Burgundy: A Comprehensive Guide to the Producers, Appelatio
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About this ebook
With the publication of his classic volumes, Bordeaux and The Wines of the Rhône Valley and Provence, together with the several editions of his Wine Buyer’s Guide, Robert M. Parker, Jr., has emerged as America’s most influential and articulate authority on wine. Whether he writes of the fabled French châteaux or of lesser-known growers and producers from around the world, his books have proved invaluable reading for connoisseurs and neophytes alike, for they contain not only hard-headed, frank analysis but an undisguised and positively contagious enthusiasm for his subject.
In this book, his most ambitious and comprehensive to date, Parker offers an extraordinary guide to the growers, appellations, and wines of Burgundy, the viticultural region in eastern France that produces the most exotic, sought-after, expensive, and frequently least understood wines in the world.
Like its predecessors, Bordeaux and The Wines of the RhOne Valley and Provence, Parker’s Burgundy has all the makings of a classic. It is a beautifully produced book, and it boasts more than thirty specially made color maps, with those depicting the individual appellations drawn in such exquisite detail that each and every vineyard is visible. Burgundy is a fitting monument to the region that is capable of producing, in Parker”s words, “the world’s most majestic, glorious, and hedonistic red and white wine.”
Robert M. Parker
Robert M. Parker, Jr., has been the author and publisher of The Wine Advocate for more than twenty-five years. He has won countless awards, including two of France’s highest presidential honors: in 1993, President Francois Mitterrand pronounced him a Chevalier dans l’Ordre National du Merite. In 1999, President Jacques Chirac signed a decree appointing Parker a Chevalier dans L’Ordre de la Legion d’Honneur, and in 2005, elevated his title to Officier. He is the author of many books about wine, including Bordeaux, Burgundy, The Wines of the Rhône Valley, and Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide. Visit the author online at RobertParker.com.
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Burgundy - Robert M. Parker
Also by Robert M. Parker, Jr.
BORDEAUX: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR THE WINES PRODUCED SINCE 1961
THE WINES OF THE RHÔNE VALLEY AND PROVENCE
PARKER’S WINE BUYER’S GUIDE
Simon and Schuster
Simon & Schuster Building
Rockefeller Center
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
Copyright © 1990 by Robert M. Parker, Jr.
All rights reserved
including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form.
SIMON AND SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of
Simon & Schuster Inc.
Designed by Levavi & Levavi, Inc.
Manufactured in the United States of America
3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Parker, Robert M.
Burgundy: a comprehensive guide to the producers, appellations,
and wines/Robert M. Parker, Jr.; drawings by Christopher Wormell.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Wine and wine making—France—Burgundy. I. Title.
TP553.P373 1990
641.2′2′09444—dc20 90-38342
CIP
ISBN 0-671-63378-3
eISBN-13: 978-0-671-63378-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-439-14210-3
This book is dedicated to Pat, Maia, Sarah, Cece, Bubba, and to my dear friend, Bob Lescher.
I would like to express my gratitude to the following people whose assistance, cooperation, and support have been immensely appreciated.
Jacques d’Angerville, Jim Arsenault, Eve Auchincloss, Bruce Bassin, Ruth Bassin, Michel Bettane, Lalou Bize-Leroy, Christopher Cannan, Jeanne-Marie de Champs, Louis-Marc Chevignard, Bob Cline, Geoffrey Connor, Alain Corcia, Jane Crawford, Bill Deutsch, Sherwood Deutsch, Michael Dresser, Robert Drouhin, Stanley Dry, Georges Duboeuf, Hubrecht Duijker, Paul Evans, Anne Faiveley, François Faiveley, Bob Fiore, Joel Fleischman, Michael Franklin, André Gagey, Pierre-Henri Gagey, Steve Gilbertson, Bernard Godec, Michael Goldstein, Madame J. Gros, Daniel Haas, Robert Haas, Josué Harari, Alexandra Harding, Brenda Hayes, Thomas Hoving, Tom Hurst, Henri Jayer, Ed Jonna, Alain Junguenet, Robert Kacher, Allen Krasner, Carole Lalli, Jacques Lardière, Philippe Leclerc, Vincent Leflaive, Susan Lescher, Eliot Mackey, Eve Metz, Frank Metz, Jay Miller, M. Mongeard, Sidney Moore, the late Dr. Georges Mugneret, Mitchell Nathanson, Jill Norman, Bob Orenstein, Miranda Page-Wood, Joan Passman, Allen Peacock, Frank Polk, Martha Reddington, Neal Rosenthal, Christophe Roumier, Jean-Marie Roumier, Charles Rousseau, Tom Ryder, Ed Sands, the Sangoy family, Martine Saunier, Bob Schindler, Jacques Seysses, Ernie Singer, Elliott Staren, Jean Trapet, Peter Vezan, Aubert de Villaine, Jean-Claude Vrinat, Steve Wallace, Becky Wasserman, Karen Weinstock, Joseph Weinstock, Larry Wiggins, Jeanyee Wong, and Gérard Yvernault.
A LIST OF MAPS OF BURGUNDY
INTRODUCTION
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BURGUNDY
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Evaluating Wines
Rating the Producers and Growers
The Star Ratings
Tasting Notes and Wine Ratings
One Further Caveat
TWENTY QUESTIONS ABOUT BURGUNDY
PART ONE: THE GROWERS AND PRODUCERS OF BURGUNDY
Domaine Bertrand Ambroise
Bernard Amiot
Pierre Amiot et Fils
Amiot-Bonfils
Domaine Robert Ampeau
Domaine Pierre André
Domaine Marquis d’Angerville
Domaine Arlaud Père et Fils
Domaine de l’Arlot
Domaine Comte Armand
Domaine Arnoux Père et Fils
Domaine Robert Arnoux
Auvigue-Burrier-Revel
Domaine Bernard Bachelet et Fils
Domaine Denis Bachelet
Domaine Jean-Claude Bachelet
Domaine Bachelet-Ramonet
Château Bader-Mimeur
Domaine Raymond Ballot-Millot et Fils
Domaine André Bart
Domaine Gaston Barthod-Noëllat
Domaine L. Bassy
Château du Basty
Domaine Philippe Batacchi
Domaine Charles et Paul Bavard
Paul Beaudet
Château de Beauregard
Domaine Adrien Belland
Domaine Joseph Belland
Domaine Gérard Berger
Domaine Bernard
Domaine Alain Bernillon
Domaine Pierre Bernollin
Domaine René Berrod-Les Roches du Vivier
Domaine Bersan et Fils
Domaine Bertagna
Domaine Denis Berthaut
Domaine Pierre Bertheau
Domaine Besancenot-Mathouillet
Domaine André Besson
Albert Bichot
Domaine Léon Bienvenu
Domaine Billard-Gonnet
Domaine Billaud-Simon
Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur
Domaine Pierre Bitouzet
Domaine Simon Bize et Fils
Domaine de Blagny
Domaine Blain-Gagnard
Domaine Blondeau-Danne
Domaine Guy Bocard
Domaine Marcel Bocquenet
Domaine Henri Boillot
Jean-Marc Boillot
Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils
Domaine Pierre Boillot
Domaine de Boischampt
