loved this wine too, although it is definitely different from the other Lahaye wines I've had. He saw a bottle of 2007 Sigalas Barrel Fermented Assyrtiko in my wine fridge and asked that we open it. Sigalas Gutierrez Colosía La Guita Marie-Noëlle Ledru Sherry Domaine Leroy Champagne Burgundy Santorini Benoît Lahaye Selosse

Okay, I never have a problem with mature Burgundy, or mature red wine in general. Here are a few current favorites: 2007 Muhr-van de Niepoort Carnuntum Blaufrankisch , $20, Imported by Martine's Wines. This is definitely a wine that showcases ripe dark fruit, but that's only a part of the package. Labet's is excellent too.

Comtes Lafon is one of the iconic domaines in Burgundy. Maybe you don't know this about me, but I really like Burgundy wine. If I were to buy a bottle from roughly 1996 - 2002 there is the pre-mox risk too, although supposedly Lafon did a better job of avoiding pre-mox problems that did most other white Burgundy producers.

At about $85 we're into vintage Champagne expensive territory, but here you're definitely getting your money's worth, in my opinion. But Coteaux Champenois can be as beautifully perfumed, elegant, and hauntingly delicious as a lot of expensive Burgundy wine. This release is mostly from the fantastic 2008 vintage, the balance is 2007.

might include 2008 in the same category as 2007, or 2004 - classic vintages, vintages with the typical array of problems. Will the 2009's be as detailed and expressive of specific terroir as Burgundy lovers want them to be? Will the 2008's be delicious wines that offer the pleasure that Burgundy lovers want? Yes, 100 year old.

1971 was a good vintage in Burgundy and also in Piedmonte, so it shouldn't be too hard to find something interesting and delicious. They are 23 months apart in age, born in 2007 and 2008. I'm waiting for vintage Champagne to be released, as 2007 is supposed to be a pretty good year. So this producer is meaningful too.

Of course it isn't always possible, and with the Vallana Spanna wines, there are questions and few definitive answers. If these wines were represented the way Burgundy wines are represented, as pure Pinot from one specific vineyard, that would be problematic. I've heard similar stories about Burgundy too, by the way.

That's real money, but it's pretty cheap as far as Burgundy goes. wanted to drink several examples of the best bottles to see if they are undervalued within the pantheon of Burgundy terroir, or if they are simply more of that overpriced but merely decent wine from Burgundy. Why Savigny-lès-Beaune? These can be rich, dense wines.

The other night we were having my latest attempt at Bouillabaisse (pretty good indeed) and I opened a bottle of the 2007 Alice and Olivier de Moor Bourgogne Aligoté , $19, Louis/Dressner Selections. This is Aligoté - there was plenty of acidity and the finish was definitely of a chalky mineral character.

began by reading and talking to friends, and this definitely served me well. If I'm buying an age worthy wine, a good red Burgundy, for example, I'm a believer in buying three bottles and drinking one when young in order to know the wine in that phase of its life. Wine fits in here too. And that's fine. But there just isn't. Who knows.

Lassaigne is not what I would call cult Champagne, like Selosse, but this is definitely Champagne for the Champagne lover. This bottle is about 90% from 2006, with 80% of that vinified in tank and 20% vinified in used Burgundy barrels. So 070409 means bottled in 2007 (hence the 2006 base year) and disgorged in April of 2009.

love Burgundy and Beaujolais, and Poulsard is definitely of the same phenotype. Here are a few Poulsards from recent times, all drunk at home with dinner (none at the playground.yet): 2007 Emmanuel Houillon Poulsard Arbois Pupillin Maison Pierre Overnoy , Louis /Dressner Selections, $32. I've wanted to branch out some more.

Very comparable to French Burgundy in my opinion. Don't think I would have with any fish, but definitely a nice wine for lamb or a nice pork roast or even a good angus beef hamburger. Sometimes you just get lucky when searching out a wine. He did. He actually had one. It was a Pinot Noir. Pricey, but good. Great Buy!

And by the way, put this up against a lot of white Burgundy from the same year and this will come out ahead, as there is not even a hint of oxidation. 2007 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py - really a pretty wine with lively and enticing fruit, and it puts on weight with air time. Top notch wine. Really intriguing wine. Great Beaujolais.

It's like beginning to learn about Burgundy by drinking a few bottles of DRC and old Leflaive. The Manzanilla #8 was bottled in October of 2007, so it has a small bit of bottle age. Equipos Navazos La Bota de Manzanilla #8, and La Bota de Amontillado #9 , Eric Solomon Selections / Polaner Imports. Excitement!

