Perhaps the only straightforward thing that can be said about white wines from Burgundy is that they are all made with chardonnay (technically, that’s not even true; there is one other authorized white grape, but you’re likely to never come across it, so most treat it as though it doesn’t exist). Burgundy is the epitome of why wine is so intimidating and incomprehensible to most wine drinkers. A chardonnay made in the northernmost part of the region, Chablis, will have nearly no resemblance to one made merely miles to the south in the commune of Puligny-Montrachet. Burgundy is all about place names (lieux dits) and there are literally hundreds and hundreds of legally recognized ones, and untold hundreds, maybe thousands more, that can show up on labels at the choosing of the producer. Then factor in the distinctions between premier and grand cru, villages and region-wide wines, and it’s no wonder that many would-be Burgundy drinkers choose to leave these great whites to the most serious collectors.

And that’s a shame because nowhere on earth does chardonnay excel the way it does in Burgundy. From the gloriously lean, steely and citrus-soaked versions of Chablis, and the lushly layered, buttery ones of Meursault to the incomparable Montrachet, that most “red” of whites, every possible chardonnay style is represented. The whites of Burgundy are the standard by which all the world’s other chardonnays are measured.

For the most part, oak features prominently in Burgundy (though far less so in Chablis and Mâcon). Ripening of the grapes, while sometimes problematic given the more variable climate as compared to New World outposts, such as California and Australia, is no longer the question mark it once was. Despite weather vagaries, the Burgundy “style,” if it’s even fair to generalize given the number of them, is round and full in the mouth. Associations typically made include stone fruit, citrus (particularly in certain spots like Chablis and Corton-Charlemagne, my personal favorite chardonnay place in the world), some tropical fruit (though far less than in California chards) and nuts of various types, particularly hazelnut. Marmalade, honey and butter show up frequently, as do crème brûlée and brown spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Earthy accents, such as mushroom, dust, slate and gravel, lend balance to these rich wines. White Burgundies are excellent agers, and in my experience, hold up better on the whole than the reds (all of which are made with pinot noir).