Examples like this abound in Burgundy. The trick (and the fun) is finding them. Typically we start at the ‘village’ level, rooting around lesser lights like Pernand-Vergelesses (neighbor to more-famous Corton-Charlemagne) or St-Aubin (neighbor to more-famous Chassagne). In fact, the premier cru vineyard “En Remilly” straddles St-Aubin and Chassagne – and still the Chassagne wines, on the whole, cost more. This is reality in the painstakingly mapped, and classified, vineyards of Burgundy – but at times you can’t help but think back a few centuries to some Benedictine monks standing on a hillside, one turning to the other and saying: “Well, you’ve gotta draw the line somewhere.”

Then there’s the issue of pedigree: Domaine Guy Amiot was founded in 1920 in Chassagne-Montrachet and was one of the first in the area to “estate-bottle” its wines. Over several generations, the Amiot family has acquired pieces of most of the best vineyards in Chassagne, including precious premier cru sites such as “Champ Gains,” “La Maltroie” and “Les Cailleret,” where their vines are 75 years old. They also have a tiny chunk of the grand cru “Le Montrachet.” They craft more than a dozen distinct bottlings of Chardonnay, all of them benchmarks of elegant, traditionally made white Burgundy.

What struck me most about this wine was its depth and intensity, its Asian pear and yellow apple fruit enhanced by aromas of hazelnuts, white flowers, cream and lees; and a complexity way above its price. The wine is very well concentrated yet checked by freshness brought by acidity. It feels serious on the palate – weighty yet energetic and focused, with a fine mineral influence well beyond your expectations of a Bourgogne Blanc. It’s got everything we crave in white Burgundy without the prohibitive price tag, meaning it need not be reserved for special occasions. Drinking a white wine like this on the regular is what we all should strive to do. Life’s too short! This wine merits some larger stems and a warmer-than-refrigerator temperature (I’d say cellar temp of about 55 degrees is perfect) to really show its stuff. A half-hour or so in a decanter would be advised, and as for food, well, I’m thinking of some sauteed halibut or spot prawns drizzled with a classic beurre blanc like this one. Enjoy!