2015 Domaine du Chateau de Pierreclos Macon-Pierreclos 750 ml

Great Value White Burgundy Amidst the Price Hikes

We don’t need to convince those who followed our lead and went all in on last year’s offer of the 2014 Domaine du Château de Pierreclos Mâcon-Pierreclos that this 2015 vintage is a case-buy. For those of you who missed out, this is one of the best under-$20 white Burgundies of the year. The 2015 is even more concentrated than the 2014, and one of our favorites of the year. At $19.99 per bottle, this wine boasts an especially remarkable price tag given The Wine Advocate’s report that 2015 Burgundy prices are generally up 20-50%. 30 more cases — don’t wait on this.

Wine Spectator reported that winemakers are elated about the 2015s, calling them “great wines,” even though yields were down. This was especially so in the Mâcon, where rather intense heat added a bit of hydric stress — but the 20-year-old organically farmed vines at Domaine du Château de Pierreclos, rooted in vibrant red clay and limestone soils, shrugged off the stress, producing beautiful clusters of ripe, clean grapes. The resulting white is exactly as Vinous pegged the 2015s in general: “clean, pure and rich, favoring ripe orchard and soft citrus fruits,” something “typical of very warm, sunny years."

Anne-Françoise and Jean-Marie Pidault are the keepers of the 14th century Château de Pierreclos, located between the Cluny Abbey and the famed Rock of Solutré. Set among the vineyards on a rocky limestone outcropping, the château appears in texts from 1282, when the lord promised his château to the Duke of Burgundy.

A stronghold that has survived more than a few wars, the château sits on 20 acres of vines with an average age of 30 years, half planted to Chardonnay and half to Pinot Noir. Vines are densely planted, creating competition and leading to naturally low yields and superb concentration. The deep, limestone-rich soil is certified organic and produces wines that are rich and racy on the attack, braced by top-pedigree minerality.