2007 Pascal Berthier Mâcon-Chaintré Vieilles Vignes

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  10/23/2008, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (BERTHIER Macon Chaintre VV) 2007 White Burgundy Dear Friends, Regardless of what we put out right now, it seems your interest lies with one thing: 2007 White Burgundy (my 2007 vintage musing a few days ago wasn't intended for you to completely ignore everything else?). Lots of you have asked for an early release bargain example and here you go...from vines up to 80 years of age. Already lauded by Burghound, the 2007 vintage in the Macon may be one for the record books - normally the banana belt of Burgundy, in 2007 you get terroir expression and a vintage that treads the Lanai foxtrot as good as any. In Chaintre, 2007 gave you the essence of tropical aromatics without the cloying, heaviness that typically comes along with it (an oxymoron but that's what Chaintre does best in a top year and it's not easy to pull off). We've offered good vintages of this in the past but the 2007 is the most defined wine Berthier has yet produced, well above a vintage like 2005 or even 2002. Contrary to popular belief, there is no new oak on this wine and Berthier prefers to allow the vintage and exposure to do the talking - in 2007, that was easy. From 50-80 year old vines, the 2007 Macon-Chaintre is medium bodied and low in alcohol (12.5-13.0%) yet still very ripe in character and definition from the classic growing season (as opposed to ripe and overdone in 2006). 2007 gives you that yin-yang mentioned above with sound acidity in the background to keep the finish in focus. While certainly not a stalactite (by nature, the Macon is the opposite) the vintage gives a cleansing white-wash to a typically equatorial appellation that is very interesting to experience. A wine to give you insight now and over the next few years while you wait for your major-league 2007s to mature. Boutique-level white Burgundy house wine? You can pretty much open this at will... ONE SHIPMENT ONLY directly from the winery cellar with perfect provenance (at about the same price as in Beaune): 2007 Pascal Berthier Macon-Chaintre "Vielles Vignes" Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Burg8722