The bargain hunters

Tasting and matching hidden Burgundy

Burgundy is not the first place you’d normally go looking for value for money. Clinton Cawood joined a team of hopeful sommeliers as they went truffling for bargains from the Côtes

Wines from the more prestigious and well-known Burgundian appellations can sell for prices that border on the absurd, with their capacity for ageing driving their prices even higher.

But it’s not all Grand Cru vineyards out there, with the vast majority of Burgundy selling at more reasonable levels. Not only are these more standard wines the staple of every wine list, but if you get them right there’s no question that some of these cheaper offerings can bear a striking similarity to their more expensive neighbours at a fraction of the cost.

We gathered together a series of wines from lesser-known producers or less prestigious appellations in search of cheaper Burgundies that really do over-deliver.

.HOW IT WORKS

.We asked a number of suppliers to submit Burgundian wines from lesser-known .appellations that represented value – not necessarily just wines that were cheap. We .received a fairly even number of red and white submissions, all between £6.32 and .£13.48. Wines were tasted blind, with reds and whites arranged in order of price.

.The results are presented using a genuine 100-point scale, so marks below 50 were quite possible. Wines were marked as follows:

.90–100 astounding

.80–89 excellent

.70–79 very good

.60–69 good

RESULTS

White

84 Boisset, Côtes de Nuits Villages Blanc Creux de Sobron 2006

‘Modern style, with big use of oak, and lots of forward fruit and depth. Complex, ripe and mineral, with some liquorice and stone fruit.’ OG

‘Very melon-like on the nose, elegant and well-balanced, ripe and intense.’ AB

‘Clean, mineral, with a great stone fruit/citrus character and a long finish.’ KM

£12.38, Liberty Wines, 020 7819 0321

78 Boisset, Monthélie Blanc 2006

‘Mineral aromas of gunpowder, flint and baby powder. Firm palate, with high acidity and good fruit concentration.’ OM

‘Evolved, with good fruit ripeness, acidity and minerality.’ ML

‘A good fruit-mineral balance, with well-integrated oak, and an oily, rich finish.’ JK

£12.93, Liberty Wines, 020 7819 0321

78 Boisset, Rully Blanc 2006

‘Fruit and floral, with a touch of perfume. Stone fruit and green fruit as secondary flavours, along with roses and violets.’ IS

‘Fantastic. Round and balanced. Long, with a buttery aftertaste.’ AG

‘The palate shows maturity, with good fruit and minerality. A serious contender.’ ML

£10.53, Liberty Wines, 020 7819 0321

78 Domaine Michel Briday, Rully Blanc 2006, Chalonnais

‘This has charm. Seductive and floral.’ OM

‘Elegant and refined, with liquorice, fresh almonds, frangipane and a slight bit of toast – very attractive. Quite complex.’ OG

£9.53, McKinley Vintners, 020 7928 7300

76 Domaine du Meix-Foulot, Mercurey Blanc 2006, Chalonnais

‘Lovely nose, bags of complexity, with honey, lemons and vanilla.’ JK

‘Some attractive floral perfume over the top of a citrus/apple/wet stone core. The palate’s good – quite linear still, but just enough weight.’ CL

£10.09, McKinley Vintners, 020 7928 7300

75 Boisset, Savigny-Les-Beaunes Blanc 2006

‘Stone fruit and mineral nose with a hint of melon. Good and oily texture, with pleasant bitterness, which can evolve very well. Fantastic finish.’ RT

‘Masculine and earthy, this is rustic and flinty with citrus fruit. No rough edges, but fluid and elegant.’ OG

£13.48, Liberty Wines, 020 7819 0321

73 Jaffelin, Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc 2006

‘Apple, vanilla and buttered toast, with peach, pear and grapefruit. Nutty as well – this has a good texture and good balance. Impressive finish.’ IS

