Burgundy 2021 en primeur: where to find value

In the past several years, ‘Burgundy’ and ‘bargain’ have seldom appeared in the same sentence. Despite the price escalation, finding value is eminently possible even in the current market of tiny supply and surging demand.

One possibility is to explore regional appellation wines that receive just the appellation ‘Bourgogne’.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for Charles’ top-scoring ‘value’ Burgundy 2021 wines

This appellation is nominally at the lowest rung of the quality ladder, but even the most celebrated domaines produce a Bourgogne (although some are quite expensive). If you search, however, you will find superstar domaines producing a wine of great value that spectacularly over-delivers at this level, such as Hudelot-Noëllat Bourgogne Pinot Noir or Michel Niellon Bourgogne Chardonnay.

Some producers farm the less-expensive vineyards at high elevations above the main slopes of the Côte d’Or known as the Hautes-Côtes. These are also included in the regional category as Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune and Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits.

These appellations can also provide exquisite quality wines that are also exceptional value, such as the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Au Bout du Monde from Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey and the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Corvée de Villy from Thibault Liger-Belair.

Hautes Côtes de Beaune. Credit: Vins de Bourgogne

Another type of regional appellation that should not be overlooked is Bourgogne Aligoté. This white wine grape is widely undervalued since it can produce spectacular wines of concentration, depth and structure in the right hands.

The fruit character is more tangy grapefruit and tarragon than Chardonnay’s ripe apple and white flowers, but the lively acidity and breadth on the palate make this a wine of intense pleasure with food.

Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise is the only village-level Aligoté, yet the grape is grown widely. Marsannay-based Sylvain Pataille is one of the flag-bearers for this grape and he makes several delicious versions, but his Clos du Roy (from a vineyard in Chenôve) is our current favourite.

A bit of searching can land the thirsty collector delicious wines from top domaines that are accessible on release but will also continue to improve with five years or more in the cellar. If you’ve been thinking that ‘everyday Burgundy’ is an oxymoron, these are definitely wines to explore.