Looking to expand my palate and get into Burgundy. Large cellar with New World gems and great Bordeaux but looking to get my feet wet with Burgundy and take it to the next level. Does anyone have some suggestions of starter level Burgundy sub $100 to ease into it?
Too much to be concise.
PM if you want to discuss.
rp
If you would type it out in a PM, type it out here. I think this is a great thread idea.
A chastity belt?
Just put your whole cellar for sale, right now, and jump in head first. I can assure you that once you start down this path, the result is inevitable…
Here would be my recent starter group.
Only 5 or 6 choices depending on availability . It reflects my own palate however.
09 Hudelot Noellat Chambolle Musigny. Forward and delicious even now. A premium village
09/10 Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin VV Ditto.
These wines are generous and delicious. Also relatively affordable.
Finding premier Cru below $100 will be an exercise in frustration if you don’t know what to expect.
So, I would try out some of these below. Include some 09 Beaujolais if you can find it. Different but you will understand the connection even with that “disloyal Gaamez” as Philippe the Bold decreed in 1395.
2009 Foillard Morgon Cote du Py
2008/ 2009 Guillemot Savigny les Beaune Les Narbantons If you can find the 08, it is a head turner.
If you are willing to spend another $8 or so, the 2011 Hudelot Noellat Vosne Romanee Les Suchots is generous in volume and fruit. Perfect balance and drinking in a primary way that would really seduce a new world drinker. Highly recommended.
Good luck. I know this is a rather focused list but it is better to transition in a narrow way than to broadly sample where you might find Burgundy to be quite the minefield given the shutdown nature of some 2010’s that you might sample. This is my personal opinion only.
FWIW.
That’s what I’m afraid of Alan. This is the second must have conversation in my life…The first was the birds & the bees, which was many years ago.
Thanks Don. Sounds like a great start.
Like a virgin…
Smellin’ merde for the very first time…
Ok. You asked for it.
My idea here is a village by village intro, of accessible examples that capture some of the character of the terroir at easy to swallow pricepoints. I do not believe it is best to start with the $$$$ best. I’ve also gone red centric. White would be a whole other list…
Cote Chalonnaise:
Clos Salomon Givry 1er la Grande Berge blanc '12 $35
Clos Salomon Givry 1er Monopole rouge '08/'09/'10 $39
Vincent Dureuil Janthial Rully 1er Chapitre rouge '11 $39
Any of Dureuil’s estate whites…sicko good.
Cote de Beaune:
Belland Santenay 1er Graviere '10 $35
Belland Santenay 1er Beauregard '09/'10 $35
Belland Chassagne Montrachet Clos Pitois 1er '10 $40
Belland Maranges 1er la Fussiere '11 $24
Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Santenots '10/'11 $59
Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Chevret '10/'11 $69
Nicolas Rossignol Beaune 1er Clos des Mouches '11 $59
Nicolas Rossignol Beaune 1er Clos du Roi '11 $45
Jadot Beaune 1er Clos des Ursules '09 $49
Domaine de Courcel Bourgogne rouge '10 $45 (pommard)
Joseph Voillot Pommard 1er Rugiens '09 $79
Olivier Lamy St Aubin 1er Derriere Chez Edouard rouge '09/'10 $49/$39
All of Lamy’s whites. Period.
Cote de Nuits:
Arnoux NSG villages Poisets '09/'10 $45
Arnoux NSG 1er Proces '10 $59!
Hudelot Noellat NSG 1er Murgers '11 $69
Georges Noellat NSG 1er Boudots '10/'11/'12
Cecile Tremblay Bourgogne Croix Blanches '09 $45 (vosne)
Mugneret Gibourg Bourgogne $too much if you can find it
Mugneret Gibourg Vosne villages $too much if you can find it
Arnoux Vosne villages Hautes Maizieres '11 $69
Hudelot Noellat Vosne 1er Beaumonts or Suchots (on the cusp of your price range)
Arnoux Vosne 1er Chaumes '10/'11 $99
Arnoux Chambolle villages '11 $49
Hudelot Noellat Chambolle villages '11 $45
Bertheau Chambolle villages '11 $55
Barthod Bourgogne Bons Batons '09/'10
Barthod Chambolle villages '09/'10
Pousse d’Or Chambolle 1er Groseilles '10 $79
Pousse d’Or Chambolle 1er Charmes '11 $99
Pousse d’Or Chambolle 1er Feussellottes '11 $89
Lignier Michelot Morey St Denis 1er Faconnieres '09 $75
Lignier Michelot Morey St Denis 1er Chenevery '09 $69
Pascal Marchand Morey St Denis 1er Faconnieres '10 $65
Robert Groffier Gevrey villages les Seuvrees '11 $59
Pascal Marchand Gevrey 1er Fonteny '10 $69
Pascal Marchand Gevrey 1er Combe aux Moines '10 $65
Denis Bachelet Gevrey VV villages/Bourgogne rouge
Cyril Audoin’s Marsannay wines from '09 and '10. Many 1ers, $35-49.
