Can you suugest me a good selection of Burgundy wines?

Recently I have had a 1999 Faiverly AocBurgundy only. Not vineyard or area specific. It was about $13.99 and was great for the money.

Another I have enjoy was the Rodet Chateau De Rully Rouge for about $17.00 a bottle.

Those are about the only two that I have had that were reasonable taste for the money.

It would make a big difference to know where you are (availability) and what you consider medium-priced. Are you looking for both red and white?

I'm assuming you're in Spain, so some of our Spanish contributors might have a good idea of what's available. One thing about Burgundy is tht there are so many small producers.No point sending someone looking for wines that aren't even distributed in your country. Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

Some favorites without stratospheric pricing (some, like Niellon and Lafarge, are expensive on upper end, but some lower end offerings are quite good):

Nuits St. Georges -Chevillon Vosne Romanee -Grivot, Arnoux , Engel Gevrey Chambertin-Bachelet Chambolle Musigny - Roumier, Mugnier

Meursault- Roulot Chassagne-Montrachet -Jean Noel Gagnard (rouge et blanc), Niellon (blanc) Volnay- Lafarge, d'Angerville

Some big negociants such as Faiveley,Drouhin, and Girardin also have good wines across a broad array of Burgundy. Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

Is this actually a drinkable wine? The 93 NSG Argillats was way overoaked, with little fruit.

Does Faiveley still make any decent wines (maybe the basic burgundy)?

This question should get people's dander up, as the producer has a good reputation.

Tom Schellberg

I drank it last week, Dale. Most of the several 93s I've had seem quite hard. Does that mean dumb, hiding the fruit? I have my doubts that many of them will improve, as opposed to drying out. So it could be partly the vintage I object to.

The 93 I liked best was Beaune Montremenots by Mussy. The 93 Jadot wines seem quite hard. After being opened a while(few hours to one day) they seem to lose their fruit. Although, with a Burgundy, they may be too delicate for such a test. I'll save a few bottles as an experiment.

I would not assume the style or quality of Faiveley in the 90s is the same as in earlier years, as in 81 (a generally horrible year). But I do not have the benefit of tasting a lot of these wines.

Tom Schellberg

Yes, I meant closed = dumb. A couple of village wines -shut down hard 2 years ago - have begun to open up nicely. I'd think 1er will follow suit over next couple years. Of course, if you like lower-acid styles of Burgundy, 1993 is probably not for you. It's the maybe the most controversial vintage of the last

1. Parker and Rovani severely deride it, while others like Claude Kolm (Fine Wine Review ) and Allen Meadows (Burghound) love it. I think Clive Coates, WS, and Steve Tanzer like it, but not as strongly as the others.

Mussy is not a producer I know. Is it one I should add to my watch list? But Cote de Beaune wines tend to mature a little faster than Cote de Nuits, and never shut down quite as hard, IMHO.

I'd say if you haven't liked your '93s so far, there's nothing to lose by holding them a few more. If I'm right, you win; if I'm wrong, you didn't like them now anyway. Or you could email me list of what you want to dispose of & I'll offer you a trade :) I wish I had more '93s!

Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

Some 1993s will dry out, but the majority of 1993s I have tried are spectacular.

The DRC, Drouhin, Mortet, Bachelet and Roumier all had watershed years. For DRC and Drouhin, select wines are among their best ever in my opinion (DRC Grands Echezeaux and Romanee St. Vivant, Drouhin Montrachet and Griottes Chambertin) and the top reds will have a staying power that is matched only by the best

Most other estates I have tasted are at least outstanding. Needless to say, I consider 1993 at the top levels a finer vintage than 1990, 1994, 1996 and certainly 1999.

As for Faiveley, the concern is warranted, but with time the wines emerge triumphant. I have not touched my 1993 Faiveleys, but the 1985 Gevrey Les Cazetiers is coming into its own and is marvelous juice. The fact this 1er cru wine is just now opening up in a great vintage where many grand crus are in decline is a testament to the time Faiveley needs to mature.

In general I would group Faiveley with Bouree, Maume and Gelin- all producers who aim for a very rustic and meaty style that is not for everyone. The wines are seldom finessed, but they have a tremendous palate impact when mature and expose their respective terroirs quite well IMHO, and they display strong herbal components very similar to certain wines of St. Emilion in Bordeaux- wines like L'Angelus and Troplong Mondot.

That said, these are wines you like or hate. I happen to like them all very much, but there is certainly plenty to dislike if these do not rub you the right way.

Take care,

Tom.