Maison Roche de Bellene, Cuvee Reserve Bourgogne Chardonnay, 2021

We spotted this MAISON ROCHE DE BELLENE CUVÉE RÉSERVE BOURGOGNE CHARDONNAY 2021 sitting quietly in an allocation that most buyers had overlooked, and we quietly took the lot. Real Burgundy Chardonnay, from a négociant house with serious pedigree, at a price that makes absolutely no sense. You wanted buttery? You wanted creamy? Brilliant. We found it. ​ Nicolas Potel founded Roche de Bellene in 2008 after leaving his family's legendary Domaine de la Pousse d'Or. The man knows Burgundy backwards, forwards, and sideways. This Cuvée Réserve sources fruit from prime Bourgogne vineyards and gets a judicious kiss of French oak, just enough to coax out that gorgeous, silky richness without overwhelming the classic Côte d'Or minerality. It's the kind of white Burgundy the French keep for themselves while exporting the dull stuff. Not this time. ​ Pour it and watch that pale gold shimmer. The nose is all warm brioche, ripe pear, and a whisper of hazelnut. On the palate? Luxuriously creamy, properly buttery, with crisp citrus keeping everything lively and a finish that lingers like a very good idea. You saw the price, right? Go on then!