Large Burg Houses

[Howard_Cooper]

the wines of Bouchard to be rich and plump, and the wines of Drouhin to be the most elegant.

Interesting, I find it exactly the other way. The 17 whites from Drouhin are quite fat and round, and a 13 Criots opened a few months ago for a pre-Paulee dinner was a massive dense wine that might not be ready for another decade at least. Bouchard has been more precise in recent years in my experience.

May just be differences in our palates.

Is that possibly different for whites and reds?

I was describing my view of the reds, but I also think the whites are richer than Drouhin’s whites. I very much like whites by both Bouchard and Drouhin but own more Bouchard whites because they such good values.

[Greg_K]

Interesting, I find it exactly the other way. The 17 whites from Drouhin are quite fat and round, and a 13 Criots opened a few months ago for a pre-Paulee dinner was a massive dense wine that might not be ready for another decade at least. Bouchard has been more precise in recent years in my experience.

May just be differences in our palates.

Is that possibly different for whites and reds?

I was describing my view of the reds, but I also think the whites are richer than Drouhin’s whites. I very much like whites by both Bouchard and Drouhin but own more Bouchard whites because they such good values.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense.

[Craig_G]

To me Faiveley currently makes wines for a California palate. I’ve had people tell me that their reds have gotten a lot better, so I tried a 13 Fuees recently - it was a hugely extracted wine and the oak was absolutely overpowering. That said, if you want a very big oaky style of Pinot, Faiveley can be good value.

I think it depends on what part of their lineup you are tasting. The lower end is not oaky and certainly not anything like California. I noticed that the 2016 Mercurey Clos Du Roy “Les Favorites” had a lot more oak than the regular version, so I suspect they are making higher end wines with more oak and expecting them to be aged longer.

The whole Mercurey line from Faiveley is worth trying. If your taste runs to Burgundy it’s hard to find better $25-30 Pinots than their Mercurey and Clos Rond. The Myglands and Clos du Roy are real stars at about $45.

[Mattstolz]

To me Faiveley currently makes wines for a California palate. I’ve had people tell me that their reds have gotten a lot better, so I tried a 13 Fuees recently - it was a hugely extracted wine and the oak was absolutely overpowering. That said, if you want a very big oaky style of Pinot, Faiveley can be good value.

I think it depends on what part of their lineup you are tasting. The lower end is not oaky and certainly not anything like California. I noticed that the 2016 Mercurey Clos Du Roy “Les Favorites” had a lot more oak than the regular version, so I suspect they are making higher end wines with more oak and expecting them to be aged longer.

The whole Mercurey line from Faiveley is worth trying. If your taste runs to Burgundy it’s hard to find better $25-30 Pinots than their Mercurey and Clos Rond. The Myglands and Clos du Roy are real stars at about $45.

gotta be worth a shot at that price at least!

[Subu_Ramachandran]

Of the other big houses, I find the reds of Jadot to be the most muscular, the wines of Bouchard to be rich and plump, and the wines of Drouhin to be the most elegant. They all can make excellent wines.

Well said I concur. I prefer Bouchard for whites and Drouhin for reds. They are the best of Maisons for me. Bouchard’s Monty, Chevy, MP, MG are incredible wines, just like Drouhin’s Musigny or Chambolle Amoureuses or Clos de Beze. Just a personal preference.

Jadot to me is extremely hit or miss. I liked their efforts in 2016 a lot, especially in Gevrey (and bought some for the first time in a long time), but other Jadot I’ve had in recent years has been…less great, let’s say. I’ve yet to have a “thrilling” Jadot wine, even from a great vineyard (though a 1990 Musigny came close).

To me Faiveley currently makes wines for a California palate. I’ve had people tell me that their reds have gotten a lot better, so I tried a 13 Fuees recently - it was a hugely extracted wine and the oak was absolutely overpowering. That said, if you want a very big oaky style of Pinot, Faiveley can be good value. The whites remain an oaky mess.

I was surprised as well, by Jadot’s Gevrey Lavaut and Estournelles in 2016, they were extremely impressive! Bought a few as well (first time Jadot buys). And I agree regarding Faiveley.