Burgundy with The Burghound – Part 2
Owner and author of the quarterly publication “Burghound, Allen Meadows is undoubtedly one of the foremost experts on the wines of Burgundy. With a passion for Pinot Noir going back some thirty years, Allen has a lot to share.
Join us for part two of this two-part series as we talk with Allen Meadows about Burgundy – the wine, and the place, as we get a geography lesson and unmask some of the mysteries about one of the most revered and storied wine regions of France.
For More Information:
Allen Meadows – Burghound: www.burghound.com
Sponsor: Centex Homes: www.centexhomes.com
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(1:10:47 min 34 MB)
I am always amused that when a Burg-geek debates a Bord-nerd they always says their wine is better than the Bordeaux because there is so little of the Burg and so much of the Bordeaux. Just how is it Chateau Lafite’s fault that they produce 20,000 cases of 95+ point wine year after year at prices that many can afford? And why is it a virtue that DRC can hardly cough up a couple of inconsistent barrels a year at prices that only rock stars and dotcom millionaires can pay? This argument has always struck me as elitist.
Otherwise a nice series.
I would agree with your statement Tim. To be clear, nowhere is this show does anyone equate “rare” with “better”. As as matter of fact, Allen went out of his way to make this point. To be honest, I have not heard anyone make that argument.
I must say that some wines are more prized due to their rarity, but that is an extrinsic Vs intrinsic POV.
Will this spark more Michelle Pfeiffer comments? Just kidding, great interview guys!
One of the best shows thus far! Your guest was articulate, knowledgable, precise, and enthusiastic! What a great combination.
One thing that, I think, was only alluded to during the discussion about the complexity of the region and labelling is the issue of access and exposure to the wines. You can walk into any competent wine store and see, speak about, and purchase many great Bourdeaux and California wines but, because there are so many different classifications, vineyards and producers, and there is less wine, the Burgundy selections are much more spotty and significant gaps exist.
Any recommendations for good online sources for Burgundy? That, combined with Mr Meadows publication, would really make it enjoyable and relatively easy to explore these great wines with confidence.
One point of critique re: the format of the show and please don’t take this the wrong way because it’s merely a point for discussion but, in a format such as this where you’re speaking to an unbiased and extremely knowledgable expert, what about recording a 5-10 minute “intro” by yourselves. You could set the framework for the discussion, the region, the grapes, and more of the basic stuff. THis would allow you to get the most out of your expert. I felt a few questions were asked to fill in some of these basics and I’d love to have had that time to hear discussion of some more detailed or sofisticated questions.
Keep it up.
Francis, to make sure I understand, you are suggesting an introduction that has more depth? You are seeking more than their name and what they do? An introduction that is fuller not only of the guest but also the topic? That makes sense to me. Maybe we should do that more often as a preamble to a show. Thanks for the suggestion, I like it.
Jay
I thought the interviews with Allen were wonderful. I am a big fan of Allen’s work and have read Burghound since its inception. I kind of feel bad for someone who could not get anything more important out of the interview than the relative sizes of Lafite and DRC. The comments seem a bit petty on about a minute of a long interview.
I hope that you will continue to do lots of interviews regarding European wines (French, German, Italian and Spanish for example).
Excellent show guys. I’ve been reflecting on the show for a few minutes and I’m struck by how much Mr.Meadows comes across as more of a Burgundy lover than a critic or snob of any sort. It really got me to thinking about how much I miss the wines from the area. My first trip to France was through Beaune, I was straight out of college(’91) and I had a fantastic time trying the different wines at the Marche Aux Vin, a little wineshop in town. Again, great show and thanks for the trip down memory lane. Time to try these wines again !
I really enjoyed this show. I’ve heard about Burghound from people in the winetasting scene but haven’t been willing to pay to subscribe to his newsletter as I don’t often buy burgundy.
I found listening to Allen interesting and educational. I think it’s going to be one of those shows I’ll have to listen to a couple more times to make sure I get all the information out of it and into my head.
What a treat to spend an evening listening to one of the most respected experts of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the world.
Thanks for providing this great opportunity to your listners to hear another side of the story.
Allen, it’s always a pleasure to sit in class as one of your students.
Joe, we are equally honored to have you as a listener.
Jay
Mr Davis, It’s refreshing to see the enthusiasm and respect you show for Mr Meadows work. I too think highly of him. I even understand that he was humble enough to be available ON TIME for his Interview.
Hi to all at graperadio
I am a sommelier in Sweden and have been listerning to you show for over a year now.I love your topics and the people you interview.
But I listerned to the last two shows with Mr Meadows and was not completely happy with the information that he did not give to people hearing your show.The key to understanding Burgundy is to understand the herritage laws and how land and parts of vineyards have been past down to generations of families.Within one vineyard you will have maybe 5 owners of say the oldest son of the family owning 3 rows and makes his own wine.The rest of the children each own a number of rows from the same vineyard under the same name.This is all over Burgundy and because land is so priceless there people do not give it up for anything and this is one of the best reasons why it is so hard to understand.I feel he did not explain this to the people who don’t understand the place at all.I learn everyday about it but I work in the trade.He should be more simple in putting it across to people.
