The name Burgundy (Bourgogne in French) comes from the Burundians, an ancient Germanic people originating in Bornholm who settled in the area during the early Middle Ages.
Burgundy’s best red and white wines set the gold standard for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. At the top of their game, Burgundy wines are acknowledged as some of the most aromatically complex, seductive and silky on the globe. This thanks in part to their indescribable melding of fruits, flowers, minerals, and earth, as well as their facility in projecting an authoritative flavor sans excess weight.
Unfortunately, for many, the best Burgundies are only produced in limited numbers. Burgundy wines can spell trouble for the non-connoisseur—there are still many examples of less than stellar, overpriced bottles for sale. This fact is due to the nature of the region’s vineyard ownership. An individual, small premier cru vineyard may be subdivided amongst a dozen or more owners. These owners may produce everything from plonk to exceptional wines—all at the same price—depending on the skills of the producer.
The Côte d'Or, or "golden slope," is the in heart of Burgundy and is home to the region’s most famous, and pricey, wines. This 30-mile-long ribbon of vineyards is where all the Grand Cru vineyards (except for Chablis Grand Cru) are found. The Côte d'Or lies just south of Dijon extending to Chagny. The greater Burgundy region also envelopes Chablis to the northern extreme, while the Côte Chalonnaise and Maconnais regions are located to the south of the Côte d'Or. Beaujolais, at the extreme southern end of the Burgundy region, almost touches the outreaches of Lyon.
Wine Spectator, 92 points: The fine structure creates a nervous tension in this white, with lemon, chalk and baking spice flavors. Balanced, showing intensity and a mouthwatering finish that echoes the citrus, mineral and spice elements. Best from...
View From The Cellar, 94 points: (91-94 points) The 2013 Corton “Bressandes” from Domaine Chandon de Briailles had also finished up its malo in mid-summer and was showing pretty well at the time of my visit. The deep, pure and black fruity bouquet offers...
View From The Cellar, 94 points: (92-94 points) The 2013 Lavaux St. Jacques from Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy was raised in forty percent new wood in this vintage. It was still a bit cranky on the palate from the assemblage at the time of my visit, but the...
Wine Spectator, 95 points: This is tight right now, featuring a coiled spring of cherry, berry, licorice and spice flavors. Intense and long, with well-integrated oak and toasted spice notes lingering on the finish. The aftertaste incorporates a...
View From The Cellar, 92 points: The 2013 la Bousière was one of the shortest cuvées in the cellar in this vintage, as the domaine was very, very strict with selection (due to a fair bit of rot in this parcel) and the Harmands only have four casks out of...
View From The Cellar, 91 points: 91+ In contrast to the grumpy Vieilles Vignes bottling, the 2013 Clos Prieur from the Harmands was very much on form and showing lovely potential at the time of my visit. As reader will recall, this is a blend of a parcel...
View From The Cellar, 93 points: 93+ The 2013 Charmes-Chambertin from the Drouhin family was one of the few grand crus that I tasted that had already been bottled at the time of my visit in December. This is one of the great, unsung grand crus in the...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: (WA92-94 points) The 2013 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru has quite a deep and introspective bouquet with broody dark berry fruit, wild hedgerow and forest floor aromas that draw you in. The palate is medium-bodied with supple...
Wine & Spirits, 93 points: Philippe Drouhin dedicates .62 acres of vines to this village Chambolle, parcels he has farmed organically since 1990. And it may well be his farming that sets this wine apart, or his sister Véronique’s gentle winemaking...
View From The Cellar, 93 points: (JG92-93+ points) The 2013 Petite Chapelle was just a touch reduced at the time of my visit, but with a bit of coaxing, offers up a very good nose of red and black cherries, cocoa, gamebirds, lovely soil tones, smoke and...
Burghound, 89 points: Deep ruby color. An unusually high-toned nose demonstrates notes of pomegranate, raspberry and cherry with only minimal soil undertones. There is both good volume and punch to the delicious and detailed middle weight...
Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages, 90 points: Mid crimson. Sweet, ripe red fruits on the nose. Lots of fruit – one of the most flamboyant Jadot 2013s. Edgy finish with marked acidity but a lot of substance there too.
Wine Spectator, 94 points: Smoky black cherry and plum flavors ply the rich texture in this open yet succulent red. Tobacco and spice accents add to the lingering finish, where the wood has yet to be resolved. Best from 2018 through 2032. — BS
Vinous, 93 points: (ST91-93 points) Bright, deep red. Brooding aromas of raspberry, coffee and licorice. Sweet and concentrated, offering excellent depth of material but coming across as less pliant today than the Suchots. Finishes long and...
Wine & Spirits, 91 points: There’s a beautiful, dark-fruited wine here, waiting for oxygen to bring it to life. At first, it seems volatile, with an onion-like reductive scent, black, smoky and heavily influenced by its oak. But there’s also an...
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