2018 Louis Latour Bourgogne Cote d’Or Blanc Burgundy 750 ml

Legendary investor Joel Greenblatt made his name by identifying spinoff companies as a unique source of value on Wall Street, but he realized it would take time for the market to properly value the new ventures. 

The same thing happens with wine: Just look at the Bourgogne Côte d’Or AOC, created only in 2017.

Bourgogne Blanc can be made from an enormously wide swath of land: Chardonnay grown anywhere from Chablis to Beaujolais can carry the designation. But the new Bourgogne Côte d’Or appellation is restricted to a set of the most prestigious villages in the absolute heart of Burgundy’s most famous swath of land: the Côte d’Or.

It’s a clear step up in terroir. But because the AOC is brand new, pricing hasn’t caught up. The 2018 season, just the second for the appellation, happened to be very warm and ripe, producing grippy, focused whites.

The Latours have owned land in the Côte d’Or for more than three centuries, and they’ve been family-run the entire time. It’s a legacy few in Burgundy can match. They’re also the only estate in Burgundy with their own cooperage, allowing them to customize barrels for each site and each wine—an exceptionally rare practice employed by some of the world’s best producers—and it’s a testament to Latour’s attention to detail and spare-no-expense attitude.

This wine spent over eight months in stainless-steel tanks from fermentation until bottling. The nose combines the bite of green apple skins with dried lemon zest with hints of rich cream, touches of delicate nuttiness, and a layered palate full of pear, limestone, and sea salt. It’s exemplary Burgundy for the price.