Embracing A Simple Chardonnay

I routinely source off-the-beaten-path wine, seeking obscure grapes, well-known grapes grown in obscure terroirs and lesser-known wine regions making solid wines. Those are the things that rock my world. But lately I’ve had a craving for simple white Burgundies. Somehow Saint-Véran stuck in my head as such an appellation, and the hunt was short and sweet. I picked up a 2010 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Véran ($15) and some cod cakes to go with the wine. Spring has never seen a chirpier combination. It’s the principle of sharp acidity cutting through dense dishes. Any wine too simple and lacking in structure and weight would not handle the cod cakes well. I even drizzled fresh jalapeños in oil olive atop the cod cakes to add some heat, and the wine took to it well. The tanginess of this clean Chardonnay was what I longed for. Citrus flavors predominate, leading the imagination to run wild with possible food marriages.