Red Burgundy
Red Burgundy is like the naughty sibling to its white twin. Whereas white Burgundy does its homework and practices the clarinet, receiving pats on the head from delighted tasters every year, its red counterpart bunks off school, more often than not, leaves our judges vaguely disappointed.
So the fact that it so outperformed its Goody Two-Shoes sister this year for perhaps the first time ever was really noteworthy.
Sure (apart from the extraordinarily well-priced Hospices de Beaujeu wine) the prices were high. But once you’d accepted the pillaging of your company credit card, there was quality here throughout. Just take a look at that spread of Golds – that’s the sign of a really strong category.
From The Tasting Teams
‘These showed good typicity for Burgundy – and that great quality usually comes with a premium price tag.’ Andre Luis Martins, Cavalry and Guards Club
‘These reds are never disappointing, and it was nice to discover that some producers are trying to do something different from the old style, moving towards organic, biodynamic and sustainable.’ Elisa Soggia, Trivet
‘We saw some classic expressions of Burgundy Pinot Noir, and one or two organic wines, which were certainly different: more earthy, more farmyard-y, more “authentic”.’ Gary Newborough, The Aristologist
‘It’s increasingly difficult to find something exceptional at a sensible price point for red Burgundy.’ Hamish Greening, Twenty Seven by Jamie Rogers
‘We expect that the prices are going to be higher here, but there was good stuff around the £14, £18, £20 mark as well: good, well-made wines in terms of acidity and complexity.’ Sam Weatherill, Etch. by Steven Edwards
‘They were stemmy, green, really crunchy, but that’s a style I like. They had freshness and vibrancy.’ Andres Ituarte, team leader