2018 Francois Carillon Saint Aubin Burgundy 750 ml

Ask any Chardonnay-loving wine expert and they’ll tell you that affordable village-level Puligny, Chassagne-Montrachet, or Meursault from great producers has become an endangered species. We mean RARE. 

That’s what makes the 2018 François Carillon Saint Aubin so exceptional. Grown in chalky, rocky, limestone-rich soils just up the hill from Puligny and Chassagne, directly above the Grand Cru of Chevalier-Montrachet, it’s round and elegant without feeling dense, lifted by a cleansing acidity that closes out on a salty, mineral finish—exactly what we want in a top-class Burgundy.

You might not know this wine, but you should get to know 16th-generation winemaker François Carillon. He leads a house with a family history of winemaking that goes back to the 1500s, and his wines are sold in a slew of three-MICHELIN-starred temples of fine dining in Paris and beyond.

This is a wine born of time-tested tradition and meticulous labor. Weeds in the vineyard are not sprayed with chemicals, but removed by horse and plow; the soil is fertilized only by a mix of horse manure and composted vine shoots; and, following in the steps of his ancestors, Carillon ferments the wine in small oak casks and ages it in 15% new Allier oak.

This 2018 Saint-Aubin is part of a Carillon lineup that Burghound’s Allen Meadows mused might be the best the winery has produced in a decade. One sniff and sip leave no doubt that this is prime Burgundy—and no one else in the US gets a shot at it. It’ll make you glad you’re a Wine Access member.