged for 10 months in stainless steel vats. No wood, but clean and transparent flavors of pear and lemon zest, with a hint of butter (the malos); significant volume in the mid-palate and a saline finish. A very good Saint-Véran! 

★★★★ $$ 1⁄2   

Stéphane Brocard, Mâcon-Villages 2020, France 

$26.30 – SAQ code 15112697 – 13% – Organic 

Stéphane Brocard, son of a Chablis winemaker, created a trading house in Marsannay in 2007. His Mâcon-Villages does not reinvent the wheel, but proves to be very satisfactory with its flavors of peach, its fullness and its balance in the mouth. Medium length; serve around 12°C and aerate in a carafe for 30 minutes.

★★★ $$ 1⁄2  

Domaine Perraud, Mâcon La Roche-Vineuse 2017, France 

$28.30 – SAQ code 14955836 – 13%

La Roche-Vineuse is one of the 27 municipalities of the Mâcon-Villages appellation, located in the western part, where the relief becomes a little more rugged. This is vinified and aged in Burgundy barrels, which stands out on the nose, but also on the palate, with its vinosity and its notes of butterscotch. Fat, ripe; Drink now. 

★★ 1⁄2 $$ 1⁄2  

Domaine Perraud, Mâcon Villages 2021, France 

$21.40 – SAQ code 12284709 – 13%

Never transcendent, but constant , even in the vintage in 2021, which is saying something. The fruity flavors are discreet, but very clear.

★★ $$ 

Joseph Drouhin, Mâcon-Lugny 2020, Les Crays , France 

$27.25 – SAQ code 13319061 – 13% 

In the continuity of the last vintages, a good white typical of the Mâconnais: quite fat, nourished with flavors of poached pear and butter; medium length, good balance.

★★★ $$ 1⁄2  

Joseph Burrier, Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine 2021 , Montagne de Cra, Domaine de la Rochette France 

$28.85 – SAQ code 15121121 – 12.5%

The conditions in the summer of 2021 gave Burgundy winemakers a lot of trouble; after the spring frosts, the frequent rains created an ideal environment for the appearance of fungi. We guess it here in the sustained notes of saffron, which mingle with the discreet lemony flavors; the palate is light, marked by a pronounced acidity. Good, but a little short and simple to justify its price.

★★ 1⁄2 $$ 1⁄2   

< strong>Manoir du Capucin, Pouilly-Fuissé 2019, Clos de la Maison, France 

$39.75 – SAQ code 15131433 – 14%

From a one-hectare plot on a hillside in the hamlet of Pouilly, this 2019 unfolds juicy and succulent fruit on the palate, carried by a spherical mouth, almost sweet as the matter is ripe (14%); a hint of carbon dioxide brings vitality. Rich finish with flavors of tarte tatin and beeswax. Sized for rich dishes like lobster pasta.

★★★ $$$ 1⁄2  

Joseph Burrier, Pouilly-Fuissé 1er cru Vers Cras 2020, Château de Beauregard, France 

$59.25 – SAQ code 15074475 – 12.5%

This cuvée comes from 3.5 hectares of limestone soil located on the outskirts of Château de Beauregard. Frédéric and Baptiste Burrier began the transition to organic farming a few years ago and signed an excellent Pouilly-Fuissé Vers Cras in 2020. The grapes were ripe, you can feel it on the nose as much as on the palate, but the vinosity is supported by a healthy freshness and by a phenolic material which also contributes to the aromatic length of the wine. Not cheap, but very good. Drink between 2023 and 2028.

★★★★ $$$$ 

Legend 

★ Fair 

★★ Good 

★★★ Very good  

★★★★ Excellent 

★★★★★ Exceptional < /p>

More stars than dollars: worth the price. 

As many stars as dollars: worth the price.  

Fewer stars than dollars: wine is expensive.