Blason de Bourgogne Montagny La Reserve - 2011

A white Burgundy from co-op Blason de Bourgogne

The correlation between wine price and quality only works in one direction - the cheaper the wine is, the less likely it is to show much complexity.

And, as many studies have gleefully pointed out, the link between complexity and consumer enjoyment is even weaker, sometimes even inverse.

This wine is a case in point - an unsophisticated but well-executed white Burgundy, it is a superior version of a basic, entry-level wine. As if to prove the fact, it has an IWC "commended", the equivalent of a plastic medal for taking part in the school egg-and-spoon race.

And yet it proved popular with a general audience looking for a new easy-drinking white as an alternative to Pinot Grigio.

With pleasant Chardonnay orchard fruit, a bit of minerality and balanced freshness, what's there is fair enough - there just isn't much else going on in the way of texture, complexity or persistence.

Nice-but-dim, it is well-mannered wallpaper.

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