Photo by Ian McCausland gary’ s corner
By Gary Hewitt, Sommelier( ISG, CMS), CWE
BURGUNDY: REMAINING RELEVANT A few years ago, I was very fortunate to attend a week-long celebration in the heart of Burgundy. Food was a constant. One grand meal comprised whole spit-roasted suckling pig, paella( yes, even Burgundians cook ethnic food), cheeses, breads, and an endless stream of Burgundian wines that magically appeared from the bags of young vignerons( winemakers). All was in balance, a Burgundy tableau of food, wine, and conviviality. Then I spied a rogue bottle. Its reputable Rhone Valley label sang to me with promise of opulent southern warmth and terroir-driven Syrah. The sip. The shock! Overpowering, almost obscene. I usually enjoy Rhône wines, but a week of only Burgundian Pinot Noir, all elegance and balance, had rendered me unprepared. I quickly gulped a modest Bourgogne rouge to assuage the assault.
This episode reminded me of a scene from Jancis Robinson’ s Wine Course video series: devious Jancis whips a bottle of Australian Chardonnay out of her voluminous bag to spring it on an unsuspecting Burgundian vigneron— in his own winery! He tastes the wine, walks outside and expectorates. His only comment:“ Sad,” while Jancis speculates that the wine is“ not even fit to spit in his cellar!” The wine exceeded the vigneron’ s bounds of quality, bounds set by years, centuries even, of fine tuning wines to local conditions and tastes.
Our North American palate has been formed largely by exposure to wines with expressive fruit, high alcohol, low acidity, and soft tannins. We drink wines sans food, socially. In this context Burgundian wines can seem light even harsh and acidic, often craving food. But wines follow fashions and tastes change. Even now we are slowly edging away from the grapey, intense, almost sweet wines of recent rapture toward lighter wines with greater food-pairing potential. Some consumers will stick to the big wines— rightfully so!— while others will increasingly discover the food affinity of classically structured wines.
In a world dominated by international brands with no particular sense of place, the wines of Burgundy, created in small quantities by hands-on vignerons who grow the grapes, make the wine, and then market it, appeal to consumers who want to know where their food comes from and how it is made. A good wine atlas will show exact vineyard locations for domaine-bottled wines, and producer websites frequently proclaim sustainable / organic / biodynamic practices( all widely practiced in Burgundy) as badges of environmental responsibility.
We expect to pay more for craftsmanship, high quality, and rarity; certainly as these attributes apply to art, automobiles, and food( think caviar and truffles)— why not for wine? It is the soul of Burgundy that is bottled, and for many wines, the depth of character is revealed only in time and by familiarity. Classic Burgundy is at once simple— essentially two grape varieties( Pinot Noir and Chardonnay)— and complex; it is bottled history, geography, geology, technology, and passion. Burgundy can be like an elusive classic recipe— risotto, crème caramel, Boeuf Bourguignon— seemingly simple but challenging to master. Is Burgundy relevant? Yes, increasingly so, but it takes time, patience, and understanding. Funny, it seems other great things in life require the same. �
TOURING BURGUNDY A serious wine trip to Burgundy can be an engaging challenge: domaines are small and cellar doors are scarce. Appointments must be made, often en français, by email or phone. Even large négociant houses do not actively encourage visits, Pierre Andre and Bouchard Pere et Fils being notable exceptions.( Micro-négociant Mischief and Mayhem advertise that their cellar door is open daily, but then again, they were established by an Australian and an Englishman.)
Burgundy’ s tourism board provides lots of information, including an excellent, free Roadmap to the Wines of Burgundy that includes a list of visitor-friendly cellars( www. burgundy-winestourism. fr). However, even this may not lead you on your desired path if you have specific wine goals.
For a rewarding, in-depth wine visit, consider employing a local expert guide such as Anne Schussler of Oenalia( www. Oenalia. com). Anne’ s lifetime among the vineyards and more than 20 years of professional oenological experience give her extensive knowledge of Burgundy’ s terroir, winemaking, and producers. She tailors itineraries, wine tastings, and winery visits to individual interests and provides candid professional assessments. A few days in the company of Anne are worth weeks on your own.
30 www. banvilleandjones. com