Approaching age 50 - is it too late for Burgundy?

I’ve tackled most of the major wine regions and varieties with some level of seriousness, with the exception of Burgundy. I’ve poked around the edges with Chablis and Cru Beaujolais, but no serious red burg purchases. As I approach 50, I’m wondering if I should redirect some of my purchasing towards this category or just be content with my other French, Italian, German, and increasingly dwindling supply of domestic wines.

I’ll confess that I’ve never had the “epiphany” red burg, of which so many aficionados speak. I’m sure some suggestions will include backfilling, so appreciate any thoughts on vintages which would continue to drink well over the next 10-15 years. My comfortable price zone tends to be in the < $150 range, although I’ll occasionally break this rule for exceptional bottles. Also, feel free to point me to any other existing threads - not looking to beat any dead horses here. Thanks!

Frankly, I think there is a decent amount of sub-$150 burgundy available to backfill via retailers and auctions. Definitely worth dipping your toes into. Also, I think plenty of burgundy can provide a lot of pleasure even at relatively young ages. Stuff like the 2017 Fourrier Gevrey VV is rocking right now.

Disclaimer: I am a complete newbie, and given that feel free to ignore 100% of what I say.

The impression I’ve gotten around this forum is that there is plenty of enjoyable Burgundy to be had in an array of price ranges, but the famous ‘Burgundy epiphany’ only comes from aged wines of superior quality, and therefore is only available at this very moment from higher end bottles from specific producers of excellence - which used to cost a certain amount when people around here began cellaring them, and now cost something like 10 times as much. If you were a huge fan of an indie band which has since exploded in fame, you probably got to see them first row in your hometown for a bargain price, and newer fans won’t. The alternative is to buy good QPR today (the average quality of viticulture and winemaking today has never been higher) and wait for the magic to happen. I’m doing that, but I’m much younger.

The other issue is that Burgundy has low supply relative to the demand, and therefore what you get for, say, $50 in Burgundy is not what you get for $50 in many other places where the real estate is not as expensive. To take this analogy further, the kind of housing you’ll be able to afford in rural Idaho will be different from what you’ll be able to afford in Manhattan with the same amount of money. The exception to this is probably in the less heralded parts of Burgundy. For instance, I really like Bachelet-Monnot’s wines in the Maranges and they are around 30€. Their Puligny-Montrachet Village wine is already almost double the price.

Again, I want to make it clear that you will henceforth get replies from people who are actually experienced in Burgundy, and who may feel I’m spouting nonsense.

I think this is why I haven’t jumped in yet. I’ve been putting my money in other areas like Champagne, Bordeaux, and Piedmont, for example, as I’ve historically felt there’s better value. And I’m not looking for daily drinkers or just “good” wines - really looking for some outstanding experiences, but not sure what I can find in my price range.

And I want to state that I know there are lots of good burgs out there which don’t break the bank. I’ve seen posts from Howard and others for example, which call out specific wines and producers. I need to pick up some of these and try them.

Geez 50. I’m approaching 70 and I just bought a case of 2015 Pousse d’Or Corton Bressandes Grand Cru. That’s my answer [cheers.gif]

That’s another much praised high QPR wine! When do you plan on opening the first one?

Opened one the day after it arrived. Somewhat dark and rich as befits the vintage, black fruits a bit of forest floor in the nose, well integrated tannins. Very enjoyable and I’m glad I bought it.

I’ve also been enjoying a very tasty Santenay Vieilles Vignes 2017 from Justin Girardin. $30.00 retail.

talk to Martin Steinley and start collecting. Also, you can backfill older vintages fairly easily.

Not true at all in my experience. I’ve had several “epiphany” experiences from wines 10 years old or less and well under $150 even today, let alone when I purchased them. Bouchard Le Corton and Pousse d’Or Bousse d’Or Volnays come to mind. That’s just me, others can no doubt recommend others.

I don´t see the problem - you don´t hope to be 80+ ?

