2007 Collovray & Terrier Mâcon-Villages Tradition

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  11/19/2008, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (Macon-Villages Tradition COLLOVRAY TERRIER) 2007 White Burgundy Dear Friends, One by one as the 2007s are released from Christian Collovray, it becomes more and more apparent that this property is crafting some on the finest values in Burgundy for a 2007 White Burgundy (and it's not a cast-off wine)? I'm starting to sound like a broken record but (if you enjoy Chardonnay in any form), there is no better trough of value than 2007 in the Macon. To put the quality of this in perspective, one must compare it to small production in the Cote d'Or or even the Sonoma Coast - what will this price buy you in either? Not much (maybe nothing). This wine is from top vineyard material near the Roches de Solutre and it combines the best classic elements of 2007 with the sap, texture and length of the Macon (the key to the 2007 vintage). From an area just outside of St. Veran (one of the more successful regions in 2007), Collovray wishes to express a wine of "fruit and flowers that has peach and apricot but not heavy - a sense of the mineral and spine as well" - he is committed to a complete wine that over-delivers on texture, quality and expression while giving the sense of a light hand (no new oak is used). This is not easy to do in the Macon as the typical example tends to drink more like valley floor Napa (i.e. warm climate) but in the cool season of 2007, everything was possible for the Maconnaise and Christian Collovray took full advantage crafting the finest wines of his career (maybe I'm stressing price too much here as the wine should stand on its own, and it does with ease but, just to remind you, this is a vintner discussing a wine that is less than $43.86 - that is the type of dedication I seek). With Collovray et Terrier's Macon-Villages, the 2007 vintage continues to excel and this amazing bargain wine seems just about perfect for the times - it drinks like a splendid, fresh example at present but will certainly become more integrated and refined over the next 3-4 years as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a great choice from an artisanal quality and wallet-friendly perspective. 2007 Collovray (et Terrier) Macon-Villages Tradition Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Burg7620