One of the best-kept secrets for many customers is the wealth of delicious estate-grown and bottled Burgundy available for less than $30. If you have to have the top Grands Cru form the top handful of producers, Burgundy is not a cheap game. But if you look a little deeper, there are some great deals to match Pinot from anywhere in the world.
From Olivier Guyot in Marsannay is the 2004 Olivier Guyot Bourgogne Rouge ($17.99). It is organically farmed, with a horse rather than a tractor, and offers delightful spice and concentration. The 2004 Edmund Cornu Bourgogne Rouge ($18.99) is bottled unfined and unfiltered, comes from Ladoix and Chorey and is light, bright and focused. The 2004 Denis Bachelet Bourgogne Rouge ($20.99) comes from Gevrey-Chambertin, and from one of my favorite producers. It is sweet and pure and earned an “outstanding!” from Burghound.
If you step up in price just a few dollars there are some impressive village wines available. From Savigny-lès-Beaune come some great values, such as the 2004 Domaine Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune ($24.99), with a fruity nose and a nice sense of balance and minerality. Or, try the 2004 Edmund Cornu Ladoix ($26.99), which is high toned and bright, with raspberry notes. Finally, how about a 2004 Olivier Jouan Chambolle-Musigny ($29.99)? Grown on the vineyard next to Christophe Roumier’s Clos de la Bussiere, this combines structure, earth and silk, all in one. Á Sante!
—Keith Wollenberg