Wine Pick Of The Week: 2005 Joseph Drouhin Mâcon Villages ($10)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Few wine drinkers these days like to admit they enjoy chardonnay. It's more fashionable to complain about how bored they are with the grape. But somebody must be drinking it because it is still the most-planted grape and most-consumed wine in this country by a wide margin.

Part of the problem is there is so much chardonnay made in all quality levels that a lot of plonk winds up being foisted on the public. It also could be that, because many chardonnays are so laden with oak they taste like a lumber yard, we have come to associate the taste of oak with the flavor of chardonnay.

Whatever the reason for our low opinion of this wine, it's good to remember there are a lot of great chardonnays and that the most sought after and expensive white wines anywhere are still made from this grape. There also are many very affordable examples made with little or no oak. A good place to look for these wines is France, especially in a fairly little known region in southern Burgundy called the Mâcon.

No one could argue that the chardonnay from the Mâcon can rival those famous and famously expensive great whites of the Beaune region just to the north. It's true that a great deal of uninspiring wine wears a Mâcon label, but from the right producers we can expect clean, fresh, delicious and well priced white wines.

One of the region's best producers is Joseph Drouhin, an important producer in Burgundy who even has a well known winery in Oregon's Willamette Valley called Domaine Drouhin Oregon. Like most Mâcon whites, the 2005 Mâcon Villages was made in stainless steel tanks and saw no oak, allowing all that fresh and crisp fruit to show through. It has surprisingly long and complex flavors, including light lemon drops enhanced by nice mineral and herbal notes that are lifted by a brisk acidity. A wine like this could change the way you think about chardonnay.

To find the wine contact Nobel Wines at 206-326-5274.

-- Richard Kinssies

Richard Kinssies is a freelance wine writer, director of the Seattle Wine School and owner of the Wine Outlet. He can be contacted at 206-652-1311 or richardkinssies@msn.com.

Add P-I Food headlines to