Burgundy Enthusiasts?

[kfr01]

Historically a fan of Piedmont for wine, I'm currently interested in learning more about Burgundy.

Anyone here study the region, its great wines, and its famous terroir?

[Kingsrule]

DRC and Biz Leroy are the 2 I'm familiar with but Burgundy is not my strongest area

[JohnK]

Karl...If you can find a copy, Matt Kramer's Making Sense of Burgundy is a good introduction to all that is mystical, magical, and maddening about the vines and wines.

You can find Burgundy in many wine shops. But if you are in the NY area, I can recommend the Burgundy Wine Company on West 26th Street.

[Masterlu]

I'll make LuJr aware of this thread, he studied "Wines of the World" in college.

[JohnK]

I found that I really didn't "get" Burgundy until I went there and saw the land, the hills, the villages and of course tasted the wines in situ. The first time was in, wow, late 80's or early 90's. We visited again in September of 2007, in early-mid September. Most of the picking was done, and the crush was on! We stayed in Meursault for a couple nights and tasted our way through the region (didn't get as far north as Chablis).

Unlike, say, Napa Valley or even most of Sonoma (or the parts of Tuscany I've visited), the wineries and tasting rooms are very much part of the villages. Sure, the larger ones, like Jadot, have their main facilities outside of the towns, but are still very close. I'm thinking much of this has to do with the fact that little of the wine in Burgundy is actually made the people that own the vines...that task is given to the negociant. (Here's where I wish I had my copy of Kramer's book close by to check on the percentages). Sure there are estate produced wines, but again I think that is a small amount. So I didn't see wineries dotting the landscape.

Walking through the village at that time of year, I could smell the wine being made. Not going into the wineries, just walking next to them, in the street.

A view from our hotel room in Meursault, a couple from just a few blocks from the hotel (please overlook the quality). Will try to post more later.

[Whart]

We used to spend time in Beaune. When you see how small the plots are for some of the most famous vineyards, and realize how small the output actually is, you realize why some of these wines command the prices that they do. And, it is a short drive to Chagney, where Jacques Lamleoise used to run a 3 star restaurant that is still likely very good. It's been years since I've been there, last trip was more focused on Lyon and Bresse for food (and i don't drink anymore, so my interest in french wine at this point is purely intellectual). The cuisine is pretty yummy too, if not a little rich. The Hospice de Beaune auction used to set the worldwide price for the wines, not sure if that's true today. France is a good place, I'd live in the south in a heartbeat.
PS you also know how eau de vie is made, right?

[JohnK]

Originally Posted by Whart

We used to spend time in Beaune. When you see how small the plots are for some of the most famous vineyards, and realize how small the output actually is, you realize why some of these wines command the prices that they do.

Exactly, part of what I meant by I didn't "get" Burgundy until I visited! Along with understanding how the lots are situated, exposure to sun, drainage, etc.

The Hospice de Beaune auction used to set the worldwide price for the wines, not sure if that's true today.

The auction was opened to the "public" several years ago; Christie's publishes tasting notes, information about the lots, etc in their catalog and individuals (or groups of individuals) can bid on barrel lots. Then they have to find someone to tend the barrel - make it into wine - and bottle it. Whether it projects the pricing/quality outlook for the rest of the vintage, I don't know.

[Whart]

It is a wonderful part of the world, very earthy, the food (and wine) reflects that. I also love the ancient hill towns more toward Provence- sort of a stone's throw from the coast, but not the Riveria, and all the glitz. There is a wonderul little village called Bonnieux that we visited years ago, had a 'bread museum' and an extremely avantgarde art gallery that was created out of raw space in two or three ancient town houses, some of the interior walls were left open between buildings, in a ragged sort of way, and as i remember, there was an excavation in the middle of one floor that looked (not sure if it was) like it took you down to earlier foundations that could have been Roman. The town was, at that time, very ungentrified. Those old towns were perched in strategic places along the mountains as you would wend your way through the countryside. Further north, there is a wonderful drive through the 'Valley of the Cousins,' that ends at one point on a high plateau where a famous old cathedral stands. (Can't remember the name of the church but its the kind of place that gets those bus tours). What was remarkable was the drive in the valley itself.
We used to go quite often, but it has been a while.
Another place, a little off topic, but still re southern France, is going to Colum d' Or, that smallish hotel filled with modern art from the 20's adjacent to St. Paul de Vence. While the latter is a bit of a tourist trap, the hotel is an enclave. I have fond memories of the place. It is a great place to go for Christmas, believe it or not, a lot of regulars seem to go there every year and stay for the holidays. One guy i met was a famous composer, who was scoring a piece, drinking wine at a small table in the courtyard. What a life!

[Formerly YB-2]

Just opened the next-to-the-last (we fit 18 bottles in one large suitcase) Grand Cru we brought back from our '04 trip to the Cote-d'Or. Wish we had purchased all 18 of these. Without a doubt, the best bottle of Burgundy we've had. Perfect timing on the opening. We also opened an '03 1st Cru and an '04 Cote de Nuits which were both good, but paled badly by comparison. The four of us polished off the evening with a half-bottle of nice '07 port. This Chateau de La Tour was so good I did a bit of research and see that it is sells in the $175-200 range today. If you are ever in the market for a terrific bottle I give this my highest recommendation.


We brought back another dozen bottles from our visit last May, but they are too young to open. Can't wait for the next ten years to fly by.

Originally Posted by JohnK

If you can find a copy, Matt Kramer's Making Sense of Burgundy is a good introduction to all that is mystical, magical, and maddening about the vines and wines.

Don't think you can really make sense of Burgundy in one book (less than 2500 pages or so ). Some small vineyards are so chopped up that one family member owns 10 rows and another 15, etc. Crazy. The "most expensive land in the world" is purported to be the Romanée-Conti vineyard of 4.4 acres.
If you are new to the Cote-d'Or, the Athenaeum de la Vigne et du Vin is the place to start. They have an excellent wine selection, as well. Unfortunately, we will miss the region this June when we take our grand-daughter to Paris/Loire/Normandy region. She got her choice and at 11yrs of age, wine is not yet on her agenda (thankfully - though it is probably never too soon to start building a properly stocked wine cave ).

[antipop]

There are many good Burgundy wine. I really like the Nuit St Georges and the Rully. I've had excellent bottles from Antonin Rodet.

Romanée Conti is one of the most expensive wine and it is from the region. The bottles are often more expensive than the Bordeaux but they're also more rare and there are less producers to chose from.

But to be honest, Bordeaux is still were I get most of my wine from.