00 Deiss Riesling / 96 Chambertin Clos de Bèze, F. Esmonin

Ah, a wine that restored my faith in Alsace wines after a disappointing 2002 Kitterlé Riesling from Schlumberger over the weekend.
This Marcel Deiss wine is from Bennwihr.
The color was fairly well-developed, looking somewhat like a medium-old Sauternes.
The whiff was wonderful: petrol, white fruit, and what one would almost swear was some Tokaj-like botrytis.
The wine did a curious flip-flop on the palate, seeming more than a little sweet on the attack, but going into a mostly dry and sprightly aftertaste.
A funky, good wine, where an impression of sweetness (whether real residual sugar or the illusion of such) nevertheless plays an important part. Not your steely, mineral sort of Alsace.
At 8 years old it is at, or just past its peak.

I don't often drink Burgundy, but in light of the cost of the great growths of Bordeaux, it seems worth getting to know better. If only it were more reliable!

Anyway, I visited Frédéric Esmonin's cellars a long time ago and bought a mixed case of his wine because it seemed quite reasonably priced.

The 1996 Chambertin Clos de Bèze is my next to last bottle form that case.

While it did not really have the magic of a grand cru last night, it was a good enough wine with a subtle flavor and a very attractive purity on both the nose (raspberry, kirsch) and the palate. Medium long finish and as good now as it ever will be.

Best regards,
Alex R.

I don't often drink Burgundy, but in light of the cost of the great growths of Bordeaux, it seems worth getting to know better..

Unfortunately the great growths of Burgundy are not much better in price are they.

If you really want to get to know something better for less money, look pretty much any place else in France but those two areas.

If you really want to get to know something better for less money, look pretty much any place else in France but those two areas.

But Rahsaan, there isn't really anything better than those two, right? Oh yes, there might be, at least the equals, in northern Rhône, but then we are at about the same price level again...
Note, I'm not saying that there isn't lots of very good wine elsewhere in France, I just wouldn't agree that there are any other areas that one would say is consistently better.

Cheers, Anders

I just wouldn't agree that there are any other areas that one would say is consistently better.

Cheers, Anders

I wasn't referring to the wine being better in term of quality, I was referring to Alex getting to know the wine better in terms of familiarity.

Certainly as prices rise, I can't buy many of the classified Bordeaux or better 1er/GC Burgs that I used to buy. It's also true that there is (for me) no real substitute for either. When I want a Burgundy, a Loire red doesn't really do it (and when I want a Loire red, Burg doesn't cut it). You can substitute Rhone, Bdx, Piedmont Nebbiolo, etc in there. I've had people say "this Chilean is a great substitute for Bordeaux," but it generally doesn't cut it.

So I'll drink d'Issan instead of Palmer, Lagrange instead of LLC, Lafarge's village instead of the CdChenes, village Chambolle not 1er, etc.

Frederic Esmonin is generally about the cheapest Burgundy available in each appellation he produces. His village Gevrey is cheaper than most Bourgognes. But in general I haven't ever thought I got a bargain.

I wasn't referring to the wine being better in term of quality, I was referring to Alex getting to know the wine better in terms of familiarity.

Aah, sorry, but I think there was a slight ambiguity in your sentence. Anyway, then I quite agree with your statement!
Cheers, /A