What Price Burgundy? : When $30 Is a Bargain

What price Burgundy? In a survey of the state’s top wine merchants, most agreed that to get something that truly represents the ’90 vintage, you may have to pay $30 a bottle. So merchants were asked to name the best 1990 red Burgundy they had at $30 or less.

“You mean a wine that won’t be sold out in the next 48 hours?” asked Rich Smith of the Wine Club in Santa Ana with a laugh. He said sales of ’90 red Burgundies were going so fast that he was hard pressed to find one he’d have in a week. (Research for this column was done Jan. 8.)

In general the wines of Beaune, usually lighter than those of the Cote d’Or, were among the most frequently recommended. Moreover, four wines from the prominent shipper Louis Jadot were recommended and two more from Leroy, indicating that those houses’ 1990 red offerings were also very good.

In spite of the $30 ceiling, a number of wines were recommended in the $15 to $25 range and one was as cheap as $7.99, indicating that there are still a few good values out there. Within two months, however, the pickings will be slim, all merchants agreed.

Here are the recommended wines:

Bel-Air Wine Merchant (Bob Golbahar): 1990 Vosne-Romanee, Premier Cru, “Champs Perdrix,” Domaine Bruno Clair ($27.99) --”A beautiful Pinot Noir nose with black cherry that’s really concentrated. It’ll age for at least 10 years, but you should keep it at least two years so it’ll open up.”

10421 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles; (310) 474-9518.

Bristol Farms (Jeff Nicoll): 1990 Fixin, Boillot ($19.99) --”There’s a lot of black fruit like cassis in this wine and subtle hints of leather and great concentration. It tastes great now, but it’ll age.”

606 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena; (818) 441-5450.

Draper & Esquin (Scott King): 1990 Savigny-Les-Beaune, Maurice Ecard ($27.50) --”Sometimes in the great vintages, regions you’re unfamiliar with make great wines. This one has tremendous extract and fruit and great length. There’s an accessibility to this wine, but it’ll be good for the long haul too, which is unusual for Savigny.”

655 Davis, San Francisco; (415) 397-3797.

Duke of Bourbon (David Breitstein): 1990 St. - Aubin, Premier Cru, Chateau de Puligny - Montrachet ($19.99) --”Classic Beaune. This is a lighter wine with wonderful flavors from a winery that is really on the upswing. It tastes more like Burgundy than any of the 1990s I’ve tasted.”

20908 Roscoe Blvd., Canoga Park; (818) 341-1234.

Greenblatt’s Deli (Jeff Kavin): 1990 Cote de Beaune - Villages,’s Louis Jadot ($15.95) --”Jadot’s ‘90s are really good, and this wine is a good example of a fine Beaune from a good vintage. It’s nice to see a bottle of Burgundy this good for this low a price.”

8017 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; (213) 656-0606.

Los Angeles Wine Co. (Ron Harling): 1990 Bourgogne, Faiveley ($7.99) --”I love these ’90 Burgundies, they’re so rich and concentrated. This one is really deep, rich and almost Rhone-like in its weight.”

4935 McConnell, Unit 8, Los Angeles; (310) 306-9463.

Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant (Alan Sobczak): 1990 Bourgogne Rouge, Coste-Caumartin ($16.50)-- “In effect this is a declassified Pommard; the vines are in Pommard. It’s done in barrels that are four or five years old, so it’s not over-oaked, but it is very deep in color and intense. This is a large wine that captures the fruit of the Cotes de Beaune with a long, lingering finish. It’s tannic but not offensively so. Drink it over the next three to six years.”

1605 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley; (510) 524-1524.

Montana Wine Co. (Robert Rogness): 1990 Bourgogne Rouge, “Vielles Vignes,” Domaine Du Vieux Saint-Sorlin ($12.99) --”We’ve been telling people that 1990 is such a great vintage you don’t have to buy the famous names. This one is packed with dark cherry fruit, and it’s velvety in the mouth. It’s drinkable now but it will age well.”

625 Montana Ave., Suite B, Santa Monica; (310) 451-4553.

Northridge Hills Liquor and Wine Warehouse (Paul Smith): 1990 Pommard, Premier Cru, “Les Vignots,” Rene Monier ($18.99) --”Real cherry flavors of a Cote de Beaune in a classic vintage. It’s really balanced and tempting to drink now, but it will age very well.”