Château de Boisfranc
Jean-Claude Boisset
Domaine Boisson-Vadot
Domaine de la Boittière
Domaine André Bonhomme
Domaine Bonneau du Martray
Château Bonnet
Domaine Bonnot-Lamblot
Domaine Bordeaux-Montrieux
Domaine René Borgeon
Bouchard Père et Fils
Bouchard Aîné et Fils
Domaine Bouillard
Domaine Jean-Marc Bouley
Domaine Georges Boulon
Bourée Père et Fils
Domaine Denis Boussey
Domaine Xavier Bouzerand
Domaine Michel Bouzereau
Domaine Hubert Bouzereau-Gruère
Domaine Boyer-Martenot
Domaine Guy Braillon
Domaine Jean-Claude Brelière
Domaine Bressand
Domaine Michel Briday
Domaine Luc Brintet et Frédéric Charles
Domaine Marc Brocot
Domaine des Brureaux
Domaine de la Bruyère
Domaine Georges Bryczek
Domaine A. Buisson-Battault
Alain Burguet
Château de Byonne
Domaine Jacques Cacheux-Blée et Fils
Roger Caillot et Fils
Château Cambon
Domaine Camus
Domaine Luc Camus
Domaine Bernard Cantin
Domaine Capitain-Gagnerot
Domaine Capron-Manieux
Domaine Louis Carillon
Domaine Denis Carré
Domaine Guy Castagnier
Domaine Cathiard-Molinier
Caves de Bailly
Caves des Vignerons de Buxy
Domaine Ceci
Cellier des Samsons
Château de la Chaize
Domaine Yves Chaley
Château de Chambolle-Musigny
Domaine du Château de Chamilly
Domaine Champagnon
Domaine Bernard Champier
Champy Père
Domaine de la Chanaise
Domaine Émil Chandesais
Domaine Chandon de Briailles
Domaine Chanson Père et Fils
Chanut Frères
Domaine Chanzy Frères-Domaine de l’Hermitage
Domaine Maurice Chapuis
Domaine François Charles
Domaine Maurice Charleux
Domaine Philippe Charlopin-Parizot
Domaine Jean-Marc Charmet
Château de la Charrière
Domaine Jean Chartron
Chartron et Trébuchet
Château de Chassagne-Montrachet
Château du Chasselas
F. Chauvenet
Domaine Jean Chauvenet
Domaine Anne-Marie Chavy
Domaine des Chazelles
Domaine de Chervin
Domaine Chevalier Père et Fils
Domaine Thomas la Chevalière
Domaine Georges et Michel Chevillon
Robert Chevillon
Domaine Paul Chevrot
Domaine Cheysson-Les-Fargues
Domaine Georges Chicotot
Domaine Michel Chignard
Domaine Jean Chofflet
Domaine André Chopin et Fils
Domaine Daniel Chopin-Groffier
Domaine Chouet-Clivet
Domaine Bruno Clair
Domaine Michel Clair
Domaine Henri Clerc et Fils
Domaine Georges Clerget
Domaine Michel Clerget
Domaine Raoul Clerget
Domaine Yvon Clerget
Domaine du Clos des Lambrays
Domaine Michel Cluny et Fils
Domaine Julien Coche-Debord
Domaine J. F. Coche-Dury
Domaine Fernand Coffinet
Domaine Marc Colin
Domaine Michel Colin
Domaine Robert Colinot
Domaine Jean Collet
Domaine Les Colombiers
Domaine de la Combe au Loup
Domaine de la Condemine
Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron
Domaine J. Confuron-Cotetidot
Domaine Evon et Chantai Contat-Grangé
Cooperative La Chablisienne
Cooperative Charnay-les-Mâcon
Cooperative Clessé-la-Vigne-Blanche
Cooperative Igé-Les-Vignerons d’Igé
Cooperative Lugny
Cooperative Mancey
Cooperative Prissé
Cooperative Viré
Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot
Château de Corcelles
Domaine Roger Cordier
Château de Coreaux
Domaine Claude Cornu
Domaine Edmond Cornu
Coron Père et Fils
Domaine Corsin
Domaine Guy Cotton
Domaine de Madame de Courcel
Domaine des Courlis
Domaine Gérard Creusefond
Domaine Louis Curveux
Domaine Dalicieux
Domaine Pierre Damoy
Domaine Darnat
Domaine Jean Dauvissat
Domaine René & Vincent Dauvissat
David et Foillard
Domaine Jean Defaix
Domaine Robert et Philippe Defrance
Domaine Amédée Degrange
Domaine Roger Delaloge
Domaine Marius Delarche
Domaine Georges Deléger
Domaine Denis Père et Fils
Domaine Jacques Depagneux
Domaine André Depardon
Domaine Desplaces Frères
Vins Dessalle
Domaine Louis Claude Desvignes
Domaine des Deux Roches
Domaine Jean-Pierre Diconne
Domaine Diochon
Domaine Gérard Doreau
Domaine Doudet-Naudin
Domaine Jean-Paul Droin
Joseph Drouhin
Domaine Drouhin-Larose
Georges Duboeuf
Domaine Roger Duboeuf et Fils
Domaine P. Dubreuil-Fontaine et Fils
Domaine Duchet
Domaine des Ducs
Dufouleur Père et Fils
Domaine Pierre Dugat
Domaine Dujac
Domaine Duperon
Domaine Marcel Duplessis
Domaine Guillemard Dupont et Fils
Domaine Michel Dupont-Fahn
Domaine Dupont-Tisserandot
Domaine Raymond Dupuis
Domaine Jean et Yves Durand
Domaine René Durand
Domaine Jacques Durand-Roblot
Domaine Dureuil-Janthial
Domaine G. Duvernay
Domaine Maurice Ecard et Fils
Domaine de l’Eglantière
Domaine René Engel
Domaine M. Frédéric Esmonin
Domaine Michel Esmonin
Joseph Faiveley
Domaine Jean Faurois
Domaine Pierre Ferraud et Fils
Domaine J. A. Ferret
Vins Fessey
Domaine Bernard Fèvre
Domaine William Fèvre/Domaine de la Maladière/Ancien Domaine Auffray
Domaine Fichet
Domaine René Fleurot-Larose
Domaine de la Folie
Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard
Domaine André Forest
Domaine Forey Père et Fils
Domaine Gabriel Fournier
Domaine Jean-Claude Fourrier
Domaine Marcel et Bernard Fribourg
Château Fuissé
Domaine G. A. E. C. de Chantemerle
Domaine G. A. E. C. du Colombier
Domaine G. A. E. C. du Clos du Roi
Domaine G. F. A. de Combiaty
Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard
Domaine Gagnard-Delagrange
Domaine Michel Gaidon
Domaine Jean Garaudet
Domaine du Gardin-Clos Salomon
Domaine Michel Gaunoux
Domaine Paul Gauthier
Domaine Gay Père et Fils
Domaine Geantet-Pansiot
Domaine Geisweiler et Fils
Domaine Pierre Gelin
Domaine Louis Genillon
Château Génot Boulanger
Domaine Alain Geoffroy
Domaine Lucien Geoffroy
Domaine de la Gérarde
Domaine François Gerbet
Domaine Henri Germain
Domaine Jacques Germain
Maison Jean Germain
Domaine Maurice and Jean-Michel Giboulot
Domaine Emilian Gillet
Domaine Girard-Vollot et Fils
Domaine Armand Girardin
Domaine Bernard Glantenay
Gobet
Domaine Laurent Goillot
Domaine René Gonon
Domaine Michel Goubard
Domaine Henri Gouges
Domaine Bertrand de Gramont
Machard de Gramont
Domaine de la Grand Cour
Château du Grand Vernay
Domaine des Grandes Bruyères
Domaine des Granges
Domaine Alain Gras
Château de la Greffière
Domaine Henri-Lucius Grégoire
Domaine Albert Grivault
Domaine Jean Grivot
Domaine Robert Groffier
Domaine Anne-Françoise Gros
Domaine Jean Gros
Domaine Gros Frère et Soeur
Groupement de Producteurs de Prissé
Domaine Claudius Guerin
Domaine René Guerin
Domaine Guffens-Heynen
Domaine Pierre Guillemot
Domaine Guillot
Domaine Jean Guitton
Domaine Antonin Guyon
Domaine Hubert Guyot-Verpiot
Domaine Haegelen-Jayer
Château Philippe Le Hardi
Domaine des Hautes-Cornières
Domaine Heresztyn
Domaine André L’Heritier
Domaine L’Heritier-Guyot
Domaine Hospices de Beaune
Domaine Hospices de Nuits
Domaine Alain Hudelot-Noëllat
Domaine Bernard Hudelot-Verdel
Domaine Huguenot Père et Fils
Domaine Frederick Humbert
Jaboulet-Vercherre
Domaine Lucien Jacob
Château des Jacques
Paul et Henri Jacqueson
Louis Jadot
Jaffelin
Domaine Jacky Janodet
