Jérôme Galeyrand Bourgogne Chardonnay Orane 2023

Jérôme Galeyrand made this white in AOC Bourgogne, in Burgundy, from Chardonnay farmed biodynamically. Galeyrand trained at the Beaune wine school and started his own domaine in 2002 in the Côte de Nuits, where the estate now runs to around 5.5 hectares. The limestone and marl soils here give Chardonnay a firm acid backbone and a stony cut, while biodynamic farming keeps the vineyard active and the fruit expressive. The wine spent 12 months in used French oak barrels, so the oak adds slow oxygen exchange and a fine texture rather than heavy woodspice. Ageing on the lees builds a creamy weight through the release of mannoproteins, and where malolactic fermentation runs it softens the sharper malic acidity into something rounder. The colour is bright straw gold. The nose is white peach, lemon and green apple lifted by hazelnut, toast and a touch of honey, and the palate is dry and layered, with a mineral line holding the fruit and a long, gently nutty finish. Serve at 11 to 12 degrees in a large white wine glass.