It does, Berry, each to their own of course, but I think it can be unpleasantly arrogant to dismiss someone’s honest labour simply on the basis of random personal preference and let’s not forget that for most of us it really is random: however much one drinks one can only have a tiny snapshot of someone’s output. There’s something about connoisseurship, and here I am not just talking about wine, that sometimes make me suspect that the most important thing for some participants is their own opinion of the thing rather than the thing itself, and that makes me uncomfortable.
I’d be interested to know which producers would not prefer their wines to be drunk at full maturity, I’m sure there are some. If the purchaser wishes to drink them sooner that is absolutely their right but it isn’t necessarily fair to criticise the wines on that basis.
Robert,
My experience is limited, but I do think the wines come out from under the youthful “house style” with time. Definitely not all the way, but what seems so tightly wound young has uncoiled with cellaring, though they have a distinct match of dark fruit and relatively low alc% in how I experience it. The 05 Bourgogne Rouge was completely brooding until recently, but has become enjoyable, albeit true to its basic pedigree.
Whenever I read Tom post about how much hard work it is to enjoy Burgundy properly I want to just go out and buy more California wine… and I actually have been, recently. Thanks for helping break me of my Burgundy habit. 
Tom,
Over the years, spending a lot of time reading widely and deeply, I have found that there are works of literature that spoke to me in my youth where I would be embarrassed to appreciate them in the same way at my current (middle) age. Other works of fiction didn’t reveal their depths to me until now. I’m sure as I get older, more surprises will be in store.
Wine is different from literature in (at least) one major sense - it evolves while the actual literary work remains static (the perception of the work is highly fluid - perhaps the mild pun intended). Wine seems no different from literature in that we always want to make clever, definitive proclamations about them both.
The Barthod bit was a joke. Barthod is the #1 producer in my cellar. -mark
Love his Clos de la Marechale!
Domaine Leflaive has taken a plunge in quality in recent years, and they oxidize real fast.
Was planning on popping the cork on a 02 Bernard Dugat-Py Bourgogne in the very near future; hoping it’s not past it’s prime. This will be my first Dugat- Py…
Domaine Leflaive… has produced some amazing wines in '90s… much less so after that…
Then I’ve found the person who can open enough bottles of Barthod that I might actually get it!
You would think that whatever changed at Domaine Leflaive from the late 90’s (when in my view they were about the ONLY producer, along with Coche-Dury, who was not plagued by premox) to the present starting with 2002 (when I first started seeing premox’d bottles and even some years like 2007 and 2008 that started “turning” VERY EARLY) should be useful to study as to etiology of premox.
what I don’t understand is why you don’t go into threads praising a youthful wine and bashing on them for opening it too young. How can they be sure it’s a good wine without it being at full maturity? What if it falls apart in 15+ years? If you can’t criticize wines prior to maturity, why can you praise them?
In fact, why does anyone bother even giving their opinion on wines in general if they aren’t at “full maturity”. Hell who dictates what full maturity is? If I was a winemaker I’d just either say “Sorry it hasn’t hit full maturity yet” “oh, you waited too long it was past its prime”.
Because I like a positive attitude to wine, Charlie. If I don’t like a wine that should be good I tend to assume it’s my fault rather than roundly condemning it.
Your second paragraph asks a very good question, to which there is only one answer-for fun, which is what wine should be about anyway, so I don’t like definitive negativity. ‘I didn’t like this wine’ is a absolutely reasonable thing to say, ‘this wine is terrible’ is usually not.
I think you will be happy with the 2002 Bourgogne (declassified GC). Dugat-Py’s wines take plenty of time to come around.
Claude Dugat - too big
Giradin - well made but lacking individuality and terroir expression. The 02 Gevrey Cham Charmes taste like RRV PN.
Leroy - way too expensive and also pushes the envelope too much for my palate.
Jadot - I may be tasting them too young but they seem wel made but lacking individuality.
Dom Leflaive Pulignys - None of the wines I’ve tasted have been to my liking.
Vogue - does the oak, ever integrate?
Fevre - a love hate relationship. When they’re not premoxed, I dig them except for the sharp price jumps from 05 on.
Plus 1! - Then I could afford the new releases again aside from the terrific and still resonably priced Marchalle
Mugnier is tied for my favorite producer with Rousseau. No other Burg can out finesse Mugnier. People who like bigger PNs are Likely underwhelmed but I love Mugnier! Just can’t afford to buy anything except the Marchalle anymore.
I think you are right, Craig, but I suspect there’s a great disjunct between pre and post 01, when according to my more knowledgeable friends things started to get interesting chez Mugnier.
Hi, Robert,
Which Gaunoux did you buy, Jean-Michel or François?
Best,
N
Can you elaborate? I’ve only recently started buying his wines, unfortunately for me.