Domaine Patrick Javiller
Domaine Georges Jayer
Domaine Henri Jayer
Domaine Jacqueline Jayer
Domaine Robert Jayer-Gilles
Domaine Jeannin-Naltet Père et Fils
Domaine Jessiaume Père et Fils
Domaine François Jobard
Domaine Georges Jobert
Domaine Joblot
Domaine Jean-Luc Joillot-Porcheray
Domaine Philippe Joliet
Domaine Jean Joliot et Fils
Domaine Pierre Jomard
Domaine Michel Juillot
Château de Juliénas
Labouré-Roi
Château des Labourons
Domaine André et Bernard Labry
Château de Lacarelle
Domaine Henri Lafarge
Domaine Michel Lafarge
Domaine Comte Lafon
Domaine Lafouge
Domaine Lehaye Père et Fils
Domaine Laleure-Piot
Domaine Lamarche
Domaine de la Cave Lamartine
Lamblin et Fils
Domaine Hubert Lamy
Domaine Lamy-Pillot
Domaine Edmund Laneyrie
Domaine Hubert Lapierre
Domaine Laroche
Domaine Larue
Domaine Roger Lassarat
Domaine Jean Lathuilière
Domaine Henri Latour
Louis Latour
Château de Latour-Bordon
Domaine Latour-Giraud
Domaine Roland Lavantureux
Domaine Philippe Leclerc
Domaine René Leclerc
Domaine Leflaive
Olivier Leflaive Frères
Domaine François Legros
Domaine Lejeune
Domaine Lequin-Roussot
Domaine Leroy
Leroy-Négociant
Domaine Thierry Lespinasse
Domaine du Levant
Domaine Georges Lignier
Hubert Lignier
Domaine A. Long-Depaquit
Loron et Fils
Domaine Lumpp Frères
Lupé-Cholet
Domaine Roger Luquet
Lycée Agricole et Viticole
Domaine du Duc de Magenta
Domaine Henri Magnien
Domaine Michel Magnien
Domaine Maillard Père et Fils
Domaine la Maison
Domaine des Malandes
Domaine Michel Mallard et Fils
Domaine Maldant
Château de la Maltroye
Domaine Manciat-Poncet
Domaine Manière-Noirot
Domaine Yves Marceau Domaine de la Croix Gault
Domaine Marchand-Grillot et Fils
P. de Marcilly Frères
Domaine Jean Marechal
Domaine des Maronniers
Domaine Maroslavac-Leger
Domaine Tim Marshall
Domaine Maurice Martin
Domaine René Martin
Les Vins Mathelin
Domaine Mathias
Domaine Joseph Matrot
Domaine Maume
Domaine Mazilly Père et Fils
Domaine Meix Foulot
Domaine Louis Menand Père et Fils
Domaine Méo-Camuzet
Château de Mercey
Domaine Prince Florent de Mérode
Domaine Mestre Père et Fils
Château de Meursault
Domaine Bernard Meziat
Domaine Bernard Michel
Domaine Louis Michel/Domaine de la Tour Vaubourg
Domaine René Michel
Domaine Alain Michelot
Domaine Jean Michelot
Domaine Michelot-Buisson
Domaine M. Millet
Domaine Raymond Millot et Fils
Domaine Pierre Millot-Battault
Domaine René et Christian Miolane
P. Misserey
Moillard
Domaine Daniel Moine-Hudelot
Domaine de la Monette
Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret
Domaine Jean Monnier et Fils
Domaine René Monnier
Domaine Jean-Pierre Monnot
Domaine de Montbellet
Château de Monthélie
Domaine Monthélie-Douhairet
Domaine Hubert de Montille
Domaine Henri Morconi
Domaine Bernard Moreau
Domaine Jean Moreau
Domaine J. Moreau et Fils
Domaine Bernard Morey
Domaine Jean-Marc Morey
Domaine Marc Morey
Domaine Pierre Morey
Domaine Albert Morot
Domaine Denis Mortet
Domaine Jean Mortet
Domaine Mosnier
Château du Moulin-à-Vent
Domaine Gérard Mouton
Domaine Gérard et René Mugneret
Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg
Domaine Guy Mugnier-La-P’tiote Cave
Domaine Gabriel Muskovac
Domaine André Mussy
Philippe Naddef
Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand
Domaine Newman
Domaine Michel Niellon
Domaine P. M. Ninot-Cellier-Meix-Guillaume
Domaine Gilles Noblet
Domaine Michel Noëllat
Domaine André Nudant et Fils
Domaine Parent
Domaine Parigot Père et Fils
Domaine Jean Pascal et Fils
Pasquier-Desvignes
Domaine Alain Passot
Patriarche Père et Fils
Baron Patrick
Domaine Pavelot
Domaine Pavelot-Glantenay
Domaine Pavillon de Chavannes
Domaine Joseph Pellerin
Domaine André Pelletier
Domaine des Perdrix
Domaine Pernin-Rossin
Domaine Paul Pernot
Domaine Les Perrières
Domaine Noël Perrin
Domaine Perrin-Ponsot
Domaine Henri Perrot-Minot
Domaine André Philippon
Piat Père et Fils
Domaine des Pierres Blanches
Domaine des Pierres Rouges
Château de Perreux
Domaine des Pillets
Domaine Fernand Pillot
Domaine Paul Pillot
Louis Pinson
Domaine Pitoiset-Urena
Château de Pizay
Domaine Jean Podor
Château de Pommard
Domaine Ponsot
Domaine Pothier-Rieusset
Domaine Michel Pouhin-Seurre
Domaine de la Poulette
Domaine de la Pousse d’Or
Domaine Jacques Prieur
Domaine Maurice Prieur
Domaine Prieur-Brunet
Domaine du Prieuré (Lugny)
Domaine du Prieuré (Rully)
Domaine du Prieuré (Savigny Les Beaune)
Domaine Propriete des Vignes
Prosper-Maufoux
Domaine Maurice Protheau et Fils
Domaine Henri Prudhon
Domaine Michel Prunier
Domaine Roger Prunier
Domaine Max Quenot Fils et Meuneveaux
Domaine Charles Quillardet
Quinson
Domaine Ragot
Domaine Ramonet
Château de Raousset
Domaine Rapet Père et Fils
Domaine Gaston et Pierre Ravaut
Domaine François et Jean-Marie Raveneau
Domaine Rebougeon-Mure
Domaine Henri Rebourseau
A. Regnard et Fils
La Reine Pedauque
Remoissenet Père et Fils
Domaine Henri Remoriquet
Domaine des Remparts
Domaine Louis Remy
Domaine de la Renarde
Domaine Henri Richard
Domaine Riger-Briset
Domaine Bernard Rion Père et Fils
Domaine Daniel Rion
Domaine de Roally
Domaine Guy Robin
Domaine de la Roche
Domaine André la Rochette
Domaine Joel Rochette
Antonin Rodet
Domaine Maurice Rollin Père et Fils
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Domaine Frères
Domaine Michel Rossignol
Domaine Philippe Rossignol
Domaine Régis Rossignol-Changarnier
Domaine Joseph Roty
Domaine Rougeot
Domaine Emanuel Rouget
Domaine Guy Roulot
Domaine Georges Roumier
Domaine Hervé Roumier
Domaine Michel du Roure
Domaine Armand Rousseau
Domaine Roux Père et Fils
Domaine Roy Frères
Domaine Roy Père et Fils
Domaine Ruet
Château de Rully
Domaine de Rully Saint-Michel
Domaine de Ruyère
Domaine Fabian et Louis Saier
Domaine Francis Saillant
Domaine Sainte-Claire
Domaine Jean-Louis Santé
Paul Sapin
Domaine Robert Sarrau-Caves de l’Ardières
Château de la Saule
Domaine Étienne Sauzet
Domaine Savoye
Domaine René Savoye
Domaine Daniel Senard
Domaine Christian Serafin
Domaine Bernard Serveau
Domaine Servelle-Tachot
Domaine Maurice et Hervé Sigaut
Domaine Simon Fils
Simmonet-Febvre
Domaine Robert Sirugue
Domaine de la Sorbière
Domaine Luc Sorin
Domaine Albert Sothier
Domaine Suremain
Domaine Talmard
Domaine Jean Tardy
Domaine J. Taupenot-Merme
Domaine Philippe Testut
Domaine Raymond et Michel Tête
Domaine Thenard
Domaine Jean Thevenet
Domaine René Thévenin-Monthelie et Fils
Domaine Thevenot-Le-Brun et Fils
Château Thivin
Domaine Gérard Thomas
Domaine Tollot-Beaut et Fils
Domaine Francis Tomatis et Fils
Domaine Tortochot
Château de la Tour
Domaine de la Tour Bajole
Château des Tours
Domaine Louis Trapet
Domaine Gérard Tremblay-Domaine des Îles
Trenel et Fils
Domaine Michel Tribolet
Domaine Georges Trichard
Domaine J. Truehot-Martin
