Since I got into, as I call it, “the wine thing” about 10 years ago, I’ve sought out and tasted wines from the world’s major (and a few not so major) wine regions – France, Italy, Spain, California, Oregon, Washington, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Portugal, Greece, and even Croatia. All to varying degrees of course. But by way of wine, I’ve virtually traveled pretty much everywhere I’ve wanted to go in the wine world.

Except for the heart of Burgundy.

My only experience with Burgundy (Bourgogne in French) was a dinner with my wife at RN74 in San Francisco for my birthday last summer.

And you know how it is when you consider purchasing a bottle of wine in a restaurant.  You figure you’ll get (maybe) a good bottle of wine for what you could have purchased a much better bottle of wine at retail.  So we ordered by the glass.  The wines were good

And that was the extent of my Burgundy experience – my wife and I shared glasses of one white and one red Burgundy.

When I saw that my favorite wine store K&L Wine Merchants was doing a tasting In conjunction with La Paulée Burgundy Week in San Francisco (click here to learn more and review participating restaurants) from March 2-15,  I seized the opportunity. 

Hey?! Wait a minute isn’t that about two weeks? I guess that’s just how Burgundy rolls!

La Paulée de San Francisco 2014 will continue the tradition of serving guests the world’s greatest wines with cuisine from the world’s finest chefs.

The tasting featured fourteen (7 each) white and red Burgundies, including some Grand Crus.

The cost? – $20…which is less than those two glasses of wine at RN74 cost us…

 Here’s a quick sip on Burgundy:

• Fairly small region in central eastern France that make some of the world’s most sought after and expensive wines
• The two main grapes in Burgundy are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
• Made up of six regions (from north to south) – Chablis, the Côte d’Or (considered the heart of Burgundy and comprised of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune) , the Côte Chalonnaise, the Mâconnaise, and Beaujolais to the south.
• The system of land ownership is complex – Burgundy has thousands of tiny vineyards, and the classification of the quality of land in Burgundy is the most elaborate on earth
• Wines are classified into four levels (starting with the most basic and moving up) Burgundy Red and White; Village Wine, Premier Cru (“1er”), and Grand Cru.

Of the wines tasted – for the whites, there were 2 Burgundy whites, 3 Village and 1 each of Premier Cru and Grand Cru. For the reds, there was one Burgundy red, 3 Village, 2 Premier Cru, and 1 Grand Cru.

My tasting notes follow:

• 2011 Domaine Matrot Chardonnay Bourgogne Blanc – France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
  Pale lemon yellow color with pear, citrus and a hint of white flower aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, and fresh with a wonderful mouth feel and apple, pear and citrus flavors. Medium+ finish. 100% Chardonnay. From vineyards averaging 30 years of age located next to the vaunted village of Mersault. Fantastic price quality ratio. Retail-$18! (89 pts.)

• 2012 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bourgogne Blanc – France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
  Aromas of apple, guava, citrus and a kiss of melon. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with vibrant acidity, and a great mouth feel. It shows apple, lime, melon, mineral and a bit of spiced lemon flavors. Long finish. Declassified Puligny Montrachet from younger vines. Definitely over-delivers for the price.  Retail- $22. (90 pts.)

• 2011 Château de la Charrière Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Vermots Dessus – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune
  Appealing apple, honeysuckle, spice and mineral aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, and fresh with tart apple, mineral flavors and wonderful length. Retail-$24 (91 pts.)

• 2011 Domaine Marius Delarche Pernand-Vergelesses – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses
  Restrained pear, tropical and mineral aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and fresh with pear, mineral and a bit of spice flavors. Medium-long finish. Retail-$32 (88 pts.)

• 2011 Maison Jacques Bavard Auxey-Duresses Les Clous – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Auxey-Duresses
  Appealing pear, citrus, almond, and spice aromas. On the palate, it’s between light and medium-bodied, elegant, focused, and persistent with pear, apple, citrus and mineral flavors. Long finish. Terrific wine from just over the hill from Meursault! Retail-$32 (91 pts.)

• 2011 Domaine Sylvain Langoureau Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Bas de Vermarain à l’Est – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
  Lovely lifted pear, apple, mineral, citrus and spice aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, concentrated and elegant with vibrant acidity and baked apple, pear, spice and mineral flavors. Long finish. Retail-$37 (91 pts.)

