Burgundy Wine Palate Advisor Part 4: Earthy Reds and Floral Whites
Uncover Earthy Red and Floral Whites With Our Burgundy Wine Palate Advisor Tool
In this fourth article exploring our Burgundy Wine Palate Advisor tool, we look at two contrasting wine types: earthy-wood reds and juicy floral whites. These are two of the categories you can select on our BurgundyWine.com site, to instantly view a range of superb Burgundy wines, expertly matched according to your tastes. These are not just labels to fit a wine into a category though; these tasting notes are the result of thirty years of living and loving Burgundy.
The Domaine de Cromey—home of BurgundyWine.com and Elden Selections—is imbued with that same spirit. It’s an organic, uncompromising, passionate pursuit of excellence in the simplest things. The wines that the palate advisor recommends for you are from masterful winemakers—their best wines, that we’ve followed from vineyard to bottle, vintage to vintage.
Remember when tasting, however, to follow a few simple rules. Use the right wine glass (we have an article on How to Choose the Right Burgundy Wine Glass that might help you with this). Then ensure that you are tasting the wine at the right temperature, away from strong smells and that you haven’t just eaten anything strong-tasting. Swirl the wine in the glass so you can see the color and whether it has ‘legs’ (how much stays on the side of the glass - the more it does, the higher the sugar content might be). When you’re wine tasting, think about how the wine comes across in the attack (first taste), mid-palate, and how it finishes (does it linger or go quickly?) With that said, let's dive into some recommendations from our Burgundy Wine Palate Advisor.
Earthy-wood Burgundy Red Wines from Our Palate Advisor
There is a saying, ‘oak in wine is like salt in soup—you need a bit, but too much will ruin it’. Oak should be used in moderation and it’s up to the skill of the winemaker and the quality of their grapes and processes to strike this balance. Similarly with earthiness—this subtle sort of underbrush or mineral soil flavor works best as a counterbalance to other contrasting characteristics. Let’s look at some of the best earthy-wood red Burgundy wines that you can find at BurgundyWine.com, from the best of our lesser-known but high-quality appellations.
Michel Rebourgeon, who works his magic in a small domain on the great soils of Pommard, (along with plots in Volnay and Beaune too) produces a Cote D’Or Rouge which is everything you could wish for in a wine of this character – expressive, with a deep ripeness and a charming nose. This wine certainly drinks well above its appellation.
Another tour-de-force of this type of earthy, woody red comes via the work of Pierre Naigeon, and his Bourgogne 'Maladieres'. Another wine that punches well above its weight. It’s floral, fresh and has soft tannins.
For something really special in this category, our Burgundy Wine Palate Advisor suggests the Hospices de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru 'Cuvee Pierre Floquet'. This superlative wine is one of the legends to be bought from the famous wine auction in Beaune, and it doesn’t disappoint. It is brisk purple in color, with flavors of dense black and red fruit. It’s a naturally tannic wine, but has fine structure tempered by ripeness, and great aging potential.
The Best Juicy, Floral Burgundy White Wines
These are the white wines most people think of as ‘classic’ or even ‘quintessential’ Burgundy—where you get that wonderful interplay between acidity and mature fruits. Mouth-watering wines such as these come from the famous Burgundy terroir, and especially those soils with less rock and a little more clay.
Our Burgundy Wine Palate Advisor lists Jean-Jacques Girard's wines in this category as they really showcase what can be achieved with this sort of wine; his Savigny-Les-Beaune from this area which he knows so well. It’ll transport you to apple orchards, with apple-pie spices and rich, supple tones. It’s complex but also ripe and fresh.
Producer Jean Fery’s Pernand Verglesses comes from grapes which sit in a heat trap above the eponymous village—and it’s certainly uniquely Pernand, with floral and mineral elements, and a freshness which is both fleshy and firm.
Chardonnay is well known for juicy, floral white wines, but you may be less familiar with Burgundy’s other white grape—Aligoté, for which you should exercise a little more caution. There are some great ones out there, but quality is variable. Stick with our producers and their wines to start with. On the nose, Aligoté offers a delectable scents of white-fleshed fruit, blossom, peach, lemon, acacia, green apple, hazelnut, and sometimes citrus.
Julien Cruchandeau is also a champion of lesser-known Aligoté in the Bouzeron appellation and beyond, his Bouzeron Massale demonstrating concentrated confit apple acidity, honey and cinnamon spice - great body, opulent and fresh.
Wondering how to pair these wines with food? At the Domaine de Cromey, home of BurgundyWine.com and Elden Selections, we like to enhance the notes of honey and flowers found in some Aligoté by pairing them with some of our favorite dishes—try making a Rhubarb & Brioche French Toast in early spring time, or a delicious Venetian Pea Risotto.
Hopefully this introduction to our earthy-wood reds and juicy floral white wines that the Burgundy Wine Palate Advisor offers has been helpful, and has whetted your appetite to explore further wines of this type. If you have any questions or need further advice, just contact the team at Elden Selections and they’ll be more than happy to help you!
Don’t forget that members of our popular Burgundy Wine Club now receive comprehensive tasting notes for all of our wines. But that’s not all; you also get free entry into our fantastic prize draw where you could win a 3-night stay at Domaine de Cromey, our Burgundian manor house nestling amongst the vines in this stunning part of France. To read more on wine tasting and wine offers, head to our Burgundy Wine blog. And to learn more about the activities such as cycling, vineyard tours and cultural sightseeing that you can enjoy while staying with us, visit our Domaine de Cromey blog.