This story is from an installment of The Oeno Files , our weekly insider newsletter to the world of fine wine. Sign up here. We remember a time in the not-so-distant past that you could find several white Burgundies on a list at a top restaurant in the $100 range.
Sure, there were bottles that fetched four or five times that amount, but once upon a time, Michelin-starred eateries in major U.S. cities had multiple Burgundy options in their cellars that would simultaneously please the palate and the pocket.
After back-to-back vintages with smaller-than-normal yields and restaurant price increases spiraling out of control, ordering Pinot Noir or Chardonnay from its home in France to enjoy with a meal is becoming an almost too-rarefied luxury. While most of us can afford the meal we want even as appetizer and entrée prices have gone through the roof, there is definitely a moment of hesitation before choosing a bottle in the $500 plus range. So what to do when you’re dining out and the Burgundy you are hankering for is giving major sticker-shock vibes? Be honest with yourself and the sommelier and look for options that offer you the taste and tactile sensations that draw you toward Burgundy but won’t break the bank.
Although New World versions of Chardonnay often have a heavier hand on the oak than their French counterparts and American Pinot Noir can be bolder and more extracted, we often recommend wines from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast AVAs and Willamette Val.
