To what extent do you think the Burg premox crisis scared white winemakers into pursuing fresher styles / more reductive winemaking globally? There is, I think, a slice of the market that has been traditionally more open to older white wine: the market for deliberately oxidative styles.
I was thinking about this a bit the other day when I grabbed a bottle of 2015 LdH Vina Gravonia at a restaurant: LdH's whites are famously oxidative, they make a point of holding back vintages (in both R and W) for years, and there does seem to be a perceived positive linear relationship between age and quality for those bottles. Vin jaune is another example.
But those are the exception, not the rule, and I wonder whether we'd see more aged white wine in the market if more of that style existed. Did you see any trends related to what specific white wines people consider "ageable" as you were researching?
To what extent do you think the Burg premox crisis scared white winemakers into pursuing fresher styles / more reductive winemaking globally? There is, I think, a slice of the market that has been traditionally more open to older white wine: the market for deliberately oxidative styles.
I was thinking about this a bit the other day when I grabbed a bottle of 2015 LdH Vina Gravonia at a restaurant: LdH's whites are famously oxidative, they make a point of holding back vintages (in both R and W) for years, and there does seem to be a perceived positive linear relationship between age and quality for those bottles. Vin jaune is another example.
But those are the exception, not the rule, and I wonder whether we'd see more aged white wine in the market if more of that style existed. Did you see any trends related to what specific white wines people consider "ageable" as you were researching?
I really wish I had any of the answers to that.
I think the search for fresher styles is more marked on the red rather than the whites, though…
Old white Burgundy was my entry point to older white wines.
Aren’t you lucky! What do you drink now?!!!!
I had a mentor who collected White Burgundy and shared it with me because his spouse didn’t drink.
Years of incredible ‘research’ spoiled me. Now I budget for one or two amazing French white wines a month.
Luckily I live in South Africa where amazing wines are commonplace. I’m able to indulge myself.
Great article. Thanks for posting.
Thank you Dan!