It was a typical August evening hot, steamy and one where you long to be in an air-conditioned room, and especially if you’re going to taste twenty five  2022 white burgundies.

The room was crowded with about 25 people, you might say 1 bottle per person, but we all know that’s not how a wine tasting works!

There were 4 sections with Regional, Villages, Premier Cru and Grand Cru and you could walk around from section to section deciding what order of wines you wanted to taste.

We decided to start with the Villages because we always love to start with the better wines which often are the more expensive wines, but as we all know, that’s not always true. The bigger question is when and where can you find Burgundies that offer great value and great prices? That was our quest this evening!

The first two wines in the Villages section – Etienne Sauzet Puligny and Chateau de la Maltroye Chassagne had very alluring noses which in my case is a slight barnyardy aroma. (This is Michael chiming here.  Matt loves a funky, barnyard nose, as I do, as it is a real treat to experience the difference in the nose and the actual taste of the wine.) We gave them a 7 – 7.5 out of 10. (Michael again – I liked the Etienne better – it was simpler and not as complex as the de la Maltroye. Matt went back for a second taste and discovered he didn’t like it as much as when he first tasted it.

Note: A good rule of thumb is to go back and taste the same wine a second time, to make sure you still experience it as you did the first time around.  There are one too many times, when you don’t like it as much as the first time you tasted it!

The Violot-Guillemard Meursault ‘Les Meix Chavaux’ had a very funky nose and Matt thought it was a little light in the delivery in both fruit and body. The Renaud Boyer Puligny ‘Les Reuchaux’ felt closed and suggested that it needed a bit more time (this was the most expensive of the Villages at $200). Matt thought the best of the group was the John Colin St.Aubin ‘Mes Sept Terroirs’ at $77. It had nice fruit and a pleasant finish. After tasting 10 wines, that ranged in price from $70 to $200, $77 for a good white Burgundy seemed reasonable at the time. BTW, Michael liked the Morey-Coffinet Ladoix ($70) and the Bachey-Legros Meursault ‘Les Chevalierres ($95). Both were easy drinking, with floral noses, and were ready to drink today!  Michael is always partial to young and expressive wines1

Moving on to the Premier Crus we got a lesson on why these were the premier crus. The first one Vincent et Francois Jouard Chassagne ‘La Maltroie’ had a lovely nose. It was very complex and had a beautiful lasting finish (certainly one of both of our favorites at $105). The Jean-Marc Boillot Puligny ‘Les Combettes’ had big fruit, but Matt felt it didn’t seem as interesting the second tasting of it.  On the other hand, Michael thought this wine had it all – nose, taste, and finish. It was his favorite of the group.   Matt’s favorite of the premier cru’s was the Morey-Coffinet Chassagne “Morgeot-Les Fairendes’ which had a pleasant nose, a caramel flavor and was very enjoyable at $135. Michael liked it as well and considered it his second best of the group.

Note: Michael and Matt don’t always agree about the wines they taste – but that is no surprise if you know them!

Then we discovered why wines are called Grand Crus. The Rapet ‘Corton-Charlemagne’ was delightful. It had a light nose, but surprisingly, was a big complex wine. The finish lasted nicely on the palate, and it was a beautiful wine. You might say it is expensive for  $225, but then again, it’s up to you and your budget!   If we had more time, we would have loved to taste it again, again and again to see how the taste would change with each sip – certainly a trait of great Burgundies.

And last but not least, not to leave out the Regionals, we both found them to be in general, reasonably pleasant white burgundies ranging from $33 to $75. They were not very complex and would be fun to have with a nice meal during the week. Matt’s favorite in this group was the Pierre Girardin Bourgogne ‘Eclat de Calcaire’ at $52 and he felt that it hit all the right notes at an almost affordable price point. Michael  did not have a favorite in this group

Overall, we truly enjoyed this wine tasting. We got to taste wines we might not have tasted anyplace else. Of course, that’s why you go to wine tastings!

