Lifestyles

Walking on a crisp, clear morning into town to the boulangerie for the daily purchase of warm, crusty baguettes is one of the joyous pleasures of staying in Burgundy's rural wine growing village of Meursault.

From the north, the route passes low stone walls enclosing well-tended rows of vines on gently sloping, stony terrain. The little lane narrows and twists closer to town while passing neat stone houses with shutters and gravel courtyards.

Occasionally, the odd Peugeot 205 or Citroën "Deux Chevaux" -- small, classic French cars -- whirs by and compels walkers to share the road by moving in tight to hug the walls. But on a recent visit, strikingly incongruous vehicles have appeared to disrupt the easy détente between drivers and walkers.

SUVs -- Hummers, Range Rovers and Ford Explorers -- increasingly ply the roads. They are a potent reminder to consider carefully the economic complexities always swirling beneath Burgundy's idyllic surface when seeking a fuller appreciation and understanding of the region's wines.

In this case, worldwide speculation by frenzied individual collectors has caused sharp prices increases. Consequently, the land values of Burgundy's tiny vineyards have soared. Ironically, this has created a mounting crisis at many small domaines where independent vignerons -- grape growers and wine makers -- barely sustain economic feasibility.

France's Napoleonic inheritance laws requiring each child of the domaine owners to receive an equal share in the vineyards have always made it challenging for such vignerons to maintain viable, intact domaines. Even if agreement can be reached over partitioning the tiny vineyard holdings of economically marginal operations, it is increasingly impractical for individual heirs to pay inheritance taxes in the range of 50 percent of currently inflated land values. It is a classic situation of being land-rich, but cash-poor.

Sensing vulnerability, wealthy investors and cash-rich corporations circle like hawks waiting to swoop in and pay top dollar for the prestigious land interests of small domaines.

Vineyard consolidation by moneyed interests does not necessarily undermine wine quality. In the case of some underperforming small domaines, consolidation can actually improve quality. On the other hand, consolidation does pose a potential threat to Burgundy's cherished diversity by supplanting passionate, even quirky, individual wine-making styles with homogenous "house" styles.

Economic consolidation also challenges Burgundy's way of life by shifting labor away from the social "families" of vignerons, their children and full-time employees who traditionally have performed the work of the vineyards and winery. In attempting to reduce labor costs, corporately owned producers increasingly use le tâcheron contracts, in which individual, independent contractors work part-time on a piece meal, seasonal basis.

As the full impact of these economic trends plays out, consumers should still seek the wines of dedicated and passionate peak producers such as Jean-Philippe Fichet. This mid-career veteran is a white wine master who grew up in Meursault with winemaking in his veins. He now maintains immaculately clean cellars on the rue de Gare, near the train station.

Working meticulously and tirelessly in the vineyards with five long-term employees, Fichet's team shares one goal: producing low yields of perfectly ripe, high-quality fruit. Nonetheless, he modestly says the weather determines success each autumn when his voluntary vendangeurs arrive to work long hours picking grapes interwoven with plenty of eating, drinking and celebrating.

Using sharecropping and lease holdings in prestigious Meursault lieux-dit vineyards and a small amount of Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru, Fichet's wines confidently express terroir with dazzling purity and refined equilibrium.

At a recent tasting at Fichet's cellars, even the modest, but very well-made 2004 Jean-Philippe Fichet Bourgogne-Aligote (available nationwide -- but regrettably not in Pennsylvania -- for approximately $20) had a burnished golden color with fresh lemon and grapefruit aromas, rich fruit, and well-balanced, refreshing mineral notes through the dry finish. Highly recommended.

The other wines featured enhanced creamy, fruity complexity while maintaining superb balance with fine mineral nuances and mouthwatering acidity through lingering, elegant, dry finishes. All are highly recommended:

• 2004 Jean-Philippe Fichet Bourgogne Blanc "Vieilles Vignes" (approximate national price: $25).

• 2004 Meursault "Meix-sous-le Château" (approximate national price: $45).

• 2004 Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault "Gruyaches" (approximate national price: $50).

• 2004 Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault "Les Chevalières" (approximate national price: $55).

• 2004 Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault "Les Tessons" (approximate national price: $55).

• 2004 Jean-Philippe Fichet Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru "Les Referts" (approximate national price: $67).

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