Translated from a post by regular eno-contributor Fabrizio Gallino of enofaber.com where he relates an encounter with an unknown commodity, a Burgundy white…
Burgundy.
Immediately you think of “big red,” of aged pinot noir, of the almost mystical elements that speak to you, that tell you stories. That’s of course because the land of Burgundy is a little like the ancient and mysterious East, from whence merchants returned and recounted to the rest of those who were unable to travel there.
So when find yourself instead before a bottle of white from that promised land, knowing absolutely nothing about it, you feel caught a bit off guard.
You think of the everyday Chardonnay, done very well perhaps, but certainly far from the poetry and mysticism of the Burgundy reds, right?
Jane, you ignorant slut…
If every Chardonnay was like this Chardonnay, I swear that I would drink only Chardonnay from now on…
To be honest, opening this young bottle now was a bit like committing infanticide, but I just couldn’t resist. Given to me by a friend who knows Burgundy like the back of his hand, this one reveals itself to be mystical libation that first lifts you up then pummels you with its myriad soft contrasts. Verticality and horizontality, already round but always vibrante, sharp. Light and weightless in appearance, but as powerful as Cassius Clay in substance, this wine stuns and dazes you — in the most pleasurable way.
And still you hope to find a bit more in the glass…
I wonder, if after only 2 years it was così, like this, what would it be like in 2, 4, 6…and 10 years?
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Read Italian? See the original post here.
The wine is Puligny-Montrachet AOC 1er Cru Le Cailleret 2009, produced by Domaine Michel Bouzereau et Fils. Located in the Côte du Beaune, Bouzereau has vineyards in Meursault and in Puligny-Montrachet, the area producing whites almost exclusively, and almost exclusively of 100% Chardonnay. This wine comes from the 1° cru of Le Cailleret, located west-nw and just up the slope from the village of Puligny-Montrachet. (Don’t confuse this cru with Les Caillerets, a tiny 1° cru on the northern edge of Meursault.)
