Rude or Nude #1: Label Whores

Writing for the the web, and reviewing wine, are complex matters, and people sometimes tend to take even slightly negative comments or articles very seriously.

I live in Burgundy, and I see the good, bad, and ugly sides of this beautiful region. I love it, and while perhaps this doesn’t give me the right to be rough and rude, someone has to take a critical stance once in a while.

Rude or Nude #1

Burgundy prices, and looking at alternatives

The prices of top Burgundy wines are very high, and inflated – for many reasons. A lot of intelligent commentary has been published about this problem, but so far no solution have been found, or even suggested.

The problem in a nutshell is that consumers want Burgundy, and the demand is pushing prices out of many buyers’ reach.

A lot of money doesn’t always equal knowledge

The snobbishness of Burgundy consumers (the Danes are some of the worst!) means that many only like to drink the big appellations: Vosne, Chambolle, Gevrey. Even Nuits-Saint-Georges, Corton, Beaune, and Pommard are sneered upon on the table.

These “label snobs” – not you, but we all know at least one – start with the top domaines, but are soon reaching for the next level of these famous appellations. Trust me: When you start digging into the lower-level producers and negociants providing Vosne or Chambolle, it is not pretty.

They then pick a great – and preferably big – new vintage, drink it too young just when the wine is closed down and not showing any of the flashy points it was given in the review. What a shame! But this is the curse of the average label drinker.

Côte de Nuits Village can be very enjoyable!

I have tasted many top Burgundies over the last 30 years, and let me assure you: They are not the only way to Burgundy nirvana.

These days, I mainly drink lesser appellations, as I can’t and won’t pay current 1er or grand cru prices. Even the village wines from these big appellations are getting very expensive, even in Burgundy. And mark my words: With top-end producers, I fear this is only the beginning.

I instead drink many Bourgogne Blancs, Bourgogne Rouges, and Côte de Nuits Villages, and I’m increasingly exploring the Hautes Côtes de Nuits. I often feel true joy and excitement in these wines that I don’t find in many lesser, but more highly classified wines. If chosen carefully, you can find true vins d’émotion, and some of them are actually quite inexpensive – at least until they become too well known.

My advice is therefore clear: Either become a billionaire (I would if I could), or alternatively realise that Côte de Nuits Village can give some fantastic wines. And other under-valued appellations – Savigny-les-Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses, Santenay – offer equally exciting wines.

Open your eyes, friends!

How can I be open and honest?

Reviewers or wine writers are often quite positive (I myself am sometimes too positive), and frequently decline to comment on the poor wines encountered on my way through Burgundy.

I have long been looking for a format in which I could discuss some of the wines that I am disappointed in – or even disgusted by.

This new format is “Rude or Nude”

Rude, because I know that sometimes it’s controversial to discuss well-known estates in a critical manner. Nude, because it’s my bare-boned view. I think this way, and will try to work only this way!

Please note: This format will be is an informal discussion of a topic or a wine that needs to be considered in an honest, direct fashion. I will mention names if this can`t be avoided – be forewarned.