Had to dig this thread up to share that Olivier Merlin bourgogne rouge 2019 is a goddamn hit for the money. 2 bottles left for $15 at martin wine in Louisiana.
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2019 in general is just killer right now. So this isnāt surprising. Need to keep buying everywhere. The only bad bottle of 2019 red that Iāve had was some random Marsannay in Paris. Everything else from bourgogne to grand cru has been stellar.
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Grand cru and premier cru burg can be at timesā¦Very Overrated
My Burgundy of the year last year was a modest 1998 George Lignier gevrey villageā¦in a year of many burgs, including DRC, Leroy, Comtes etc ā¦
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Amazing that thereās anything close to $15 of value at Martin. When I was in their Metairie store back in August I was shocked at how much higher the prices were compared to when I lived in NOLA through early 2019, at least for sparkling wines. Seemed to outpace price rises in general.
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It is all about food. A generalization with many exceptions is that the more complex the dish, the simpler I want the the wine. Straight Bourgogne is more likely to work with say a steak au poivre while a Musigny would be fine, but you would miss much of the nuance and complexity .
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Heās a magician in the cellar
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It also helps that Tempier makes great wines. Bandols from Chateau Pradeaux and Tempier are among the best values in red wines in the world.
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Had another really nice simpler wine last night from 2015 - a Pousse dāOr Santenay Clos Tavannes (from a half bottle). Beautiful flavors. Not terribly intense or long. Just what it should be.
I am finding it interesting what these wines from a warm vintage like 2015 taste like with some age on them. Has anyone else been drinking simpler Burgundies from 2015 lately. Are you finding the same thing?
Clos Tavannes (1er Cru) is not a āsimpler Bourgogneā -
I thought the title meant āBourgogne rougeā or Passe-tout-grains, Hautes Cotes etc.
Most of the latter I m not fond of, because they deliver more Pinot noir (grape) than Burgundy (terroir), but a single vineyard and 1er Cru can be fine - ok, no GC and no Vosne or Chambolle, but from a good producer 
Itās been a rough week, so the Ah-So has been getting a workout, and over the last 24 hours a 2019 Michel Sarrazin & Fils āLes Vielles Vignesā [Bourgogne] has been lovely. It feels full bodied like a Santa Barbara pinot noir. This was a NBI import, unfined and unfiltered, with only older Francois Freres wood. The tech sheet notes it was hand harvested from an estate owned 1000 ft elevation clay/limestone based vineyard (50 year old vines!) in the village of Jambles near Givry. Grapes were destemmed, fermented with native yeasts; the wine ended up at 14.1% abv. Shelf talker asideā¦this rouge is a delight! Tannin and acid are low, fruit levels are high, almost New World. For my tastes itās better on day 2, when the licorice/Jaegermeister/violet bouquet harmonizes well with the red berry fruit. I grant that NBI - and their barrel selection + oak approach - might be controversial among some WBs, but I liked this a lot. Easy B+, and one of those times when my offer to pour for family is only a formality, not genuine sharing!
Howard, I donāt know if this really is āsimpleā but I love it!
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Picked up a 2002 Bourgogne from barthod for ~$30 at auction. Assumed it would be DOA but my god was this nice. And when you have such low expectations, a Bourgogne rouge can really surpass its classification. Open right out of the gate and was delicious all dinner long. Chambolle-esque, beautiful red fruit. So good, I had to post it.
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Why would you expect it to be DOA?
and/or, if you assumed it would be DOA, why did you buy it?
Itās not hard to roll the dice for $30.
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that. just saw the cellartracker reviews after i bought it. bottle was perfectly clean. sometimes you just open it with low expectations and this one was a massive surprise. i enjoyed this more than a 2008 les cras a year ago from her.
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Domaine Boigey Freres 2021
Candied sour cherries, plums, liquorice, mushrooms, ink (??), there is something herbal going on. Not so different from Georges Noellat BR. Good, but lighter versions of Hudelot- Noellat and Millot are more to my liking.
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A cold, foggy week was the backdrop for the 2018 Louis Jadot āLe Chapitreā [Bourgogne] which overdelivered over a couple of evenings. This is a Domaine Gagey estate holding, from a single vineyard plot that may now be entitled to use Marsannay as an AOC, but it may not presented that way in all markets. I found it to be warm and generous with a red raspberry fruit character, then spices like cinnamon and allspice sneaking in later. There is good verve too on this 13.5% abv well perfumed pinot. However there is a hint of dry raspiness here, and itās not shaking out after a day of air, which holds it back, but I still really liked this. Easy B+ on my card.
Itās a nice stealth offering from a big house; comments on this here on WB are scant.
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One of the few upsides of the recent spate of solar vintages in Burgundy that often donāt really suit my palate is that it is easier to land humble BRs that actually have a bit of palate weight and stuffing that theyād normally not display in cooler vintages.
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2023 Jean-Marc Millot Bourgogne Rouge
Ripe red fruit aromas upon initial pour that become quickly integrated with sweet florals and earthy notes. Silky and suave, gliding effortlessly on the palate, but has detail and structure I donāt normally expect from this level of wine. On initial sip the black fruit notes were a little thin and dominated by earth and iron minerality, but with air and time in the glass the fruit intensifies and veers towards bilberry, currant, and other cool blue/black fruits with some juniper and Alpine herbs. Held up well on night two.
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When I wound down buying Mugneret Gibourg due to pricing and my semi-retirement I was actually happiest with the recent versions of the Bourgogne. My gosh what a lovely wine. Too bad about the price though.
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