2015 Albert Bichot Vire-Clesse is sold out.

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    2015 Albert Bichot Vire-Clesse 750 ml

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    • Curated by unrivaled experts
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    • Temperature controlled shipping options
    • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

    The Hottest Under-$20 White Burgundy

    The Hottest Under-$20 White Burgundy

    The 2015 Albert Bichot Viré-Clessé is HOT. Last October, Wine Access clients snapped up 150 cases in a flash. In February, Forbes poured fuel on the fire, including the “decadently rich” 2015 on its list of “10 Great White Wines Under $20.” Despite the glowing press, Bichot kept his word and we offered 100 cases of the dazzling 2015 Viré-Clessé. Since then, 80 client-ratings poured in yielding an average score of 4.08 out of 5. So, consider this a “you spoke, we heard” follow-up. 

    Antonio Galloni’s Vinous has described the 2015s as the “fleshiest, most opulent white wines since at least 2009.” Interestingly, the 50-year-old vines at Albert Bichot, nestled amidst the curvy, limestone hills of the Viré-Clessé appellation, just north of the Mâconnais, benefited the most from France’s summer heatwave.

    While heat radiated further south in the Mâconnais and in Beaujolais in 2015, Bichot winemaker Cyrille Jacquelin noticed that a bit of hydric stress had made his vines quite perky and healthy looking. Jacquelin watched as the “tight-fisted” vintage unfolded, noting that certain vines reeling from the previous year’s hail storms had produced fewer bunches. Though yields were down, the remaining clusters were tidy and the cleanest he’d seen in years.

    This careful cultivation is but the latest evidence that Cyrille Jacquelin and Albert Bichot are worthy heirs to the monks of Cluny who first planted Viré to vines in the 1500s.

    The men of the cloth were as well-versed in Chardonnay as they were in scripture. The gorgeous 2015 Albert Bichot Viré-Clessé shows that Bichot — the International Wine Challenge’s White Winemaker of the Year and visionary behind one of Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Top 100 Wineries in the World — has a monk-like devotion to his vines.