It doesn´t make much sense to buy 2017s, 2018s, 2019s - then wait 12, 15, 20+ years … just to find out that Burgundy doesn´t do it for you.

Better look for some (close to) mature bottles, taste them now - then decide further.

I would recommend (reds only): nothing younger than 2007, but 07 should be fine to drink on almost all levels.
Some 2006s, NO 2005 (they need at least 5-10 more years),
NO 2004 (infected by green meanies),
NO or only few 2003, because they are atypical ripe with low acidity,
but 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 !
Older vintages must be selected with care …

Don´t forget to open bottles well in advance!

I´m not from the US, so I don´t know what is available for you, but stick to good producers first, then choose vineyards and Crus.

If you like the aged versions you can still decide to buy younger bottles for cellaring.

Value in burgundy is a relative thing but there are very good age worthy burgundies in the 75-150 price point and even the 50-100 price point.

Will you be able to cellar the top grand Crus? No, but the very top wines from most regions are out of reach at that price point.

They say all roads lead to Burgundy. Kind of haunts some people because it’s so often true. Get in and don’t look back. There are really nice wines at all price points. 2017 reds have been drinking well, and I’ve had luck with lower to mid level 2010’s. The in between vintages of 10-17 aren’t really optimal for right now generally speaking, though plenty of exceptions. Low to mid level 05’s have been waking up too.

I’m 58 and mostly backfilling.

Awesome, there’s hope!

@Scott - one question I have is - do you like Burgundy? You didn’t mention that. If you’re not sure, I’d recommend buying a good handful of 2016-2018 and drinking them this year. Burgundy has the helpful quality that it has a ‘drinks well young’ window that is absolutely delightful. This isn’t about some massive epiphany (though always welcome!) but honestly assessing your own interest.

I’ve attended La Paulee since the 2013 vintage and have mostly found the wines to be open. This has helped me figure out which producers I like more than others. Sure it has led me to spend a bit more, and there’s a bit of schadenfreude over producers that amazed me but are out of my price range. But young Burgundy is delicious!

So buy and try some young stuff!

For threads, try:

For a specific recommendation, try a villages Chambolle-Musigny or Vosne-Romanee from Hudelot-Noellat. If you can find a 2012 or 2014, get those. The 2015s and 2016s, while promising, are likely very young right now. The 2017 will be very primary, but this also is a pretty easy drinking vintage. 2018s will be expensive because of the tariffs (as a result of the tariffs, Burgundy prices are really expensive in general right now in the US). I recommend Hudelot-Noellat because it is pretty easy to find and pretty easy to drink. There are some producers that make pretty structured wines like D’Angerville, Chandon de Briailles, etc., where the wines are really well made but need time. Other producers make big rich wines. There are really small producers that make good wine like Jouan and Tremblay, but good luck finding them. There are the big name producers like Roumier and Mugneret-Gibourg, but their prices (at least in the US) reflect how popular the wines are (prices for MG, at least, are much better at the winery, but that generally is not an option).

Hudelot-Noellat is somewhere in the middle. Old established winery with a new generation that took over in 2008 in the person of Charles Van Canneyt who even now is about 32 or so. Fabulous wines that are sort of somewhere in the middle in terms of style. Wines can range from about $30 or so for the Bourgogne (at least before the tariffs, not sure the price of 2018s) to multiple hundreds for Richebourg and Romanee St. Vivant. The villages wines are a good entry point IMHO. I would get both the CM and the VR and compare and contrast them. If you think they taste the same, Burgundy is not for you. If you think one is really good and the other not so good, Burgundy probably is not for you. If you think, wow, both of these wines are really good but they are really distinct from each other, you will be hooked.

It is probably better to compare different vineyards from the same producer, as you mentioned, rather than the other way around, but this was how I came to understand I preferred Rossignol-Trapet’s basic style to straight Trapet’s (comparing Gevreys).

I think so and I’ve certainly enjoyed some of the lighter PNs I’ve tried in other regions, e.g. Oregon.

Thanks Howard, I’ve bookmarked several threads you’ve commented on previously. Appreciate the recommendations.