2014 Domaine Andre Bonhomme Vire-Clesse 750 ml

The Taillevent Wink — “Meursault at one-third the price”

It was the 3-star wink that got us. Thirty-three years ago, we were young and almost penniless, traveling on a shoestring. But with the dollar’s miraculous rebound in those early Reagan years, we figured we were in the right place at the right time. With the greenback hovering at close to 10 francs, we busted open our piggy banks and booked lunches at three of France’s gastronomic palaces. It was now or never.

We don’t remember the meals as much as the wines and the service. Our first stop was Alsace and the Haeberlin brothers’ L’Auberge de I’ill. We ordered two great half-bottles of Burgundy – a 1979 Puligny “Les Folatières” from Leflaive and an ethereal ’72 Côte de Nuits Villages from Leroy. We just couldn’t help ourselves. We were feeling pretty good about those purchases until the bill arrived. Even with the new currency arithmetic, Leflaive and Leroy were out of our league.

Next was La Côte Saint Jacques in Joigny, and a bottle of 1976 Sancerre from the Cotat brothers. Our frayed lapels earned a dismissive stare from the maître d’hôtel who seated us in a corner table by the kitchen. The Sancerre was superb, but the accueil was haughty.

The best we saved for last. Our table at Jean-Claude Vrinat’s Taillevent was front and center, despite our attire. The amuse-bouches were delicious, perfect with the glass of Bollinger R.D. The wine list was a tome, dozens of pages filled with thousands of selections, each hand-chosen by le propriétaire. While the reading was scintillating, the Burgundy price tags quickly reminded us of just how poor we were.

When the sommelier came by, he seemed to be blind to our attire, focusing only on the wine list opened to the white Burgundy section. His accent was strong, but his English was clear.

“You know, you need not spend the price of a Meursault to drink like you’re in Meursault. May I make a suggestion?”

He pointed not to the bottom of the page where the French franc numbers were in the thousands and the names were Ramonet and Niellon. Not even to the middle, where the wines were simple Meursaults and Pulignys, the village bottlings. The wine he was suggesting was the very first selection, the least expensive white Burgundy in the section.

“It is the only Mâcon on our list, and truthfully, it’s better than most of the village Meursault and costs one-third the price.” Then he winked. Or maybe it was a facial tic. Or it could have been that a bit of dust was caught in the corner of his eye. Or maybe he was just snookering us.

We looked at each other, then back at the pleasant smile on the sommelier’s face and ordered the bottle of 1978 Mâcon-Viré from André Bonhomme. Burgundy would never be quite the same.

In September 2014, André’s grandson Aurélien Palthey crafted a magical white Burgundy that would have had his grandfather grinning ear to ear — so good it rivals 2010 and 2002 as the finest vintage chez Bonhomme since the mid-1990s. Pale green-gold in hue. Mouthwatering aromas of orange blossom, ripe pear, and apple, with exquisite floral top notes. Rich and juicy on the attack with terrific Meursault-like minerality, showing great concentration, vibrancy, and elegance. While delicious right now, like all of the great white Burgundies from this world-class estate, there’s no reason to be in a hurry to pop a cork. Drink now-2024.

1,200 bottles are up for grabs directly from Domaine Bonhomme’s cellars. $32 on release. $20 today. Thirty-three years after our first visit to Viré, the dollar continues to have the upper hand over the euro. Shipping included on 6.