Navigating the Rising Costs of White Burgundy and Exploring Budget-Friendly Alternatives
Written by Andrea Morris
Illustration by Nikki Scioscia
If you don’t already love White Burgundy then I’m guessing perhaps you’re just not familiar with it. White Burgundy is Chardonnay at its best, with tensions between minerality and fruit, richness and acidity. White Burgundy must come from the Burgundy region of France and follow strict yields and other guidelines that ensure the quality is consistent. There are a few premium villages within the region that are especially notable for quality - Chablis in the north for the most mineral-driven style, plus Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet for the richer styles in the Côte de Beaune. The villages are surrounded by other less famous villages that also produce White Burgundy but have historically been less celebrated for it, often because they have slightly less prime soil or exposure.
It’s no secret that everything is more expensive these days, and this holds especially true in the world of wine. However, not all types of wine have experienced price increases at the same rates. While your neighborhood wine shop’s New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and California Pinot Noir might be a few dollars pricier than their previous vintages, that’s insignificant compared to the price hike of your beloved White Burgundy.
As a wine buyer, I was personally caught off guard when a favorite Bourgogne Blanc had risen from $29 for the 2020 vintage to $35 for the 2021 vintage. Initially, a six dollar difference may not seem excessive, but when you factor in that most restaurants mark up prices at least three times, it translates to an increase from $87 to $105 on a restaurant wine list. Crossing into that triple-digit is a significant deal for many guests looking for a casual bottle of wine for dinner. So, Burgundy, what’s behind this price surge??
There are so many factors at play here, and the first one is a simple supply and demand equation, which has been further aggravated by climate change. White Burgundy has long been the gold standard for white wine, and though Sancerre may be giving it a run for its money in terms of popularity, there are no other white wines in the world that can command the adoration, not to mention the high prices, that the Grand Crus of the Côte de Beaune command. The region’s rich history, spanning over a thousand years, the storied vineyards owned by dukes and the church, the wines’ ability to achieve a perfect balance of rich texture, refreshing acid and mineral intensity - all of these have led to Burgundy’s long standing reign as the best of the best.
However, Burgundy is a small region with only about a third of the planted acreage of Bordeaux and much lower yields, resulting in limited supply. More recently, there have been a string of vintages with incredibly challenging weather conditions that led to beautiful wines made in even more miniscule quantities. For instance, a major winery in Burgundy that considers 30 barrels of Corton (a Grand Cru vineyard) to be their average production was only able to fill 7 barrels in 2021 due to frost during budbreak, a very cool summer and topped off by a damp harvest. That translates to higher labor costs for significantly lower yields, inevitably resulting in higher prices.
As consumers, we tend to perceive wine as a packaged, shelf-stable item, easily forgetting that it is as much an agricultural product as an heirloom tomato, made by farmers at the mercy of the weather. Burgundy is a region known for its merciless weather, underscoring the delicate nature of its production.
In addition to this, during the Trump administration, tariffs were imposed, adding 25% to wines from the EU, making your $30 bottle of Chablis, now $37.50, with neither the winery nor the importer making any additional profit. Many importers and distributors absorbed some of the costs, taking a smaller cut in order to not cause sticker shock among buyers. While those tariffs have since been suspended, the prices have not gone down, as those importers are making up for the lost profits of previous years. This has affected European wine across the board, but is particularly magnified when combined with Burgundy’s prestige and shrinking production.
As a Burgundy lover myself, I have begun to view drinking a beautiful Meursault or Chambolle-Musigny to be kind of like going to a spa and getting a treatment - it’s a special treat that I can do every once in a while. However, just like I can’t go to the spa whenever I want to relax and do a little self care, I’ll paint my own nails or put on a face mask. Burgundy’s lesser known regions and producers fill the same void for wine - a little luxurious in a more approachable, casual way.
The key is to find the hidden gems, as not every bottle from this region is as delicious as the next. A Bourgogne Blanc or Rouge from a good producer will generally offer excellent value, even at their entry-level wine, as they reflect their high standards and sound vineyard practices. Producers like Armand Heitz and Dupont-Fahn make lovely versions that are as close to Meursault as it gets without bearing the name on the label, and can be found for under $40 in a wine shop. Similarly, De Montille’s Bourgogne Rouge, sourced from grapes in the Côte de Beaune, provides similarly great value.
For an even more budget friendly way to go, I love an Aligoté, Burgundy’s lesser-known white grape. Once considered inferior, so thin and acidic that traditionally Creme de Cassis (a dark, sweet French liqueur made black currants) was added to round it out (and so the Kir was born…). However, Aligoté has undergone improved farming practices and is often treated with the same care in the winery as it’s glamourous cousin Chardonnay. Look out for Pierre Morey’s Bourgogne Aligoté, priced around $25 as a prime example of a great winery skillfully producing Aligoté the right way.
In terms of reds, a Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains can be a fun and offbeat option for true value. It’s a traditional co-ferment of Pinot Noir and Gamay that’s a little rustic and often very charming. Like Aligoté, many great producers are making high quality versions at much lower prices than their top cuvees. Hudelot-Baillet blends Pinot from their home village of Chambolle with Gamay from close by to make an elegant and juicy cuvee priced at under $30.
At the end of the day, Burgundy is an expensive category for wine that is likely to keep rising in price with each vintage. Enjoy it when you can and when it’s just not happening, keep an open mind and tell your friendly neighborhood wine store employee or sommelier that you love Burgundian wines but you’re looking for something more budget conscious. They can point you in the direction of wines from other regions that will taste similar and pair with similar flavors. Perhaps you’ll even find a new and undiscovered region full of great values along the way.