‘Very Puligny-like nose. Lean, ripe and mineral. Elegant.’ ML

‘Elegant, but lacks a bit of fruit and the oak’s too evident.’ AB

£12.98, Liberty Wines, 020 7819 0321

72 Albert Bichot, Bourgogne Chardonnay Vieilles Vignes 2006

‘Subtle notes of white fruits. A bit shy, but there’s good minerality and a
chalky palate.’ AB

‘Floral and minty, delicate and refined. The oak’s discreet, and it has freshness, ripeness and inerality all combined.’ OG

£7.50, Soho Wine Supply, 020 7636 8490

71 Louis Latour, Rully 2007, Chalonnais

‘Very New World tropical fruit nose, could be from anywhere.’ ML

‘Soft and easy to drink, but no real character.’ CL

£8.92, Louis Latour Agencies, 020 7409 7276

70 Louis Latour, St Aubin 2006, Côte d’Or

‘Toasty, baked cake aromas, with apple and pineapple, as well as hazelnut. Complexity in fruit and texture.’ IS

‘Mineral nose – taut and rather locked up at present but will probably express more in another six months.’ ML

£12.14, Louis Latour Agencies, 020 7409 7276

69 Domaine Thomas, Saint Véran Tradition 2007, Mâconnais

‘Exotic and refined, with both depth and freshness. Very floral and delicate all the way through.’ OG

£7.80, McKinley Vintners, 020 7928 7300

67 Louis Latour, Viré-Clessé 2006, Mâconnais

‘Rich, creamy, buttery nose, with tropical and ripe white fruit showing under the oak.’ AB

£7.04, Louis Latour Agencies, 020 7409 7276

67 Bouchard Père et Fils, Bouzeron ACC Aligoté 2005

‘Toasted elegant nose – a little young, and the acidity’s quite high compared to the fruit. But it has good flavours and a lovely clean finish.’ JK

£6.65, John E Fells, 01442 870900

64 Louis Latour, Pernand-Vergelesses 2006, Côte d’Or

‘Citrus and quite mineral, with a lick of oak toast. Some weight in here, although it’s not showing yet.’ CL

£10.86, Louis Latour Agencies, 020 7409 7276

63 Henry Fessy, Viré-Clessé Maitre Bonhomme 2006, Mâconnais

‘Tropical nose of pineapple and mango. A rich palate with a good fruity character. Quite high alcohol, but pleasant overall.’ AB

£6.73, Louis Latour Agencies, 020 7409 7276

63 Domaine Perraton Frères, Mâcon-Loché 2006, Mâconnais

‘Apple, green fruit. Dry, light and simple with a short finish.’ IS

£6.36, McKinley Vintners, 020 7928 7300

Red

81 Bouchard Père et Fils, Monthélie 2005

‘Full-flavoured nose, with mushrooms, rhubarb and thyme. Sweet fruit on the palate, with soft tannins, well integrated with good acidity and a pretty back palate.’ JK

‘A complex nose of oak and fruit, crunchy berries on the palate and a good vanilla finish. Very approachable and very enjoyable.’ AB

‘Attractive on the nose. The palate is fresh, with good spicy fruit and integrated wood and tannins.’ ML

£12.30, John E Fells, 01442 870900

79 Albert Bichot, Mercurey Domaine Adélie 2005

‘Juicy fruit, with a ripeness and concentration. Rustic and complex, with big use of oak. This is tight and muscular.’ OG

‘White pepper and strawberries on the nose. It has chewy tannins that will soften well, and bags of fruit. Masculine, muscular, and will develop beautifully.’ JK

£11.50, Soho Wine Supply, 020 7636 8490

77 Edmond Cornu et Fils, Chorey-Les-Beaune Les Bons Ores 2005, Côte de Beaune

‘This really opens up to you and shows you everything it’s got. A very sweet nose, lots on the palate, lovely tannin grip and an acid-fruit balance. It works really well.’ JK

