The New Whites on the Block
The sheer scale of Spain and Italy's wine landscape, their extraordinary array of native grape varieties and the influx of domestic and global investment – you'd think that by now white Burgundy would be facing stiffer competition in Europe. But no, despite the increasing popularity of Greco di Tufo, Godello and Albarino, the fine white wine market remains depressingly monotone in January 2019.
"Within the Liv-ex 100 index, white wine (including Champagne and Sauternes) accounts for 11 percent of the index. However, if you exclude Sauternes and Champagne, this figure sits at 2 percent. The two Burgundy wines included are Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet 2015 and Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Clavoillon 2015," says Liv-ex director Justin Gibbs.
He continues: "The secondary market for white is still very Burgundy-centric as you would expect. This is where you see a collector approach, perhaps with an eye on investment. And even here, we are talking a relatively small part of the market with white Burgundy being consumed far earlier than its red counterpart."
At this point, it's only fair to remind ourselves that a handful of Alsatian and German whites on the Wine-Searcher database fetch a handsome price, including some killer Pinot Gris from Zind-Humbrecht. A few iconic white wines from Pessac-Léognan also make a splash. The problem is they are mere curiosities, devoutly consumed by a small number of acolytes, therefore making no impact on the fine wine market overall. No one would challenge the notion that top Alsace and German Riesling is every bit the equal of Montrachet. Similarly, who would bother to argue that owning a bottle comes with the same bragging rights?
Of course, that's not to suggest that the answer is for winemakers in Alsace, Germany and indeed the New World to simply jack up their prices and hope the noise resonates. Consumer awareness is the problem, or lack thereof.
"I suspect it is to do with market education. Great Rieslings from Alsace and Chardonnays from Margaret River are perhaps known, but not necessarily understood. It is early days for the great white wines of regions outside of Burgundy," observes Gibbs.
"There is a marked lack of consumer knowledge about many white fine wine styles of the world – call this a lack of marketing or education if you like – and Burgundy is an easy fallback," agrees wine buyer Peter Mitchell MW. "There are far more high end reds made than whites (both Italy and Spain being prime examples)."
However, there are some tentative signs that winemakers in Spain and Italy are at least attempting to overturn this gross oversight, and challenge Burgundy's dominance of the fine white market.
Indeed, if anyone needs an example of how a wine producing nation can reinvent itself, they should look to Italy. Forty years ago Italy had, effectively, no clout or global reputation in the still white wine department, unless you count Trebbiano's reputation as dilute, characterless donkey piss. Yet today Azienda Agricola Valentini's Trebbiano d'Abruzzo fetches over $70, and is worth every penny by all accounts. Galloni is one such fan, describing the 2005 (92 points) in 2010 as having ripe apricots, flowers and peaches on the palate, and that it was "rich and enveloping".
Batàr is another name that should be familiar to aficionados of structured, ageworthy whites. When steel magnate Giuseppe Castiglione bought the rundown Querciabella wine estate in Greve, Tuscany in 1974, it had only a single hectare of vines. Now he cultivates more than 70 hectares, including some choice Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco that makes it into the Batàr blend. The wine has been certified biodynamic since 2000 and was organic from 1988. The must is fermented in barrique and undergoes full malolactic fermentation as well. It's not quite white Burgundy, but it's a reasonable approximation, with a healthy dose of Tuscan verve.
Unlike Ornellaia's fledgling white wine, which is quintessentially un-Burgundian; a heady concoction of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Launched in 2015, the 2013 is a blend of 70 percent Sauvignon Blanc and 30 percent Viognier, aged for one year in 30 percent new oak and 70 percent used oak. I've never had the pleasure myself, but it's obvious that Ornellaia has lofty ambitions for their white, pricing it at over $200.
My personal favorite, though, is the Gaja, Gaia & Rey Chardonnay, which is surely one of the finest examples outside of the Cote de Beaune. Signor Gaja has gone on record before as saying that Italy's wine future would owe much to white wine. That may be stretching it, but his signature Chardonnay is a notable attempt to raise the profile of Italian whites. The vineyard and wine is named after Gaja's daughter and grandmother, while the asking price is reassuring expensive – typically over $180. But then, what else do you expect from the godfather of modern-style, pricey Barbaresco.
Meanwhile, Vega Sicilia owner Pablo Alvarez insists he will not rest until the noble estate produces a flagship white. It has certainly been a long time coming; Alvarez has been experimenting with making white wine since the early 1990s.
"In 1994 we planted Chardonnay, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne at Vega Sicilia, producing wines from the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 harvests. However, we were dissatisfied with the results and pulled up the vines in 2009," says Alvarez.
But in a renewed effort to forge a white worthy of Vega Sicilia's name, Alvarez replanted new clones of Chardonnay and Marsanne several years ago in Ribera del Duero, in addition to planting the same varieties in Rioja Alavesa.
Alvarez says he is determined to prove that Spain can produce a world-class white – "something elegant, complex and age worthy" – that is equal to top white Burgundy.
"The world today contains white wines that are works of art, why shouldn't Spain try to craft something of equal magnificence," he says.
Here's hoping, Alvarez. Today Spain has plenty of clout in the white wine department, largely thanks to the exquisitely saline Albariño and plumper Godello. Yet contrary to this continued and enormous success, Spanish whites remain largely within the realms of the low/middle market, with prestigious and expensive examples rarely seen. The vast majority are available in retail for less than $50 and Rueda in particular has a very mass-market friendly price point. There are some notable exceptions – Telmo Rodriguez's Remelluri White is fairly expensive – but they remain rare occurences.
But when there's a will, there's a way. Recent figures show that sales of white Rioja have increased by 32 percent in volume and 35 percent in value in the UK market, a development keenly watched by Remirez de Ganuza co-owner José Urtasun. He argues that as white Burgundy prices continue to rise, an expanding niche can be exploited for prestigious styles of oaked white wines from venerable, and much-loved regions like Rioja. "One of our biggest success stories has been the Remirez de Ganuza Blanco," he says.
"We've expanded production of our whites to meet demand, particularly in the on-trade." Of course, it's still very early days, but Spain has to start somewhere and it isn't ludicrous to suggest that an expanding firmament of expensive Spanish white wines will enter the market over the next 10-15 years.
The million dollar question is – will they attract the attention of investors and make a splash in the secondary market? At the moment that seems unlikely; the volume of expensive Italian and Spanish whites produced is tiny, meaning that too small a quantity of wines are spread across too many hands, leaving little to the secondary market. "The secondary market thrives on volume and/or brand awareness," as Gibbs so aptly points out.
Yet I would argue that in the longer term, the famous estates of Italy and Spain have the best chance of challenging Burgundy's virtual monopoly on the white wine auction market, if the number of brands and bottles increases. The best German and Alsace Riesling is wonderful, age-worthy stuff, that we know. The problem is the word Riesling, which remains unfashionable, despite the guff, fluff and proselytizing put out by the trade. Estates like Vega Sicilia and Ornellaia suffer from no such hindrance, which suggests that if volumes increase and awareness rises, white Burgundy might eventually have a decent fight on its hands.
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