11249 Tampa Ave., Northridge; (818) 368-7330 .

Pacific Wine Co. (Mike Lynch): 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin, Mortet ($29.95) --”It’s a wine that accurately shows its appellation. It’s not gimmicked up with lots of new oak; it’s not overly extracted. It’s got absolutely pure Pinot Noir fruit. It’s only slightly tannic so it tastes good now, but will age another five to 10 years.”

124 Spear St., San Francisco; 800-464-5202.

Red Carpet Wine and Spirits (David Dobbs): 1990 Gevrey - Chambertin, Premier Cru, “Les Evocelles,” Boillot ($29.99) --”It’s pretty tough to find a Premier Cru for $30 from this vintage, but this wine is beefy yet supple with a lot of raspberry and clove flavors. It’s a definite Premier Cru-quality wine.”

400 E. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale; (818) 247-5544.

Vintage Wines Limited (Geoff Landerkin): 1990 Nuits-St.-George, Robert Chevillon, ($28.99) --”It’s very well structured with cherry and earth components and a long finish. This is a very robust Nuits-St.-George.”

6904 Miramar Road, Suite 101, San Diego; (619) 549-2112.

Wally’s (Gary Fishman): 1990 Bourgogne, Leroy ($14.99) --”It’s dark in color and has clear Pinot Noir aromas. It’s rich on the palate with good tannins, and it’s agreeable to drink now but will age for another five to eight years. And it’s made by a producer who insists on impeccable quality.”

2107 Westwood Blvd., Westwood; (310) 475-0606.

Wine Cask (David Russell): 1990 Savigny-Les-Beaune, Premier Cru “La Dominode,” Louis Jadot ($22.95) --”Full, ripe red fruits like cherries; wood, smoke and spices like anise and clove, and pure Pinot flavors on the mid-palate with fleshy concentration. This has to be the best red Burgundy value in recent memory.”

813 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara; (805) 966-9463.

The Wine Club (Steve Baba): 1990 Vosne-Romanee, Jean Gros ($29.59) --”Flavors of black cherries and cinnamon with a smoky finish. Very dense, needs at least five years.”

2110 E. McFadden Ave., Suite E, Santa Ana; (714) 835-6485.

Wine Exchange (Kyle Meyer): 1990 Beaune Premier Cru, Louis Jadot ($19.99) --”This year Jadot has a ton of fruit in all his wines. This one is thick, ripe, and has lush spicy cherry fruit--a typical Beaune--but turned up a few notches.”

2291 N. Tustin Ave., Orange; (714) 974-1454.

The Wine House (James Wright): 1990 Vosne-Romanee, Domaine Engel ($20.99) --”Like a classic rich, spicy Vosne, with more raspberry than vanilla and a trace of cedar, with just a kiss of oak, nothing to muck it up.”

2311 Cotner Ave., West Los Angeles; (310) 479-3731.

The Wine Merchant (Chris Overstreet): 1990 Bourgogne Rouge, Emmanuel Rouget ($24) --”Fresh lively fruit, spicy and delightful to drink now or over the next five years. This wine was not filtered, so it will age very well.”

9701 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 278-7322.

Wine Reserve (Barry Herbst): 1990 Cotes de Beaune - Villages, Leroy ($23.99) --”This is a more masculine style of wine than a typical Beaune, a bit more beefy, with solid ripe fruit and at least five to eight more years of age ahead of it. But it tastes great now.”

929 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale; (818) 500-8400.

Wine House Ltd. (David Netzer): 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin, Philippe Naddef ($24.95) --”It’s classic Gevrey, a bit earthy, with some new wood, but it’s not over-oaked. It has a lot of fruit and it will age nicely.”

535 Bryant St., San Francisco; (415) 495-8486 .

Wine Impression (Raymond Fong): 1990 Bourgogne, Domaine de la Pousse D’Or ($18.78) --”Really nice bright spicy berry fruit with a touch of new oak. It’s real long and elegant on the palate.”

3461 California St., San Francisco; (415) 221-9463.

Winesellar and Brasserie (Gary Parker): 1990 Santenay, Premier Cru “Clos de Malte,” Louis Jadot ($20.99) --”This wine is medium-bodied, has nice depth and great Pinot character, with an elegant lingering finish. It’s sturdy enough to age for a few years too.”

9550 Waples St., Suite 115, San Diego; (619) 450-9557.

Even though the 1990 red Burgundies are considered excellent, many merchants also have a good supply of the fine 1988 and 1989 red Burgundies. One merchant confided: “Hey, I don’t want to kill the golden goose, but if I had a gun to my head, I’d put my money on the ‘88s.”