Do you remember Chardonnay? I do. In the 1980s, when the Anglophone world was beginning to learn that there was more to wine than red, white and fizzy, asking for Chardonnay became proof of sophistication. Or so a lot of people thought, anyway – some even gave the word as a name to their new-born girls. (It sure beats Gruner Veltliner.)
Perhaps inevitably, a backlash set in against the dull, anonymous Chard that poured onto our shores (especially from Australia). The world discovered Sauvignon Blanc and then Pinot Grigio, much of which, sadly, was just as insipid as the ubiquitous Chardonnay it replaced.
Of course, one group of people never suffered from ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) syndrome. These are the people who had the good taste and the muscular credit cards to buy white Burgundy.
If I won the lottery, I’d contact Montrachet, Howard Ripley, Domaine Direct or another top-notch Burgundy specialist, and start buying. In bulk.