Whites 2007 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Clos des Briords , $16, Louis/Dressner Selections. 2007 Gilbert Picq Chablis , $20, Polaner Imports. 2007 is a return to Chablis in Chablis - the wines will speak of the sea shells and iodine, brine and minerals. But I want to continue to drink fantastic wine.

Denis and unquestionably one of the greatest in all of Burgundy? think I basically maintained my dignity, but I definitely was emitting the "I covet" vibe. It was in the Dujac cellar tasting those wines when I understood something fundamental about myself as a Burgundy drinker. loved the 2007's I tasted. rarely covet.

We visited some of the very top producers in Burgundy - Mugnier, Roumier, Pierre Morey, Pacalet, L'Arlot, Le Moine, Rousseau, and Dujac. 2007 Beaune 1er Cru Les Perrieres in bottles, waiting for labels. Philippe Pacalet, definitely a bit of a rascal. One of my favorites was our visit to the cellars of Philippe Pacalet in Beaune.

I tasted about 100 wines out of barrels in three days and there was nothing whatsoever difficult about it - the 2007's are absolutely lovely, crystal clear and a pleasure to taste. There are definite clues, but it's tough to be exact. I've heard it over and over again - "tasting wine out of barrel is not easy."

Lunch was definitely in order, and so we went to La Toute Petite Auberge in Vosne-Romanée where I ate a wonderful entrecôte of Charolais beef. I've had Charolais maybe four times now, only in Burgundy, and I love how deeply beefy it is without feeling heavy. Burgundy Dilittantes - nothing to snub your nose at over here.

Here are two reds that I want to wholeheartedly and most definitely recommend to you. The 2007 Paul Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny, $13, Dressner Selections, is a wonderful wine. I'll be pouring 2005 Boxler Sylvaner and 2007 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Gamay at my Thanksgiving dinner this year. It, oddly, was also corked.

Burgundy, Jura, and Muscadet.nope. These are piercing wines of great definition, and they can seem like turtles, just their head visible underneath all of that shell. The 2007 Pinon Vouvray Cuvee Silex Noir is just a great wine too, and a very good value at about $25. The Italian wines - I didn't taste 'em. Next was Beaujolais.

What I'm about to say might make some of you angry, although that is definitely not my aim. And get it while you can, because only a third of Brun's 2007's can be labeled as Beaujolais, according to the wise folks at the French INAO. In a way it feels more like drinking Burgundy than Beaujolais. Lean, taught, racy.

began in a French table area and tried some Sancerres (made from Sauvignon Blanc), some white Burgundys (made from Chardonnay) and some white blends. Hubery Lamy of Burgundy presented 3 wines. On the white side I tried a sweet white, the Texier Opale 2007 which was quite sweet but was very well balanced with a crisp acidity.

Definitely one I'll be on the lookout for! Georges 1er Cru (a red Burgundy for those who don't have a masters in wine labeling) had some nice cherry and forest berry on the nose, together with some minerality & earthiness. then moved on the the Burgundies of Domaine Henri Jouan. Great stuff. really enjoyed it.

And now, I can recommend them to you: The first of two were recommended back in November as part of Wine Blogging Wednesday's Silver Burgundy theme. I'm always interested in finding excellent Burgundy at good prices so when I saw this at Moore Brothers in Manhattan, trying it one was a no-brainer. Very pure and fresh. So sue me

So this is an investment, not just in the Burgundy type of cash, but also in cellar space. If you spend $55 on a Burgundy, are you definitely getting the finest example? know I'm supposed to wait, but in 2007 I sampled two of the wines and one of them was pretty mind blowing, the other just plain old excellent. Bordeaux?

But without the definition and focus that I have come to expect from my favorite Champagnes. Two holiday Burgundies worth mentioning. I'm in San Diego now at the in-law's place. My second round trip west coast flight of the week. This time I spiced up the 6 hour flight by bringing my 11 month old. She was wonderful, actually. cents.

As I keep hearing (and learning for myself) about Burgundy - it's all about the producer. Lafon's Montrachet and Meursault sell for LOTS of money, and are some of the more sought after wines in Burgundy. He says the 05 VV was opened too early, but he calls it a definite rebuy that should be great down the line. hear that.

What do you think of when you hear "Burgundy?" There is great Burgundy wine to be had at those prices, and a great place to start is outside of the Gold Coast, a bit further south in what I like to think of as Silver Burgundy. For many of us, these are not everyday wines. What if you're spending about $12-25 per bottle?

So we cut up a large slab of Slope Farms (no website, but the grass-fed, antibiotic free, pasture grazed, open minded and definitely not racist, sexist, ageist, or any of the "ists") beef chuck into neat 6 ounce portions, and went to work. me this dish clearly deserves a Burgundy, but go with whatever you like. And for the wine.to

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. Yup, I think you can spend about $500 and get a case of beautiful and age worthy Burgundy wine from "The Vintage of the Century." How do I know this? Okay, so that's it.

Heck, they've been making incredible Chardonnay in Puligny, Chassagne, and Meursault for over 100 years and they're definitely using new oak. I tasted two un-oaked Chardonnays for the 3rd Anniversary of WBW, both from Burgundy, but not from the Cote d'Or. Happy 3rd anniversary Wine Blogging Wednesday ! And why not participate?

Yes, it would definitely be interesting to lineup a few examples of wine from each of the Crus and taste them side by side in order to learn about their individual terroir.but why go through the effort? would happily do that with any wines from anywhere, and it would probably be more rewarding with red Burgundies, for example.

Like a Cotes de Nuits in Burgundy is made with Pinot grapes from a range of areas within the Cotes de Nuits (possibly including grapes from famous villages such as Chambolle-Musigny), a VDP des Cotes de Gascogne is a wine made from grapes from all over of Gascony. This wine is a Vins de Pays (C ountry Wine ) des Cotes de Gascogne.

wanted to open a 2005 Burgundy with the mushroom lasagna, made with béchamel, somehow rich and light at the same time. But based on this bottle, I will definitely be back. The other night I was drowning and who came to the rescue? Deetrane, that's who. He's sort of like a wine superhero. Wine Man, if you will. Utterly ridiculous.

Holding greasy lamb chops with your hands, garlic on your fingers, picking up an asparagus spear, leaving mint paste fingerprints on your glass.works with this slightly rustic and definitely lusty wine. The tannic feel of this wine was very different from that in the Loire reds and Burgundies I am used to. And I certainly will!

A few wines of interest from the past few weeks that don't get their own post: Burgundy 2003 Marechal Savigny Les Beaune Vieille Vignes , $ unknown (restaurant purchase). If I'm not mistaken, it was this wine that won the NYTimes tasting panels' "Village Burgundy" blind tasting a little over a year ago. Not likely - it's only 2007.

Over the hill, flat with no discernable acidity, not unpleasant but definitely past its prime. I'm lucky because my father in-law likes wine and keeps some good bottles in the house. was impressed with the two wine stores I went into. Good selection and decent prices, although a bit higher on some French wines than on the east coast.

Why are there no "pedestrian" blogs writing about Burgundy? Not everyone is A Burghound, nor does everyone have the cellar depth to hang with Bill Nanson at Burgundy Report. Joe at Joe's Wine Journal tagged me, and now I'm it. wasn't going to play because Joe has cooties, but then I decided that cooties aren't so bad. So why do I blog?

Definitely a $15 beauty. Warning : this is a really long post you might need to read it over several days, or during one day in which you are really bored at work. hauled my butt into Manhattan (!) on Saturday, thinking I would be the first guy at Chambers Street Wines for the tasting. Packed already, and only 1:10 PM. Okay, griping is over.

Okay, you can stop feeling sorry for me now, and check out this neat bit of cooking we did the other night, paired well with a regional wine from Burgundy. In Burgundy, I was so glad to see chestnuts pop up so often on menus and in grocery stores. Anyway, this wine definitely smells creamy after a few hours open.

LOVED it, and will definitely investigate Zind Humbrecht further. Father-in-law stunned us by bringing to this dinner a bottle of mature Burgundy wine, a 1993 Volnay 1er Cru by Robert Ampeau, a producer I had never encountered. And how lovely was that gesture, bringing that lovely old Burgundy? Deep golden color, very inviting.

This is definitely a good luck album people, and worth the investment. We opened a special bottle of wine with our dinner last night, not because it was so expensive or rare, but because it was one of three bottles we brought back from our trip to Burgundy in November. Life is really beautiful, I have to tell you. We are all miracles.

I've enjoyed these tremendously in the past , and my pal Deetrane and I will definitely be among those elbowing you out of the way near the mature Burgundies. In the next 10 days there are two tastings happening in Manhattan that I am excited about attending. And by the way, the tasting is free. So if you're in town, come check it ou

There are well chosen wines from the Loire Valley, Burgundy, the Rhone, Bordeaux, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, and of course America. feel lucky to have this place close by, but I would travel if I had to - it definitely qualifies as a destination restaurant. Or the food is too bland, too salty, or improperly cooked. Sue me.