3/99. Bought in auction, Sep-97 for $45 (imported for $65 net).
I rarely buy or drink Burgundy Villages wines. There is enough mediocrity among the 1er Cru and Grand Cru for me to bother with the "lowly" Villages wines. Once in a while though there is this exception that makes life more interesting than just a simple set of rules.
Alain Burguet with his hand-picked berries from his "Old Vines" plot in Gevrey-Chambertin is just such an exception.
Tonight with an assortment of (take-away!) Chinese dishes at home I decided to give it a try.
COLOR: Pretty dark ruby, looking full and dense. Only slight clearing around the rim.
NOSE: Really beautiful and enticing 'Bourgogne Nose' that emphasized black fruit, barnyard aromas and forest undergrowth with some gamey, raw meat tones.
TASTE: Full, rich and vibrant on the palate. Sweet, concentrated fruit over a robust backbone of winyness and acidity. Some tannins are still noticeable. A bit rustic and perhaps not the prime candidate for prize-winning finesse, this wine is nevertheless mouthfilling and very tasty. Stood up like a man to the multi-flavored Chinese food.
LENGTH: Quite short but pleasantly fruity aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: A biggish red (B), extremely well endowed for a village wine. Concentrated fruit, measured acidity and soft tannins make this a very well structured and balanced wine.
OVERALL: Excellent-plus! This wine could easily be mistaken for a (good!) Premier Cru. Furthermore, it has at least a few more years to live on the optimal maturity plateau.
MARK: 17.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

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Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.