My mission with this blog, my tasting notes and my articles about Burgundy is pretty simple and straightforward:
The mission is to help the readers find more pleasure in Burgundy wines, and to help them understand the terroirs and wines of Burgundy – and through this knowledge be able to enjoy more beautiful Burgundy moments.
I don’t know everything about Burgundy – but I will continue to explore the wines and the terroirs – and will share this with the readers as I gain more knowledge.
I have a personal taste and preference for terroir driven wines – from the Bourgogne rouge to the best grand crus. The wines should also give pleasuere and spread joy when you are drinking them … I don’t wan’t to be impressed by a wine – i wan’t to be moved and feel the joy and pleasure of a great complexity – wines should be involving.
One comment from Frederic Mugnier really made me think – A good wine is not necessarily a great wine, and a great wine is not necessarily good! This point is a very important point – as I value pleasure higher than greatness and power. Power and weight is in my view not desirable – if it’s gained at the cost of pleasure, drinkability, terroir typicity and complexity.
When you rate wines there is a tendency to focus on the big wines from the great terroirs, and the focus on points and ratings is also putting the spotlight on these often very expensive wines. My focus is not only to praise these wines – it’s to help the readers to find more affordable and accessible pleasure in Burgundy wines – a fine village can bring a lot of joy to the palate – and these wines should not be overlooked in the quest for 100 points or a legendary status.
For me pleasure is the essence of Burgundy – a good Burgundy should be both refined and delightful – just as it should reflect and communicate the terroir, appelation and vintage.
Dos and don’ts
- I try to avoid tasting poor wines – no reason to search for these.
- I don’t visit domaines if I know beforehand that I don’t like the quality of the wines.
- If I taste a substandard wine from cask in a otherwise fine lineup – I might skip the note.
- If I taste a poor wine from bottle where higher expectations are in order – I normally publish the note.
- Remember – I’m not 100% objective – I also have my preferences – see above.