2018 Francois Carillon Bourgogne Blanc Burgundy France 750 ml

Glance at the 2018 François Carillon Bourgogne Blanc and all you see at first is a humble Bourgogne. Look a little deeper—or better yet, take a big sip—and you realize you’re in the presence of one of the greatest Chardonnay values you’ll see wearing that modest label.

The Carillon family farms almost 20 acres of vines, most of them in prestigious Puligny-Montrachet, including Premiers Crus like Les Folatières, Perriéres, and Combettes. This Bourgogne Blanc comes from 33- to 59-year-old vines planted on three sites, all of which are in either Puligny or the equally renowned village of Meursault.

The Carillon family has the kind of history that makes Burgundy one-of-a-kind: An ancestor appears in public records as early as 1520, and a “Carillon viticulteur” appears as far back as 1632. Indeed, the family has occupied the same site in Puligny-Montrachet (simply “Puligny” until 1897), located between the church and the old château, for nearly four centuries. 

For the Bourgogne grown in the outstanding and mild 2018 vintage, François Carillon fermented the wine in small oak barrels, where it spent a year and underwent a light lees-stirring. Blended and bottled 16 months after harvest, it’s rich yet fresh, displaying the gorgeous salinity and mineral backdrop that makes white Burgundy one of a kind.