2009 Laboure-Roi Mâcon-Villages St.-Armand

Another wine in my recent French exploration! It's been fun, and I may continue for a while, but...I think Italy may be calling. Stay tuned. But for the meantime, I present a bourgogne blanc - a white Burgundy - from the Macon region. Laboure-Roi is the third largest Burgundy producer, and it has been around forever. Well, at least since 1832. They make wines in a number of appellations and at a variety of price points. This is one of the cheap ones, but I think their quality is fairly reliable.

The color is a relatively deep gold for such a young wine. I suspect it's seen a bit of oak, although I can't detect a lot of toastiness on the nose, which would darken the color. The nose also carries a lot of yeasty, baking bread aromas, which means the wine was left to age on its lees - the dead yeast cells - which may possibly darken the color as well. There is a bit of fresh fruit on the nose, such as green apple and honeydew, but the aromas are pretty subdued.

The wine very easy-going in the mouth. Moderate acid and a touch of sugar to lend viscosity. It's not what I'd call an exciting wine; in fact it's pretty pedestrian. But it's tasty and the flavors of yeast, toast, and fresh fruit are concentrated, if not complex. A very easy drinking wine, and accessible to most people, I'd imagine. And emphatically not overoaked, like many a California chardonnay. I'd recommend this wine if you're looking for something simple to serve to guests who aren't adventurous when it comes to wine. It's good and safe.

Vintage: 2009
Grape: Chardonnay
Region: Macon, Burgundy
Price: $13