2017 Domaine Dubreuil-Fontaine et Fils Les Crenilles Bourgogne 750 ml

Designated as a “Top Outstanding Value” by Burghound, the 2017 Domaine Dubreuil-Fontaine Les Crenilles is the kind of fabulous white Burgundy steal that many people will tell you no longer exists.

But it’s on our radar, as well as that of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, which called Domaine Dubreuil-Fontaine “one of my favorite domaines in Pernand-Vergelesses,” and strongly advised readers: “If you have not discovered these wines, do so.”

This is what you’d expect from a white Burgundy three times the price: laser focus, extraordinary elegance, a wellspring of fresh-cut yellow apple, lemon curd, and dense orchard fruit, wrapped around a mineral-coiled core. How a Burgundy manages to do all that at this price left us mystified—and desperate to get our hands on more. It's no wonder why this bottle is a regular on the Michelin-star circuit in France.

We discovered Les Crenilles in Paris at Jean-Georges’ restaurant Market, where the Burgundy is a favorite order of the see-and-be-seen set. But you’ll just as easily find Domaine Dubreuil-Fontaine’s name on the list at San Francisco’s three-star Quince, or two-star The Modern in New York City. 

A 140-year-old multigenerational estate grows this delicate Chardonnay on the compact limestone soils of Pernand-Vergelesses, northwest of Corton. That’s where fifth-generation winemaker Christine Gruère-Dubreuil—now aided by sixth-generation Clémentin—turns the raw materials into a florally perfumed, terroir-expressive single-vineyard Chardonnay with fine minerality and energy.

Christine’s 2017s in particular have a youthful freshness and robust fruitiness, the result of a warm spring, dry summer, and healthy August harvest. Whole-cluster pressing, stainless steel tanks, and a bit of oak aging keep those flavors wonderfully precise, and tight as a guitar string.