2004 Givry, Premier Cru, La Vigne Des Anges-Vieilles Vignes (Burgundy, France)
Price: $18
Grade: A
Since the entrance of American tastes into the wine trade during the 1970s and the desire of many vineyards to get high critic ratings, many regions succumbed to outside influences that demand mass-market wine. Indeed, the smartest decision a vintner can make to sell his product is to make an innocuous, moderate wine that will attract as many buyers as possible. It is no coincidence that both Merlot and Pinot Grigio are among the best selling wines in the world; they are smooth, bland and easy to drink. In most cases, they take no chances.
The wines of Burgundy, however, are a different story. What I love about Burgundy and why I think it is the best wine region in the world — yes, even more so than Bordeaux — is the fact that winemakers there still adhere to the mantra of quality and reputation. For one, Burgundy still uses time-tested quality techniques like hand-picking grapes rather than machine harvesting, a process that can damage grapes and diminish their quality. Hand-picking and other traditional practices are almost impossible in wineries that use mass-production, meaning quantity often trumps quality. More importantly, Burgundy absolutely refuses to serve mass tastes by making boring wines. Common flavors found in classic Burgundy still include leather, tobacco and a gamey, meaty character that is hard to find anywhere else in the world.
Burgundy’s main grape varietals are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The region has undoubtedly set the standard for both grapes. Pinot Noir is perhaps the most temperamental grape in the world of wine. It needs near perfect weather to ripen correctly: soft sunshine during the day and cooling fog at night. In some ways, Burgundy seems like the least likely place for Pinot Noir; it often has severe weather which includes hail the size of golf balls! But Burgundy’s amount of sunshine and the cool mist that emanates from the Saone River at night makes it a perfect place for Pinot Noir.
Burgundy’s wine ranking system is pretty simple. The cheapest Burgundy wine ($10-$20) will have “Bourgogne” (“Burgundy” in French) on the label. It may even carry the name of the grape (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, etc.) as well. Midlevel Burgundies ($20-$40) will carry the name of the subregion (Côte de Nuits, Côte De Beaune, etc.) or the village commune in which the wine was made (Volnay, Meursault, etc.). For all you wine nerds out there, memorizing the subregions and villages is key to understanding what you are buying. Finally, the elite classes of Burgundy called Premier Cru and Grand Cru (the highest), provide the best wine that the region offers at high prices ($50-plus).
When walking through wine stores, I often traverse the rolling hills of the Burgundy section hoping to find overlooked treasures or sales. One day, after an overcrowded tasting at the Market Street Wineshop & Grocery on the Downtown Mall, I began such a trip down the Burgundy aisle searching for my favorite grape, Pinot Noir. Prices seemed typical: village wines for $30, cheap wines for about $12 and Premier Cru for $18. Wait, what?!?! When seeing that last price I did a cartoonish double take. Top shelf Burgundy wine for $18! Is this a joke? Is this a mistake? A moral dilemma soon followed. Should I ask the owner why this quality bottle is so cheap? Or should I sneak this bottle through checkout?
Being a University student, I decided to do the honorable thing and ask. It turns out that the bottle was correctly priced for a reason still unknown. The owner of the store said he simply purchased this bottle from a distributor at that low price. But why? I immediately began thinking of what could account for the low price. I noticed that the village that produced the wine was Givry, which is smack in the middle of Chardonnay country. Perhaps this bottle was cheaper because it was an atypical grape from this section of Burgundy — the southern portion of the region concentrates on Chardonnay while its northern counterpart is where Pinot Noir is dominant. Still, this is Premier Cru, a quality designation monitored by the government; it had to be decent.
Only a tasting could convince me. I bought the bottle and took it home. I poured it in a glass, swirled it pretentiously and began my analysis. The nose detected strong notes of cherry, red berry, leather, tobacco and a soft cedar character from oak. I tasted the wine and experienced concentrated flavors of cherry, smoky tobacco, incense, blueberry, vanilla and a gamey character that tasted like venison. Classic, concentrated Burgundy. This wine was the real deal! I still don’t know why this wine is priced so low.
In any case, stop what you’re doing, go to Market Street Wineshop and buy this bottle. It may be your only chance to taste a Premier Cru from the best wine region in the world. Experience the flavors and a steadfast history in the face of adversity.
What are you waiting for? Stop reading and get this wine!
Jeff’s column runs biweekly Wednesdays. He can be reached at j.katra@cavalierdaily.com.
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