Domaine Jean Vachet
Domaine G. Vachet-Rousseau
Domaine Valls-Laboureau
Domaine des Varoilles
Domaine Bernard Vaudoisey-Mutin
Domaine de Vauroux
Domaine des Velanges
Domaine Alain Verdet
Domaine Lucien et Robert Verger
Domaine Veuve-Steinmaier et Fils
Domaine des Vignes des Demoiselles
Domaine Thierry Vigot
Domaine A. P. de Villaine
Domaine Henri de Villamont
Domainé Rene Virely-Arcelain
Domaine Bernard Virely-Rougeot
Domaine L. Vitteau-Alberti
Domaine Émile Voarick
Domaine Michel Voarick
Domaine Robert Vocoret et Fils
Domaine Alain Voegeli
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé
Domaine Joseph Voillot
Domaine Leni Volpato
Domaine de Vuril
André Ziltener Père et Fils
PART TWO: THE VILLAGES AND APPELLATIONS OF BURGUNDY
Chablis
Côte de Nuits
Marsanny and Fixin
Gevrey-Chambertin
Morey St.-Denis
Chambolle-Musigny
Vougeot
Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Echézeaux
Nuits St.-Georges
Côte de Beaune
Ladoix-Serrigny
Aloxe-Corton
Pernand-Vergelesses
Savigny-Lès-Beaune
Chorey-Lès-Beaune
Beaune
Pommard
Volnay
Monthélie
Auxey-Duresses
Saint-Romain
Meursault
Puligny-Montrachet
Chassagne-Montrachet
Saint-Aubin
Santenay
Hautes-Côtes de Beaune
Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
Côte Chalonnaise
Bouzeron
Rully
Mercurey
Givry
Montagny
Mâconnais
Beaujolais
Saint-Amour
Juliénas
Chénas
Moulin-à-Vent
Fleurie
Chiroubles
Morgon
Régnié
Brouilly
Côte de Brouilly
Côteaux de Lyonnais
PART THREE: THE VINTAGES (1945-1989)
APPENDIX: STAR RATINGS OF THE GROWERS AND PRODUCERS
INDEX
A List of the Maps of Burgundy
Burgundy, 64
Chablis, 382
Côtes de Nuits, 396
Fixin, 397
Gevrey-Chambertin, 402
Morey St.-Denis, 417
Chambolle-Musigny and Vougeot, 425
Flagey-Echézeaux and Vosne-Romanée, 444
Nuits St.-Georges, 456
Prémeaux-Prissey, 462
Côte de Beaune, 465
Ladoix-Serrigny, 468
Aloxe-Corton, 472
Pernand-Vergelesses, 480
Savigny-Lès-Beaune, 490
Chorey-Lès-Beaune, 497
Beaune, 502
City of Beaune, 506
Pommard, 513
Volnay, 521
Monthélie and Auxey-Duresses, 530
Saint-Romain, 540
Meursault, 544
Puligny-Montrachet, 554
Chassagne-Montrachet, 570
Saint-Aubin, 578
Santenay, 584
Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, 593
Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, 594
Côte Chalonnais, 600
Mâconnais, 622
Beaujolais, 630
Strawberry, cherry, raspberry, and plum predominate in the young wine, but as it ages, the cherry becomes more scented, the plums turn to prunes, chocolate and woodsmoke and figs mingle with truffles and over-hung game and the decayed stink of old vegetables.
—Oz Clarke Sainsbury’s Regional Wine Guide
Fine, mature burgundy is velvety, usually quite alcoholic, often heady. And even young, immature burgundy does not have the swingeingly tannic dryness, the astringency of red bordeaux.
—Michael Broadbent The Great Vintage Wine Book
Burgundy has great genius. It does wonders within its period; it does all except to keep up in the race; it is short-lived.
—George Meredith The Egoist
Great burgundy smells of shit. It is most surprising, but the French recognized long ago, ça sent la merde
and ça sent le purin
being common expressions of the Côte.
—Anthony Hanson Burgundy
Burgundy has the advantage—to which a young palate is particularly sensitive—of a clear, direct appeal, immediately pleasing and easy to comprehend on a primary level…. Burgundy is a lovely thing when you can get anybody to buy it for you.
—A. J. Liebling Between Meals
Burgundy is an easier wine to taste, judge, and understand than bordeaux.
—Hugh Johnson Modern Encyclopedia of Wine
I rejoiced in Burgundy. How can I describe it. For centuries every language has been strained to define its beauty, and has produced only wild conceits or the stock epithets of the trade.
—Evelyn Waugh Brideshead Revisited
The legendary wine-producing area in eastern France known as Burgundy encompasses five basic regions. The most renowned and prestigious wines emerge from either Chablis or the Côte d’Or, which encompasses the two famous golden slopes called the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. Immediately south of the Côte d’Or are the potentially promising, largely unexplored Côte Chalonnaise and the vast, well-known and exploited Mâconnais area, both of which are within the geographic department the French call Saône-et-Loire. Lastly, there is Beaujolais, the most southern viticultural region, ironically located within the Department of the Rhône, but historically considered part of Burgundy.
The continental climate of Burgundy is significantly different from the maritime climate of Bordeaux, which is located on the Atlantic Ocean in western France. While the microclimates of Bordeaux are shaped by the ocean to the west and the giant Gironde River that divides the region in half, there are no rivers in Burgundy that significantly affect the climate. Burgundy, as a result, suffers more than Bordeaux from the significant rainfall that is often carried on the prevailing west winds that buffet the area. There are also devastating hailstorms. While such storms are not uncommon in Bordeaux, in Burgundy they can reach catastrophic proportions, particularly when triggered by the high heat and humidity of August. The hailstones cause the vines to shed their foliage, scar the grape skins, and promote the growth of rot. These hailstorms are particularly common in the northern half of the Côte d’Or, particularly in the Côte de Nuits. Balancing these negative weather factors is the northerly latitude of Burgundy, which provides for longer hours of daylight than Bordeaux. Anyone who has spent a summer evening in Burgundy will undoubtedly remember the 10:00-10:30 P.M. sunset. As a result, Burgundy receives almost as much sunlight as Bordeaux, located hundreds of miles to the southwest with an undoubtedly hotter, more stable maritime climate. Burgundy, in order to attain a top vintage, must have dry, sunny (not necessarily torrid) days from the beginning of September onward. Historically, Burgundy’s finest vintages have been those when July and August were dry and warm, and September spectacular. While windy, cold, damp weather in June often reduces the size of the crop (Chablis has notoriously unpredictable weather in late spring and is particularly vulnerable), poor weather early will have no bearing on the vintage’s quality if July, August, and September are generally dry and warm. Of these three months, September is the most important because cold or wet weather during this month will dilute the grapes, lower acidities and sugar, and promote the growth of rot. No wonder the vignerons in Burgundy say, "Juin fait la quantité et septembre fait la qualité," meaning June makes the quantity and September makes the quality.
