Unrequited Love

D

David Bywater

Location
Leeds
Growers like PYCM and Dancer show what is possible from modern white burgundy producers. Plenty of fine to found at not monster money try Bret Brothers, Dureuil-Janthial, the list is long just needs some research
 
T

Thom Blach

Location
London
PYCM
Mark Carrington said:
There’s plenty of decent quality/value white Burgundy alongside the rubbish.
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True, but it's nearly all very dull indeed, at least to my taste, a taste not so much unrequited as jilted-I mean, no-one's going to get excited drinking a bottle from the perfectly respectable Dureuil-Janthial or Vincent Dancer, and while PYCM is definitely good the grander wines are really no better at all than they should be.
 
Alex Lake

Alex Lake

Location
Deep South of Cambridgeshire
Yeah. I've never had a "thrilling" PYCM in the same way I've had an old Leflaive, although I think they're good wines. I recall liking the Ente wines at the Chardonnay shoot-out (taking 2nd and joint 3rd places for me), but that was not the most conducive of settings.
 
J

James Starke

Location
Yorkshire
Colin Bradley said:
I took the 1990 Mas de Daumas Gassac to the first ever offline I attended, at The Establishment in Manchester (was that actually the first ever Manchester offline?). I guess it must have been around 15 years ago. Ray Abercrombie was leading the tasting, which was conducted blind. Ray's take on the wine (before the reveal) was that it might have been a Cru Classe St Julien - not one of the upper tier ones but around 4th Growth level.

Anyway, we drank the 1998 on Sunday night with a cassoulet and I have to say I thought it rather good. It was in the style of a classical claret (i.e. the sort that I like), still with a bit of fruit, fully resolved and nicely balanced, palate-cleansing, dry-ish finish. I think it might have been the best I've had apart from the 1990.

Like Ben, I've found most other vintages a bit "meh", and sometimes charmless although not necessarily rustic.
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I had a half case of the 2000 from TWS - they were rather lovely as I recall.
 
B

Ben Hunting

Location
Bath
Thom Blach said:
True, but it's nearly all very dull indeed, at least to my taste, a taste not so much unrequited as jilted-I mean, no-one's going to get excited drinking a bottle from the perfectly respectable Dureuil-Janthial or Vincent Dancer, and while PYCM is definitely good the grander wines are really no better at all than they should be.
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I can't speak from the kind of experience Thom and Joel have; but after a fair amount of experimentation, and aside from Chablis, modern white Burgundy usually leaves me cold also.
 
I

ian clarke

Location
Yorkshire
I have been extremely fortunate to taste and drink a lot of burgundy including Ente and nothing comes close to the likes of ramonet from the 80s still drinking beyond belief today, Neillon 91 and 92 drank recently are my fondest memories
but I do agree with bits of all of the above,particularly the young new generation making affordable white burgundy From less fashionable areas.
As with the red wines, it’s the 1er crus where I’m most underwhelmed given the prices I’m expected to pay.
 
Alex Rychlewski

Alex Rychlewski

Location
Bordeaux
Hi All,

I think this is a fascinating thread, although some people have gone away from the theme of “unrequited love” to talk about wines they perhaps have not really made an effort to get to know.

Example: I have had Mas de Daumas Gassac on several occasions and been underwhelmed. But I really can’t say that I ever tried to get a serious handle on the wine, much less love it. So it is only fair that my disappointment should be qualified.

Then you have a gray area, like la Coulée de Serrant. I’ve had the wine five times at table and once at the estate. I really wanted to like this famous wine, but have been consistently disappointed. Still, I won’t rule it out, and leave room for the benefit of the doubt.

As regards estates, as opposed to entire regions, wines can be like restaurants: a change in management can make all the difference – either way. Of course, terroir is terroir, but a mundane terroir can produce something rather good if in the right hands.

As for myself, I have a problem with aromatic grape varieties like Viognier and Gewurtztraminer and am not a fan of Pinot Gris. And I *have* had these wines a number of times, so put that squarely in the unrequited category.

I’m surprised no one seems to have mentioned red Burgundy. I certainly won’t go so far as Thom’s blanket statement with regard to Bordeaux or others with regard to Italy but, let’s be honest, the hit or miss nature of expensive wines from the Côte d’Or can be maddening. Maybe it’s best to compare this phenomenon with an impetuous mistress, where the frustrating and disappointing moments are perhaps compensated by the wonderful, even sublime ones. Still, it’s one hell of a roller coaster ride… Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Best regards,
Alex R.
 
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