Yes.
Peter, you’re being a bit hard on him - Jadot bottlings can be a bit meh but he didn’t choose their generic Pinot Noir, an 09 Vosne village is not something I’d equate to McDonald’s.
That said, Alan, if you want to boost the odds in favor of you finding wines you’d like, perhaps try a Fourrier bottling from Gevrey - in my view this could be your gateway wine to Burgundy. In Beaujolais maybe a Moulin a Vent or Morgon. These are from areas a bit more known for power than what you tried (though don’t expect big by your standards)
Having only tasted between 20-30 bottles of Burg, I am more inclined to agree with alan here. People talk about Burgundy as if it is a mine field for a good reason. I have had about two bottles that i did like. And like aint love.
I have had better luck with Italian wines mostly Brunello.
It is absolutely your right to dislike Burgundy. No problem at all. Only two question left from my side. How many Burgundies did you try so far? And did you have some fine Burgundies at peak? Let´s say a Village Wine from a top producer from vintage 2002 or 2005?
Jadot is known for producing structured wines in need of years to come around. But one thing is clear: A proper 2009 Jadot Vosne Romanée ist certainly not brown in color. That is 100% clear.
Alan,
If you are feeling up to it, here are a few wines to try just to make sure you aren’t enamored with Gamay or Burgundy.
From 2014, The Clos de Roilette VT and Chermette Fleurie. 14 is not a super ripe vintage, the wines IMHO are really well balanced with good fruit levels, silky tannin and acidity enough to keep the wines fresh with no harshness. Any Foillard wine, except the 12’s, you may want to try as well.
In Burgundy, I drink alot of regional and village wines. The ones that show well for me on release are Trapet, Geantet Pansiot and Hudelot-Noellat. They all have a bit of “style” to them (talking about the generic Bourgogne Rouge here) and should all be $25-$30 at retail.
You like what you like, just keep in mind your tastes may change with time.
Alan, you’re quite the ![[stirthepothal.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f40faec63ca1018898a40805efbf9f0066a3d205.gif "[stirthepothal.gif]"){kind=small}
If you plan on judging a whole region of wine as substandard based on a mere 2 inexpensive bottles, then I’m happy that there’s more Burgundy for me!
Second, I’ve found the $50-ish Jadot to be a bit acidic and lean… and I’m not exactly complaning about that either. If you want hedonistic blueblueblue fruit bombs, then adhere to Parker’s scores on his rockstar wineries and have at it. It’s obvious that subtle isn’t your thing.
… but before you sell Burgundy down the road, get yourself a proper bottle that has decent age on it. Check out Chris’ post in the thread for TNs on the “pick a buddy” swap we had going. I sent him a '95 Ambroise that I’d wager would change your mind. My Burgundy epiphany came at Bern’s over a bottle of '93 Ponsot Clos de la Roche.
Alan, I don’t think that you would like Chinon. I think that they’re pulling your leg. (like Craig’s funny edit “up yours”)
Perhaps part of the reason that folks like to make fun of you is because you seem to be making broad categorical statements without a genuine connoisseurship about that which you speak.
I can appreciate your desire to learn.
But you will get more help than jibes from fellow wine lovers if you maintain a humbler student’s approach rather than, well, a fire breathing dragon (high alcohol new world wines can do that, have you breathing fire…).
;0
Indeed, not all wine is for everyone. Personal taste matters more than anything. But until you actually invest the time, energy, and $$ to get to know for real, perhaps it would do you good to ease off the categorical declarative statements, and ask more questions than make statements.
…
As a bit of an aside, I would actually recommend trying very young, excellent Burgundy.
Young wines can be deliriously delicious, and the fruity fresh side would be a more welcoming entrée to your palate than an older mature bottle would…as I imagine it.
These were Alan’s top 5 holdings. There’s no surprise he’s not going to like Burgundy.
Megadeth and Chamber Music aren’t often on the same menu.
+1. Alan likes fruit-driven, and I think his chances of liking a young Fourrier, Dujac, etc are higher than liking a Burg at full maturity.
Great that you don’t like Burgundy, Alan.
09 Jadot Vosne would not be one I’d choose to open now, anyway. Decent Burgundy is time-sensitive, and the timing for this bottle is off.
Beaujolais quality varies from great to crappy. If you’re drinking Gallo Hearty Burgundy, you might form a different opinion of California Pinot than if you’re drinking Bedrock or Kosta Brown.
But it’s fun to have opinions.
The '09 Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin VV is singing right now.
I second that and call the question.
Alan,
If you are looking to get into French wine, based on your descriptions of what you like in this thread, and others, I have a hunch you might enjoy wines from the Northern Rhone. I had a revelation about these wines fairly recently and very generally speaking, they are more complex and acidic than American Syrah, albeit less fruit driven.
Plenty of threads abound if this is something you might consider.
Having read similar threads many times, I think of the great Ken Kesey:
“You’re either on the bus or off the bus.”
Alan, based upon my own experience and what I see in my wine business, maybe not all, but many, many roads lead to Burgundy (and Beaujolais). However, starting where it appears you have (big California), the route is not a short/quick one. It appears that you have already begun the journey, finding Bordeaux and the Rhone (probably the south where the wines are bigger, warmer and “easier”). If you stay with it and from time-to-time drink bottles from good producers in the northern Rhone and Burgundy (and there, too, you will be well-served to begin with some of the broader-shouldered wines), I expect that you will develop a taste and probably a preference for them, particularly (and maybe only) if you drink your wine at the dinner table with food that is not excessively sweet. I have many customers who buy Burgundy from me who have cellars full of the likes of your top five holdings and who now wonder what they were thinking. That may not happen to you, but there is a good chance it will, subject to the conditions I described above. Like Robert articulated so well, however, you will get a lot more constructive comments if you don’t categorically dump on an entire region without any legitimate basis for doing so, drunk or not. If you are truly interested in trying Burgundy and Beaujolais that you might like and that would facilitate learning about the regions and their wines, I recommend that you find a retailer, like Robert, who knows them and will get you started on the right path.
When I started my wine journey 25 years ago I thought I needed to like Burgundy so I tried probably 20 different bottles mostly '88s predominately 1ers and even a few grand crus and decided I just didn’t get it. The first epiphany was five years later at a pre auction tasting but came from a Leroy so I assumed only too expensive burgundy was to my liking.
I eventually found my appreciation for burgundy via fine dining. Every special meal that I can recall over the past decade+ was accompanied by a bottle of burgundy. Yet even then, it has only been the past 5 years that I started buying burgundy for the cellar and drinking it at home. It’s still a small but growing portion of our yearly consumption.
So I understand those who don’t get burgundy. However, I have loved bojo since the beginning so have no understanding as to what’s not to love. To each his own.