When Mother Nature cooperates, the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes excel in such a frosty northerly latitude due to the kimmeridge clay/limestone soil. In Chablis, this soil and its cousin, the portlandian limestone, are ideal for Chardonnay. The famed Côte d’Or, which for many connoisseurs of Burgundy is that region’s beginning and end, is essentially a limestone ridge representing the eastern edge of a calcareous plateau that empties into the Saône River basin. The northern half, the Côte de Nuits, has an easterly orientation that gradually shifts toward a more southeasterly exposure. This ridge runs for about 31 miles between Marsannay and Santenay. In the Côte Chalonnaise, the limestone ridge begins to break up into a chain of small hills that have limestone subsoils with clay/sand topsoils that are occasionally enriched with iron deposits. However, the underlying limestone strata are still present and continue not only through the Côte Chalonnaise but also through the pastoral, rolling hills of the neighboring Mâconnais region, giving way finally to the granite-based soils of the Beaujolais region.
Each of Burgundy’s five major wine-producing regions possesses an identity and character that I have attempted to capture in this book. With a production of nearly 1,200,000 cases of Chardonnay a year, Chablis, the most northern of Burgundy’s famed wine regions, perplexingly remains a mystery wine. No doubt the multitude of styles of wine produced, in addition to the fact that the name Chablis has been reprehensibly bastardized throughout the world, have combined to cause many consumers to turn their noses at the mention of Chablis. Nevertheless, there are seven Grands Crus of Chablis that are capable of producing hauntingly intense wines with extraordinary precision and clarity to their flavors. There are also more than two dozen principal Premiers Crus, several meriting Grand Cru status, and a number undeserving of their Premier Cru status. All of this translates into confusion—making Chablis the most enigmatic wine region of Burgundy.
The Côte d’Or, or golden slope (so named not because the wines produced there are worth their weight in gold, but because of the deep golden brown color of the vineyards in autumn), is surely the most thoroughly scrutinized and inspected stretch of real estate in the world. Historically, the monks of the Abbey of Cîteaux first exploited these hills. But over the last 150 years, the French government has examined every field, valley, crevice, and outcropping, and determined that only 31 vineyards in a 31-mile stretch of limestone are capable of producing Grand Cru red and white burgundy. Just over 300 of these fields were deemed suitable enough to produce Premier Cru red and white burgundies. If the French government had not chosen to painstakingly inspect and classify the tens of thousands of fields that make up this golden slope, and if the vast estates of the church and wealthy landowners had not been dismantled during France’s 1789 revolution, today’s fragmented world of Burgundy might resemble Bordeaux, with its huge châteaux and giant vineyards.
Why Burgundy, and in particular the Côte d’Or, is so excruciatingly difficult to comprehend is best illustrated by the complexity of one of the golden slope’s most hallowed Grand Cru vineyards, Clos Vougeot. This 124-acre vineyard has 77 different proprietors. Some of them sell their wines to large brokers to be blended with Clos Vougeot from other producers. At least three dozen growers estate-bottle their production. In short, the consumer is confronted with nearly four dozen different versions of Clos Vougeot. All of it is entitled to Grand Cru status, all of it is frighteningly expensive, yet only a small percentage of the wines could ever be described as sublime or celestial. Imagine, if you can, 77 different growers/producers making wine at the famous 125-acre Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, or the 120-acre Château Latour in Bordeaux. Clos Vougeot is the Côte d’Or’s most distressingly chaotic vineyard to fathom, but its fragmented ownership and enormous range of wine quality typify Burgundy.
South of the Côte d’Or is the Côte Chalonnaise, today’s best source for reasonably priced, well-made red and white burgundies. In the nineties consumers will need to take advantage of this viticultural region if they are intent on drinking affordable French red or white burgundy. Two-thirds of the vineyards are planted with Pinot Noir, a grape that has demonstrated a fondness for the clay subsoils of the area. The top Chardonnay vineyards are planted in chalky, limestone soils. This is an exciting area to watch as evidenced by the significant investments made in the Côte Chalonnaise by several of the Côte d’Or’s leading producers.
The Mâconnais region lies to the south of the Côte Chalonnaise. It is a pastoral landscape with small ridges broken up by tree-topped hillsides. It is primarily white wine country as the chalky, limestone soil there is ideal for producing fresh, exuberant whites from the Chardonnay grape. Red wine is also made in the Mâconnais, but it is generally insipid and feeble.
When the hillsides of the Mâconnais turn into small mountains, blanketed with vineyards and ranging in height from 2,300 to 3,500 feet, you are in Beaujolais. The landscape is not the only major change in evidence here; the red wine grape also changes from Pinot Noir to Camay. In the sandy, stony, schistous soil of these hillsides, the world’s fruitiest, freshest, and most exuberant red wine is produced in oceanic quantities, and is generally drunk within hours of purchase. I have never been able to comprehend why Beaujolais is considered part of Burgundy (officially it is within France’s Department of the Rhône), but historically it is.
The grapes of Burgundy are well known. The great reds are the result of only one grape—the Pinot Noir, the most fickle and difficult grape from which to cultivate and produce wine. While it buds and ripens early, its thin, fragile skin makes it highly vulnerable to rot and mildew. Although it likes warmth, it will shed much of its aromatic character, flavor, dimension, and precision when it is grown in too hot a climate. It is a grape that can offer an astoundingly complex bouquet and flavor, but rarely provides great color. To those weaned on Bordeaux or California Cabernet, red burgundy must indeed look suspiciously feeble. However, new techniques, including the controversial extended cold maceration prior to fermentation, seem to suggest that the Pinot Noir can produce deeply colored wines under certain circumstances.
In Burgundy, if the Pinot Noir fails, the red wine producers have no recourse to other grapes. Contrast that with the situation in Bordeaux where four major red grape varietals may be employed in a number of different proportions. If the Merlot crop is diluted because of rain, the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon can be increased, or other grapes, such as Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot, can be used to augment the blend. In short, intelligent blending can still produce a very fine wine if one varietal fails. In Burgundy, however, the grower lives or dies with the Pinot Noir.
The only other red wine grape to be found in Burgundy is the Camay. It is widely planted in the Mâconnais area and generally produces vapid wines. However, it is responsible for the delicious, crunchy, fruity, exuberant red wines of Beaujolais. It is not capable of producing longlived wines, although a handful of producers who possess old vines and discourage high yields can make Beaujolais, particularly from the cru Moulin-à-Vent, that can last up to a decade. For the majority of producers, however, the Gamay’s strengths are its prolific yields, and its ability, when fermented via the carbonic maceration method, to routinely turn out extremely fresh, profitable wines that can be drunk within months of the grape harvest.
As for Burgundy’s white wine grapes, the Chardonnay is king. The great white burgundies are the standard-bearers for the rest of the world. The tiny fields of Corton-Charlemagne, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, and Meursault produce wines that are emulated by many, equalled by few, surpassed by none. The Chardonnay grape thrives in Burgundy’s limestone soil and, unlike the Pinot Noir, seems capable of producing decent wine even during exceptionally wet harvest months. All of the growers and producers acknowledge that it is easy to make good Chardonnay, but exceedingly rare to produce compelling, great Chardonnay.
The white wine grape Aligoté is also found in Burgundy. At its worst, it is lean, mean, acidic, and nasty. At its best, Aligoté represents an excellent value and delicious wine at a budget price. Pinot Blanc is occasionally planted. It often tends to be too heavy, but there are some good examples, particularly in the Côte de Nuits. There is also Pinot Gris, frequently called Pinot Beurot. Personally, I would like to see more Pinot Gris made in Burgundy since the examples I have tasted are fascinating.
