I just don’t get burgundy

I’ve been interested in fine wine for 25 years, I have a small collection of grand cru burgundy because I know i should, line up for friend’s birthday drink this afternoon. The champagne is lovely the d’yquem is sublime but the burgundy? Yet another burgundy grand cru that is just so underwhelming, my only thought is I really must get round to listing my remaining “good” burgundy on vine-exchange. Am I missing something?
 

Attachments

  • 5955FAEF-6C04-40C9-8523-523B0F550AD5.jpeg
    5955FAEF-6C04-40C9-8523-523B0F550AD5.jpeg
    77.9 KB · Views: 182
Kevin - it is a really interesting post actually - it took me years to get into Burgundy. This afternoon I've just had a crappy 48 quid bottle of Burg that I am leaving half of for tomorrow in the expectation that it might be drinkable. I get the pain.... plenty of other wines out there..... it is a frustrating experience.

I have, to be fair, started to buy more Beaujolais becaause I'm not preparred to spend stupid money any more and actually I do enjoy the Beaujolais overall more....
 
It's possible it's not very good, and indeed it could be a post-hoc release from Cottin freres, who kept Potel's name when he had left and punted out any old junk under his name, which understandably made him quite annoyed.
There are many wines from many regions I can never see myself enjoying much. I can't see anything wrong with that at all, life is short and livers not indestructible.
 
Let’s be clear. There are only two grapes for which it is worth selling our soul.
One is Pinot Noir. It expresses itself best in Burgundy.
Red Burgundy is not meant to be easy to understand. It’s role is to challenge, charm, intrigue, frustrate, beguile.
There is no doubt some of it is shit. Most of it is overpriced. But….not all.
It’s the holy grail.
 
So speaking against myself I’ve always understood burgundy to be the most sophisticated wine and I’ve always wanted to think as myself as being sophisticated , so my thinking has been if I don’t understand it it’s my fault and I need to work harder but I guess if I don’t understand it now I probably never will, Incidentally the wines I’ve always enjoyed most have been at village level. And when I speak of burgundy I’m referring to the reds, the best wine of any kind I have ever had was a white burgundy which I’ll never forget (it was one of a case the worst of which because of premox tasted like death), I generally only buy it now in restaurants when I know I can send it back.
 
So speaking against myself I’ve always understood burgundy to be the most sophisticated wine and I’ve always wanted to think as myself as being sophisticated , so my thinking has been if I don’t understand it it’s my fault and I need to work harder but I guess if I don’t understand it now I probably never will, Incidentally the wines I’ve always enjoyed most have been at village level. And when I speak of burgundy I’m referring to the reds, the best wine of any kind I have ever had was a white burgundy which I’ll never forget (it was one of a case the worst of which because of premox tasted like death), I generally only buy it now in restaurants when I know I can send it back.
You could risk buying from The Wine Society who are genuinely good at refunding anything that didn’t please.
 
It's possible it's not very good, and indeed it could be a post-hoc release from Cottin freres, who kept Potel's name when he had left and punted out any old junk under his name, which understandably made him quite annoyed.
There are many wines from many regions I can never see myself enjoying much. I can't see anything wrong with that at all, life is short and livers not indestructible.
As a Tom intimates this is a Cottin freres release and I’m afraid is pretty poor so just not a good example to judge Burgundy from. What are the other grand crus? Maybe they will stand a better chance of convincing you!
 
How about arm
As a Tom intimates this is a Cottin freres release and I’m afraid is pretty poor so just not a good example to judge Burgundy from. What are the other grand crus? Maybe they will stand a better chance of convincing you!
It’s not that, it’s me, how about armand rousseau? I’ll get round to vin exchange at some point
 
(it was one of a case the worst of which because of premox tasted like death)
I've had a couple like that. The worst by far was a bottle of Bonneau Du Martray CC 96 which actually went black.
if I don’t understand it now I probably never will,
To me one of the real pleasures of Burgundy is that it resists comprehension. It is rather the ability to take pleasure in something that is the mark of the connoisseur.
I've drunk some nice Burgs but none that I'd want to buy again!! In fact, I only have 6 'decent' bottles in my cellar having sold the rest, which is probably less than you.
Let a thousand flowers bloom. I'm not mad about some of the wines that give you the most pleasure but I take great delight in yours, there is little more enjoyable than an enthusiastic Wilkins tasting note, and there's no earthly reason why we all have to like burgundy or Chateauneuf any more than we all have to like liver or Crunchie bars.
 
I think perhaps my biggest wine regret stems from 2006 when I was in Lisbon’s version of Selfridges, it was the summer, the very week when they brought in the new rule that you couldn’t bring wine into the cabin on a flight, anyway I was about to buy a bottle of la tache 2001 (a moderate vintage I know) for £150, they were running around looking for bubble wrap and I thought don’t wanna risk it, it might get broke, oh well. It’s been a pattern, in life the only wine I’ve really regretted is the wine I’ve not bought.
 
Top