Antonin Rodet Givry 2008

While at my local Majestic recently I sampled a bunch of wines they had opened for tasting. The one that stood out the most was this red Burgundy from the Givry appellation in Burgundy's Cotes Chalonnaise. I was enticed by its pronounced sour cherry flavours and decided to buy a couple of bottles.

Drinking it now, it's a bit more complex than just sour cherries. The cherries have moved into the background, and it's displaying some mushroomy character. It's also very tangy and has an elegant grip from the tannins. I like it - it's a Burgundy and doesn't at all resemble some of this new world dreck that passes for Pinot Noir these days.

Antonin Rodet

Givry 2008

Givry AOC, Burgundy, France

Majestic

£11.99 (when you buy 2 bottles)

3/5

Bouchard Pere et Fils Savigny-Les-Beaune 2007

If this is good Pinot Noir, then I don't understand people who go nuts for this variety.

This wine regularly goes for £15.99. I haven't bought wine by the case for a few months and sort of felt like splashing out on something - nothing crazy but just a nice wine to have with our dinner. I decided on this Burgundy which is featured in Waitrose's French Wine Showcase.

It's perfectly drinkable, but just nothing at all special. It has a sort of mouth-puckering acidity (almost tart/sour), but no pronounced fruit flavours or anything outstanding at all. Why does this cost £16?

Bouchard Pere et Fils

Savigny-Les-Beaune 2007

Burgundy, France

Waitrose

£11.99 (£15.99)

2.5/5

Domaine de la Motte Chablis Cuveé Vieilles Vignes 2008

I was sent this wine in the post from Burgundy Wines (I think), as a result of not being able to honour an invitation to the 24th Annual Chablis Contest in London. In a remarkable coincidence, it happened to be the wine of a producer that I had recently discovered.

The producer is Domaine de la Motte, and I recently blogged about one of their Premier Cru wines.

This wine, the cuveé Vieilles Vignes, is not a Premier Cru but it is still a wine of quality. It has a rich, almost meaty nose, and a very fresh, crisp acidic palate. I think this may be one for the cellar.

I wouldn't say I'm a huge Chablis fan - I prefer oaked Chardonnay which isn't the norm in Chablis. If I want a crisp, refreshing white wine there are lots of other wines I'd go to first, but the wines of this producer impress me.

Domaine de la Motte

Chablis Cuveé Vieilles Vignes

AOC Chablis, Burgundy, France

3.5/5

Domaine de la Motte Chablis Premier Cru Beauroy 2006

This wine has me interested in Chablis again. I tasted it at a tasting party we had with some friends, and one of the group had brought it back from France. The people who brought it kindly offered to buy some more if anyone was interested, so I took them up on it.

It's a Chablis from the Beauroy Premier Cru vineyard. It's oaked (unlike a lot of Chablis), which adds some welcome complexity. I prefer oaked Chardonnay, and previous attempts at Chablis were met with mostly indifference on my part.

Toasty vanilla oak, rich fruit, and good acidity sums it up. Chardonnay at its best.

Domaine de la Motte

Chablis Premier Cru Beauroy 2006

Burgundy, France

FromVinyardsDirect

£13.95

4/5

Louis Jadot Meursualt 2007

Sainsbury's has come up with the deal of the year. This wine normally goes for about £25, and it's on for half-price. That's not inflated either - this is proper wine.

Everything adds up here, almost. Louis Jadot is a good name. 2007 was a good vintage. It's a Meursault.

We loved it - slightly buttery (unsalted apparently), long, good acid. Would like to drink this stuff all the time. Great at £12. Wouldn't pay £25 - I think it's over-priced. I have had new-world Chardonnays for much less that I'm happy with. That's what this stuff costs though - deal with it.

Louis Jadot

Meursault 2007

Burgundy, France

Sainsbury's

~£12 (~£25)

4/5

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits 2008

This is a terrible wine. I think I mistook it for this. How I did that I'm not sure.

It's almost the colour of a rose (not really unusual for a Pinot Noir), but it's also thin, acidic, and just generally grim. Really disappointing.

I don't remember the price exactly but I think it was £6 or £7 marked down from £8 - £10. Nothing short of a disgrace.

Sainsbury's

Taste the Difference Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits 2008

Burgundy, France

Sainsbury's

1/5

Aegerter 'Vieilles Vignes' Savigny-Les-Beaune 2005

Another Random Aussie Bloke purchase. This time from Calais. He reckons it was around €30.

For a Pinot Noir, it tastes absolutely nothing like the stuff I've had recently. On the other hand, I'm not really sure it tastes like Pinot Noir. It was rich, deep coloured, and smelled and tasted exclusively like sour cherries. It was delicious.

A good reminder of what's available from Burgundy when you spend a bit extra. OK maybe a lot extra...

