Henri Gouges Bourgogne, Pinot Blanc | 2022

The first time that I tasted this rare white wine was in 2009. My friend and I would cherry pick Gulf Liquors on Miami Beach and feast like kings on their affordable collection of dusty Burgundy, old Bordeaux, and offbeat Italy. We devoured all their hidden gems like kids in a free ice cream shop until one oddball remained — Gouges white. 

Perfected by 400 years of grape farming, Gouges is one of the most storied estates in Nuits-Saints-Georges. 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 a quarry of stones known as the "La Perrière" vineyard. Since then, this wine has become a darling of Burgundy enthusiasts because of its scarcity and down-to-earth price. It’s still referred to as “Pinot Gouges,” but more recent labels favor the name “Pinot Blanc.” Regardless of the name, this is one of the most idiosyncratic whites in Burgundy. On the nose, classic lemon and apple lead you in, followed by cold stone and faint hints of toast. The palate, though, curveballs into sweet almond and freshly shucked corn, and with older bottles, candied corn exudes from the glass. So, it doesn't matter whether you say, “Pinot Gouges” or “Pinot Blanc,” because you’re drinking elite White Burgundy from a storied place, in a category of its own. ~Allegra A