1973 All Over Again.
1973 in New York: cars line up in two directions at the gas station.
2020 Tripoz Macon-Charnay
"Clos des Tournons"
Normally: $25.
Our Price: $17 on 1. Buy here!
Only $15 on 6! Buy here!
And only $13 by the case! Buy here!
(Almost 50% Off!)
TL;DR: Organically farmed, micro-produced, old-vine white Burgundy? At the sort of price not seen since Watergate? Case up fast!
Have we been watching too much Licorice Pizza, dreaming our way into a 1973 of the mind?
Have 1) rising gas prices... plus 2) escalating global conflict... plus 3) an (insert-your-own-Gate-here)
Or did it all start with the lament we heard from a customer yesterday — "I remember when I could buy white Burgundy without taking out a second home loan!" (this was an actual occurrence; with my colleague Siavash as my witness I solemnly swear) — and we now find ourselves longing for days of yore?
Please, tell us again how you bought this for $10 in 1970. Really.
Here's the thing, Fellow Anachronauts: even in simpler, cheaper times? They were longing for simpler, cheaper times! Check this New York Times "Wine Talk" from — [checks notes] — 1973:
"The great white wines of Burgundy have all but priced themselves out of the market. A simple Chablis can cost $6, a Meursault $7 and a Bâtard Montrachet $16. Even the wines of the Loire, once considered too insignificant to export, are climbing. Sancerres can cost $5 and Muscadets $3.50. Is it time to give up on French white wine completely?
First, it's reassuring to know that insane rhetorical questions were as common then as they are in our era. And second, while we can't discount your Bâtard Montrachet by 95%? We did manage to pull off a sort of "Spirit of '73" miracle for you: i.e., an organically farmed, micro-produced, old-vine (30-65 year old) white Burgundy... priced like it's 1973!
The Tripoz estate
Catherine & Didier Tripoz founded their estate in 1989 in the southernmost part of Burgundy's Mâcon region, the highly regarded micro-appellation of Mâcon-Charnay. For as long as we've been working in wine, the crisp & poised white Burgundy they make from their single "Clos des Tournons" vineyard has cost in the mid-to-high $20's; so why, in a time of tariffs, supply chain crisis, inflation and global conflict, would the price go down?
Because Didier and Catherine are retiring... and our importer friends made them a "take-all" offer on their stellar 2020 vintage! (As one wine critic wrote, "Burgundy 2020 is an excellent vintage that you should snap up while you can – especially since it’s clear that there’s going to be very little wine coming out of Burgundy next year.")
Didier and Catherine Tripoz
Golden in hue, the 2020 Clos des Tournons is all about freshness and verve; it's bright and mineral-laced, with no oak to weigh it down. The Mâcon's slightly warmer climate lends it a bit of texture on the palate, but its chalky limestone soils preserve its racy focus and cut. Wet stone aromatics give way to green apple and lemon pith, while pops of white pepper enliven the finish. Great now as either an aperitif or with lighter pairings (fish tacos! roast chicken! that harissa salmon your lover makes!), this will also be great for 5 years, easy! (Which, at this price? Means you should case up! It won't be 1973 forever!)
2020 Tripoz Macon-Charnay
"Clos des Tournons"
(White Burgundy)
Normally: $25.
Our Price: $17 on 1. Buy here!
Only $15 on 6! Buy here!
And only $13 by the case! Buy here!