For those of you who might be interested in taking a deep dive into understanding the differences of Regional, Villages, Premier Cru and Grand Cru white Burgundies, we asked Claude 3.5 Sonnet AI to describe the four classifications of white burgundies below:

Regional

A regional white Burgundy wine typically refers to a Chardonnay produced in the Burgundy region of France, outside the more prestigious appellations like Chablis or Meursault. Here’s a concise description:

Origin: Burgundy region, France

Grape: Chardonnay

Classification: Usually labeled as “Bourgogne Blanc”

A regional white Burgundy wine typically refers to a Chardonnay produced in the Burgundy region of France, outside the more prestigious appellations like Chablis or Meursault. Here’s a concise description:

 

Origin: Burgundy region, France

Grape: Chardonnay

Classification: Usually labeled as “Bourgogne Blanc”

 

Characteristics:

– Color: Pale gold to light straw

– Aromas: Apple, citrus, white flowers, sometimes with hints of oak

– Flavor: Medium-bodied, crisp acidity, flavors of lemon, green apple, and subtle mineral notes

– Finish: Generally clean and refreshing

 

Winemaking: Often fermented and/or aged in oak barrels, but typically with less oak influence than higher-end Burgundies

Price point: Generally more affordable than village-level or premier cru Burgundies

Food pairings: Versatile, pairs well with poultry, seafood, and creamy pasta dishes

These wines offer a good introduction to the Burgundian style of Chardonnay at a more accessible price point.

 

Villages

A Villages white Burgundy wine is a step up from regional Burgundy, offering more specificity in terms of origin and often higher quality. Here’s a description:

Origin: Specific village-level appellations within Burgundy, France Grape: Chardonnay Classification: Labeled with the village name, e.g., “Pouilly-Fuissé” or “Saint-Véran”

Characteristics:

• Color: Typically pale to medium gold
• Aromas: More complex than regional wines, often featuring ripe fruit, floral notes, and subtle oak
• Flavor: Medium to full-bodied, with balanced acidity and more pronounced minerality
• Finish: Longer and more complex than regional wines

Winemaking:

• Often aged in oak barrels, with more new oak used than in regional wines
• More careful selection of grapes and vineyard management

Terroir: Reflects more specific soil types and microclimates of the village

Price point: Generally pricier than regional Burgundies, but less expensive than Premier or Grand Cru wines

Aging potential: Can often benefit from a few years of aging, developing more complexity

Notable Villages : Mâcon-Villages, Pouilly-Fuissé, Saint-Véran, Montagny

These wines offer a good balance of quality and value within the Burgundy hierarchy. Would you like more information on specific Villages appellations or how they compare to other Burgundy classifications?

 

Premier Cru

A Premier Cru white Burgundy represents a step up in quality and prestige from Villages-level wines. Here’s a description:

Origin: Specific, high-quality vineyards within villages of Burgundy, France

Grape: Chardonnay

Classification: Labeled as “Premier Cru” or “1er Cru” along with the vineyard name

 

Characteristics:

– Color: Usually deeper gold than Villages wines

– Aromas: Complex and intense, often featuring ripe fruits, floral notes, nuts, and subtle oak

– Flavor: Full-bodied, with excellent balance between fruit, acidity, and minerality

– Finish: Long, complex, and often with a distinctive mineral character

 

Winemaking:

– Typically aged in oak barrels, often with a higher percentage of new oak

– Careful grape selection and lower yields for concentration

 

Terroir: Expresses unique characteristics of premier cru designated vineyards

Price point: Significantly higher than Villages wines, but less than Grand Cru

Aging potential: Often benefits from 5-10 years of aging, developing more complexity

Notable appellations : Chablis Premier Cru, Meursault Premier Cru, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru

These wines offer exceptional quality and are considered some of the finest expressions of Chardonnay in the world. They typically show more depth, complexity, and aging potential than Villages wines.

