Burgundy - starting to get it.

WINE TALK
21

Nick, did you ever dine at Les Nomades when it still had its amazing wine list? I was there for a business dinner and I was salivating over the list but trying not to spend too much time or money. My colleague wasn’t having it though and when I suggested things at various price points I thought were good deals, he quickly chose the most expensive - the 1991 Ponsot CdR for all of $195 - which was less than current auction pricing at the time.

ps - they had a bunch of 1996 truchot on the list then too - for much less than the ponsot - sigh.

22

2001 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Charmois, Cote de Nuits, France
Average Price of 750ml bottle, ex-tax in USD: $69

always better than decent for the $

23

I would be looking to buy 2001s like this or 2002s, 2007s, etc., in other words things that are now drinkable. I love the 2010 vintage, but they are hardly the wines I would be buying now to drink now.

24

A few times. Rolland is Nd has been one of the top chefs in the city. Great classic cuisine.

25

Maureen, I will have to take your word for it on some of those labels.

I googled Hubert Lignier 1er Crus:

http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/hubert+lignier+1er/1/usa

And this one caught my eye:

1997 Domaine Hubert Lignier, Les Chaffots, Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru, $103.00

Lignier is a weird house, and 1997 was a weird vintage, and it’s almost affordable - so that’s the kind of wine that I might gamble on.

Similarly with this 2003:

2003 Domaine Hubert Lignier, Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Vieilles Vignes, $100.00

But, more generally, you’re looking at spending about $150 to get a Lignier 1er Cru with roughly 92ish points from Tanzer.

26

I was excited to read this thread, because I have a curiosity of Burgundy, as I’ve heard great things… I thought I was going to hear all about the average person’s entry level into the juice… Then I looked at wine searcher… lol. Now I know why people claim that you will go broke…

Anyone have any idea of a decent ready to drink, aged burgundy for around $100, that will give me an idea of whether it’s worth starting to collect and age?

27

I might also gamble on some of the 2003 Gouges wines:

http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/gouges/2003/usa

Gouges is so hopelessly backwards that it might actually have been able to master that crazy hot mess of a vintage.

But if I opened a bottle right now, then I’d be prepared to follow it for up to a week before it started strutting its stuff.

28

I’m sure I’ll get raked over the coals for suggesting a 2004 red Burg but this one is showing beautifully now without any of the awful vintage character. The bottles I’ve had were from my own cellar purchased on release and stored well since, so I can’t speak to the quality or provenance of the Benchmark bottles, but maybe worth a look.

https://www.benchmarkwine.com/wines/32357-lucien-boillot-gevrey-chambertin-les-cherbaudes-2004

29

I’ve had great experiences with 1997, 2000, 2001 (still a bit young yet), and 2007. Agree that a Lignier 1997 Morey St Denis premier will likely be superb (had the VV premier recently and really enjoyed it). These vintages are likely to be ready and definitely more reasonably priced.

Good luck.

Cheers,
Doug

30

Tough vintage, but have heard H Lignier did well in '97.

Agree that 2010 is great, but mostly closed for drinking now. 2012, 2009, and '07 are better bets for today.

31

Thank you for all your recommendations, and the start of what I’m sure will be my financial ruin. The first two bottles we’re going to try are 1997 Potel Clos de la Rouche Grand Cru…
1997 Potel.png
… and 2003 Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges Clos des Porrets Premier Cru.
2003 HGN.png
Guess I have to clear some space on the rack by drinking the aged Cabs. [cheers.gif]

32

These threads make it so tempting to take the plunge into trying some of these wines.

33

DUDE, YOU ARE SO SCREWED!!!

You are sssooooo going to wish that you never crossed paths with the dark side.

PS: In the right circumstances [with the right food and the right company], and with proper oxygenation [pop-n-pour vs slow-ox vs decanting vs sitting at the table and slowly engorging yourself for six or eight hours], those have the potential to be dynamite wines.

34

So what’s the hold up? [scratch.gif] I say go for it.

35

Good luck with your purchases Dennis and I hope that they work well, but 1997 and 2003 are not the best Burgundy vintages around and are pretty atypical Burgundy vintages. 2003 is the warmest vintage on record.

36

Actually, that was kind of the point - trying different styles and vintages to see if a few really click. There were quite a few mentions of '97 in this thread so it was worth a go.

From my experience with California Cabs, I don’t mind buying “off” years of certain wines. Despite the raves over most 2002’s I just don’t see the reason to spend so much for the high scoring wines from that year. However, I’ve found quite a few 2003’s that I really enjoy even though that was not as highly regarded of a vintage. Arrowood’s '03 Monte Rosso is nearly as good as their '01 Monte Rosso. If the '01 is a 10, the '03 is a 9.4 with very similar characteristics - yet the '01 scored a few points higher.

37

Burgundy is not California. Vintages matter a lot more - and with respect to style and not just quality. You picked two of the ripest vintages around, so expect to get bigger, riper wines than the one you liked.

38

Duly noted. [cheers.gif]

39

Just wanted to give an update for those who are curious…

Opened the '97 Potel CdlR Grand Cru a few days ago. It certainly has some pop! Much more fruit and spice than the '93 Ponsot CdlR - and that was expected due to the warmer vintage. It also lacks the finesse and balance of the '93 but was certainly not out of whack at all. It didn’t taper off much over the course of 3 or 4 days either. Just bought 3 more bottles and 1 bottle of 2001.

Thanks to everyone who helped!

In a few weeks it’ll be time to try the 2003 Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges Clos des Porrets Premier Cru.

40

Sounds great, Dennis. So, how is your cellar? Cold and good for long-term storage? If so, time to start collecting those 10’s, 12’s, and 13’s.

Meanwhile, find locals who collect burg, and organize regular tastings, if you can. You might get eight times the experience for the same price.

Have fun!