I’d wager even you would agree after tasting them.
I’d be more than happy to try. Please feel free to share with me and all the other misguided burgundy lovers.
Welcome to Episode 77 of “Battle of the Wine Geeks” where our contestants claim to have to ultimate truth to wine enjoyment.
Remember our slogan - Nobody leaves happy and everyone is bored!
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I have had a Rousseau or two, ditto La Tache but Like Neal, don’t feel like I’m missing out.
Maybe it helps that I haven’t cared for the Ramonet or Roumier (the latter very limited) I’ve tried.
I have first growth Bordeeaux but they don’t scratch my itch.
Of course, if I had sufficient funds, I’d squander it, first on an Air France First Class Flight, then a palace hotel like Le Crillon, and then the DRC.
It isn’t that I don’t think Rousseau and DRC are better, they are. There is ALWAYS something better, in EVERY material good. I’m content with excellent, and don’t worry about what’s better.
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I love Mouton and Haut Brion. The other 1sts don’t move the needle enough for me.
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Mark,
Just like you have been buying Bordeaux for a very long time, a lot of Burgundy lovers have been buying Burgundy for a very long time. In the past few weeks, I have had a 2001 Truchot GC Combottes (cost $59.99), a 2001 Clos des Lambrays ($69.99), and a 2006 Rossigol-Trapet Chambertin (cannot remember price but I think was less than $100). [In 2017, I bought their 2001 Chambertin for $172 and their Latricieres Chambertin for $119].
Most of my friends who have large Burgundy collections also either bought their wines a long time ago at pretty excellent prices and/or have wineries they buy directly from where they get fabulous prices (sort of like you buying Boredoughs from England, but much better deals). And, they know really good producers that you probably have never heard of - in some cases visiting these producers and getting below retail prices for the wines.
Things may be different in NYC where people are used to overpaying for everything. But, the people I know with large Burgundy collections in general can easily afford the wines they are buying. [Doesn’t mean that everyone on this thread can, but they can.] A lot of us have houses that are fully paid for, kids who are out of the house and pretty much (within reason) have a lot of discretionary income. I have pretty much stopped buying much wine, but I am now spending more money on golf (where people can even be more insane).
Stop being so jealous. It is not our fault that some of you did not find Burgundy producers until after they already were famous and the prices got out of sight. Enjoy your Boredough while we get to drink the nectar of the gods that we have bought at prices you will never see.
It is probably good that a lot of you don’t buy Burgundy because you would just be drinking them a 6-10 years old (as Parker told you to do) right when they have closed up tight. You would then write notes on CellarTracker calling these wines over the hill and would never get to see what becomes of them with age anyway.
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SHHHHH. You run the risk of having people’s heads’ explode if you tell them about the Côte Chalonnaise.
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Name names or it doesn’t count
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One thing that none Burgundy lovers who shall hence fourth be referred to as “nothing-burgers” miss when they talk about getting a wine at 1/3rd the price that is “jUsT aS gOoD” 
is the context behind the wines. There is no other region that has been picked apart for centuries and widdled down to tiny slivers of land like Burgundy has, and for many, learning through study and tasting is very much part of the joy. Not to mention the sheer breadth and diversity of styles that are somehow limited to two grapes for the most part. The aha moments that come from those precious highs, and the life long journey of deepening one’s understanding of the region through personal experience and the centuries of literature on the topic - it’s a life-long pursuit. Ever looked for a map of the best vineyards in the Willamette and/or accompanying literature explaining the differences between the top terroirs? Good luck. It also doesn’t hurt that Burgundy’s wines remain unique despite great attempts to copy them. New world producers tend to latch on to certain styles, but ultimately Burgundy continues to offer the most diverse, unique, and high quality Pinot and Chardonnay. It sucks 
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What took you so long???
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It’s not that often I agree wholeheartedly with Andrew, but in this case…
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Not sure what we are talking about when we say 1/3 the price.
If La Tache, then easy to satisfy.
If 1/3 the price of village burgundy, then no. (and I love Peppiere, but that’s a different itch).
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I find buying at the top is most frequently disappointing. either you get the blow-you-away wine you were expecting, meeting your expectation but not surprising, or more often, you get a very nice wine (orsometimes a very disappointing wine) that just isn’t quite worth all the money and the hype.
I’d much rather buy somewhere in the middle, in an enlightened manner, and be shockingly surprised now and then, and the rest of the time just be pleasantly satisfied by a very good, satisfying burg. (this is basically the 85% rule–85% of the quality of a DRC for 1/10th the price? I’ll take it.)
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I saw no evidence that Mark is jealous. He was describing the proclivities of a few of his friends who love Burgundy and will spend incredible sums just to drink only marginally better wines. He didn’t to me seem to be describing all Burgundy drinkers.
Your post started off fine and I was nodding in agreement. Until your words turned mean. Why?
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People should drink what they want.
I’ve drank a lot of different wines over the years and the wines I enjoy drinking the most are burgundies and champagne. I’ll drink other wines on occasion but tend to like what I like. If other people like Bordeaux, that’s great. I enjoy it from time to time, but for me, I haven’t ever really gotten that much out of it even from legendary wines, and that’s ok. That hasn’t stopped me from trying again; I’m excited to try the 2022 pichon Lalande, but it’ll just be a diversion.
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I hope this is in jest or it would be a new low of projected strawmen from a frequent board poster among the ~30 times I’ve seen this thread in my lifetime. Get real.
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I’d be happy to know what you have in mind, but it’s not my experience. For me, Savigny Les Beaune or Mercurey can scratch the itch much better than anything I’ve had from non-Burgundy regions.
An income of 3 million a year makes a big difference. A 30 Dollar Irancy can hit the purse as much as a 3000 Dollar La Tache. It depends on how much money you make or have.
Only as a side note: I was involved in blind tastings often enough to know that the priciest wines are pretty often not the best. Label bias is a proven reality.
Side note 2: It is hard to find a better Bordeaux or Burgundy (if possible at all) than a 1989 Haut Brion or 1990 La Tache but the difference to way cheaper wines of top quality is rather small. For a tiny bit “more quality” you have to pay a lot more. So to compare all the time is probably or even certainly not the best idea.
Side note 3: Top Bordeaux can be as pricey as top Burgundy. Petrus, Lafleur, Le Pin … . Very good Burgundy is not necessarily pricey. Cote Chalonnaise, Maconnaise, … .
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I have to admit that I simply don’t get the burgundy thing. But before I die I think I’d like to try just once one of these bottles that people seem to think are worth extreme amounts of money.
So I have US$10000 for this task. I would like recommendations for a bottle of wine (red or white) (and presumably what to pair it with, because in my experience that makes a HUGE difference) where the experience of that one bottle will give me more pleasure in one evening than, say, a bottle of 1999 Musar every month for the rest of my life.
(Just to be clear, the pleasure needs to come from the drinking of the wine, not from willy-waving about having drunk it.)
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