Intro to White Burgundy

Recall the first time you explored foreign wine.  You ran into words like Domaine, Bodega, and Weingut.  Your eyes scanned lower down the label and you squinted at bizarre, consonant-combining words such as Vendange Tardive, Trockenbeerenauslese, and appasimento.

Then you decided to purchase that bottle of wine with the frog on the label.

Now is the time to break out of the kangaroo-bouncin, creaky red bicyclette doldrums.  Amaze your friends with a classy, elegant wine.

Domaine de LaLande (produced by Dominique Cornin) is a great wine-introduction to Burgundy.  His wines are reasonably priced and well-made.  Say hello to Burgundy with Mâcon Chaintré 2003

The Skinny
Domaine de LaLande Mâcon Chaintré '03 ($13-$15)

• Chardonnay from the Macon-Villages appellation in Burgundy
• Pale straw in color
• Subtle, but noticeable,scents of sweet vanilla spice along with citrus and melon notes
• Very crisp in the mouth.  The wine is quite light, unlike many other oaked Chardonnays.  Green apple and yellow pear flavors dominate along with some rich, creamy textures to finish

*** (3 stars out of 5)

This isn't a complex wine.  But it is a good, simple example of Burgundy for the uninitiated.  Try it with spinach salad, paté, or pasta alfredo.