TN: Burgess Wines with Steve Burgess

[S_t_e_v_e_n_B_u_r_g_e_s_s]

Thanks you two! My father labelled the estate-grown wines as Vintage Selection and wines with purchased fruit were simply Napa Valley. We did many re-plants in the 1970s and needed to buy fruit. In fact, 2005 was our first vintage of estate-only wines- something I helped acheive.

@Merrill Lindquist

@Marshall Gelb

@Merrill Lindquist

Hi Leonard! I think it was a 1974 Special Selection or some “reserve” designate that sent me flying several years back. I purchased some on the secondary market and perhaps 5 or 6 years ago, it was still fresh and young and “new.”

I always liked the Burgess wines from the 70’s and think the reserves were called “Vintage Selection.”



Cheers!
Marshall

Exactly! Thanks, Marshall! I was struggling with the exact terminology…you know, when you know it is not right, but you don’t know what IS?[/quote]

[Loren_Sonkin]

Thanks for the correction and nice to see you here.

[Mark_C_Johnson]

• 1984 Burgess Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Vintage Selection Burgess Vineyards - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (2/28/2014)
  OK Disclaimer, I like old wine. What I like about old wine is that they tend towards lovely aromatics. This did not disappoint. Lots of sediment, not particularly complex, it did have a nice cherry, berry flavor with tertiary spicy elements in spades. Sage, herbal flavors but oh, those violet, floral aromatics. Yum. Still good ruby wit slight browning color. Dis was ol’ scool, brah! (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[Mike_S]

I have one '84 left. Bases on your (Mark) notes I will have to try this soon.

[Walker_S]

I’m partial to old wines as well, and the '74 petite sirah from Burgess is wonderful stuff. Had it about a year ago, and while it wasn’t long on the finish, it had a great nose of soft red fruit with delicate underlying spices, and good dense core with medium tannins. A treat to experience. Had it next to a '74 Ridge PS which was a bit more together and closely knit, but the Burgesss was still a great bottle and the old PS’s are worth serious consideration even today.

[S_t_e_v_e_n_B_u_r_g_e_s_s]

@J Carroll

@Chris Seiber

@J Carroll

I found Burgess on my Napa/Sonoma trip in 2010 and fell in love with the old world qualities of the wine. I purchased a few bottles while I was there and joined the wine club. All was well for a few months until I noticed they were dumping wine on a flash website that was just sold to the wine club for much more.

I really expect wine clubs to “protect” their club members as much as possible and wasn’t thrilled to see this happen. I didn’t really expect Steve to do much about it but was shocked that I was quickly booted out of the wine club for my efforts. So I can’t say I’m a big fan of Steve and he came off completely different than the stories I read about his father.
Sorry for the hijack.

What were your efforts that caused you to get booted from the wine club? I feel like there’s a step missing in the story. Thanks.

Just some very civil emails back and forth stating my thoughts on the issue. I thought it ended ok but found out later I was booted.

Hi All, I private messaged John requesting a copy of the emails since I have no recollection of them. My father asked me to come work at the family business in 2005 and I have done countless things over the past 10 years to respect and build on what he has done. Current and future developments, about to be released in the Fall and next year will prove my respect for our heritage and the uniquely fabulous wines this estate makes. BTW, I just chaperoned my daughter’s 5th grade camp this week, and now I am headed to lunch with my dad and brother. I also was eagerly chatting with him about his Air Force career a minute ago… Just a snapshot into who I am, sorry your not a big fan of mine.

[J_Carroll]

I did get Steve’s PM and replied back to it. I did not set out to get in any kind of pissing match with him about this especially since he wasn’t posting here at the time, but merely was getting something off my chest when I saw a thread on Burgess wines for the first time since joining the WineBerserkers board.

I regret that my post was taken as an attack on Steve because it was not meant that way. But I really regret hijacking this thread and taking it in this direction.

Steve I don’t know you so I probably worded it wrong when I said I’m not a big fan of yours. I should have said I’m not a big fan of the way you were running the business. I apologize if it came off as personal because it was not.

On a final note for me on the subject, I still do love the Burgess style of wine, which is hard to come by in CA or the New World in general. On my visit there in 2010 I purchased a fine, made in France, Burgess logo’d wine opener that still opens every bottle of wine in my house.

[Chuck_Turack]

@J Carroll

On my visit there in 2010 I purchased a fine, made in France, Burgess logo’d wine opener that still opens every bottle of wine in my house.

Sucker…I got mine free! I only had to buy a $100+ bottle of vintage Cabernet!

It still opens all my bottle at home as well.

[J_Carroll]

@Chuck Turack

@J Carroll

On my visit there in 2010 I purchased a fine, made in France, Burgess logo’d wine opener that still opens every bottle of wine in my house.

Sucker…I got mine free! I only had to buy a $100+ bottle of vintage Cabernet!

It still opens all my bottle at home as well.

Thanks Chuck!
Sounds like we both made out fine. It’s a nice opener right? Not many easy to find with the long corkscrew.

[Ken_V]

@S t e v e n B u r g e s s

Thanks you two! My father labelled the estate-grown wines as Vintage Selection and wines with purchased fruit were simply Napa Valley. We did many re-plants in the 1970s and needed to buy fruit. In fact, 2005 was our first vintage of estate-only wines- something I helped acheive.

Thanks for posting this. I always wondered what the difference was.

And I hope you’ll continue posting here.

[Sean_Devaney]

@Walker S.

I’m partial to old wines as well, and the '74 petite sirah from Burgess is wonderful stuff. Had it about a year ago, and while it wasn’t long on the finish, it had a great nose of soft red fruit with delicate underlying spices, and good dense core with medium tannins. A treat to experience. Had it next to a '74 Ridge PS which was a bit more together and closely knit, but the Burgesss was still a great bottle and the old PS’s are worth serious consideration even today.

FWIW here are some tasting notes of a Burgess Petite Sirah verticle from the gang of pour: Gang of Pour - geo t.'s Tasting Notes - Burgess

My favorite memory of Burgess Cellars is a tasting for ZAP members at the winery with Tom. Very nice afternoon talking about wine and enjoying some library wines. The Cabernets have always been great values and one of the few wineries that have a regular aged release program.