Aegerter

'Vieilles Vignes' 2005

Savigny-Les-Beaune, Burgundy, France

4/5

Blason de Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Beaune 2008

It's not often you buy a Burgundy, white or red, for under £7 and it's very good. I wouldn't say this is 'very good' but it's definitely good. I've been disappointed with Blason's wines before (especially the whites), so I wasn't really expecting too much.

An unmistakably French Pinot Noir with good cherry flavours, this should satisfy the budget-minded Burgundy lover. It won't blow you away, but you'll be left with a decent glass of wine and the feeling of getting a bargain.

Blason de Bourgogne

Hautes-Cotes de Beaune 2008

Burgundy, France

Sainsbury's

£6.65 (£9.99)

3/5

Joseph Drouhin Rully Premier Cru 2007

This was supposed to be a bit of a splash-out wine for me. At £12.99 it's not something I would normally buy, except for a special occasion. Embarrassingly, when I was looking at this wine in the shop I didn't know where in Burgundy the appellation of Rully was, however I had heard good things about the producer, so that was enough for me.

Rully is part of the Cote Chalonnaise, which I've mentioned before as a region for good value wines. They may not be the superstars of Burgundy, but they are affordable and can be quite good. So far I've only been impressed with the reds, as other whites from this region (i.e. Montagny) I've found a bit lacking in character and depth, and sadly this is no exception, although it's not a bad wine.

It has a soft, oily texture and a very slight toastiness to it. Elegant but no great complexity or depth. I normally wouldn't complain but for £12.99 I expected a bit more.

Joseph Drouhin

Rully Premier Cru 2007

Rully Premier Cru AOC, Cote Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France

Waitrose

£12.99

3/5

Les Petits Buis Givry 2006

I have to admit that Burgundy reds are somewhat of a gaping hole in my wine experience... please don't shoot me. Perhaps its that I just got too hooked on Bordeaux wines and neglected this region. Anyway, I approached this wine with an open and unbiased mind.

Givry is located in the Cote Chalonnaise region of Burgundy and predominantly uses Pinot Noir. Certainly the appearance of this wine was classic pinot... a light plum red colour. Its nose is extremely fragrant and enticing, with vanilla and cherry tones and hints of spice. The taste by contrast, was not as fruity as I expected. I would put it much more at the 'herby' end of things, although sour cherries factored in later on. So all in all, a very pleasant wine but perhaps not quite what I expected. I have to say that after decanting and a few hours it opened up and the cherries became more pronounced. Earlier on it was just a bit too sour for me though... Still, a good bottle and not bad for the price.

Cave De Buxy
Les Petits Buis Givry 2006

Givry AOC, Burgundy, France
Majestic (Vinopolis)
£9.99
3.5/5

Chateau de la Chaume Mercurey 1er Cru 2006

I picked this red Burgundy up in supermarket in Brussels a few weeks ago. The village of Mercurey is in the southern part of Burgundy known as the Côte Chalonnaise. Two villages in particular here, Mercurey and Givry, are sources of good quality affordable wines.

This was actually better than I thought it was going to be. It was light red in colour with thick, syrupy legs. It had a pronounced nose and flavour of sour cherries, which I found to be a bit different. I normally experience strawberry flavours with red Burgundy, not cherry. But there it was. Light and elegant, good fruit and a good finish. Great value - this cost about €11.

Chateau de la Chaume

Mercurey 1er Cru AOC, Burgundy, France

€11

3.5/5

Bouchard Ainé & Fils, White Burgundy 2008

I needed a Chardonnay for Spaghetti Carbonara so I just decided to try this, a generic white Burgundy that was 25% off at Waitrose.

A pretty decent wine, although I wasn't bowled over by its character. A bit of white stone fruit with good acidity, it did the trick with the spaghetti. It would make a good everyday food wine.

Bouchard Ainé & Fils

White Burgundy 2008

AOC Bourgogne, France

Waitrose

£5.99 (25% off)

3/5

Blason de Bourgogne Montagny 1er Cru 2007

This white Burgundy is from the appellation of Montagny in the Côte Chalonnaise.  The Côte Chalonnaise is known for less expensive (and hence less impressive) wines than other areas in Burgundy, both red and white.  There are bargains to be found though, although I wouldn't say this is one of them.

The wine isn't bad, but I expected more for the price (£15.99, £7.99 on offer).  It has a nice smooth, creamy character, but very  little in the way of flavour.  So little in fact, that I'm struggling to come up with anything else to say about it, except I would have been pretty annoyed if I had paid full price for it (which I never would have).  There are better Chardonnays to be had for less.

I'm giving it a 3, as it's not bad and could even be marginally enjoyable with a meal.  Usually a 3 means I woud buy it again, but in this case I wouldn't bother, I think it's too overpriced, and too dull even for the offer price £7.99.

Blason de Bourgogne

Montagny 1er Cru 2007

Montagny, Burgundy, France

Tesco

£7.99 (£15.99)

3/5

Blason de Bourgogne Aligoté 2007

I purchased this wine not because I thought it would be good, or because it was cheap, but because it was a white Burgundy made from the Aligoté grape, which is the second most planted white grape in Burgundy, after Chardonnay.