Pierre Gelin Fixin 1er Clos Napoleon '10 $59
That’s off of the top of my head.
If there is a price next to the wine, I have it in stock (or on the water).
That 2011 Nico Rossignol Volnay Chevrets would fit right into what you want! Lots of good choices in Robert’s list here. The 10 is glorious but starting to shut down to me. The 11 is smoking good and wide open.
Great list Robert. I know you rep these but this is a very good list re: variety and excellent producers.
Robert, are you local to LA?
“Do unto others” is sort of my rule of thumb.
I’m in the mighty Delaware.
Eric,
Robert’s list is pretty good. I would start with Gevrey since it will be the closest stylistically from what you are used too.
Awesome list, Robert.
We have a retailer in N. O. who is a Burgundy specialist. When the 2000 vintage had been released, I went to him and told him that I was looking for a definitive experience with red Burgundy. He took to the back of his store and told me that he could only sell me one of these (probably true from what I’ve heard of his rolodex) and he showed me a bottle of 2000 Dugat-Py village something. I bought it for a c-note plus tax. Shortly after, I was getting together with two friends who are serious wine heads. I had an 86 Gruard-Larose that I knew that we would be drinking, so I thought why not start with the Dugat-Py. I popped the cork a couple of hours beforehand and tried a tasting pour. Nothing. I decanted and tried it a second time. Nothing. I decanted back into the bottle and tried a third pour. Nothing. Two hours later, still nothing. But the 86 Gruard-Larose was great!
Robert, do most of these need to cellar for years and years before they can be enjoyed or are any ready for me to taste sooner than later (with proper decanting) Again, not familiar in the slightest with Burgundy.
I chose these as wines that you could buy and drink this week.
Decanting with young wines is always very useful; helps you get at more than the baby fat primary flavors.
Some may be more open than others, but none would be a brick wall.
I am a big believer in BALANCE. Harmonious fine grained tannin (with tannin being the primary element that makes wines mute or shut down) allows for a useful youthful glimpse of even very structured wines, albeit not “optimal maturity”.
Michael,
He picked one of the most stylistically unique producers in Burgundy unfortunately.
In a generous vintage like 2000, those wines were almost monolithic. Heavily stylized with oaking.
Not that the wines are not very good. They are excellent for what they are. They just don’t speak Burgundy to me personally.
Too bad he didn’t give you the 2000 Clos des Lambrays which would have cost you around $50 to 65 and delivered.
I understand however the rarity and hype of Dugat-Py. I just don’t think it is Burgundy. My palate again.
As an aside, the 2000 vintage was the good old days to me. I had a retailer who participated in a wholesale dump of 2000 Lambrays due to a lack of interest. (If those days would return.) $25/btl. I could only get a case. UGH.
Burgundy takes work; there are many threads on the board answering the question how to start. The threads have great answers and advice. My brief comment is to find a few older red Burgs, albeit more costly, to see if you like them–2000, 2001, 1993, all can be found. And are you talking red, white, or both?
Find a store that does tastings and go to a Burg tasting. Have Burgundy as a theme for your tasting group and do a few evenings w a coherent theme. Read, read, read, though there is no substitute for tasting. It takes a multi-pronged approach and many years to begin to understand Burgundy, though you might quickly learn the name of a couple stellar producers who are reliable. However, you need to learn the geography, the vintage variation, and all about “terroir.”
There are threads herein re best Burg books and newsletters, themes for tastings, recommended Burg books. Be prepared to spend enjoyable years learning about Burgundy.
And sell your avatar wines to get a great financial head start on buying Burgs!