Domaine de Montbourgeau, L'Etoile "Cuvee Speciale", 2011 TheVeryGreatest and unmistakably Basque

and unmistakably Basque

built in a style that echoes Chablis more than Napa

then pot-distilled and brought slowly down to strength with demineralized water rather than a hard cut

This current-release wine is bright

Whether sipped neat over ice

Domaine de Montbourgeau, L'Etoile "Cuvee Speciale", 2011 TheVeryGreatest and unmistakably BasqueDomaine de Montbourgeau was founded a century ago in the tiny Jura town of L'Etoile, the star, named for the star shaped fossils that pepper its soils, left behind when ancient seas dried up. The estate is celebrated for whites that are complex, saline, and mostly oxidative, all waxy yellow fruit and ringing minerality. The Cuvee Speciale is the top Chardonnay, made for the long haul. This back vintage 2011 has had well over a decade to deepen, and it