• 2011 Domaine Marius Delarche Corton-Charlemagne – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
  Generous, beautiful peach, lemon cream, spice, white flower and mineral aromas. On the palate it’s medium/full bodied, and well-structured with a silky texture, vibrant acidity, and peach, fuji apple, mineral and spice flavors. Long finish Retail -$90 (93 pts.)

• 2011 Château de la Charrière Bourgogne – France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
  Subtle red fruit, earth, and hint of floral aromas. On the palate, it’s light-bodied, with good acidity, supple tannins, and bright cherry, strawberry, and mineral flavors. Very good value especially for Burgundy! Retail-$16 (87 pts.)

• 2011 Château de la Charrière Beaune Cuvée Vieilles Vignes – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune
  Appealing cherry, raspberry, and faint floral aromas. On the palate, it’s lean, fresh, with good structure and cherry, raspberry, and mineral flavors. Long finish. Great price quality ratio! Retail-$20! (89 pts.)

• 2011 Château de la Charrière Santenay 1er Cru Clos Rousseau – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Santenay 1er Cru
  Black cherry, raspberry, and mineral aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with fine grained tannins and cherry, raspberry and mineral flavors. Medium-long finish. Retail-$25 (88 pts.)

• 2011 Domaine Marius Delarche Pernand-Vergelesses – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses
  Red fruit, spice and mineral aromas. On the palate, it’s between light and medium-bodied with lively acidity and cherry, raspberry, spice and mineral flavors. Medium finish. Retail-$25 (87 pts.)

• 2011 Faiveley Monthélie Les Champs-Fulliot – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Monthélie
  Aromatic cherry, earth, and mineral flavors. On the palate it’s medium-bodied, and well-structured with a silky texture, dusty tannins, and cherry, and mineral flavors. Long finish. Retail-$39 (90 pts.)

• 2011 Domaine Stephane Magnien Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Faconnières – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
  Lifted red fruit, spice, caramel aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with lively acidity, soft well-integrated tannins, and tart cherry, raspberry, and mineral flavors. Long finish. Retail-$65 (92 pts.)

• 2011 Domaine Marius Delarche Corton-Renardes – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
  Exuberant red fruit aromas. On the palate it’s between medium and full-bodied, harmonious, and persistent with a silky texture. It shows beautiful red fruit, spice, and mineral flavors. Long finish. Retail-$70 (92 pts.)

The tasting was a wonderful introduction to Côte d’Or (really Côte de Beaune since only one wine was from Côte de Nuits).  My takeaways were as follows:

• I was pleasantly surprised to know that there are some very good options available for less than $25.
• I very much enjoyed the white Burgundies. In fact, more than I enjoy most California Chardonnay I’ve tried.  Will buy more!
• On the other hand, only the last two red Burgundies, which were $65-$70 would make me think about giving up the California and Oregon Pinot Noir I enjoy.  In general, I found them to be a bit too lean for my palate (granted they may be better with food than on their own as tasted).
• It can be a challenge to make an informed buying decision due to the complexities of Burgundy associated with the fragmentation of vineyards, and the tremendous diversity of styles and quality from vintage to vintage (which is why I love tastings such as this one).

Bottom line?  I’d buy the whites in a heart beat! The reds? – I have my doubts about the Burgundy value proposition.  While I’m sure I could find some red Burgundy that I enjoy as much, if not more than those of  California, Oregon, or even perhaps New Zealand, I’m afraid I’d have to spend way more to do so. 

Related post you might enjoy:

• How I Lost My Chablis Virginity

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Martin Redmond is a Financial Executive by day, and a certified wine geek with latent foodie tendencies the rest of the time. In addition to the wine lifestyle and food he enjoys family, fitness and traveling. He likes to get thoughts of wine off his mind by sharing experiences on his ENOFYLZ Wine blog, which features wine reviews, wine country travel, and wine and food pairings.

Follow me on Twitter @martindredmond for all things wine, and since I’m a wino, with latent foodie tendencies, you’ll also find food and wine pairings, and food related stuff! Become a fan and join ENOFYLZ Wine Blog on Facebook. Cheers!

This article is original to ENOFYLZ Wine Blog.com. Copyright 2014 ENOFYLZ Wine Blog. All rights reserved.