Inside Burgundy by Jasper Morris is many burg lovers’ go-to reference. He is working on a new edition of the book because it was published ten years ago, and much has changed since then. I suspect that because Jasper has since left his wine buyer role, he will provide even more revealing opinions.
I recently asked Jasper if there was anything I can do to help. He humbly suggested compiling a list of things he got wrong in the first edition.
I thought it also worthwhile to accumulate a list of what’s changed since the first edition. Jasper lives in Burgundy, and he probably knows of more changes than any of us, but perhaps he’ll glean something he hadn’t heard. If nothing else, these contributions will be fun for the board burg lovers to read.
So, here are my questions:
Have you found any errors in the first edition of Inside Burgundy? If so please reply and list them.
Have you found things that have changed since the first edition of Inside Burgundy that should be updated? If so, please reply and list them.
In both cases, if you have citations that can support your claim, that would be helpful to include.
Please note, we are not looking for opinions or disagreements at this time. Just errors in matters of fact.
Let’s help make the next version of Jasper’s tome even better. Thank you!
Jasper hoped people would be more willing to tell a third party that he got something wrong than they would be telling him. Funnily, I’ve seen folks raise an issue with him face-to-face, but perhaps alcohol was involved. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Brady, Maybe a different title? “Any corrections for Jasper’s next Edition?” or some such.
I don’t know nearly enough to come up with any, but I do love his book and read it cover to cover. Btw, as an author I always appreciate when people do find typos or mistakes and I always include their names in the preface of the next edition, however minor the corrections are.
I did find a bunch of small things when I first read it years ago and made pencil notations. I couldn’t find them quickly when I checked now, and I’m buried in work. But I’ll try to flip through it when I can and pass on some things.
Not what he got wrong, but one of the most interesting aspects of Burgundy is the changing of the guard. Which producers have transitioned to their children? Where has that affected style or quality and how?
I think mostly there are just some updates that I’m sure will be included due to it being 10 years. One I came across the other day is the previous version doesn’t talk much about Chisa at Domaine Bize, but Patrick was still alive when it came out
I am really hoping that this version will delve further into producers that have or are making the switch to organics and biodynamics. i think thats a really big push that has happened in a big way since the previous version.
You could be right about a title change. I chose this one because it’s a fun variant on a tasting I attended eight years ago, “Which Domaines Did Jasper Miss?” That title was provocative, and created a good reaction. He attended the tasting and opined on the wines we brought. Happily, Jasper does incorporate such feedback, and included a few domaines from the tasting in the Apple Book.
For example, Henri and Philippe Jouan went from no entry in the printed book to this in the Apple book:
“Fourth-generation vigneron Philippe Jouan has taken over at this little domaine, which nonetheless has got a semi-cult following from those who like to explore under the radar. They make small quantities of village Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-St-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin (Aux Echezeaux); premier cru Morey-St-Denis Clos Sorbè; and a little Clos St-Denis, some of which makes its way to Joseph Drouhin. No herbicides or insecticides are used, the grapes are 100 per cent destemmed and a light hand is employed during vinification. New oak, from François Frères, varies between 30 per cent for the village wines and 70 per cent for Clos St-Denis.
I do not know the son’s wines, but I was most impressed by a Chambolle-Musigny 2002, a Clos St-Denis 2002 and a Morey-St-Denis Clos Sorbè 2003 served at a dinner in July 2012: they were fine-boned, stylish wines which showed their terroirs admirably.”
Excerpt From
Inside Burgundy: Côte de Nuits
Jasper Morris
This material may be protected by copyright.
I write the above, not for its particulars, but to demonstrate that Jasper will listen to your feedback. Thanks!
Slight drift but do you know when the new edition is expected to be released? I was thinking about buying the first version this last week but might wait now.
I believe he mentioned something to that effect in Levi Dalton’s podcast. I believe it had something to do with still being in the retail trade when he wrote the book, not being able to “tell it like it is” without hurting business relationships. I’m sure I either heard or read that somewhere about the upcoming new edition of the book.
Official price was UK £50 and US$75 but second hand copies have sometimes appeared on Amazon for way more, at moments when it has been out of print. Am working on second edition now for release in first half of 2021.
Reason for previous reticence was not about wishing to avoid hurting business relationships but to avoid conflict of interest, real or perceived, when the business might have gained from a glowing review of a producer we were working with.
Check out Rosemary George’s most recent edition of The wines of Chablis and the Grand Auxerrois (The Classic Wine Library). It was just released last October and is an awesome reference for Chablis.
reading the e-book on Volnay and just noticed that this copy I’m looking at says:
“The Clos de la Barre is south east facing, with valuable heat retention from its chalky brown soil on hard middle jurassic limestone bedrock. The moderate slope is enough to give good .”
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