It's One Burgundy, Michael. How Much Could It Cost, $10?

Is Burgundy too expensive? It’s a loaded question that I get a lot, and one that I sometimes don't know how to answer. At first glance it's easy to say yes. It's inaccessible to many, extremely cost-prohibitive, cultish, over-inflated, and dominated by a select circle of hegemonic domaines who do often times rest on their laurels. While there is a tremendous amount of labor that goes into making this agricultural product, the profits some of these wineries make far exceed the actual labor costs to produce it.

However, we must remember that Burgundy, the birthplace of the concept of terroir, is (unsurprisingly) terroir-driven. As a result, the wines produced there are inextricably linked to the specific time and place they are produced. Two wines from the same variety, the same vintage, same producer, but grown a few hundred meters apart may taste completely different. So, in a sense, you ARE getting what you pay for because the distinct styles of these climats are not replicable anywhere else, even within the confines of Burgundy. Should DRC La Tâche cost upwards of 5K? I mean, I certainly can't afford it, but then again, as a monopole, there truly is only one La Tâche. So yes, scarcity is a factor, but it isn’t manufactured scarcity— it’s a true reflection on the extremely limited expression of some of the best terroir and winemaking in the world.  

 The 2020 Domaine Trapet Père et Fils Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru $599.99 98JG 95-97VN 96DC comes with a hefty $600 price tag. A phenomenal vintage from a historic and legendary producer. It was also just the second most expensive wine in the Burgundy tasting that I poured a few weeks ago. The top dog was the 2021 Domaine Comte de Vogüé Musigny Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes $1249.99 97JG 97JS 97TA, coming in at nearly $1300, more than twice the cost. But, after the tasting, I chose to take home the Trapet, for a few reasons. One is the vintage. 2020 is simply fantastic, especially compared to the cold and dreary 2021. The other factor was the age, the Musigny was a bit closed down, and very much showing its youth. You got the sense that it would develop and improve with time, but there was still a lot that needed to be integrated to make this wine worth the price tag, in my opinion. Trapet also just happens to be one  of my all time fave producers, which isn't to say I didn't love and enjoy the Vogüé, but the Trapet certainly was the star of the show. I deliberated a bit before I decided which to take home, do I want the flashy bottle to take a picture of for the Instagram? Or the one that tasted better? I went with taste. 

Trapet has a dynamic history in Burgundy. They were among the first producers in the 1880s to realize the only way to combat Phylloxera was to graft onto American rootstock. It was, however, illegal at the time, so they would sneak out into their vineyards in the dead of night to graft their vines. The practice was normalized and legalized a few years later and ultimately saved Burgundy. It’s a pretty cool piece of history and certainly helped cement them on the Mount Rushmore of Burgundian producers. They also happen to be a pioneer in biodynamics, practicing since the early 90s, becoming officially Demeter certified in the early 2000s. Interestingly enough, they also have some property in Alsace and make some affordable and delicious biodynamic wines there as well. 

The 2020 Chapelle-Chambertin smelled like Christmas. Like mulled wine and stewed cherries and those cinnamon broomsticks you get at Trader Joes. It was dusty and sexy, velvety and silky. Umami perfectly balanced with explosive fruit. A true work of art. Easily one of the best bottles I've had all year. And while it was a little bittersweet to drink it so young, it was an exciting glimpse into the future of what this wine will eventually be in 10-20 years. And even despite being so young, it really put on a show. So, is Burgundy too expensive? Not when I don’t have to pay for it! But seriously, Burgundy can be crazy expensive, but if you can afford it or luck into a bottle like I did, it’s magic.

- Zaitouna Kusto, K&L Burgundy Specialist