Short posts, short posts. That’s what law school–and reality–will do to you!
A few posts earlier I rhapsodized about a mesmerizing Meursault I had at Mission Wines. For some reason I’ve been on a big Burgundy bent for the past couple of months (which probably has its genesis in my trip to Berkeley and the delicious basic Bourgogne I drank there), and more recently I’ve been interested in white wines–specifically, chardonnay.
To celebrate my friend Justin’s arrival in DC from Austin by way of the Pacific Northwest, I am cooking a simple dinner of turkey burgers with guacamole and fries. I thought that a chardonnay would be a good match for this meal, which is why I took Patrick Deaner of The Wine Specialist’s advice and purchased the 2006 Rully chardonnay from Pierre Andre. A “Grand Vin de Bourgogne,” it was reasonably priced at $21.99.
I decided to test it out before the company arrived, and it’s very good. Maybe lemon curd on the nose, soft on the entry but with a bit of acidity to back things up. I taste quince, honey, almonds. Not very minerally, but nice and straightforward, with a pleasant finish. Not an over-oaked monster, not as great as the Meursault, but still pretty darn good. I think it’ll go nicely with the turkey burgers.
I also had a bottle of the 2007 Barail Bordeaux blanc blend ($9.99) very recently when my friend James (of The Eaten Path fame) came to visit. It was dirt cheap and was primarily sauv blanc with some sémillon. Sémillon is more synonymous with white Bordeaux than sauvignon blanc–which reaches great mineral heights in Sancerre and also in Touraine and Montlouis-Sur-Loire–but hell, the blend of the two was very refreshing, very light on the oak, and redolent of peaches and, according to some sites, an intoxicating nose of acacia.
Both are highly recommended. For a simpler yet aromatic quaffer, go for the cheaper Barail blend. For a glimpse of what greatness lies beneath the surface of Bourgogne blanc, spend a bit more and go for the Rully.
Vinicultured: A Wine Blog 
Having been drawn into wines via the intensity of reds I’ve recently found myself drawn to the cleanliness and acidity of whites even more. Your post suggests to me you may also like the chardonnays and pinot gris of northeastern Italy and southweastern Slovenia. I particularly recommend anything made by Movia.
And, speaking of bracing minerals and acid if you ever get the chance to try Didier Dagueneau’s wines from Pouilly Fume I highly recommend them. They are otherworldy. And, since Dagueneau died in Sept. 2008, the recently released 2007 vintage is the last he made. If you ever visit Vancouver, BC I’ll share a bottle with you :).
Shea,
Always a gentleman. The thing I love about wine is that people are VERY generous. I don’t know when I’ll have opportunity to go to Canada, but if I am ever in the area I’ll be sure to let you know!
Slovenia! I’ve heard a lot about its wines but I’ve sort of been in a “consolidation” mode lately–I want to explore France in detail before moving on systematically to other countries. That being said, I don’t “really” have a system at all, so I’ll look out for a bottle from Slovenia–or northeastern Italy–next time I’m at the shop!