The Hautes Cotes de Beaune is the back country: higher, cooler ground just behind the famous slope, where Chardonnay ripens later and keeps its nerve. This one comes from a family domaine in the Cote de Beaune farming sustainably, and it does what the appellation does best, which is deliver honest white Burgundy without the Cote d'Or markup. Straw-gold in the glass, with honeyed white flowers on the nose and a palate that stays crisp rather than tipping into richness. Nothing fancy. Just good.