It certainly helps that 2014 was a classic, balanced vintage in Burgundy, but ultimately this wine is a testament to what’s happening at myriad small estates across southern Burgundy. While the soils of the Mâcon are the same limestone-and-clay mixture as those found further north, the hierarchical nature of Burgundy has naturally created a huge disparity in land values. Starting with a much lower cost of inputs, producers like Gilles Morat are able to put a textured, mineral, complex Chardonnay like this one on the market for under $30 and be branded “over-achievers.” In reality, all Morat has done is express the true quality of his seriously undervalued vineyards.

Morat is a classic back-to-the-lander: He founded his domaine in 1997 after a long career in another business, piecing together a number of vineyard plots around Vergisson – including some that belonged to his grandfather, who had sold the grapes to négociants. His are high-elevation sites (300-450 meters) in the shadow of one of Mâcon’s landmarks – the awesomely named Roche de Vergisson (“Rock of Vergisson”), a sharp-edged limestone escarpment that looms over the vineyards and village below.

Farming organically and producing only about 1,500 cases of wine a year, Gilles Morat is a true artisan, hand-plowing his vine rows and harvesting manually. This “Terroirs de Vergisson” bottling is considered his “entry level” cuvée, but there’s nothing basic about it: 60% of the wine is fermented in stainless steel vats, the remaining 40% in Allier and Cher oak barrels of 4 to 8 years of age. While this older oak lends structure to the wine, it doesn’t get in the way of its vivid fruit, functioning more as a frame for its complex flavors.

I try not to prejudge wines based on the label, but sometimes it is tough since there are so many average wines from Pouilly-Fuissé. In this case, there was just so much going on it blew away my expectations: the texture is genuinely rich, almost creamy, checked by the classic oyster shell minerality of the region. In the glass it’s a deep straw-gold, with aromas of ripe yellow apple, pear, and lime blossom supported by bass notes of hazelnut and mushroom. There’s leesy notes as well (Morat’s wines are typically rested on their lees for 10 to 12 months), but ultimately the influence of oak/barrel fermentation is very restrained.