INSIDER'S PICK: 2019 DOMAINE FICHET CHARDONNAY VIN DE FRANCE $16.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We are also doing both a white and a red option each week, with the white wine available for the discount on Thursday and Friday, while the red wine available on Friday and Saturday. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

As we so often say, it is increasingly difficult to find everyday values from Burgundy due to the relatively small amount of vineyards and the increased international demand for 'named' wines from the region. Many producers have been forced to look for outside the box ideas to create wines that can be less expensive but still speak of Burgundian character. Fortunately, some wineries like this really don't have to go that far outside the box to do so. Fichet has to label this wine 'Vin De France' because of the way the boundary lines are drawn in the Macon, despite it being from one single site just outside the small hamlet of Ige. The vineyards also sit in a bit of a hollow, making it a bit susceptible to frost in tricky years.  In past years this fruit would have been sold off in bulk to a cooperative because there was still plenty of inexpensive AOC Macon to be sold. Now, it's got value as a killer wine for the price point, regardless of the name on the label. You want Macon character? You got it here; bright clean melon and white citrus aromatics, a bit of fresh apple as well, and a fleshy natural mouthfeel with no oak presence and just a touch of malolactic to round out the finish. A superb glass of wine for everyday seafood and light vegetable dishes.

---