2015 Domaine Andre Bonhomme Vire-Clesse 750 ml

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

It was the three-star wink that got us. Exactly 34 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 l’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 weighty 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.

The record-breaking 2015 vintage saw temperatures reach heights they hadn’t seen in nearly three decades in the Mâcon. And though sugar levels skyrocketed, André Bonhomme’s grandson, Aurélien Palthey, was in the vineyards day after day, tasting nearly every hour.

Aurélien wanted to make sure that he could assemble a brilliant white Burgundy that is supple and vibrant without compromising the acidic backbone or diluting the Meursault-like minerality that Bonhomme is known for. He practically pitched a tent in the vineyard.

All that effort was clearly worth it, because the 2015 is EXCEPTIONAL. Golden colors, flecked with emerald highlights. Succulent aromas of green-skinned apples, ripe peach, hints of pineapple and lofty orange blossom, and honeycomb notes. Aged on its lees, the wine is supple with lemon verbena and lime citrus flavors. Lively, fresh, and balanced by classic Burgundian minerality. Drink now-2026.

$32 on release. $20 today. 720 bottles are up for grabs directly from Domaine André Bonhomme’s cellars. Shipping included on 6 bottles or more.