 

Grand Cru

A Grand Cru white Burgundy represents the pinnacle of white wine production in Burgundy, and is considered among the finest expressions of Chardonnay in the world. Here’s a description:

Origin: Specific, exceptional vineyards in Burgundy, France

Grape: Chardonnay

Classification: Labeled as “Grand Cru” with the vineyard name

 

Characteristics:

– Color: Deep gold, often with a slight green tinge when young

– Aromas: Extremely complex and intense, featuring ripe fruits, flowers, nuts, spices, and subtle oak

– Flavor: Full-bodied, powerful, with exceptional balance of fruit, acidity, minerality, and oak

– Finish: Very long, complex, and multi-layered

 

Winemaking:

– Aged in oak barrels, often with a high percentage of new oak

– Extremely selective grape harvesting and low yields for maximum concentration

 

Terroir: Expresses the unique characteristics of grand cru vineyards, often with pronounced minerality

Price point: The most expensive category of white Burgundy

Aging potential: Can age for decades, often 15-30 years or more

 

Notable Grand Cru vineyards:

– Corton-Charlemagne

– Montrachet

– Bâtard-Montrachet

– Chevalier-Montrachet

– Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet

– Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet

– Chablis Grand Cru (sevra climats)

These wines are known for their power, complexity, and ability to age. They often require several years of cellaring to reach their full potential.

You are probably wondering why you would have a Piemonte tasting without Barolo and Barbaresco?  Well, that is a good question. But there are other wines of distinction besides these two in Piemonte.

We were at Moore Brothers one of our favorite wine shops, and at one of their weekend tastings.  They’re located in Industry City in the Sunset Park area of Brooklyn, NY  and they had  decided this would be a fun theme to explore the other wines of Piemonte.  Admittedly it was raining cats and dogs that day, but what could be better than tasting wine on a very rainy Saturday afternoon?

The first wine was an Alta Lange Rosanna Extra Brut Ettore Germano. It’s a delicious sparkling wine from a great producer. The grape is Nebbiolo so right there it starts off with a positive, at least for me! The wine ferments 80% steel and 20% used barrels for about 6 months. The wine is bottled and after 18 months on the lees, the bottles are disgorged and topped up with the same wine, no dosage is used.

It has a pleasant fragrant nose with red berries shining through. The wine notes indicate you can drink this wine through 2025 and complement it with any cuisine you can imagine.

Next, was a Grignolino d’Asti from Gianni Doglia 2022

Grignolino, I learned, are very small berries with a lot of pits in each berry. This gives it a good bit of tannin from the pits (or seeds). Given that tannins, I suspect that you could lay this wine down for several years and see how it matures.

It is a complex wine even though the lighter red color of the wine would lead one to believe otherwise. If you like Nebbiolo and want to see how Piemonte terroir can influence another varietal, you will not be disappointed trying this one. And, if you get a chance to try a Grignolino from California (Heitz makes a very good one) you’ll be surprised at how different the grape shows in warmer California weather (and terroir), where you will find a fuller more rounded wine than you would see from the grape in Piemonte.

The Coste della Sesia Rosso Uvaggio from Proprietà Sperino 2019 was almost all Nebbiolo. It has a small amount of Vespolina which I’ve heard of (don’t know much about it), but I was not familiar with and a grape Croatina. I discovered this is a local varietal that has been in Italy for a while.

This is a Nebbiolo that you want to keep several years to get its full potential and could easily go for 10 to 15 years if you have the time. I’d give it at least 3 -5 more years as I thought it tasted pretty young in its current state.

The Dolcetto from Dogliani D.O.C.G. Superiore Maioli Anna Maria Abbona 2021 was delicious and ready to drink now. It had a fragrant nose and would go well with most Italian foods.

I have been told that the best Dolcetto is from the Dogliani area of Piemonte. So, this is a safe bet if you are looking for an Italian red that hits the right notes for flavor and your pocketbook. You can keep this for 3 – 4 years and not be disappointed.

The final “wine” – Roero Mosto Parzialmente Fosso Della Rosa Giovanni Almondo 2023 technically it is NOT a wine. Because it is very low alcohol content, (5%), it can’t officially be called a wine. It’s a frizzante with wonderful fragrance and a delicious “desserty” flavor and finish. You may just want to drink this like soda with a little bit of alcohol in it or drink it with prosciutto and melon.

It was raining when we got there, and it was still raining when we left, but it was definitely a pleasant way to spend some time on a rainy day!