Geologists believe the limestone shelf now called the Côte d’Or was formed over 150 million years ago, well before man appeared on the scene. During what is called the Jurassic Period (between 135 and 195 million years ago), the geological face of Burgundy began to take shape. Formed during this epoch were the petrified remains of sea life, compressed over time with a calcareous mudstone, as well as the rock that resulted from the precipitation of lime from the seawater that then covered Burgundy. The limestone rocks sprinkled with marlstone comprise the backbone of the various hillsides and most renowned vineyard sites of not only the Côte d’Or, but also the slopes of Chablis, the Côte Chalonnaise, and the Maconnais.
Viticulture is believed to have been launched in Burgundy by either the Greeks or the Romans. There was a thriving Greek settlement at Marseilles around 600 B.C., leading some observers to surmise that the Greeks, travelling through the Rhône Valley, were responsible for the vineyards planted along the hillsides of the Rhône River as well as those further north in Burgundy. Other observers claim that viticulture was brought to Burgundy by the Romans, whose influence can be seen in the architectural ruins that archaeologists have unearthed. In 52 B.C. Julius Caesar destroyed the 250,000-man army of Gaul led by Vercingetorix, thus consolidating Roman rule. Along with Caesar’s legions and his conquest of Gaul came a degree of stability and civilization that provided the necessary economy to foster the production of wine. It would be unlikely that the Romans, who adored wine, would not encourage vineyard development and wine production in a territory so far from their home vineyards. However, the absence of any hard evidence makes such theories conjectural.
While the Greeks or Romans probably planted the first vineyards in Burgundy, it was the advent of Christianity and the flourishing of the church that brought Burgundy to its ascendency. The Benedictine order of Cluny in the Mâconnais, founded in the tenth century by the Duc d’Aquitaine, was the dominant monastic order of Burgundy. Historians have long wondered whether the Duc d’Aquitaine’s gift to the Benedictine monks of Cluny was inspired by bad-faith power politics, or was simply a charitable donation. Clearly the Duc realized that the Benedictines controlled more than 1,500 monasteries throughout Europe and were as powerful an entity as any government of the time. Until the French Revolution at the end of the eighteenth century, the Abbey of Cluny was one of the greatest religious centers in Europe as well as an immense political and economic power.
In 1098 A.D., another Benedictine order, the Cistercians, was established at the Abbey of Cîteaux in a desolate area just to the east of the village of Nuits St.-Georges. This village, and its wine, was to be unwaveringly tied to the influence and prosperity of the church until the French Revolution of 1789.
The new abbey at Cîteaux was governed according to the fundamental teachings of St. Benedict. The monks’ religious enthusiasm and work ethic were renowned. They believed in a spartan lifestyle and physically exhausting hard labor. This philosophy apparently led to the Cistercians’ decision to cultivate the poor, infertile, rocky soil of what today is known as the Côte d’Or. This stretch of limestone hillsides had long proved unsuitable for crops, but the Cistercians, with their commitment to back-breaking labor, believed the vine could be cultivated and quality wine produced. While it may have been just good fortune, it seems more likely that the shrewd monks realized all too well that the production of quality wine, and its presence on the finest tables of Europe, was of greater influence than their most articulate and persuasive diplomat.
The expansion and empire building of the ecclesiastic orders in Burgundy was impressive, even by today’s standards. In 1141 A.D. the nuns of the Cistercian Abbey of Notre Dame du Tart purchased a vineyard in Morey St.-Denis which became known as the Clos de Tart. It remained under their control until the French Revolution. The Cistercians also launched a branch of their order at the Clos de Vougeot. They had no way of knowing that hundreds of years later that particular vineyard would become part of an elaborate appellation system imposed on all of the best winemaking regions of France. France’s appellation system, inaugurated in the twentieth century, established guidelines for the production of wine, a qualitative hierarchy based on a vineyard’s potential, as well as the price for which the wine would sell. It was considered a revolutionary concept, but in hindsight, hardly original. For example, the monks had their own notions about the quality of wine from their vineyards at Clos de Vougeot. The wine from the lower slopes of the Clos de Vougeot was called the Cuvées des Moines (the cuvée for the monks). The wine from the superior middle slopes was called Cuvées des Rois (or cuvée for the kings), and the wine from the top slopes (the finest parcels) of the Clos de Vougeot (which now abut the neighboring Grands Crus of Musigny and Grands Echézeaux) was called the Cuvée des Papes (cuvée for the popes). One of the most frequently heard arguments today is that the lower, flat ground of the Clos de Vougeot should not be entitled to Grand Cru status as it is incapable of making wine as profound as that from the top slopes. The monks, with their three separate cuvées of Clos Vougeot, apparently realized this eight centuries ago.
These religious orders controlled much of the wine that was shipped to the government in Paris, principally because France’s other renowned viticultural region, Bordeaux, was at that time controlled by the English. The market for claret was in London, not Paris.
The height of Burgundy’s power, historically referred to as the Golden Age, was from the middle of the fourteenth century to the middle of the fifteenth century. During this era, the great dukes of Burgundy controlled not only Burgundy, but also the majority of northern France and large portions of what is now Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. This period witnessed an extraordinary flourishing of art, architecture, and music. The reputation the dukes of Burgundy had for enjoying all things fine and expensive has been largely unsurpassed, even by the most materialistic, excessive dictators of the twentieth century. Under the dukes, the huge monastic orders prospered. They were the beneficiaries of large land grants, and were encouraged by the dukes to build great abbeys and cathedrals. To no one’s surprise, the church’s chief worldly export, wine, prospered as well.
There were four great dukes during this one-hundred-year eat, drink, and be merry
reign of good fortune. Philip the Bold (1364-1404), the first of these powerful dukes, obviously possessed a fine palate because in 1395 he ordered the Gamay grape to be pulled up and replaced by Pinot Noir. Philip was followed by his son, John the Fearless (1404-1419), who was assassinated by his political opponents. He was succeeded by Philip the Good (1419-1467). Primarily known as the duke who turned over France’s greatest heroine, Joan of Arc, to the English, Philip was a staunch defender and aggressive promoter of the wines of Burgundy. In 1441, he declared that the flat, poorly drained fields surrounding Dijon were legally off limits for planting Pinot Noir. He was also reputed to have frequently claimed that Burgundy was far superior to its rival to the southwest, Bordeaux. Philip the Good named Nicolas Rolin as his Chancellor. When Rolin died in 1443, he had amassed a considerable estate, which he bequeathed to the Hôtel Dieu in Beaune. Today, this building, part of the Hospices de Beaune, is a hospital that survives on money from the sale of wine produced from donated vineyards. Burgundy’s power and influence reached its zenith under the last of the great dukes, Charles the Bold (1467-1477). Charles’ undoing was his unending belligerence. When he was killed in battle in 1477 and his army destroyed, the era in which the dukes of Burgundy had enjoyed such great wealth, power, and independence came to an end.
I suspect modern-day Burgundy bears little resemblance to the Burgundy of the great dukes. The French Revolution of 1789 fundamentally altered the landscape of Burgundy, tearing apart most of the gigantic wine estates owned by the wealthy and the monastic orders. Subsequently, the Napoleonic-Sallic Code increased the fragmentation of Burgundy’s vineyards. This code required that upon the death of a parent, the land be divided equally among all sons. With each new generation, Burgundy’s lands became more and more fragmented, each parcel of land owned by a different person. Today’s Burgundy is, therefore, distressingly difficult to grasp and comprehend. This multiple ownership of the same vineyard reaches its preposterous, dizzyingly frustrating absurdity with the great vineyard of Clos Vougeot, which possesses 124 acres and 77-plus landowners. One hardly needs to be reminded of the infinite number of variations in quality that can occur from the same vineyard when the wine is made by as many as six dozen different producers.
In the late nineteenth century, Burgundy was ravaged by the phylloxera epidemic that devastated all of Europe’s vineyards. While Burgundy did escape serious damage during World War I, the area was occupied by Germany during World War II. In late 1944 and early 1945, there were some small but fierce battles between the Allied forces and the retreating Germans, particularly in the Côte de Beaune. An endearing story of a French commander has emerged from the skirmishes of the last years of World War II. The commander apparently delayed his attack on the retreating Germans for fear of damaging the best Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards of Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, and Meursault. When he was subsequently apprised that the Germans were occupying only the lower slopes, or those vineyards not entitled to Premier Cru or Grand Cru status, he immediately ordered his soldiers to attack the German positions.
