WTN: A Chardonnay for those of us who dislike Chardonnay

With a title like that, I am sure nobody will guess it is Texier I am talking about :rolleyes:

Eric Texier Mâcon Bussières Très Vieilles Vignes 2007 - 12,5% abv; from 80-100 yo vines

When a good of friend of mine was visiting from Oxford, I decided to open up one of my two bottles of this delightful wine. Lovely aromas, a slight vanillary touch would suggest a little bit of oak (but I really mean that the oak is very slight), but otherwise it is all about white flowers and citrus. Rich but racy - it is great that with the relatively moderate 12,5% abv it manages to still have the concentrated richness that common wisdom tells us comes from old vines. Lovely citrus-tinged finish.

I remember Eric Texier saying that he doesn't want his Mâcons to taste of Chardonnay. And I kind of understand what is meant when it comes to this wine: this isn't a buttery, thick wine with much oak-sweetness, so it is a kind of anti-Chardonnay. Yet this wine seems to let the grape speak for itself - so it must be the very Platonic essence of Chardonnay. So, on the other hand, I guess I do disagree with the wine maker (a dangerous things to do). But, frankly, I couldn't really care less about such philosophizing because the wine is just wonderful, the smoked salmon pasta was ok and the company transcended all that.

this isn't a buttery, thick wine with much oak-sweetness, so it is a kind of anti-Chardonnay. .

Anti-yourideaofChardonnay you mean.
While I know it's all the rage to dislike Chardonnay, a significant percentage of my greatest whites of all time would be Chardonnay, from Raveneau, R& V Dauvissat, Niellon, Bonneau du Martray, etc. Some (like Coche or Montelena, or the aforementioned Niellon) might show a fair amount of oak, but it integrates with time. And then there are cheaper Chardonnays like Brun Beaujolais, Brocard, etc that give a lot of pleasure to me.
All of that said, I really like the Texier Macon-B in 2007!

[Jenise]

Oh yum, would I love to taste this. Based on his condrieu, Eric has a deft hand with whites. I think even us who love chardonnay will like it.

Anti-yourideaofChardonnay you mean.
While I know it's all the rage to dislike Chardonnay, a significant percentage of my greatest whites of all time would be Chardonnay, from Raveneau, R& V Dauvissat, Niellon, Bonneau du Martray, etc. Some (like Coche or Montelena, or the aforementioned Niellon) might show a fair amount of oak, but it integrates with time. And then there are cheaper Chardonnays like Brun Beaujolais, Brocard, etc that give a lot of pleasure to me.
All of that said, I really like the Texier Macon-B in 2007!

Dale, I think the massive differences in styles made from the grape is what Texier was joking about. It seems to me that we often deride such comments as the infamous "I don't like Chardonnay but I like Chablis", whereas these concepts within the quote, do, in fact, seem worlds apart in reality. This infamous statement might seem like a silly, nonsensical statement when we consider that Chablis is made from Chardonnay. But when we look beyond the grape to the styles made from the grape, then the cliché starts to makes sense. The gulf between Chablis and Chardonnay is as big as that between Syrah and Shiraz. Chardonnay, as a concept, has meanings far beyond that of a grape. It sadly seems to also denote a style.

And if I understood Texier correctly, his comment was a joke on this semantic issue.

Anyway, my ideal in Chardonnay has bubbles in it and is made in Champagne.


Jenise, I think you would enjoy this Chardonnay (in the literal sense of this complicated word) as well. In fact, I find it difficult to believe someone would actually not like it!