‘An ethereal nose. Withered rose petals, dried fruits – it’s potpourri-like. Complex and seductive, with enormous concentration.’ OM

£11.10, McKinley Vintners, 020 7928 7300

75 François Lequin, Domaine Saint-François 2005

‘Nice red fruit, with black fruit as secondary. The oak’s cleverly hidden, fine tannins and an interesting finish.’ IS

‘Tight, with spicy floral notes. Rustic, with depth and concentration. It may lack finesse, but would be good with game.’ OG

£12.25, Wine Story, 07921 770691

75 Domaine Chofflet-Valdenaire, Givry Rouge 1er Cru ‘Clos de Choué’ 2006, Chalonnais

‘An intense spicy nose, with ripe strawberry and sour cherry on the palate. Well balanced and long.’ AB

‘Sweet and sour on the nose. Juicy, with fresh, soft tannins, but it lacks backbone. Has potential though.’ JK

£10.52, McKinley Vintners, 020 7928 7300

74 Louis Latour, Santenay Premier Cru La Comme 2005, Côte d’Or

‘Very pleasant, with good concentration, chocolate and ripe dark cherries, with a hint of oak. This is multi-dimensional, with good ripeness and complexity.’ OG

‘Lovely perfumed raspberries and strawberries on the nose, but unfortunately the fruit really struggles with the tannins.’ KM

£10.47, Louis Latour Agencies, 020 7409 7276

73 Domaine du Meix-Foulot, Mercurey Rouge 2005, Chalonnais

‘Quite funky – not much fresh fruit in evidence. The palate is big, structured, and quite serious.’ ML

‘Chocolate, coffee and baked aubergine on the nose. Bitter tannins, but with chunky fruit and a lovely creamy finish.’ JK

£9.78, McKinley Vintners, 020 7928 7300

72 Domaine Michel Briday, Rully Rouge ‘Les 4 Vignes’ 2006, Chalonnais

‘Discreet and delicate, with red berries and spices. Good complexity and the tannins are elegant, finely grained and supple.’ OM

‘A very sensual nose: dried roses meet spice, with a good core of fruit and spices on the palate. Very elegant and feminine, and excellent balance.’ AB

£9.53, McKinley Vintners, 020 7928 7300

71 Domaine Faiveley, ‘La Framboisière’ Mercurey Monopole 2003

‘Very chocolatey, with smoke and spices. This is rustic and quite forward. Hard edges – not for the faint hearted.’ OG

‘On the nose it’s very meaty. Beef stock! Ripe on the palate. Elegant and fruity with an excellent aftertaste.’ AG

£10, Maisons Marques et Domaines, 020 8812 3380

70 Louis Latour, Monthelie 2005, Côte d’Or

‘Strawberries, blackcurrant and a hint of black olive on the nose. Lots of potential for by the glass. Pretty fruit, and grown-up tannins.’ JK

‘Animal aromas, spices and some tertiary development.’ OM

£7.70, Louis Latour Agencies, 020 7409 7276

67 Domaine Bernard Moreau, Bourgogne Rouge 2007

‘Youthful, with bright red fruit flavours. Elegant and juicy, this wine is very easy to drink.’ AG

‘Lots of poached strawberries on the nose. Juicy on the palate – this would
be lovely chilled.’ JK

£6.32, McKinley Vintners, 020 7928 7300

65 Domaine Faiveley, Mercurey 2003

‘This is showing maturity and age on the nose, with spices and undergrowth, as well as musk, smoke and chocolate.’ OG

‘Very meaty, intense and tannic. Potential for ageing.’ AG

£8.25, Maisons Marques et Domaines, 020 8812 3380

62 Louis Latour, Marsannay 2006, Côte d’Or

‘Smoky cherry fruit on the nose, with high acidity and prominent tannins, but perfumed fruit keeps the wine in shape.’ KM

£7.70, Louis Latour Agencies, 020 7409 7276

Prices quoted are trade, single bottle ex-VAT prices unless otherwise stated.