In order to facilitate the reader’s understanding of the world’s most complicated wine region, I have divided the balance and heart of this book into three closely related parts. The first and most important part of this trilogy is an alphabetical listing of the major as well as many minor producers, the wines they produce, and an overview of the quality and style of wine that emerge from their cellars. One thing I have irrefutably learned in the years of research that went into this book is that it is the grower/producer who makes all the difference in Burgundy. Without a thorough understanding of who are the better producers, there is absolutely no possibility of finding the best bottles of Santenay, Mâcon-Villages, Moulin-à-Vent, Chambertin, etc.
The second part of the book addresses the different appellations of Burgundy, starting in the north with Chablis and working south through the Côte d’Or, Côte Chalonnaise, the Mâconnais, and concluding with Beaujolais. I have tried to highlight the most salient features of each Villages or appellation, pointing out those producers who merit the most attention for their exemplary efforts. At the same time, I have chosen not to ignore many famous producers whose commitment to quality leaves a great deal to be desired. I have also been cognizant of the need, where possible, to point out the best values. At least in the Côte d’Or, burgundy is not a wine that one associates with the word bargain.
However, certain Villages do satisfy both the palate and the purse. The sketches of the different Villages and appellations supplement the information about the specific growers. These village portraits are designed to give the reader a basic understanding of what to expect from each area’s wines. I have not ignored the region’s best restaurants and hotels, because Burgundy is one of the most fascinating and rewarding areas of the world to visit. It has as many art treasures and architectural wonders as any part of France. It is also France’s gastronomic center, and possesses what I consider the best cooking available in a country known the world over for its exacting culinary standards. I believe the restaurants and hotels add a dimension to the book that allows the visitor to share some of the same wonderful experiences my wife and I have enjoyed over the years.
The third section of this trilogy is the assessment of vintages from 1945 through 1989. Specific tasting notes are provided for the wines from the vintages of 1988, 1987, 1986, 1985, and 1983. In a real sense, only the tasting notes for 1988, 1987, 1986, and 1985 are of any practical use since the wines from the other vintages have, for all intents and purposes, long disappeared from the marketplace. Lamentably, I think that most of the best 1985s have disappeared as well. It is important to share these tasting notes in order to demonstrate to the reader how I thought the wines were showing, what they tasted like, and how they fared vis-à-vis their peer group. There are also summaries of the other vintages, including the most prominent and most disappointing wines.
EVALUATING WINES
How I evaluate wines has been well documented in my other writings, but it is important that it be restated.
It goes without saying that in evaluating wines professionally, proper glasses and correct serving temperature of the wine must be prerequisites to any objective and meaningful tasting. Traditionally, the best glasses for critical tasting have been those approved by the International Standards Organization. Called the ISO glass, it is tulip shaped and has been designed for tasting. However, in my office I have begun to use new glasses developed in France several years ago. Called Les Impitoyables
(the pitiless), they are without question the finest tasting glasses ever designed. Much larger than the ISO glass, the Impitoyables glasses exaggerate the wine’s bouquet, making flaws or defects much easier to spot. They are not good glasses to drink from because their opening is so narrow, but for critical evaluation, they have no equals. As for the temperature of the wine, 60°-62° F is best for red and white burgundies. If the temperature is too warm, the bouquet becomes diffuse and the taste muddled and flat. If the temperature is too cold, there is no discernible bouquet and the flavors are completely locked in by the chilling effect on the wine.
When I examine a wine critically, there is both a visual and physical examination. Against a white background the wine is first given a visual exam for its brilliance, richness, and intensity of color. For red burgundies color is significantly less important than it is for Bordeaux, Rhônes, or California Cabernets. However, all the great vintages of red burgundy, when young, traditionally share a rich, medium ruby color, whereas the poorer vintages often have weaker, less intense ruby colors due to poor weather and rain. Certainly, in 1978, 1985, and 1988 the general color of the red wines was moderately dark. In 1982, 1984, and 1986 it was medium to light ruby.
In looking at an older wine, the rim of the wine next to the glass should be examined for amber, orange, rusty, and brown colors. These are signs of maturity and are normal. When they appear in a good vintage of a serious red burgundy under 3 or 4 years old something is awry. For example, young wines that have been sloppily made and exposed to unclean barrels or air will mature at an accelerated rate and take on the look of old wines when young. Grey rot, a common problem in Burgundy, particularly in vintages such as 1983 and 1986, will cause a 3- or 4-year-old burgundy to rapidly lose its color and take on a brownish orange hue. The rot eats away at the coloring matter, and the more rampant it is in a wine, the quicker the wine will lose its color.
In addition to looking at the color of the wines, I examine the legs
of the wine, which are the tears or residue of the wine that run down the inside of the glass. Rich vintages tend to have good legs
because the grapes are rich in glycerols and alcohol-producing sugar, giving the wine a viscosity that causes this tearing
effect. Examples of vintages that produced wines with good to excellent legs
would be 1978, 1985, 1988, and 1989.
After the visual examination is completed, the actual physical examination of the wine takes place. The physical exam is composed of two parts: the smell of the wine, which depends on the olfactory senses, and the taste of the wine, which is tested on the palate. After swirling a wine, the nose must be placed into the glass (not the wine) to smell the aromas that the wine is exuding. This is an extremely critical step because the aroma of the wine will tell the examiner the ripeness and richness of the underlying fruit, the state of maturity, and whether there is anything unclean or suspicious about the wine. No responsible professional taster understates the significance of a wine’s aromas. Émile Peynaud, in his classic book on wine tasting, Le Gout du Vin (Bordas, 1983), states that there are nine principal categories of wine aromas. They are:
animal odors: smells of game, beef, venison;
balsamic odors: smells of pine trees, resin, vanilla;
woody odors: smells of new wood of oak barrels;
chemical odors: smells of acetone, mercaptan, yeasts, hydrogen sulfide, lactic and fermentation odor;
spicy odors: smells of pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, truffles, anise, mint;
empyreumatic odors: smells of crème brulée, smoke, toast, leather, coffee;
floral odors: smells of flowers, violets, roses, lilacs, jasmine;
fruity odors: smells of blackcurrants, raspberries, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, figs;
vegetable odors: smells of herbs, tea, mushrooms, vegetables.
The presence or absence of any of these aromas, their intensity, their complexity, their persistence, all serve to create the bouquet or nose of a wine that can be said to be distinguished and interesting, or flawed and simple.
Once the wine’s aroma has been examined thoroughly, the wine is simultaneously tasted and inhaled to release the aromas. The weight, richness, depth, balance, and length of a wine are apparent from the tactile impression the wine leaves on the palate. Sweetness is experienced on the tip of the tongue, saltiness just behind the tongue’s tip, acidity on the sides, and bitterness at the back. Most professional tasters will spit the wine out, although some wine is swallowed in the process. The finish or length of a wine, its ability to give off aromas and flavors even though it is no longer on the palate, is the major difference between a good young wine and a great young wine. When the flavor and the aroma of the wine seem to last and last on the palate, it is usually a great, rich wine that has just been tasted. The compelling wines from great vintages are always characterized by a purity, opulence, richness, depth, and ripeness of grapes. When such wines also have sufficient tannin and acidity, a good balance is struck. It is these characteristics that separate many a great 1985 or 1978 from a good 1987 or 1980.
RATING THE PRODUCERS AND GROWERS
Who’s who in the world of wine becomes readily apparent after years of tasting and visiting the vineyards and wine cellars of the world’s producers and growers. Great producers are, unfortunately, still quite rare, but with new technology and increased knowledge, good wine is being produced more frequently than before. All the producers in this book are evaluated using a five-star system, five stars and an outstanding
rating to those producers deemed to be the very best, four stars to those who are excellent,
three stars to good
producers, and two stars or one star to average
and below average
producers. Since the aim of the book is to provide you with the names of the very best producers, the content is dominated by the top producers rather than the less successful ones.
