Elegant reds- seeking alternative to Burgundy

WINE TALK
61

Agree that 09 is really good IMHO.

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62

another vote for LdH’s “Bosconia”
Baudry’s “Le Clos Guillot”
Nebbiolo (with age)

Maybes:
Baga — perhaps too rustic
Mencia — perhaps not complex enough
Blaufrankisch — perhaps not complex enough
Foillard’s “Cote du Py” — possibly too heavy
Goodfellow Pinots — if complexity comes with time

63

Austrian Pinot Noir and St. Laurent … the best (!) are really good and can resemble a red Burg more than you might think.
Recently had a Glatzer St.Laurent alte Reben 2017 … really fine

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64

Nice suggestion Gerhard. Thanks!

65

I find Soldera extremely elegant.

66

Plenty of more transparent examples: Filipa Pato, Quinta de Baixo, some Caves Messias bottlings. It’s a very plastic grape now that viticulture and enology has evolved enough to reveal that.

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67

I think most well made Cinsaults would fit this description. Eben Sadie produces a spectacular example (Pofadder). Turley and Sandlands also offer a version from Becthold vineyard in Lodi.

Similarly I’ve enjoyed the Grenache from Fine Disregard and the Cinsault from Tercero both of which I picked up on Berserker Day and will be buying more of in the future.

68

Well there you go. It exists!

69

This…also look to under appreciated regions in Burgundy like Monthelie, Mercurey, or Irancy.

70

The 2018 vintage produced a huge version of this wine.

71

Btw beaujolais is burgundy, at least technically.

72

After all this discussion, though, probably the correct answer is “buy the right burgundy”

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73

Agreed. I would not call that vintage elegant by any stretch. Now the entire flight of the Baudry cuvées in 2014 are indeed elegant.

74

Yes, I’d tend to draw the same conclusion. Quick side note: Pinot Noir from Germany still is very affordable and can be very nice, but you have to be mentally ready not to expect Burgundy in your glas, even though top wines from limestone are very similar to the original. If you can, however, try PN from slate (Ahr, Mosel, Rheingau) and Sandstone (Franconia) after 10 or so years in the bottle. If not in quality, at least in style you get something very interesting.

Margaux could be a much less pricier option to Burgundian Pinots of similar quality, and is significantly easier to source.

Cheers,
HPE

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75

There are probably more choices now than ever before from around the world, including plenty throughout CA. I believe the whole Birichino lineup would probably fit the bill, as would many of the Sandlands wines. Look for domestic gamays, domestic Cinsaults and even some domestic carignanes

Cheers

76

Roero Nebbiolo.

77

deadhorse I’m also voting for Etna Rosso is the closest to what you asked for what I want.

78

That’s 2018 for ya’. But for the Croix Boissee, which is far from my favorite vintage for the bottling, I’m a hard pass on this vintage in the Loire. The whites are relatively lacking in verve, and the reds are way too big. 2018 is an outlier vintage.

79

I’ve been reading this older thread with interest, as my wine buying for reds lately has been exclusively Piedmont and Burgundy and I’m looking to explore some lesser appreciated appellations with producers that favor elegance and nuance over power (particularly Italian). Thought it deserved a bump.

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80

Funny to me that Syrah can work as an elegant red, but I’ve been enjoying Rousset Crozes Hermitage Picaudieres quite a bit the past couple of years. More forward and herbal and medium bodied than the bigger French cousins, still with good presence and complexity.