Many thanks to the team at The Atlas for hosting the tasting.

Panel comments

Olivier Gasselin, Bluebird

Burgundy can either blow you away or disappoint you like no other region. When Burgundy’s great, it can provide some of the best wines in the world. Good value in Burgundy is always welcome, and that was the most interesting aspect of this tasting – with recent vintages prices have become stiff…

It was great to taste wines that offer value for money in Burgundy, and a few wines showed just that.

Olivier Marie, Coq d’Argent

I expected good-value Burgundies with well-defined origins and typicity, and did find that. I thought that at the lower end there was good value for money. They were expressing their origin and they showed typicity. The red wine flight was not as good as the white wine flight – I enjoyed the whites immensely. In the reds, for me, there was more diversity, so less consistency.

Martin Lam, Ransome’s Dock

I hoped to find some good-value, over-performing hidden gems. The reds were perhaps more typically Burgundian than the whites, but some just didn’t stack up on the price-quality ratio when compared to Pinot Noirs from elsewhere. When they did, however, these were wines of real character and definition.

Igor Sotric, China Tang

At the lower end of the price scale some of these wines were simple, but at higher price-points they improved. On the reds in particular, the lower-priced wines were lacking structure and composure – they were a bit too straightforward and easy. The higher price-points, with Mercurey and Faiveley, were not bad at all, and good value – definitely. The whites were all a bit similar, and margins are important, so if there’s one for £10 and one for £12, you’d better go for the £10 one.

Jade Koch, Tate Catering

A mixed bag! I found more consistency at the lower end of
the scale. With the whites and the reds, when they didn’t perform well it was mostly down to overuse of oak. I found some really attractive wines at the bottom of the scale,
which I was not expecting.

Nicolas Angelina, Noura

I can say that Burgundy is showing well, but there needs to be some effort on prices. I know it’s difficult because of New World competition. And it’s not easy for producers to swallow the difference at the moment in terms of currency. These were OK value – at £6, £7 for Burgundy. The quality of white wines, though, was not what I was expecting. It was fine on the red, but on the whites I was a bit disappointed.

Andrea Briccarello, Corrigan’s Mayfair

The whites lived up to expectations more than the reds. I found the reds to be monochromatic, while in the whites there were richer styles, more diversified, and quite good value for money. At this point in time, when people are a bit tight for money, it’s a good time for sommeliers to explore regions and appellations they’ve forgotten about. It’s the perfect occasion to introduce these wines on the list, even by the glass.

Chris Losh, Imbibe

The whites seemed incredibly tight, but were generally fairly consistent. The reds were a lot more up and down (unsurprisingly – it’s Burgundy). And again, I thought a few of them were too young. There were also some real problems with tannic ripeness. The whites, for me, seemed to deliver well around the £10 mark, they were more ready to drink than the pricier versions. The best red, for me, in terms of value for money, was the cheapest.

CONCLUSIONS

Not a single wine submitted scored below 60/100, which suggests that there is quality
to be had at these prices from lesser-known regions.
In terms of average scores, the white and red flights showed very few differences, with similar high and low scores, as well as averages. Scores ranged from 63% to 83% for whites, compared with 62% to 81% for reds.
The white wines were generally thought to be more consistent and homogenous in terms of style. They gained complexity at higher prices, but were criticised for lacking distinction.
The reds, on the other hand, were widely varied. These ranged from light fruity wines that, as Tate’s Jade Koch commented, ‘would be lovely chilled’, all the way to rustic, heavy offerings with animal aromas that were ‘not for the faint hearted’ as Bluebird’s Olivier Gasselin put it.
Wines varied widely in terms of development, as well as potential for development. Some of the older Burgundies were exactly the ones that the panel thought were in need of more age, whereas some of the younger offerings were ready to drink now.

Editorial feature from Imbibe Magazine - January / February 2009