If you are in the Bay Area, do yourself a favor and get over to Vin Vino Wine in Palo Alto.
They do a lot of Burgundy tastings.
Victor does a great job opening some good bottles that you rarely see in a retail setting.
He posts his tasting schedule every month online.
For example he is opening 2012 Mongeard Mugneret from villages to Clos Vougeot this Fri/Sat.
My suggestion would be register for winebid and bid on this one 1988 Louis Jadot Red Wine, Pinot Noir, Grand Cru | WineBid
No young burgs will give you that burgundy experience.
I’d buy a bunch of 375’s of good producers to get a sense of the varied terroir, then go and buy some well stored aged bottles.
+1, any 02 1er from a good producer should reward.
Some good producers under $100 are Chevillon, Bouchard, Faiveley, Patrice Rion, Daniel Rion and Fevre. There are many others to choose from and you’ll figure out what style you like when you start popping some corks. Like others have stated, attend tastings and check out the Offline Planner forum for wine tastings in your area. Find a wine merchant you can work with as if you find the right one they will guide you which might save you from making some expensive mistakes. Check out Amazon for books on Burgundy, there are several that helped me immensely. Last but not least is read the discussions on Burgundy in Wine Talk, you’ll pick up quite a bit of info. Good luck!
+1. Well said Alan. I agree especially with the reading part… I find the history of each producer to be the most fascinating part of exploring burgundy. Good luck and have fun!
I started making jokes about burgundy 20 years ago - I said if I ever take that stuff seriously, they should lock me up in a mental hospital, because they are just making fun out of us and ripping us off.
Since ten years I buy and drink burgundy regularly and I wish I had bought earlier because they were so inexpensive back then… ![[head-bang.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/b1cd199e4b2b2988b5107c3c9598fd28dc92a776.gif "[head-bang.gif]"){kind=small}
When i read my sentences above I was maybe right 20 years ago and I am a mental case now… ![[tease.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/c/c5b32b76bebaa359b0452ae247b61189ffe5fa7e.gif "tease"){kind=small}
The really good things in burgundy are definitly quite exclusive, be it the price, the availability or both.
On the upside one thing: There has never been better quality overall in burgundy than today. Maybe you are right starting this project right now.
+2 with Alan
repeat, repeat, re-, re-, repeat…
I can find lots of Burgundies for myself under $100 but none for someone who has (1) given us very little in the way of guidance as to what you like other than that you like Chateauneuff and (2) has said that you dislike most Burgundies you have tried. Given two, why is this your New Year’s resolution?
Also, good Burgundies need time to age. Unless you buy wines with age, it will take 10 years for young Burgs you buy now to be singing.
Robert,
As has been stated previously, there is a lot of truth and wisdom on this thread already. Not much to add except try to find any 2000 or 2007 premier or grand cru bottlings and sample them now. These are “pretty” rather than monumental wines, but they definitely give one a hint about what’s going on with red burgundies.
Cheers,
Doug
Good luck on the new part time job you will need to fund your resolution. Burgundy is a lot of things, easy is not one of them. Seems like you want names. Some to consider.
Rossignol Trapet
Domaine Regis Forey
Vincent Girardin
Jacques Girirdin
Booooring.
Instead of Burgundy, I’d stick with exploring the skinny country of Italy. There you get your love, your passion, and a cheaper ticket.
Robert,
Though I am not a Cdp guy, I am about 1 year into my Burg journey. Other than the excellent suggestions already made, I will offer two ideas that were helpful to me. First, Burghound is marketing an audio program narrated by Alan Meadows that is super informative. A bit pricey at about $80–and several hours long–but a great body of info to give yourself a baseline on both red and white Burgs. Second, I contacted Robert Panzer, a board member who runs Down to Earth Wines and knows his stuff. I asked Robert to put together a 6 pack in the range of $50-75/btl that would give me some sense of the differences between some of the major appellations. Though they were young, the selection was excellent and helped to shape my preferences. Don’t be afraid to experiment with village level wines. They may never have the refinement or complexity of grand or premier crus, but they can teach you a lot without breaking the bank. Cheers.
Brian, thanks for the excellent advice! I received a similar referral to Allen Meadow’s book “The Pearl of the Cote,” but I like the idea of an audio program (now that the commuting days are about to start again 
)
Thanks also for the tip on Robert Panzer. That said, I just purchased four bottles on recommendation from my local, trusted source in San Francisco–and it does include village level wines. I’m likely not going to get a chance to try these for the next week or so, but I plan to post some of my initial thoughts once I do. Again, thanks for the thoughtful advice.
Robert,
While I don’t want to discourage you from using your commute to go through the audio, I found it essential to have both Meadow’s printed notes AND a good Cote d’Or map available. I also needed to take notes while listening. That said, no reason you couldn’t do one run through while driving and return later to go back over the portions where you wanted/needed more “in depth”. Have fun!
Robert,
If you are in the area, Beltramo’s is having a Burgundy tasting on Saturday.
well, any progress or plan for the Burgundy venture?