“I will say it again: no one makes better wine in the Mâconnais than Barraud.” Those are the words of Allen Meadows, among the most battle-tested Burgundy tasters of modern times. While that alone should be enough to tip the scales of intrigue, I have some of my own comments for those who swoon over premium white Burgundy but are reluctant to spend $80+ on a Côte de Beaune bottle.

First of all, you are not alone. That’s a large expenditure for a single bottle of wine, and opening one that underwhelms is a quick and expensive way to ruin an evening. Ironically, some would still call today’s Mâconnais offering a “splurge,” but to me, it’s one of the finest bargains imaginable for seriously world-class Chardonnay. Even if you’ve trained yourself to only buy the Holy Trinity of Puligny, Chassagne, and Meursault, please temporarily suspend that rule and introduce yourself to one of the greatest $40-drinks-like-$80 bottles of white Burgundy around. Cheers!

The Mâconnais is a splattering of noncontiguous Burgundy vineyards between Beaujolais (to the south) and the Côte Chalonnaise (to the north), and within you’ll likely recognize two of its most prized winemaking villages: Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran. There is something special about Saint-Véran. At the crossroads of two ancient coral reefs, the Rock of Solutré and the Rock of Vergisson, the soils are dominated by limestone in this part of southern Burgundy. The best wines have a cold rush of white stone, textured yellow fruits, and sea-salt greens that misleads my palate to places like Saint-Aubin and Chassagne-Montrachet. Certified Organic Domaine Barraud is a master of this do-good trickery, making mineral-etched Chardonnay from what might be the greatest white wine terro