Please join Chad Eaves and Michael Gansl for a fascinating conversation with Sheila Donohue who shares her journey from a career in hi-tech to founding verovino.com, an international company selling undiscovered wines and food from small wineries and farms from around the world.

I think you will be as impressed as I was hearing how Sheila has used her passion to create a successful business. And don’t forget to subscribe here.

Michael and I had the distinct pleasure to attend a red Burgundy tasting recently at Somm Cellars, a lovely wine shop located in Waterline Plaza on the Upper West Side at 59th street and Riverside Blvd. As the sheets with the list of wines shows, the vintages were from 2010 to 2020.

Red Burgundy is a favorite of ours and it was with anticipation that we looked forward to discovering some older vintages than we normally don’t get to taste.

As there were about 30 people there, a couple of people were pouring. We actually started with a 2021 Bourgogne which was not on the list, but we noted it as 1A. It was definitely very young and probably needed more time. The fact that it was just a Bourgogne (meaning the classification was from a generic Burgundy wine and not from a specific area in Burgundy, that would require it to be designated as a village AOC).

We worked the list backwards, starting with the #11 wine, a 2010 which we rated to be the lowest (5 on a scale of 10) according to my own personal preference. Bear in mind my rating could change depending on what order I’ve tasted each wine or just my preference that day. I liked the 2011 and 2012 better as I rated them 7.5 and 7 respectively. The 2013 was a challenging year and was not a likeable as the ’11 or ’12 vintage. 2014 was decent and poured from a Magnum, so it probably was aging a bit slower than a 750ml bottle.

I have a soft spot in my palate for any Morey St. Denis. So, I rated the 2015 my third highest at an 8. It had a bit more fruit than the prior vintages and the weather was hot so that probably helped give it a more fruit forward profile than the older vintages I tasted.

A note here from Michael, who agrees with me most of the time, but does not have a numeric scale, but he definitely agreed with me on the 2015, which had some very nice fruit up front, and a reasonable finish.

Then, with a different pourer, we started in the opposite direction with the 2020, which was a hot year, and a really dark purple color, and was 13% alcohol.  I liked it very much with a 7.5, while Michael did not really like it. See what I mean – we don’t always agree!

The 2019 was my favorite! The vintage had a 30-50% loss of yield because of frost. This made the grapes that remained more concentrated, thus more complex and for my palate much more interesting. I gave it an 8.5. (BTW, I had this a second time, and I loved the funky nose of this wine after it had been opened a bit longer). Believe it or not, Michael agreed with me that this was the best wine of the night!

The 2018 was very nice. It was a hot and dry year with a lot of sun and an early harvest. This was a 7.5 for me.   Overall, I rated this the 4^th best wine of the night, while Michael rated it the 3^rd best for him.  The 2017 was blessed with perfect weather, and had a nose similar to black tea, and was very approachable to drink now, but it didn’t quite do it for me, and I rated it a 7, and again, Michael agreed with me.

Finally, my second favorite was the 2016. It was a cold and rainy year with cold nights, producing lower acidic and was a very clean tasting wine.  I think this gave the wine its character and made it more interesting for me than most of the other vintages. I gave it an 8.25. Michael also agreed with me and rated this his 2^nd best choice of the tasting.  Admittedly, this was the 10^th wine he had tasted in the evening, but we did spit from time to time, and so we were still pretty clear eyed at that point, and with some water in between tasting each wine, we still were able to discern the differences in each of the wines. At least, we thought so?

We learned how important the weather is for the vintage and how it determines when the wine is harvested, how thick or how thin the grapes are, how structured are the tannins, and how soon you might want to drink the wine, or how long you might want to put it down to see how it ages and tastes over time.

The other thing we learned from this tasting is that both of us tend to like slightly younger wines that are fruit forward, fresh, energetic, have a bit of a funky nose, with a long finish. We particularly like it when each time you sip the wine again and again, the taste continues to change ever so slightly!

Want to read more about what we each thought of each wine? Click here for Michael Gansl’s tasting notes and click here for Matt Plociak’s tasting notes.

Talk about a wine collection for the ages! And it could be yours for only $50 million.

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