Burgundy's Brightest Whites: Cool Climate Only @ College Ave. Friday, July 25th

Imagine spending time with a friend who can’t stop dwelling on the world’s problems, yet suddenly catches a glimpse of beauty so profound they fall silent. In the wine world, we seek that same moment of solace from the effects of global warming by migrating to cooler-climate whites. Even Chardonnay, Burgundy’s great chameleon, has been forced to adapt. But in these white Burgundies, grown on windswept slopes and limestone-rich soils, adaptation has produced wines of astonishing vibrancy. Higher acidity, lemon-lime brightness, lower alcohol, and a taut, mineral-driven frame. This is Chardonnay redefined! And far from diminishing complexity or longevity, these qualities elevate it.

Vincent Couche’s Terre de Molesme ($52) is textbook cool-climate Chardonnay: aged 24 months in amphorae, kissed with oxidative notes, and shaped by Kimmeridgian limestone for laser-cut precision. Régis Bouvier’s Marsannay Blanc “Les Longeroies” ($62) is a special wine that we've been trying to get our hands on for a long time. It comes from vines that sit on a tapestry of limestone, marl, clay, and gravel, with 12 months in oak (30% new) balancing a citrusy lift and crushed-stone minerality with a subtle roundness more often found in Premier and Grand Cru sites. Next time classification rolls around, we wouldn’t be surprised if Les Longeroies earns the Premier Cru status it so clearly deserves.

Our final pair transports us to Saint-Aubin, the Côte de Beaune’s cool-climate rising star. Saint-Aubin Blanc “En l’Ebaupin” from Les Parcellaires de Saulx ($92) grows where shards of limestone pierce chalky soils, leading to iron-rich layers at the base of the slope. Old vines in this late-ripening site give a wine with electric verve and classic Saint-Aubin aromatics (citrus zest, crushed stone, and white flowers). Françoise & Denis Clair’s Saint-Aubin 1er Cru “Sous Roche Dumay” ($89) is a step up in intensity, showcasing the power and texture Premier Cru vineyards can achieve without sacrificing Saint-Aubin’s trademark lift and minerality.

This is cool climate White Burgundy at its most thrilling: wines that balance elegance and energy, tradition and transformation.