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What Will You Discover With Our Burgundy Wine Palate Advisor?
When we talk about wine in general, and from places other than Burgundy, we find that the descriptors we use often don’t ‘translate’ that well to Burgundy wine. The terms and categories somehow don’t quite fit, because our wines are very much “of a place” – a place which has specific and unique terroir thanks to the geology there. The soil of Burgundy is like no other found throughout the rest of the wine worlds, and as a result, the labels we use have slightly different meanings.
Our Burgundy Wine Palate Advisor Tool
That’s where the Elden Selections Burgundy Wine Palate Advisor comes in. We have specifically chosen broad and recognisable categories of wine, and then adapted them to Burgundy and matched our best wines with them. We want you to explore your palate, and see which wines from each category are the best fit for you and your preferences.
What it isn’t is just another way of fitting wines into categories – it's more than that, because it represents the last 30 years of us living and loving Burgundy, and these are our personal, handpicked and thoroughly tested wines from producers we’ve known for decades. We thought long and hard about how to group them, and we update these lists as some sell out or others are produced.
But don’t forget – if you prefer us to pick the wines for you, then we are more than happy to do so according to your personal tastes. Email stephen@burgundywine.com or dennis@domainedecromey.com for our wine recommendations, tasting notes or just to talk about Burgundy! Did you know you can also experience a Virtual Tasting or join our Burgundy Wine Club too? Follow the links to find out more.
With that said, let’s delve deeper into some of the categories our Burgundy wine palate advisor has to offer, and look at some of the bottles which demonstrate each.
Full-bodied Reds
It's likely that your taste in full-bodied red wines is different from ours. If you're used to the powerful California Cabs or Rioja Reservas, you might find Burgundy's reds lacking in that regard. However, if you try some of the best Premier Cru wines from Burgundy's top producers, you might discover something that suits your taste. Instead of going for the most famous red Burgundies such as the Grand Cru of Vosne Romanee, try the Premier Cru wines from various appellations such as Pommard 'Rugiens' or Fixin Clos de la Perriere. Also, consider trying the Premier Cru wines from Hospices de Beaune or Hospices de Nuits in a good year. You could even opt for an old-vine Gevrey-Chambertin village wine from a great parcel. Remember that red Burgundy is not just about big names and high prices; there are excellent wines in every category, and once you get accustomed to Pinot Noir, you can discover the many nuances of the grape, and which ones satisfy you personally.
Crisp Flinty Whites
One name you’ll come across more than most in this category is Chablis. Remember that Chablis is actually a type of Chardonnay that is produced in the Burgundy region. Some people get confused because some wine merchants sell any dry white wine as Chablis. However, true Chablis is a Chardonnay from Burgundy and is considered to be the best example of crisp limestone minerality in the world. If you like dry white wine, the Burgundy wine palate advisor recommends whites from the Mâconnais such as Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint Veran, or whites from the southern part of the Cote de Beaune such as Chassagne-Montrachet or Santenay. However, Chablis is unique in its almost severe, dusty-dry taste that is favored by the locals. There is a spectrum of minerality when it comes to wine. Even though the folks in Chablis prefer their wines to be at the drier end of the scale, a Chablis can also be featured in Burgundy as a full-bodied Chardonnay. The key to a good Chardonnay is finding the right balance of ripe fruit and acidity, and adding minerality to that balance produces a wine with incredible focus and a long finish on the palate.
Click here to read our full article on full bodied red wines and crisp flinty white wines.
Juicy Floral Reds
Burgundy wines come with different flavors due to the unique combination of climate, soil and certain other environmental influences of a specific vineyard. Some vineyards naturally produce earthy ‘animal’ notes, while others produce softer, floral expressions. For a juicy and floral Burgundy wine, consider Beaune or Volnay instead of Pommard, or Givry instead of Mercurey. There are as many expressions of Pinot Noir as there are winemakers. Try different wines from the same winemaker to find different styles.