OK I'll come clean now, it is also an IWC bronze medal winner, and it was on offer, so there's 3 reasons to give it a try.

I probably enjoyed it about as much as last night's Pinot Grigio. It was very acidic, and the only things I could get out of it besides the usual generic apple-and-pear flavours were water (?!) and a sort of spirity, Grappa-like sensation.

Doing a little research, this is a grape that plays second fiddle to Chardonnay, although it seems to be a good grape for blending because of its high acidity, and comes in handy for its resistance to cold weather (I wonder if they grow it in Canada? Just checked...yes they do).

Interestingly, there was a bit of sediment in the bottle. I've heard this happens with white wines because it was exposed to cold temperatures after bottling, which causes the tartaric acid in the wine to crystallize and form a solid. This is sometimes done by the winemaker on purpose in a process called cold stabilization in order to reduce the formation of these crystals. It's the type of thing that divides opinion - some people don't want unsightly crystals in their wine, and others look at them as a natural (and welcome) product of the winemakeing process.

This wine is produced under the appelation Bourgogne Aligoté AC. This is a regional AC, meaning that the grapes can come from all over Burgundy, although it says on the label that the wine is made at the Cave de Buxy Co-op and the grapes are grown in the Cote Chalonnaise.

Blason de Bourgogne (Cave de Buxy)
Aligoté 2007
Burgundy, Bourgogne Aligoté AC, France
Waitrose
£6 (£8)
2.5/5

Cave de Lugny, Cremant de Bourgogne, Blanc de Blancs NV

If you ever fancy Champagne or something sparkling, and you don't want to spend a lot of money, and you're tempted to get that £5 bottle of Cava, don't. Get a Sparkling Burgundy (Cremant de Bourgogne) instead. It's probably the most consistent crowd-pleaser I've come across. It's done well in blind tastings, and even pleased the most fickle of Champagne drinkers (that's you Vicki).

Burgundy probably produces the highest quality sparkling wine available outside of Champagne, and from my experience, also the tastiest. This offering from Waitrose is a God-send. At just over £7 (on offer), what more could you want? Dry and mineraly with tangy acidity, it's sure to please. It's definitely my choice of non-Champagne sparkler.

Cave de Lugny
Cremant de Bourgogne, Blanc de Blancs NV
Waitrose
£7.19 (£8.99)
3/5

Michel Picard Givry 1er Cru 2005

This excellent wine was obtained in Calais, France by a friend of mine as part of a 6 bottle mixed case of red Burgundies that he chose himself. It turned out to be a rather good choice I think.

Givry is a village in the Côte Chalonnaise subregion of Burgundy. The Côte Chalonnaise is regarded as a good source of low-priced, quality Burgundies and if this is anything to go by I can see why.

Burgundy labelling can be a bit confusing, but I think I can decipher this one. The winemaker is Michel Picard, and he obtained the grapes for this wine from Domaine Voarick. This is indicated on the label (apparently this is unusual). They were taken from the vineyard "La Grande Berge", and this is also on the label because this is a Premier Cru vineyard. It's also from the 2005 vintage, which was one of the best in recent years.

The wine itself is lovely. If this is as good as Burgundy gets, I would be happy. It isn't, but I can't afford to drink fine Burgundy all the time. Every time I have a wine like this, I think of all the rubbish new world Pinot Noirs I've tried and feel vindicated for not liking them. There seem to be a lot of Pinot Noir fans around, and I suspect some of them are Sideways-influenced (you know it happens), and I wonder how many of them drink Burgundy. If they don't they should.

This wine was apparently only 16 euros, but I suspect it would be over £20 here in the UK.

As well as Givry, Mercurey is also a good source of budget-priced red Burgundy from the Côte Chalonnaise.

Michel Picard
Givry 1er Cru "La Grande Berge" 2005
Givry, Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France
(purchased) Somewhere in Calais
16€
4/5

Blason de Bourgogne Mâcon Villages 2007

This is an entry-level white Burgundy purchased from Asda. It's made by the Blason de Bourgogne series of co-operatives.

A co-operative is a winery that buys its grapes from its own members (the farmers), so usually has their best interests in mind.
I usually root for these wine co-ops. In France and Italy, I think they make decent, affordable wine from the more interesting wine regions of these countries.

I was a bit disappointed by this wine, however. It wasn't terrible, but it had a very sugary taste that just said "cheap Chardonnay". Maybe I shouldn't feel too let down, it wasn't expensive and I'm not a huge Chardonnay fan anyways. I don't think 2007 was a brilliant vintage either.

Blason does a nice rosé Crémant de Bourgogne which Waitrose usually has on offer in the summer for under £10.

Blason de Bourgogne
Mâcon Villages AC, 2007
Burgundy, France
Asda
~£5
2/5