Not much white wine is consumed in this household, largely because friends keep giving us Chardonnay. I know I’m a jerk about this, but really — is Chardonnay a wine or a marketing strategy? Chardonnay is especially despised around here because I had a great cheap white once in Paris, a Bordeaux called Chateau Magence. It was thin as a Riesling, just more structured, and it packed a deceptively gentle punch. Sadly, I could never find this lovely white Graves again.

 

Now Chateau Magence is being distributed in the United States, and it’s even better than I remembered. In New York, K&D Wines (1366 Madison Avenue, phone: 212 289 1818) sells the 2008 Magence for $9.49 a bottle — an insane price for a wine of this quality. (Buy a case, save 10%). If you live elsewhere, ask the best wine store in town to order it. I’ll completely understand if you lie about the price, but won’t you at least tell friends you learned about Magence from HeadButler.com?