Domaine de la Bongran Vire-Clesse Cuvee Tradition E.J. Thevenet 2013
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Robert
Parker
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The 2013 Viré-Clessé Cuvée E. J. Thevenet is another beautiful rendition of this consistently superb cuvée, wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of orange zest, white flowers, beeswax, acacia honey and ripe lemon. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with lovely depth and succulence, concluding with a long and youthfully tense finish. It's already comparatively elegant and expressive by the standards of this estate, making it more approachable as a young wine than the 2012 or 2011 were at the same age, but it will enjoy two decades of longevity—indeed, it's only just being released by the domaine. 2013 was a challenging year in the Mâconnais, but this is the wine of the vintage.
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2015-
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Robert
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One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
These are the fun, fruit-driven and lively Chardonnays of white Burgundy, often offering some fantastic values and options that you don’t have to cellar. Flavors range from fresh green apple and lemon to melon or pineapple; some of the best are fleshy and mineral driven or balanced by a light touch of oak.
Mâconnais Chardonnay may have the weight of their more serious Côte de Beaune sisters, but not quite the refinement. Still, this appellation is one of the best ways to jump from California Chardonnay to something new and begin to understand white Burgundy.
The Mâconnais region is warmer and drier than the rest of Burgundy to its north (Côte d’Or) and has a landscape of rolling hills and farmland interspersed among vineyards. The region produces a lot of Chardonnay—Viré-Clessé and Pouilly-Fuisse are among the best—and a very small amount of red wine from Gamay and Pinot Noir. The soils of Mâconnais remain limestone dominant like in the Côte d’Or, making it a wonderful spot for Chardonnay to thrive. Gamay's home of Beaujolais lies just to the south.