Those few growers and producers who have received five-star ratings make the world’s finest wines. They have been selected for this rating because of two reasons: They make the greatest wines, and they are remarkably consistent and reliable even in mediocre and poor vintages. Ratings, whether they be specific numerical ratings of individual wines or classifications of growers, are always likely to create controversy among both the growers and wine tasters. But such ratings can be reliable and powerfully informative if done impartially, with a global viewpoint, and with firsthand, on-premises (sur place) knowledge of the wines, the producers, and the type and quality of the winemaking. The important thing for readers to remember is that the growers/producers who receive either a four-star or five-star rating are the ones to search out; I suspect few consumers will ever be disappointed with one of their wines. The three-star rated growers/producers are less consistent, but can be expected to make fine wines in the very good to excellent vintages. Their weaknesses stem from either the fact that their vineyards are not so strategically placed, or because they are unable to make the severe selections necessary to make only the finest quality wine. In short, purchasing their wine in a less than spectacular vintage is fraught with risk.
Rating the growers and producers is one of this book’s most significant features and its importance cannot be underestimated. Years of wine tasting have taught me many things, but the more one tastes and assimilates knowledge, the more one begins to isolate the handful of truly world-class growers and producers who seem to rise above the crowd in great as well as mediocre vintages. I always admonish consumers against blind faith in one grower or producer, or one specific vintage, but the producers and growers rated outstanding
and excellent
are as close to a guarantee of high quality as you are likely to find.
THE STAR RATINGS
***** A grower or producer who consistently produces the finest wines of the appellation and whose goals are totally governed by quality. These are producers who spare no expense in time, labor, or materials to come as close to perfection as Mother Nature will permit.
**** An excellent to outstanding grower or producer who produces brilliant wines in most years, but can lack consistency in difficult years.
*** A good, sound grower or producer who can be expected to produce above-average quality wines in the best vintages.
** A grower or producer who turns out standard quality, unexciting wine.
* A grower or producer whose wines generally lack character and quality.
TASTING NOTES AND WINE RATINGS
All of my tastings were done in peer-group, single-blind conditions, when possible (meaning that the same types of wines are tasted against each other and the producers’ names are not known), either in my tasting room or in the cellars of the producers. The ratings reflect an independent, critical look at the wines. Neither price nor the reputation of the producer or grower affect the rating in any manner. I spend three months of every year tasting in vineyards. During the other nine months of the year, six- and sometimes seven-day workweeks are devoted solely to tasting and writing. I do not participate in wine judgings or trade tastings for many reasons, but principal among these are the following: (1) I prefer to taste from an entire bottle of wine, (2) I find it essential to have properly sized and cleaned professional tasting glasses, (3) the temperatures of the wine must be correct, and (4) I alone wish to determine the time allocated to the number of wines to be critiqued.
The numeral rating given is a guide to what I think of the wine vis-à-vis its peer group. Certainly, wines rated above 85 are very good to excellent, and any wine rated 90 or above will be outstanding for its particular type. While some have suggested that scoring is not well suited to a beverage that has been romantically extolled for centuries, wine is no different from any consumer product. There are specific standards of quality that full-time wine professionals recognize, and there are benchmark wines against which all others can be judged. I know of no one with three or four different glasses of wine in front of him or her, regardless of how good or bad the wines might be, who cannot say I prefer this one to that one.
Scoring wines is simply taking a professional’s opinion and applying some sort of numerical system to it on a consistent basis. Scoring permits rapid communication of information to expert and novice alike.
The rating system I employ in my wine journal, The Wine Advocate, is the one I have utilized in this book. It is a 50–100 point scale, the most repugnant of all wines meriting 50 since that is the starting point of the scale, and the most glorious gustatory experience commanding 100. I prefer my system to the more widely quoted 20-point scale called the Davis Scale, of the University of California at Davis, because it permits much more flexibility in scoring. It is also easier to understand because it corresponds to the American grading system, and it avoids the compression of scores from which the Davis Scale suffers. It is not without its own problems, though, because readers will often wonder what the difference is between an 86 and 87, both very good wines. The only answer I can give is a simple one: When tasted side by side, I thought the 87-point wine slightly better than the 86-point wine.
The score given for a specific wine reflects the quality of the wine at its best. I often tell people that evaluating a wine and assigning a score to a beverage that will change and evolve in many instances for up to 10 or more years is analogous to taking a photograph of a marathon runner. Much can be ascertained at that instant but, like the moving object, the wine will also evolve and change. Wines from obviously badly corked or defective bottles are retried, since a wine from such a single bad bottle does not indicate an entirely spoiled batch. Many of the wines reviewed here have been tasted many times, and the score represents a cumulative average of the wine’s performance in tastings to date. Scores, however, do not tell the entire story about a wine. The written commentary that accompanies the ratings is often a better source of information regarding the wine’s style and personality, its relative quality level vis-à-vis its peers, and its relative value and aging potential than any score could ever indicate.
Here then is a general guide to interpreting the numerical ratings:
90–100 is equivalent to an A and is given only for an outstanding or special effort. Wines in this category are the very best produced of their type and, like a three-star Michelin restaurant, merit the trouble to find and taste. There is a taste difference between a 90 and a 99, but both are top marks. As you will note throughout the text, there are few wines that actually make it into this top category simply because there just are not many truly great wines.
80–89 is equivalent to a B in school and such a wine, particularly in the 85–89 range, is very, very good; many of the wines that fall into this range often are great values as well. I would not hesitate to have any of these wines in my own personal collection.
70–79 represents a C, or average mark, but obviously 79 is a much more desirable score than 70. Wines that receive scores between 75 and 79 are generally pleasant, straightforward wines that simply lack complexity, character, or depth. If inexpensive, they may be ideal for uncritical quaffing.
Below 70 is a D or F, depending on where you went to school; for wine, too, it is a sign of an imbalanced, flawed, or terribly dull or diluted wine that will be of little interest to the smart wine consumer.
In terms of awarding points, my scoring system gives every wine a base of 50 points. The wine’s general color and appearance merit up to 5 points. Since most wines today are well made, thanks to modern technology and the increased use of professional oenologists, they tend to receive at least 4, often 5 points. The aroma and bouquet merit up to 15 points, depending on the intensity level and extract of the aroma and bouquet as well as the cleanliness of the wine. The flavor and finish merit up to 20 points, and again, intensity of flavor, balance, cleanliness, and depth and length on the palate are all important considerations when giving out points. Finally, the overall quality level or potential for further evolution and improvement—aging—merits up to 10 points.
Scores are important for the reader to gauge a professional critic’s overall qualitative placement of a wine vis-à-vis its peers. However, it is also vital to consider the description of the wine’s style, personality, and potential. No scoring system is perfect, but a system that provides for flexibility in scores, if applied without prejudice, can quantify different levels of wine quality and provide the reader with a professional’s judgment. However, there can never be any substitute for your own palate nor any better education than tasting the wine yourself.
ONE FURTHER CAVEAT
In dealing with the typical Burgundian grower/producer, one becomes acutely aware of size. The microsizes of Burgundy producers’ holdings must be conveyed to the reader since size impacts dramatically on not only a reader’s ability to find a given wine, but the price that must ultimately be paid for it.
In this book, I have converted everything from hectares to acres since the latter unit of measurement is employed in America. (For the record, 1 hectare equals 2.47 acres.) Holdings have been rounded off, either to the nearest tenth or hundredth of an acre. I have tried to verify the acreage claimed by each producer, but my figures cannot always be guaranteed, nor can the list of wines the producer claims to make. Years of experience and contradictory facts given to me by the producers have caused me to write down their information with my tongue pressed firmly against my cheek. Most of the facts given to me are extremely accurate, but growers have a tendency to understate their production while overstating their vineyard