Burgundies are rather rare on my site, given the rather poor price:quality ratio for the most part, but the quality part of that equation is hard to ignore. Tonight, while pondering what to serve with a pork tenderloin, I realized that tonight's Bourgogne has been sitting in my cellar for three years - time for a corkscrew, I say.The 2001 Domaine A. et P. de Villaine Mercurey Les Montots boasted one of the nicest bouquets I have ever put my nose into - fresh strawberries and meaty aromas are supported by summer flowers, mushrooms, leather, musk, butter, and nuts. Stunning! On the palate is was light to medium bodied, crisp and well balanced, with modest fruit and a light tannin backbone. Smooth, with a very, very long finish, this wine can be enjoyed today or cellared for a few more years. A perfect match for pork tenderloin in a mushroom sauce. alcohol 12.5%
Score:17.5/20
Price: C$33 (SAQ)
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4 comments:
Hmmm, "poor QPR for the most part," a tough statement. I bet that $30 on the Spanish wines you reviewed below is a good value because the producers and those particular wines are worth it. But your average $30 bottle of Spanish wine, not Rioja? I bet those offer worse QPR than your average Burgundy. I think Burgundy is maligned in this way, and like any other region, simply requires some research on producers and vineyards. Yes, Burgundy and pinot in general is expensive, but bad QPR in general? Bordeaux has no reason to charge the astronomical prices it does, as a typical producer puts out 30,000 cases a year. The typical production in Burgundy is closer to 3,000 cases, but the scale of prodcution costs requires prices to be what they are. Not for every producer, of course, but there is a reason that a village Burg, like the one you tasted here, costs about $30. Trick is finding a good one for the $30, and you seem to have done just that!
Hi Brooklyn. Thanks for your critique, although I will stand by those comments and 'agree to disagree'. It is not a criticism of Burgundy - it is actually a bizarre compliment. People will pay anything to get a hold of Burgundy - hard to criticize that winemaking. But "requires research" means, on average, poor QPR (i.e. on average you cannot get a good value, hence the intense research requirement). Don't get me wrong, I am not 'maligning' Burgundy - while you CAN find great value Bordeaux, great value Napa, great value Barolo (ok, not Barolo, poor QPR), it is hard work because ON AVERAGE they are poor QPR. Burgundy is a very small region with very high demand. I love them, but I cannot find that love below $30, and above $30 it has been hit and miss to date. Compare that to Loire, south of France, Italy and Spain, and Bordeaux, Napa, Burgundy are poor QPR on average. And those Spanish wines are fantastic (amongst my highest scores ever) as compared to similar varietals from any region in the world.
I am very happy with the de Villaine, and I hope I have more of those successes - maybe that will change my mind! Cheers!
yeah, that's all too true. I guess i just meant that what is true about the Burg is true about all wine, and I think people miss that. If yu buy without "research" you are likely to get poor QPR. poor wine at $15 or poor wine at $30 is still poor wine. Why does entry level burg cost more than other entry level wine?
I think you've made fair comments - all of the best regions are overpriced and you always need to do research, but especially in those pricey regions. I think I mis-spoke when I said that Burgs are the worst QPR - what I really meant is that I have had more 'failures', and more 'dramatic' failures, in Burgundy. But my luck has turned recently, so I am optimistic! As for pricing, we have a simple answer in the brokerage industry - "more buyers than sellers..." I hear the Japanese love the stuff and some Domaines have pre-sold every vintage.
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