Your pick: red Burg's 10 best vineyards

QPR’s out the window for this one. If money is no object, what makes your list for Burgundy’s ten best vineyards for Pinot?

Romanee-Conti
La Tache
Musigny
La Romanee
Romanee St.Vivant
Bonnes Mares
Clos de la Roche
Clos St.Denis
Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Beze

Nice list, Jeremy. I’m surprised Richebourg didn’t make the cut.

Montrachet

1 part Montrachet + 1 part Welch’s red grape juice?

No Pinot there Mr Buzz.

Oh…didn’t see the red!

Mark,

The list was straight off the top of my head, thinking about the most ethereal wines I have enjoyed and what vineyard they came from. I love Richebourg too, probably as much as Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux and Corton and Beauxmonts, and Cros Parantoux etc etc… It is a very hard question to answer as I almost reckon producer is perhaps the most important thing in Burgundy and not vineyard.

Best Regards
Jeremy

You’ve got room for one more

might add Amoureuses. Maybe Richebourg. Pretty nice list, Mr. Holmes.

Romanee-Conti
La Tache
Musigny
Chambertin
Richebourg
Romanee St. Vivant
La Romanee
Clos St. Jacques
Les Amoureuses

I swapped Clos St. Jacques and Les Amoureuses in for Clos de la Roche and Clos St. Denis as the consistency I feel like is higher. Very very few people make mediocre versions of either and they should have been classified as Grand Cru anyways. Richebourg hits higher heights for me on average than Bonnes Mares.

Not much room for argument on at least 7 of the candidates. So the only interesting question is what are the next 3. Most people probably wind up where Jeremy is, or one off at any rate. If I’m feeling daring, I might make the case for Clos Vougeot in one of those spots.

While I do like Fourrier’s CSJ, Dujac’s CDLR and CSD are simply some of the most amazing wines out there. Ponsot also makes a great CDLR . . . I’ve never had his CSD though. Tough call.

The more I consider the question, the more perplexing the answer.
I can only break it up into categories.

Certainties:-
RC
La Tache
Musigny

Firm favourites:-
La Romanee
Chambertin
Chambertin Clos de Beze
Richebourg
Romanee St Vivant

Possibles
Ruchottes Chambertin - small vineyard but some great wines produced
La Grand Rue - has under performed but well sited
Clos St Jacques -
Les Amoureuses
Grands-Echezeaux - one third owned by DRC may skew perception
Bones Mares - muscular wines, but a myriad of fine producers.
Clos de la Roche and Clos St Denis - if they were all as good as Dujac’s expression, ranking would be elevated.
Clos des Lambrays
Clos de Tart

Outsiders
Clos de Vougeot …now if one was talking the top of the slope!
Mazis, Charmes, Griotte and Latricieres - the best are very fine.
Echezeaux
Corton - too variable

Parantoux?

Probably a possible. As Jeremy suggested is this too reliant on producer. What if Henri Jayer owned land in beauxmonts or Suchots - would we be putting forward those vineyards today as superlative sites?

Kent…no need for “what ifs” here (though , of course, Henri Jayer can’t own anything at this point; unlike his “retirement” which he claimed for nearly 20 years while still active, his death is incontrovertible ). Jayer/Rouget owned both plots in CP and in Beaux Monts.

Having tasted both at the winery many times…and other BM from other producers, BM is my candidate for “best” 1er cru in red Burgundy. (Of course, one must define criteria on any such list or it is , like rating vintages, somewhat pointless). For me, it belongs on any “10 best” lists…depending on the criteria.

The “producer vs. vineyard” (particularly with monopoles or even near-monopoles) is truly a “chicken and egg” “analysis”. Perhaps they deserve a separate category?

Kent’s first eight would have to be included IMHO. Then I would add Grands Echezeaux from his next group. For # 10 it is really hard choosing among Bones Mares, Clos de la Roche and Clos St. Denis, but since my favorite Truchot has always been his Clos de la Roche and since Truchot is my favorite producer, I go with Clos de la Roche.

Somewhere on this longer list Chapelle Chambertin should be included. Jadot, Tremblay and Rossignol-Trapet make wonderful Chapelle Chambertins.

good thread to illustrate how producer over vineyard is the way to go.

LaMarche’s La Grand Rue is on a serious upswing