Love Richebourg, but what do I do?

Pricing for Richebourg has moved above my burg. consuming trading corridor, but it’s my favorite red burg. vineyard/wine and I even haven’t tried DRC and just slumming it with Gros Frere (04) and Hudelot Noellat (00)…for a value player like me, what’s my alternative? 1er surrounding Riche. like Les Petite Monts? Drouhin’s version doesn’t seem to pack the punch that Riche. does. Who owns the parcels of 1ers that abut Riche? Based on price, it seems that Meo Cam.'s Brulees must be close but I don’t know for certain. What about Arnoux Suchots? Or isn’t someones’s vosne romanee bottling including juice right above Riche (Bruno Clavelier?)? I forgot what producer that is. Calling all Burg. experts for help!

…forgot to add, what mimics riche. signatures but at a lower price point? Malconsort? Reignots?

I feel your pain. As with Romanee St. Vivant- there really are not any truly top Richebourgs out there anymore that can be reliably had for less than $1,000. And in both cases, there were never that many to begin with. That said, I think the best “value” Richebourg these days is Mongeard-Mugneret. Last time I looked that one is in the mid hundreds. It can be a bit rustic compared to the more elegant versions, but if you like that then all is well.

In the case of Richebourg- I do not think pursuing the premier crus of Vosne-Romanee is a good option. You can do that when trying to find the delicacy and aromatic profundity of RSV, but even then- the best premier crus are also shockingly expensive, and at the very top even more expensive than either RSV or Richebourg. But I have yet to taste the premier cru Vosne-Romanee wine that has the sheer power and opulence of a great Richebourg.

Clos Vougeot is where I recommend you look next. That is the only other place in Burgundy where you can get both the power and an intense spicy profile that is in the vein of Vosne-Romanee- if not quite the degree of subtlety or refinement. Also consider Clos de la Roche, though you will give up some of the power. In both cases, but especially with Clos Vougeot, there are many excellent choices out there under $500 a bottle.

Hi Jean, Tom is right. Clos Vougeot is where you should look, but like Richebourg it needs considerable age. You might be able to pick up something from '91, '01 or '02 that drinks well.

I agree with what you write, but to the above I would first add Echezeaux. You need to do your home work – get a copy of Morris’ book. Look for producers with holdings in les Treux. I do predict that even Echezeaux producers, the best of them first obviously, will follow the upward price flight path.

Here’s Richebourg for $300

Buy fewer bottles of other wine and buy richebourg. You’re not exactly making a value play talking about arnoux suchots and richebourg was never a cheap wine to begin with.

Or go in with friends. If three of you buy bottles and drink them together, you could have the experience at 1/3 the price.

Easier said than done to find people to do that, but if it’s possible, it’s a great option for mega expensive bottles.

I’m going in with Chris next time I’m at Newport.

Thank you Tom (and others) for your response - I’ll stock up on some Best of Breed CVs, which the board has vetted pretty thoroughly recently. I’ll stay away from the bottom of the hill producers except maybe for Jadot, etc. lol…I like Gros Frere CVs ‘Musigni’ with age, but I think consensus view is that it’s oak juice (but the ones I’ve tried with age integrated the oak nicely).

That’s sub-$300 (by a penny) because it’s from 2004 which was a shoddy vintage.

Friends,

If RICHEBOURG has become too costly it may be because you are drinking DRC, LEROY. Even GRIVOT has become enormously expensive…Is HUDELOT-NOELLAT, THIBAULT LIGER-BEL AIR (both make tremendous RICHEBOUURG) really that expensive? Certainly not if you compare them to the 2 mentioned above. Otherwise : why not try LES SAINT GEOREGES? Not Vosne of course but brilliant and lots cheaper in the hands of CHEVILLON, GOUGES and TH LIGER BEL AIR…

SINCERELY JOHAN

LSG may be brilliant, but it´s so different from Richebourg texturally and aromatically as Bourbon from Vodka -that doesn´t make sense-

I think the notion that Les Treux is the best climat within Echézeaux has more to do with Henri Jayer telling people that (coincidentally, his vines were located there) than with any of its inherent properties.

Agree best bet is Clos Vougeot, and Hudelot Noellat’s is quite similar although less multi faceted than his Richebourg.

Tom’s Clos Vougeot suggestion is a good one. The Chambertins are another good place to look for the Richebourg-like iron fist in velvet glove, and prices are more reasonable because quantities are better. Not many Vosne 1ers with the Richebourg profile but the ones from the part of Brulees abutting Richebourg would be the best place to look. Won’t save you much money though.

Lalou once said something to the effect of Beaux Monts being the little brother of Richebourg, and there is lots of sense to it; but equally Leroy Beaux Monts is far from an affordable alternative.

Grivot says his Brulees is a baby Richebourg… I can’t confirm as, despite buying hundreds of his wines, I never got to taste Richebourg… and the very very few I bought (before prices exploded) are still too young…

Is the clavelier aux brûlées a good one to visit?

I had a village la combe brulees this summer which was excellent though very light… still ageing the very few Brulees I have got.