“Holy smokes, this is good White Burgundy!” That was the consensus when we tasted the Bret Brothers' ‘21 Mâcon-Chardonnay 'Crays' last week – it’s simply a ‘Wow’ wine. What a pity that ‘21 was such a low-yielding vintage (frost, again) because, quality-wise, so many of the whites are simply superb, thanks to a cool growing season.

It’s always a little shocking to taste a wine this good, but it really shouldn’t be surprising in this case; the Bret Brothers are arguably the greatest winemakers of the Mâconnais. This cuvée comes from grapes sourced (such wines are labeled ‘Bret Brothers’, while the domaine wines bear the ‘Soufrandière’ imprint) from Chardonnay – the village that gave the world's most famous white grape its name.

What’s important to know is that they’re not buying picked grapes. Instead, they harvest (always by hand!) themselves, and work only with organically farmed plots. They source the grapes from a limestone-loaded site called ‘Les Crays’, considered one of the best plots in the village.

It’s hard to imagine a better White Burgundy under $50 (with today’s discounted pricing, it’s less than $43). There’s a lot going on, but what’s most striking about this wine is its combination of the power that you’d expect from a top-quality Mâconnais white with the linearity and vibrance of a cool, ‘classic’ vintage. We wish we had a hundred cases! But quantities are limited (2021 was, as mentioned, a very short vintage). Let us know your requests, and we’ll do our best to fulfill them.

Bret Brothers, Mâcon Chardonnay 'Les Crays', 2021 $48.99
Smells awesome. Apples, buttermilk, salt. On the palate, dried mango, pineapple, oranges and lemons. Salty and mineral throughout. Super-duper Chardonnay from the village of Chardonnay!