We spend an unreal amount of time hunting for the best values in wine, but we honestly never thought we’d say this: Today, we offer you white Burgundy, drinking beautifully at over six years old, for less than thirty dollars. Château de Rougeon’s Bourgogne Blanc “Ostréa” 2018 is lightning in a bottle. It is, first of all, a shimmering illustration of the wonder that is aged white Burgundy, that seductive commingling of electric minerality, rich orchard fruit, and nutty savor. But it’s also the sort of artisanal gem that makes Burgundy the apple of the wine drinker’s eye. Château de Rougeon is an estate vital to the region’s history, while also a forward-looking family affair charting courses for the future. And, as with all the best Burgundy, “Ostréa” is made at a minute scale, where every step practically has to be done by hand. Just how it comes in at a price so friendly that we can buy it by the case, we don’t know. But we’re not asking questions, we’re just stocking up!
The Ozanon-Bouchard family behind Château de Rougeon work in the Côte Chalonnaise, a less buzzy corner of Burgundy just south of the Côte d’Or. But the family’s been at the heart of the region’s rise for over a century now. Charles Ozanon, Rougeon’s second generation, was a famed 19th-century botanist. When Phylloxera decimated the region, Charles was one of the main proponents for grafting vines onto American rootstock. He founded a nursery to supply recovering growers with vine material, and he became one of the main sources of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay throughout Burgundy. His son Henri was one of the two Burgundians who originally determined the framework of the AOC appellation system that dominates French wine today.
In 1981, Dominique Bouchard and his wife Isabelle took over the château. In keeping with the family style, Dominique was a trailblazer. He began the arduous process of replanting single-clone vineyards to more varied massale selections. At the height of herbicide use in the region, he went back to traditional plowing for weed control, and reintroduced sheep to “mow” the grass. It was Dominique who returned to organic farming, a practice his children keep up today, and for which they’re now certified. Dominique passed away in 2017, but Isabelle and their two children Joseph and Florence keep Château de Rougeon at the cutting edge. They’ve segmented out part of the property for pastures and brought in cows, with plans to start an artisanal dairy farm.
Château de Rougeon’s Bourgogne Blanc cuvée is tellingly named “Ostréa,” the Latin word for “oyster.” The plot on their farm where this bottling is grown is rich in oyster fossils and limestone, two of the key ingredients for some of our favorite mineral-driven Chardonnay (think Chablis or Puligny). An elevation of 400 meters–very high for Burgundy–imbues the wine with further verve. The Chardonnay is handpicked, then ferments spontaneously and ages in stainless steel for 18 months. The 2018 vintage has rested peacefully for almost five years in bottle now, and it’s been worth the wait. The nose opens with almond and hazelnut nuttiness, followed by creamy yellow apple flesh and pear skin, lemon zest, honeysuckle, pulverized chalk, and seaspray. On the palate it’s vivacious and lively, still a wine driven by its mineral rigour, but the texture has widened out with some golden tones and richer mouthfeel. The finish is minutes long, staining your palate with all that rocky goodness. It’s both complex and deeply refreshing, and while it’s certainly affordable to just pop a bottle and drink on its own, “Ostréa” is more than comfortable alongside a carefully-prepared meal. Don’t pass this opportunity up, we doubt we’ll ever offer an aged Burgundy value like this again!