He did also not talk about the great wines of Vosne Romanee conti and what is the difference between a old and young Romanee Conti.Just to give you a small example,an old Romanee Conti should not always be decanted as these wines have such complexs aromas that if it gets to much air it actually closes up.This I have frist hand knowlege of when I have served it and also I have had the great experience of talking to Henry Frédéric-Roch the manager of Romanee Conti.Anyway their is so much he could have told the listners but did not,and spent the whole first show talking about things really that he could have said in 10 minutes.I am not been over critical but Burgundies wines need to be explained in a simple yet straight foward way to the people.The wine bible by Karin Macneill is the best example of making things simple.I
hope again that I was not over critical but hope that my views are appreciated.By the by it was a good show but could have been so much better.
Sommelier
Roland
Roland, I wish we could get more feedback like yours. How else do we get better without your type of comments. The goal of these 2 shows was to give a Burgundy 101 overview. I felt too much depth would have been a mistake IMHO. Allen can not answer questions we do not ask. I wish to go back to Burgundy and cover in extensive detail. I can see us doing 50-60 more shows on Burgundy. Have no fear, we have just started.
Jay
a few things:
jay, i think i would get on fine with allen as well. i have exchanged emails with him in the past and always have had positive interactions. it was just that i had never heard him speak prior to the podcasts, and i suppose it was just different than what i expected….
fred smith, my fedex package was not on time… taking cheap shots at joe davis only means you have either not tasted his wines or that you have an unsophisticated palate. i salute joe davis for his commitment to the juice in the bottle that bears the arcadian name. i also applaud his honesty and freedom of expression.
with regards to roland and francis’ comments, i would tend to agree with the sentiments expressed in them (assuming i understood them correctly). perhaps an analogy might illustrate it: “its as if we had a rocket scientist teaching simple arithmetic” (maybe i went a little to far, but u get the point)…. i suppose there are a lot of wine geeks out there that want more detailed and in-depth information on areas of interest. getting allen to commit 2 hours of his time to explain some elementary things on burgundy perhaps was not the best use of his time for some/most/all (pick one) of your listeners. (although i still rather enjoyed it…)
personally, i agree with jay that we can do many more shows on burgundy – the question would be how many more allen would want to do.
finally, i think brian knows more about burgundy then he lets on…
all the best,
paul.
Hello again Paul
My goal was 2-fold.
1st to give a wine 101 of Burgundy
2nd to show than Allen is a valuable resource to beginners as well as the wine geek.
I hope Allen will come back and talk to us in greater detail. No doubt, some listener will say that the show leaves newbies in the dust, but that is to be expected.
Jay
What a geat show. I have been a huge Burgundy fan for many years now and it was great to hear Allen Meadows. I have been considering subscribing to Burghound for a while and this podcast has convinced me the time has come to do so (even though on my grad student stipend…). I am a little peeved, however, that you guys were able to get him to suggest several “good values” in Burgundy! I have been a drinker of Chassagne (red), Santenay (both), and St. Aubin (white) for some time and now I fear these wines will become more popular (and therefore less available to me!). Curse you Grape Radio!
I do want to echo Francis’ comment above: you guys clearly have a lot more wine knowledge than you let on. If you would have spent a few minutes before the interview sharing what you already know (varietals, geographic location, perhaps common differences between Burgundy and new world pinots), then more time could have been spent with Mr. Meadows on other issues. But I nit-pick.
I love your show. Any time you are in Philly, I will gladly pop some of my older Burgundies for you guys!
Jeff
Sorry about spilling the beans about great buys, but remember wine is meant to be shared!
I have always felt that our listeners really do not want to hear us, they want to hear our guests. We are just some regular old wine geeks. Who would care about what we have to say?
We just happened to run into Allen after the interview and he said something to me that I have been thinking about for days. He stressed the importance of our personal roles and participation in the shows. I am humbled by that thought.
Jay
Jay,
I just listened to the interviews with Allen Meadows and very much enjoyed it. I would think it would be useful to have him back again to perhaps go into greater detail as to what you expect to taste from a Gevrey or a Chambolle different than Nuits St. George or Morey, or in the whites, what distinguishes a meursault from a puligny or chassagne. These differences and the ability to recognize them and appreciate them goes to the heart of the terroir concept and would tremendously expand the understanding of Burgundy. Thanks.
John
It’s 2008 and folks are still listening and learning from this one!
Thanks again guys for providing access to such wonderful wine experts.
Kim
I often go back to older shows. However, I avoid our first year of shows. I was still nervous back then.
Jay
Burgundy Wine… I used to not be a big fan of wine. When I was young I didn’t think wine was a fun drink at all. However, now that I am a little older I love to sip wine in the burgundy wine glasses I got as a wedding present from a cousin of my wife. I don’t know how come I had never appreciated the delicious aroma and taste of a good burgundy wine, not to mention the delicious feeling it gives me. When I was young I though the cool thing was to get drunk on strong liquor.