Under $20 Bourgogne Rouge
After the virtual Burgundy tour, I started to wonder how inexpensive Bourgogne Rouge would stack up to the Village wines we tried. In addition, many wine drinkers just don’t have the $$ or interest to spend $50 on a bottle of wine. I decided to gather up a few under $20 examples (on sale) to try. The big questions: Are they clearly Burgundy? What can we learn from them?
In short, Bourgogne Rouge wines are clearly from Burgundy and nowhere else. They lack the specific characteristics of a particular village since these wines are typically sourced from a variety of vineyards in the region. Also the vineyard sources won’t be at the same quality level as the village wines. However, as a group, they do offer bright red fruits, but the fruit isn’t as prominent as many new world Pinot Noirs. They also show an herbal/earthy side that is typical of the Village level wines from our tour. One interesting note: you may be able to get a good sense of the producer’s style using these wines for comparison, especially if you choose a group from the same vintage.

Bourgogne Rouge wines can be found <$20.
Joseph Faively Bourgogne Rouge 2009 ($19)
Definitely an authentic red Burgundy!
Eye: Nice medium transparent garnet red color.
Nose: A bit stinky when the bottle is first opened, blows off quickly. Then a nice cherry aroma appears.
Mouth: Nice dry and a bit tannic at the end. Red fruits, some definite herbs. This is clearly Burgundy, not overly complex, but very nice. Perhaps a little riper than most higher level Burgundies. I would drink this anytime.

Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge with Kielbasi & Sauerkraut flatbread.
Bouchard Père et Fils Bourgogne ($19)
Eye: Beautiful transparent red, just a bit deep in color
Nose: Rich red fruit and something earthy like a bit of mushroom.
Mouth: Rich and smooth, almost buttery in a way. Not bad in any way, just not my favorite inexpensive Burgundy.

Bouchard Père et Fils Bourgogne Rouge with pork chop & pasta
Maison Roche de Bellene Bourgogne ($20)
Nice Bourgogne Rouge with some complexity from old vines (Vieilles Vignes).
Eye: Beautiful cherry red, transparent.
Nose: Red fruit, then a bit of smoke, a bit of earth.
Mouth: Not tart, but nice and lively. Not alot of tannin. mostly cherry flavor. This was very good with salmon.

Domaine de Bellene Bourgogne Rouge
Do you have a favorite inexpensive Bourgogne Rouge? I’d love to hear about your favorites!
My wish list of wines gets longer! Great suggestions.
On sale, they don’t need to be too expensive, and they are well worth exploring.
Thank you for the under $20 suggestions…we’ll have to give them a try. Love your pictures too!
thanks!