I am new to this forum, but have been into wine for quite a while now. The country of my highest knowledge is clearly Austria, but I have been tasting a lot of Bordeaux, Brunello, and Rioja since early on. Lately I have been getting much more in Barolo/Barbaresco, Northern Rhone, and Germany. My palate has constantly changed since I started this hobby 4 years ago, and now I am getting more and more intrigued by Burgundy (especially the reds). I have been fortunate to taste some excellent 2017 Grand Crus including Clos de Tart (Domaine du Clos de Tart), Bernstein’s Clos de Vougeot, and Comte de Vogüé`s Musigny at a walk-around tasting last fall. While these wines have given me a glimpse of the greatness of Burgundy, I have not been able to taste enough yet. I would like to use the quarantine to start from the basics to increase my knowledge and to see which styles/winemakers/crus I like.
I have therefore bought a case of 6 different village level wines of 2017 to better understand the different styles of Burgundy winemaking. I plan to taste them side by side:
Gevrey-Chambertin AC Ostrea, Trapet
Gevrey-Chambertin AC Vieilles Vignes, Bachelet
Fixin AC La Place, Tardy
Vosne-Romanée AC, Confuron-Cotétidot
Morey-St-Denis AC Cuvée des Grives, Domaine Ponsot
Chambolle-Musigny AC, Pacalet
Do you have any remarks on the selection and the characteristics of the wines/the winemaking styles of the winemakers? Will I get a solid overview? I am thankful for your comments.
If you have any questions or need recommendations regarding Austrian wines, please let me know.
Welcome to the forum. I find myself in a similar stage to you and I am trying to put together a list of producers that are within my price range and available to get an intro in the different house styles.
Talking about your wine list, I can’t really say much because I never tried any of those wines, and am not familiar with the producers. However, don’t overlook Cote de Beaune, there are some great wines to be found there, and especially in the 1er Cru category you can really taste the differences in climats at a fraction of the price of the Cote de Nuits.
Welcome both of you to the Berserker’s Forum! Hope to hear from both of you. Sorry to hear of your Burgundy interest. Churchill’s comment about Russia seems appropriate, “a mystery wrapped inside an enigma”.
Anyway, my favorite subject of study but also one I am completely idiotic about. Good luck!
I’d say that’s a nice selection to start with! Should reveal some differences, but of course, will be more difficult to determine what is due to winemaking and what is due to terroir.
In general, I would say that the amount one can learn from Burgundy by drinking 3 year old wines is limited. You will be getting more from 2017s as this is a relatively forward vintage, but in order to understand why people love Burgundy you will also need to try wines that are substantially older.
Of the producers you list, I have the most experience with Bachelet and Trapet. Both are outstanding producers. I am sure that their villages wines will drink very well. I have also had some wonderful wines from Ponsot.
I highly recommend that you read the following threads:
I also like Bachelet and Trapet quite a bit. Pacalet is a natural wine producer so your reaction to them will depend largely on how you like that style of wine. I’m not a huge fan but they are much sought after in some circles.
Ponsot is very well respected producer but while I’ve had some wonderful wines from them I’ve also had a fair number that left me cold so I never bought much.
I have a slightly modified version of Howard’s statement. My general philosophy is to drink them young (which 2017 is) or drink them old just don’t drink them in between. Young Burgundy and mature Burgundy are two different things but both can be stunningly beautiful. Shut down Burgundy is where you waste your money.
I mostly stopped buying after the 2010 vintage due to age so I can’t really comment on recent vintages such as 2017.
I would add one suggestion: taste two of the wines in the same setting. Pacalet and Confuron with the same meal would be a good choice for comparing producers, then maybe different communes. etc.
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}