The dollar's recent decline relative to the euro may be making U.S. exports more attractive to overseas buyers, but it is certainly making some European wines look unattractively expensive here.
Burgundies from France's famed Côte d'Or offer a particularly distressing case in point. A particular wine from the 1999 vintage that cost you $40 is now likely to cost you $55 to $60 from the 2002 vintage. When U.S.-based importers purchased the 1999s, they could buy a euro for 85 cents. Now that they are buying wines from the 2002 and 2003 vintage, they must pay $1.30 or more.
All European wines are affected to some extent by the dollar's slide, but Burgundies have been hit especially hard. Most fine Côte d'Or wines are made in small quantities. The region is quite compact as a whole, and most producers farm small plots as a result of generations of inheritances split among siblings. Having little wine to sell, producers and importers of Côte d'Or Burgundies can't afford to reduce their margins aggressively in order to keep their wines priced competitively here.
Although it remains true that the Côte d'Or produces the world's best Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, the sad fact is that many of us must now consider alternative sources. I'll try to point you in some promising directions in upcoming columns (such as toward New Zealand, in two weeks), but your first move shouldn't necessarily take you outside of Burgundy. You can still find wines that are reasonably affordable and structurally comparable to those of the Côte d'Or by looking just to the south, into the Côte Chalonnaise.
The Côte Chalonnaise is not widely known among casual wine drinkers, but it is a great source for wines with delicacy and minerality akin to high-quality Côte d'Or bottlings at significantly lower prices. The Côte Chalonnaise draws its name from the nearby city of Chalon-sur-Saône, and includes separate appellations named after five little towns in the region: Bouzeron, Givry, Montagny, Mercurey and Rully. Vintners in Bouzeron often work with the Aligoté grape, and the region as a whole produces sparkling wines under the name of Crémant de Bourgogne, but the real stars in the Côte Chalonnaise are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The region's overall climate is a little warmer than that of the Côte d'Or, but the best vineyards in the Côte Chalonnaise are perched at altitudes higher than most Cote d'Or sites, resulting in comparable microclimates. The limestone soils of both Côtes are quite similar, and where vineyards in the Côte Chalonnaise are oriented to the south (which aids ripening), growers can get grapes that are every bit as good as those from the Côte d'Or. When they restrict vineyard yields, buy good barrels and craft their wines carefully, they can turn out bottles that are clearly superior to many more expensive Côte d'Or wines.
Chardonnay-based whites from the Côte Challonnaise are particularly competitive when measured against their Burgundian cousins, generally showing more character than Macon, more consistency than Chablis and much lower prices than Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Corton or Chassagne-Montrachet. The region's Pinot-based reds are more irregular, but in good vintages like 2002 they can offer a wonderful balance between ripeness and restraint, making perfect partners for moderately robust dishes based on grilled fish, poultry or light meats like pork or veal.
As with almost all Burgundies other than Beaujolais, Côte Chalonnaise wines are produced in modest quantities, and are consequently rather spotty in availability here. However, most sizable retailers stock at least a few wines from the region, and with a little luck you'll find one of the top performers from my recent tastings. They are listed below in order of preference, with approximate prices and importers indicated in parentheses:
WHITES
Domaine de la Folie Rully 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 2002 ($35, Vintage 59 Imports): This wonderful wine is light and delicate but loaded with mineral character. The fresh, green apple fruit is beautifully accented with the barest whiff of smoky oak, allowing the mineral notes to shine throughout the persistent finish.
J. M. Boillot Rully 1er Cru Mont Palais 2002 ($28, Vineyard Brands): This shows superb complexity and class, with fresh apple fruit and lovely undertones of smoke, spices and vanilla.
Vincent Girardin Rully 1er Cru La Pucelle 2002 ($24, Vineyards Brands): As with so many of Girardin's wines, this features beautifully pure fruit and just a little touch of oak.
Domaine Marc Morey Rully 2003 ($27, Robert Kacher): Spring frosts reduced crop loads in 2003, and extreme heat during the summer resulted in atypically rich, ripe Chardonnays across Burgundy. This shows a pineapple note that I associate more with Australia than Burgundy, but the wine is still juicy and delicious.
Vincent Dureuil-Janthial Rully 1er Cru Le Meix Cadot 2002 ($30, Dionysos): An ambitious wine, with fine fruit and plenty of flashy, smoky, spicy oak. Very good now, this will be even better with another year of aging. The straight Rully 2002 ($25) is less oaky and preferable for the moment.
J. M. Boillot Rully 1er Cru La Pucelle 2003, Rully 1er Cru Meix Cadot 2003, Givry "Clos de la Brûlée" 2003, and Montagny 1er Cru 2003 ($24-$26, Vineyard Brands): All four of these wines are ripe and rich, with baked-apple fruit and subtle notes of minerals and oak. Although not as nuanced or differentiated as in cooler vintages, they are remarkably generous in flavor and soft in texture, and quite close to one another in overall quality. The Montagny is the simplest of the four. The Givry is the freshest, and the two Rullys are the most complex. Although atypically rich due to the unusual growing season, all four are more modestly oaked and more versatile with food than most California Chardonnays.
REDS
Domaine de Rully Saint-Michel Rully Premier Cru Les Champs Clouds 2002 ($22.50, Country Vintner: Skillfully made from perfectly ripened fruit, this terrific bargain exhibits lovely black cherry fruit with interesting accents of wild mushrooms, spices and wood smoke.
Chateau de Chamirey Mercurey 2002 ($28, W. J. Deutsch): Ripe, pure and full of delicious fruit, this also shows fine complexity from notes of smoke and damp earth, as well as some nice edging from spicy oak. Convincing stuff at a fair price.
Domaine de la Folie Rully Clos de Bellecroix 2002 ($30, Vintage 59 Imports): Although rather light in color and body, this wine is quite complex and appealing in aroma, and its light profile helps make it particularly versatile with food. The finish is just a bit tannic and dry, so use this as a partner for grilled fish or light meats rather than as a stand-alone sipper.
Faiveley Mercurey Domaine de la Croix Jacquelet 2002 ($20, Wilson Daniels): I wouldn't have guessed that you could get tasty red Burgundy from the 2002 vintage for the price, but here it is. Light but quite well-balanced, this shows nice cherry fruit with appropriately light tannins and oak.
