And in 2005 when Erwan was 25, his father continued the tradition and put Erwan in charge (Erwan himself has no children, so his position is likely safe for 25+ years). So when Erwan took over in 2005, he was careful not to rock the boat. It’s no secret in Burgundy and beyond that Faiveley has been on a roll.

Montchovet Such a sweet couple who run their domaine in Bouze les Beaune, not far from where Pacalet had his cellar. Anyway, they do a completely charming Bourgone Grand Ordinaire (gamay) and a kick ass cremant and a 2003 hautes cotes de beaune very worth drinking. One of these days, I'll take a good note. Derain: in St.

One thing I want to say right here and right now is that I think you can spend between $30-$60 per bottle and get a case of stupendous 2005 red Burgundy. But the Cote de Beaune is the place to go. That 2005 Simon Bize was really beautiful. wonder how the other 2005 Bize wines are.anyone taste them yet?

2005 Burgundy is nuts. Prices for the top bottles are truly insane, and you're going to spend $50 just for village level wine from the Cote de Nuits. I've basically accepted the fact that the bulk of my 05 Burgundy will be from the Cote de Beaune. refuse to sit this out though, this 05 Burgundy craze.

To use the Burgundy analogy, there is regional wine (called Bourgougne, Cotes de Beaune, or Cotes de Nuits), village level wine (Vosne-Romanee, Auxey-Durresses, Pommard, etc.), 2005 Jean-Paul Brun Domaine des Terres Dorees Cuvee L'AncienVieille Vignes , $15 (Chambers Street Wines). Okay, that's it.

I am finding that the un-oaked whites from the "lesser" regions of Burgundy are just fantastic in 2005. The two "lesser" regions I refer to are the Cote Chalonnaise and the Maconnais, both south of the Cote de Beaune and north of Beaujolais. That they are reasonably priced makes the whole thing happy for everyone.

Auxey-Duresses is a village in the Cote de Beaune, a neighbor of Meursault, Monthelie, and Saint Aubin. The 2005 Lafouge wines are hitting retail now, or very soon, so it might be a good time to grab whatever is left of the 2004 bottles. The quest continues - to identify and share high quality value-priced Pinot.

Also, the vignerons poured not only their entry level wines, but their top wines, and this provided the opportunity to taste a $62 Cote Rotie without actually buying it, which is much appreciated if you are in my tax bracket and you want to sample the wares before investing. 2005 Marechal Pommard La Chaniere , $50 - who would have thunk it?

single bottle of wine from the Grand Cru vineyard of Musigny, or Bonnes Mares, or Clos de Tart, or Clos Vougeot, never mind Richebourg, can set you back hundreds of dollars. Many hundreds in better vintages (good luck saving up for the 2005's). Speaking of the search for value in red Burgundy wines. Why is this? But it's a start.

We nibbled on unsalted almonds and toasted with a bottle of 1998 Pierre Peters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc Brut Millesime. We had 2005 Domaine Roulot Bourgogne Aligote with the soup, and it was exactly as it should be - light, crisp, clean tasting, briny and citrusy acidity. BrooklynLady and I put together the rest of the wine.

David Lillie at Chamber Street Wines put us in touch with Jeanne Marie de Champs, an exporter who represents about 60 Burgundian grape growers. She got us tickets to the Hospices de Beaune auction, and she made appointments for us to visit a few of her growers, and we didn't discuss our tastes before she made the appointments.

We arrived in France at Charles de Gaulle airport on a red eye flight early on a Saturday morning and immediately headed for the Gare de Lyon to take the high speed train, called the TGV, to Dijon. Reds: 2005 Aloxe-Corton , $25. 1986 Cote de Beaune Village , $28. was a kid in a candy store. Good value.