2015 Domaine Jean Pierre Seve Macon-Solutre 750 ml

High-Quality, Low-Yield: Another Buy-On-Sight Vintage in Burgundy

These days, with the demand for Burgundy far exceeding even the most copious vintage's supply, bargain-hunting for fine mineral Chardonnay from the Côte de Beaune to Mâcon is largely an effort in futility.

On our annual pilgrimage through the steep, rocky hillsides above the hamlets of Pouilly, Fuissé, Vergisson, and Solutré, we knocked on the area’s most critically acclaimed cellar doors as we’ve done since 1985. And as always, the receptions were welcoming, followed by hours-long tastings. But in the end, more often than not we came away empty-handed. In addition to spiking demand worldwide for these exquisitely pure, mineral white Burgundies, the low yield of the 2015 harvest left precious little to go around.

By all accounts, the 2015 vintage was excellent for white Burgundy, recalling 2009 in its fleshy opulence. Some have even raised the prospect that it could be comparable to the otherworldly 2005 vintage. The issue was quantity. Three consecutive years of hail damage in the region, in addition to issues this year with millerandage (inconsistent grape growth) and oidium (a powdery mildew) meant areas saw 30 or 40 percent drops in yield; in Chablis, which took a brutal hail beating on September 1st, amounts were down as much as 50 percent. There was little need for sorting tables at most estates.

Winter and spring were very mild and moist. Come June, the heat cranked up, with some parts of Burgundy sweating through multiple 100+ degree days. July was extremely dry and hot, with drought conditions in the Mâconnais. August finally brought relief and more typical patterns with a mix of bright, sunny stretches, increased rainfall, and cool, cloudy weather. When the heat returned, the grapes were prepared to ripen to perfection, leading to fruit set of superb quality and health.

Ultimately, our old friend Jean-Pierre Sève, whose bargain Mâcon-Solutré has garnered more 4- and 5-star ratings from WineAccess members than any other under-$18 white Burgundy in WineAccess history, came through in the clutch. Set on a gentle limestone-strewn slope below the town of Solutré, Jean-Pierre's exceptional Mâcon estate sits just two meters from the Pouilly-Fuissé line and turns out rich, juicy, highly mineral Chardonnays that are without a doubt among the best values in a region that is only getting pricier by the year.

The 2015 Mâcon-Solutré is brilliant pale-golden to the rim, infused with mouthwatering aromas of ripe apple and pear, tinged with botrytised honeysuckle. Displaying the kind of richness that so impressed WineAccess buyers of Sève’s 2009, this time the late-harvest apple/pear concentration is braced by stinging acidity.

$25 on release. For today only at WineAccess, we’re parting with our hard-fought allotment at $16.99 — hands down the most irresistible deal you’ll see on white Burgundies this year.