As posted elsewhere i am not the biggest fan but in the interests of not dismissing the whole region because i cant identify a reasonably priced wine i thought with help id give it one more go. This is a store reasonably local to me that seems to have a wide selection of red burgs at all price points and vintages plus its retail so its open Saturdays when i can get there unlike some of the other good places in Chicago so please stick with this shop just for practical reasons.
I would like help from the burg experts to pick 3 bottles with max of around $100 and i will pick at least 2 of them to try over the xmas holidays, remember im a big GSM, zin and ripe cab fan and although i can do subtle wines they still need to have some fruit or energy for me to enjoy them.
I know im imposing on the forum but im hoping it is a challenge that will be picked up, i will absolutely taste the wines with an open mind and report back my honest thoughts, good or bad !!
Without scouring the list in the link, I think I can help with a little process of elimination using what you didn’t like in your other thread. You don’t seem to want an acidic Burgundy, so I would eliminate Latour and Jadot from the mix. While a lot of Burghounds do enjoy them, a new world palate probably won’t.
Are you a gambler? 1994 was a whacky year, but this looks interesting in your sub-$100 price point:
The problem is CdlR can have wild swings in quality, and '94 was a rainy year.
Here’s another that might be a little tart due to the vintage, but a good producer and region:
Here’s one worth a shot:
This last one has my vote for something a New World palate might enjoy.
EDIT: missed the Jadot C-C that David recommended. Might pick up some of that myself!
Wholly disagree with 09 Bachelet Gevrey VV. That is a fundamentally flawed wine.
Tasted three years apart:
2009 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin (12/8/2012) HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Purplish colour. Very bright, high-toned nose, with some burnt notes, as well as some mulchy undertones. Shrill red fruit aromas of red currants and sour cherries. The palate is just as shrill, loud, and piercing. There’s a bizarre undertone of green mulch through it all. This is pretty terrifying red Burgundy. What did I just drink? (70 pts.)
2009 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin (9/25/2015) Burgundy Tasting at Chevalier Wines: This is the second time I’ve had this wine. The first time, I thought something was wrong with the bottle I was being served. Now, I know something is wrong with what’s in the bottle. Celery. Cigarette ash. The same on the palate. WTF. (70 pts.)
Wouldn’t recommend messing with off vintages like '94, '03, '04, '11 etc. even '96 has an unusually high acidic signature, '05 is shut down, and so are various others so the vintages are really important. Most '93, '99 - '02 and '13 in the price range you’re looking at should be best. '10 and '12 are great recent vintages of course, but a lot of them are kind of shut down, or at least partially closed.
Fourrier seems to have some cross over appeal, getting praise from experienced Burgundy people and newcomers alike so I’d point you in that direction, either the 2012 (recent TN’s say it’s showing great) or 2013 Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin V.V.
Producer routinely trumps the vineyard designation so the difference between a top village wine and an average grand Cru can be a lot less than you might think, especially in the first ten years post vintage, where village wines can really shine and many grand cru’s can be awkward.
Some good suggestions from Eric. Claude Dugat (there’s a thread here on WBs) or Dugat-Py may appeal to your palate (I’ve served them to Bordeaux drinking friends).
2003 is NOT an off-vintage
(but it depends on producer) …
in my Vosne-tasting last Saturday a 2003 Beaux-Monts was one of the best 4 or 5 wines (out of 28 …) that evening (incl. Cros Parantoux)!
Burg is about diversity. Amount burgundy funs, your best producer may not be mine; your best AOC may not be mine and your best vintage year may not be mine.
To get to be a burg fun, it is the journey going there that counts.
To have a short cut…it will be just a short-cut. One needs to find your own path. If you find it, it is fine and if you do not find, it is fine…also.
Adding to some of the excellent suggestions above:
2010 Mugnier NSG Marechale $85
2005 Nicholas Rossignol Volnay Santenots or Roncerets $79 (give it some air / slow-ox before drinking)
2005 Domaine Joblot Givry Servoisine $48 (??? haven’t had for years)
2005 Maison Leroy - Bourgogne Rouge $39 (usually a crap shoot for me, maybe you get lucky, relatively cheap )
Edit to add: I have the same reservations about drinking 2005s now but I’ve had good experience with Rossignol Volnay within the past year. The Marechale is a good opportunity to drink a great vintage of a fine bottle from a famous producer who makes $1000 wines otherwise.
The problem with suggestions is that Alan is going to want to try these pretty soon, so he needs vintages which have come of age to be convinced of the spend. That’s going to be tricky. I’d suggest the Domaine Tollot Beaut - Chorey Les Beaune 2012 as a reasonably priced introduction but he’ll have to keep it for several years and the vintage isn’t the best.
Maybe best to pick a solid vintage and a mid-range AOC from a decent producer. Avoid Haut Cotes de Nuits or Beaune if you don’t like thin wines.
The '05 Leroy Bourgone might be a good choice. It is a bit backwards at this time but the fruit and acid might fit the OP’s palate. Plus its under 40 bucks .