2018 Domaine Montanet-Thoden Bourgogne Vezelay Le Galerne Burgundy 750 ml

It’s hard to keep exquisite white Burgundy a secret, but Domaine Montanet-Thoden’s electrifying Galerne remains relatively under wraps—in the States at least. In Europe and across Asia, it’s already landed on Michelin-favorite wine lists. 

If you’re a fan of the racy, exuberant, pure, and mineral-laden Chardonnays that have made Chablis world-famous, then this is a bottle you have to try. It hails from the newly-minted Vézelay appellation, which sits close to Chablis and is fast gaining a reputation for producing the same style of laser-focused Chardonnay as its high-profile northerly neighbor.

But Vézelay’s stateside anonymity makes this stunning Chardonnay harder to pin down. Only a few cases make it to the U.S. each year, and we’re thrilled to have scored an allocation.

The upside to Le Galerne’s under-the-radar status is today’s price: At $32, this bottle delivers enormous Burgundy value. More than a sommelier favorite the world over, this is a Chardonnay-lover’s dream. 

At Wine Access HQ, when our own Master of Wine Vanessa Conlin locked a small allocation for our members, there was no way to keep it a secret. Master Sommelier Sur Lucero offered high praise, adding, “I’d drink this every day if I could. The high-toned acidity makes this extremely versatile, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.” 

Located south of Chablis and northwest of Dijon, Vézelay is in the midst of a winemaking renaissance. Boasting over 1,000 acres of vines in the 18th century, it was decimated by phylloxera before the turn of the 20th century, and by the end of the 1960s, only a few acres of vines remained. But in 1973, a dozen winemakers took up the cause of Vézelay’s vineyards, and they have brought the area back to life. It earned AOC status in 2017, and now boasts almost 200 acres of vines—a healthy comeback, but that’s still smaller than four of the five First Growth estates of Bordeaux! 

Galerne takes its name from the gusting wind that blows through Vézelay from the northwest, cooling the vines and maintaining mouthwatering acidity in pristine berries. Montanet-Thoden’s 15-acre vineyard is located in prime Chardonnay territory—like neighboring Chablis, the soils are mainly composed of red and blue clay and limestone, which imbue the 2018 with its elegant structure and fine mineral backbone. 

Translating this incredible yet lesser-known terroir authentically is what Montanet-Thoden is known for, because no one does it better. The domaine was founded in 2000 by Catherine Montanet, who was among the first vignerons in the region to practice organic farming, starting back in the ‘90s. Today Catherine’s son Vincent carries the vision, and is leading the estate to its greatest heights yet. 

In crafting the 2018 Galerne, Vincent used a minimalist approach in the cellar. Vinification in stainless steel—the same technique used in Chablis—lets the terroir sing uninhibited. Finely delineated notes of freshly cut green apple, lemon zest, and Asian pear emerge layered with yellow flower and marzipan. The texture is creamy but never heavy, buoyed by mouthwatering acidity and petrichor minerality. 

This is Chardonnay at its zenith, even if you haven’t heard of it yet. Today we’re excited to share the secret.