Full-bodied Whites
High temperatures can cause a loss of acidity and freshness, resulting in a "flabby" taste with low acidity – that's why some people don't enjoy Californian Chardonnay, which is often described as full-bodied due to the high percentage of new oak used in its production. But Burgundy produces fresh, "floral", or "mineral" Chardonnays that can be enjoyed as simple everyday whites or aged for years. Chablis 1er Cru, Fourchaume, is a good example. It gets plenty of sun exposure, resulting in a fuller body with a higher alcohol content. Try it even if you're not a fan of French wines - it might surprise you!
Big, Bold Reds
As you know, red Burgundy is mostly made from the Pinot Noir grape variety. 'Big and Bold' is a significant category in Burgundy wine tasting because Burgundian 'terroir' produces wines that are rich and ripe. From the north to the south, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, and Côte Chalonnaise, you can find punchy, bold reds that range from the elegant 'fist in a velvet glove' style (like Gevrey Chambertin or Pommard) to more rustic, wilder expressions (like Maranges or Mercurey). Remember: with red Burgundy wine, depth of color doesn’t always reliably indicate power or quality, but recommendations in the Burgundy wine palate advisor will help steer you towards quality every time.
Complex Structured Whites
The Grand Crus of Montrachets, Corton Charlemagne, and Chablis are undoubtedly famous for their greatness, but that doesn't mean that the other vineyards in the region are any less impressive. There are many excellent Premier Cru vineyards throughout Burgundy, often on similar geological formations to the Grand Cru, which produce complex and unique wines that are unmatched by any other single grape varietal. Burgundy is the perfect place for Chardonnay, and given a good vineyard with good exposure, the grapes make superlative white wine in appellations that many wine enthusiasts may not be familiar with. If you are looking for some excellent white wines, our Burgundy wine palate advisor suggests Cote Chalonnaise whites produced in Rully; wines from the fringes of the Grand Cru, such as Saint Aubin, Pernand-Vergelesses, and Ladoix. Chablis Premier Cru is also among the best value wines in the ‘structured, complex’ white Burgundy category.
Click here for the full article on big bold reds and complex structured whites.
Earthy-wood Reds
When a wine has ripe fruit and tannins, with a good acidic balance, it can absorb new oak. In fact, with exceptional wines from excellent vintages, the oak flavor is barely noticeable right from the start. However, usually, the oak is present in the wine because there is potential for aging, and the oakiness dissolves in the wine over time. Every year, we bid for and purchase barrels from the charity auctions held at the Hospices de Beaune and de Nuits. The wines are delivered in new oak barrels, and we then give them to one of our winemakers to mature the wine for 12-18 months before bottling it. One of the main decisions to be made during that period is when to remove the wine from the new oak and put it in a more neutral oak barrel. At the end of the day, oak in wine is like salt in soup – it's necessary, but too much can ruin things.
Juicy Floral Whites
Both white grapes grown in Burgundy (don’t forget that other one – Aligoté) are capable of producing excellent floral white wines. In general, this sort of wine is grown in vineyards that are not too stoney or ‘mineral’. Terroir varies a lot in Burgundy, sometimes yard by yard, and although limestone underpins all wine and is present almost throughout, certain areas have a higher percentage of rock to clay than others. It is these less rocky vineyards which are best at producing those honey and white flower flavors. They also show a good level of acidity which balances the fruit well – and that’s one of the trademarks of classic white Burgundy. There are numerous villages that exemplify this image of Chardonnay, the Burgundy wine palate advisor suggests Saint Aubin, Puligny-Montrachet, or Meursault. You can also explore Savigny les Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses, and Saint Romain. However, when it comes to the Aligoté grape, you must be careful because there is good and bad Aligoté. To start with, stick with our selections. At burgundywine.com , you can find some very special Aligoté from some exceptional winemakers.
Click here to read our full article on earthy-wood reds and juicy floral whites.
Don't forget you can read more articles on Burgundy wine, "how to" guides, profiles of growers and other useful information on our Burgundy Wine blog. And if you're thinking of visiting Burgundy, we'd love you to stay with us at our home amongst the vines at Domaine de Cromey. Click here to enquire about your stay, and click here to read the Cromey blog.