Affordable Red Villages

What is your definition of affordable?

(As you may have noticed, that kind of thing varies widely on these boards)
 
Yeah, I know; I wanted to see what folks came up with, but you have squished my wiggle room.

For me, these days, affordable is about $15. But since we are talking Burgundy, I would say in the $25-40 range.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
For me, these days, affordable is about $15.
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Brutal. Can you still get Passetoutgrains for $15 :)

More seriously, I'm no expert but I imagine others will chime in.

Drouhin and Jadot and other big outfits of quality seem like reasonable places to start.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
For me, these days, affordable is about $15.
Click to expand...

Brutal. Can you still get Passetoutgrains for $15 :)

More seriously, I'm no expert but I imagine others will chime in.

Drouhin and Jadot and other big outfits of quality seem like reasonable places to start.
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You can get perfectly good muscadet and beaujolais for around that, thank heavens (and thank Joe Dressner)!

Actually, I picked up several cases of completely respectable (Pavelot, Bachelet, Lafarge, Burgaud, 2001-2002) bourgogne-villages-premier on auction a couple of years ago for $10-20, but that kind of thing is like a comet sighting, and unlikely to be repeated in my lifetime. Also Jadot Beaujolais St. Jacques for $5.50/btl.

By the way, Michel Magnien's white passetoutgrains is a lip-smacking wine for the $10-15 you can usually get it at.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:

By the way, Michel Magnien's white passetoutgrains is a lip-smacking wine for the $10-15 you can usually get it at.
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Passetoutgrains blanc? I always thought that passetougrains was only a red wine made from gamay and pinot noir. I suppose that Passetougrains blanc would be something like aligote and chardonnay (with maybe some mutant pinot blanc as well).

-Eden (just wondering)
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Affordable Red VillagesWho makes 'affordable' villages Burgundy these days that's actually good to drink? Is Drouhin any good at this level?

Thanks!
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Giraudon Bourgogne Chitry Rouge $15-$17 Retail

Skinny
 
What about Drouhin Chorey-les-Beaune? Haven't tasted but I have a bottle of the 2006 on deck.

Ian, are you looking for something ready to drink, or something that can gain depth and interest with short to mid term cellaring?
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Yeah, I know; I wanted to see what folks came up with, but you have squished my wiggle room.

For me, these days, affordable is about $15. But since we are talking Burgundy, I would say in the $25-40 range.
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$40 or less puts you in the range of de Villaine's stuff from the Chalonnaise. It's a Kermit Lynch import.
 
originally posted by Eden Mylunsch:
Passetoutgrains blanc? I always thought that passetougrains was only a red wine made from gamay and pinot noir. I suppose that Passetougrains blanc would be something like aligote and chardonnay (with maybe some mutant pinot blanc as well).
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Precisely. Mix of chardonnay and aligot. Lafarge makes a great one, "L'Exception."
 
Village wines from Catherine & Claude Marchal are always affordable and pretty delicious. A weakness for the Ladoix "Chaillot." Chorey is good, too. Savigny, more structured. Then Pommard and Volnay, classic, on the fruit.

Look to younger producers. Daniel Largeot is making some interesting wines. Henri & Gilles Buisson. Rodolphe Demougeot. (Caveat: the last tends to make hard, tannic wines in the early going.)

Or J.-Cl. Rateau - though I've had starkly contrasting experiences with his wines. Some totally exciting, others a washout.

Emmanuel Giboulot. Even his Hautes-Ctes-de-Nuits.

And never underestimate a Bourgogne in good hands, of course.
 
Village wines from Catherine & Claude Marchal are always affordable and pretty delicious
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If we're talking under $40 they might skate in just under the wire. More special occasion wines than "affordable" ones, at least in my household.
 
Chris, that's right; I remember someone telling me that they were noticeably more pricy in the US than here. Though there's been an uptick here, too, as with almost all wines or all wines.
 
This is what I do normally so I should be an expert here. One other one that came to mind is Roty's Marsannay. Roty has a couple of bottlings for less than $40. I picked up the 2004 Clos de Jeu on closeout from K&L when they were making room for the 2005s. Now I haven't actually drank any of the Roty Marsannay I'm recommending .. . but Allen Meadows has given it nice reviews.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
And never underestimate a Bourgogne in good hands, of course.
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Agreed. There are many detractors of the 04 vintage but last night's Sylvie Esmonin Bourgogne Cuvee Sylvie was attractive, showing a nice dose of earthy complexity for < $20. Nothing round about it but not thin or intrusively green.

RT
 
Thanks for the many thoughtful replies.

Eden - yes, passetoutgrains blanc, from Michel Magnien, usually sells at PC (is it allowed to name retailers here other than CSW?) for something like $15, but often on sale for around $10. I've always suspected Aligote in the mix, as Sharon confirms, which gives the wine a really delicious, savory, sappy quality.

Jeff - I'm not finding Parents on Wine searcher; who carries them in the U.S.?

John - Same with Giraudon (is Skinny your nickname or a description of the wine?)

Slaton - Yes, both. More and more, the red wine I want to drink comes from Burgundy, I'm trying to think both short- and long-term. The only silver lining to this fatal discovery is that I am happy with relatively simple wines from this region, and care more for energy and clear expression than complexity. I heard the 05 Drouhin Chorey was very good and hope I'll have the good fortune to read your note on the 06.

Steve - I've only tried Villaine's Clous (a white), and it didn't grab me, though I hesitate to admit it on this board (and with endorsements from Sharon, Jim and Kermit, believe me, I really wanted to like it!). I'd experiment with the Digoine if I could find an older bottle, but, really, like Chris, $40 is pretty high-end for me. I've enjoyed Roty's Marsannays, too, but that was when you could get them on sale for around $20.

Sharon - the mother lode! Great list, most available in the U.S. at about $35-40; Giboulot's run over $50. Do you have a note handy on the Chaillots? Whose hands appeal to you most when it comes to Bourgogne? I've enjoyed them from Bachelet, Lafarge, Burgaud, and Magnien.

How about Faively? Other Drouhin?

Another round of thanks to all who replied.

Ian
 
Drouhin's village wines are usually over $40 (the Chambolle is an excellent example which unfortunately passes your price point). You might check out their Cote de Beaune much of which is young vines Clos des Mouches.
 
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