Great Wine Made Simple - Andrea Immer [65]
Cheap but Good
It doesn’t rank with the noble grapes, but Alsace Pinot Blanc is a delicious, refreshing, and inexpensive little wine that you can afford to keep around and drink often with simple meals, takeout, leftovers, picnics, or when your significant other isn’t around and you’d feel guilty opening something a little more expensive. Some of my favorites include Schlumberger (Shlum-ber-JHAY), Lucien Albrecht (Loo-SYEN ALL-breckt), Hugel (Hue-GELL), Marcel Deiss (Dice), Dirler (DEER-ler), Pierre Sparr, Blanck (Blahnk), and Josmeyer (JOCE-meyer). This is often a worthy budget bet on French wine lists.
Burgundy—Two Grapes, Hundreds of Wines
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Burgundy surely takes the prize for the most adoring fans. White Burgundy, under the grape name Chardonnay, is the most imitated wine in the world. And, as we learned in Chapter 4, Pinot Noir, the classic red grape of Burgundy, is the winemaking pinnacle that vintners seek to conquer. And the accolade they covet is not “complex,” “monumental,” or even “delicious.” It is “Burgundian.”
By now you know Chardonnay and Pinot Noir quite well. It’s powerful knowledge, because you can look at any Burgundy wine, red or white, and have a basic idea of the style. Even so, it isn’t always easy when you try to buy Burgundy wine. The enormous range in price makes it quite clear that this isn’t a question of just two grapes.
There are three other major variables to consider—geography, wine type, and producer—each of which I will explain here in simple terms. Whether you are a devoted fan or just an occasional buyer, Burgundy is an expensive wine category. This section will help demystify the dizzying array of labels and prices, let you know when and why premiums are charged, and when they are worth paying. It will also give you some sound strategies to find good quality and the best values. We’ll start from the ground up.
JUG “BURGUNDY”
As with any coveted commodity, there are “Burgundy” imposters sold in boxes or big screw-cap jugs. You may find generic “chablis” (a borrowed name from one of Burgundy’s most famous regional white wines) and “burgundy,” but these are mass-market beverages bearing absolutely no relationship to the real thing. Enough said.
Burgundy—It’s the Address That Counts
When it comes to the price and style of Burgundy wines, geography is the defining element. In Burgundy, wines are defined by their “neighborhood” (vineyard area) in terms of both price and flavor:
PRICE AND QUALITY The price and quality potential of the wine depends on the quality and prestige of the neighborhood (vineyard area). This is nothing new, really. From tony Park Avenue to hip Greenwich Village in New York City, every neighborhood has an unofficial status, but Burgundy’s vineyards are ranked officially. The ranking, which also defines the regional appellation names, runs from most basic to most prestigious, in the following order:
Regional These are the basic-level wines, labeled Bourgogne (Burgundy). This rank encompasses all the vineyards in the region, including the comparatively less prestigious “fringe” spots
District This rank is restricted to wines from vineyards within one of several large but good-quality subdistricts, for which the wine will be named. Two good ones are Côte de Nuits-Villages (Coat duh NWEE Vill-AHJH) and Côte de Beaune-Villages (Coat duh BONE Vill-AHJH).
Village This rank applies to wines from vineyards within a single village. The village name will be used as the wine name on the label. Examples are Gevrey-Chambertin (Jhev-ray Shahm-bear-TAN), Morey Saint Denis (More-AY San-duh-NEE), Pommard (Poh-MARD), Puligny-Montrachet (Poo-leen-YEE Mohn-rah-SHAY), and Meursault (Muhr-SEW).
Premier Cru This translates roughly as “first-class vineyard,” and refers to vineyard sites whose quality potential earns this rank. The village name, plus either the vineyard name/or the words premier cru (abbreviated to Ier cru), will be used as the wine name on the label. An example is Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres