What's Up With The Prices?
As the 2021 white Burgundies make their debut in the market, the prices of those hailing from esteemed appellations on the Côte d'Or, such as Meursault and the Montrachets, are becoming frankly absurd. With a meager crop and seemingly insatiable global demand, even village wines are frequently commanding prices exceeding £300, and sometimes surpassing £400, for a case of six bottles in bond. This means that when accounting for storage, maturation, and the payment of duty and VAT, Burgundy enthusiasts could effectively find themselves paying nearly £100 for a bottle of village Puligny-Montrachet, and even more for premier crus and grands crus.
However, during our tastings of the 2021 offerings, we increasingly recognized the exceptional quality of the white wines from the Mâconnais region. Despite being made from the same grape, these wines are cultivated further south of the Côte d'Or, just north of Beaujolais country. In the past, wines from Mâconnais appellations such as St-Véran, Viré-Clessé, the Pouillys, and the various iterations of Mâcon tended to exhibit a somewhat weighty character that lacked the vibrant zest and complexity commonly found in fine Côte d'Or wines. However, the 2021 Mâconnais wines, on the whole, showcase admirable tension alongside the pure, ripe Chardonnay fruit that has always been their hallmark.
The reasons behind this positive shift are not entirely clear, but it may be attributed to the significant impact of the devastating frosts in early April 2021, which particularly affected the Mâconnais region. Some producers barely managed to produce any wine in 2021, while others experienced significantly reduced grape yields. Perhaps this, combined with the influence of the north wind and late August heat, concentrated the acidity and flavors in the resulting berries.
Although this may have led to a slight increase in prices for the 2021s, the price disparity between wines from the Côte d'Or and those from the Mâconnais has further widened. Despite this, the value offered by the wines from southern Burgundy seems to have gone unnoticed by many buyers. The only exceptions are the recently designated premier crus in Pouilly-Fuissé, which are specified superior vineyards, and the finest wines from vineyards in Pouilly-Vinzelles, such as Les Quarts, which is set to be granted premier cru status in 2024.
It is worth noting that Mâconnais wines generally receive less attention during en primeur time, and their pricing is certainly not keeping pace with those from the Côte de Beaune. Even premier cru Pouillys are priced at approximately half the cost of a village wine from the renowned trio of Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet.