Okay, I never have a problem with mature Burgundy, or mature red wine in general. This is definitely a wine that showcases ripe dark fruit, but that's only a part of the package. This is an easy drinking wine that I think faithfully expresses terroir. I've been having a hard time with red wine lately. Labet's is excellent too.

We tend to value the idea of vinifying individual plots separately, as in Burgundy, and increasingly now in Champagne. Could it really be that simple - great terroir, old vines, great plant material, good vineyard work, intelligent wine making? The company was great, and so were the food and the wines. Stirring risotto makes him happy.

the soils are volcanic and the wine shows a definitive sense of terroir. Really delicious wine - very pleasantly surprised by the intense red cherry high notes and refreshing, lightweight texture of this wine which resembled a top cru Burgundy more than a heavy, saturated California Zinfandel. Very mineral rich!"

There are many answers to this question, but I decided that I would use basically the same approach that I use with Burgundy wine. In Burgundy it's this is relatively straight forward - the basic wines are regional wines, Bourgognes and the like. like the wines very much in general, but I'm still a bit intimidated. some do not.

It was great on several levels - first of all, Fourrier's wines are fascinatingly terroir expressive and it is so instructive to taste them next to each other. Will the 2009's be as detailed and expressive of specific terroir as Burgundy lovers want them to be? This one will definitely have a place in my cellar.

It is commonly said that 2004 is the worst recent vintage for red wine in Burgundy. As Bill Nanson of Burgundy Report first wrote about , ladybugs were all over the vineyards in 2004. Some of the wines greatly improved over the course of a few days, shedding bulk, gaining definition. So, 2004 Burgundy Red Wine - How Bad is it?

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. My concept of terroir includes people and tradition - it's not just place.

Not too many decades ago, nefarious producers and negotiants used inexpensive wine from the south of France to add volume to Pinot Noir from Burgundy. Guests at the 21 Club. Did you know that the U.S. is the second-largest export market for Champagne, behind the United Kingdom? Over 20 million bottles were shipped to the U.S. in 2004 alone.

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? Flawed? Not good wine?

Obviously the vagaries of vintage quality, producer quality, terroir quality, vine age, wine making technique, and countless others make it impossible to make such a list. began by reading and talking to friends, and this definitely served me well. I've always been attracted to things that are defined by a concrete set of rules.

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. This place, known as the Montrachet of Champagne, is an island of Chardonnay in a sea of Pinot Noir.

don't have a definitive stance on the subject - I can make a case for both points of view. There are great Burgundy wines that cost $35, $50, and $100, but I don't believe that they are Bourgognes. What if you want to spend $25 or less, and drink red wine from Burgundy? So what are the best regional Burgundy wines at about $25?

enjoy pairing this and other dishes like it, with red Burgundy wines. The fruit is dark and smoky, and is infused with a subtle but definite animale character. To the north is Les Vaucrains, another great terroir. Ah, the mysteries of Burgundy. Tags: Wine of the Week Domaine Henri Gouges Burgundy Georges. Georges.

And because they have such thin skin, the juice to solid matter ratio is the opposite of what wine makers look for in, say, Burgundy. They combine the fruit forward spicy charm of a good cru Beaujolais with the complex woodsy perfume of red Burgundy, and the tannic structure of Nebbiolo. It is open and joyous and it is elegant too.

If it weren't for Monte Bello, I wouldn't believe in that greatest of vinous marketing stunts, the theory of terroir. Perhaps if I drank La Tache often enough I would understand terroir differently. Mouton Rothschild) can have terroir in the same sense a 15 acre vineyard can (e.g. La Tache). It's pure marketing.

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. rarely covet. Who wouldn't want what he has?

We visited some of the very top producers in Burgundy - Mugnier, Roumier, Pierre Morey, Pacalet, L'Arlot, Le Moine, Rousseau, and Dujac. Pacelet, like his uncle, removes anything from the vinification process that obscures the pure expression of terroir. Philippe Pacalet, definitely a bit of a rascal.

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. took a brief Burgundy excursion at this point and tasted through the Philippe Pacalet wines. The Italian wines - I didn't taste 'em. How thoughtful is that?

As I keep hearing (and learning for myself) about Burgundy - it's all about the producer. Bert of the Wine Terroirs blog visits Guy Blanchard in Mercy, Mâconnais and tastes through a wide lineup of whites, including the very young 2007s. A definite rebuy," she says. Many delicious wines were identified, most of them under $25.

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?