The first time I tasted this rare white was in 2009. My sommelier friend and I would frequent the uninviting Gulf Liquors on Miami Beach to cherry-pick their dusty Burgundies, classified Bordeaux, and offbeat Italian. We discovered all their hidden gems and devoured them like kids in an ice cream shop, until there was one left, Gouges white. 

Molded by 400 years of grape farming, Gouges is one of the most storied estates in Nuits-Saints-Georges. The story goes, that in the 1930s Henri Gouges was walking in his prized monopole site, "Clos des Porrets" and noticed a strange white mutation of Pinot Noir. He coined the term "Pinot Gouges" and replanted the variety in the stony Premier Cru, "La Perrière.” Truly limited in production (especially in the scarce 2021 vintage), this wine, just like those old Gulf Liquor picks, is a total gem. Since we're huge Gouges fans, we're fortunate to receive a tiny allocation every year. 

Don't be fooled by the generic label because what lives inside the bottle is a grape like I’ve never tasted before. It flaunts a classic Burgundy nose of ripe lemon, green apple, and cold stone, yet on the palate it throws a juicy curveball of almond, fennel, and sweet summer corn. The more recent vintages of this wine label it, "Pinot Blanc," but traditionally speaking, it's "Pinot Gouges." Either way, it's a unique piece of history in your glass, and that's a very cool thing. ~Allegra A