Boeuf Bourguignon and Burgundy

Tasted Thursday, April 2, 2026 by RAD with 31 views

Introduction

Tonight’s menu was Boeuf Bourguignon, along with garlic mashed potatoes and a light salad with balsamic vinaigrette. So I wanted to keep the wines not just French, but Burgundian (except the aperitif). I am a neophyte when it comes to Burgundy, but there’s only one way to fix that…

The tasting had ballooned to seven wines (because Coravin), but one bottle was flawed, so we ended up with six.

Flight 1 (1 Note)

  • 2023 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir Bourgogne 87 Points

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

    Walked down to the local shop to get a bottle of Pinot Noir for Ina Garten’s Boeuf Bourguignon, the recipe for which called for “1 (750-ml) bottle good dry red wine, such as Burgundy.” So I picked this up for $21, and saved some for a tasting note. The CT community had rated it 89. I’ll add to that an 87.

    PnP. Pleasant Pinot Noir nose with strawberry and cranberry elements, and a little earth. Tart berry flavors on the palate, some not-disagreeable tannins, and some tangerine and cranberry on the finish.

    Julia Child said “"If you do not have a good wine to use, it is far better to omit it, for a poor one can spoil a simple dish and utterly debase a noble one." This wine may not be the epitome of good, but certainly isn’t a “poor one.” Burgundies under $20 are hard to come by, and I wanted this evening’s dinner to be très français.

    #6 of 6 in this evening’s tasting (albeit not really part of the tasting proper). But it did perform superbly as a large ingredient in the Boeuf Bourguignon!

    13% ABV.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 2 (1 Note)

  • 2023 de Ladoucette Sancerre Comte Lafond 90 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

    PnP. Straw in color. Citrusy nose shows lime pith, some grapefruit, orange blossom. There is a light gunsmoke note. Some chalk, which continues on the palate, meeting with juicy Granny Smith apples. Energetic acidity. Minerally finish. Pulled from the cellar at 55°, and improved with air. 90 points (initially a few points lower).

    I had the 2022 vintage of this wine about a year and a half ago (11/4/2024) and liked it a lot (91 points; from memory I would’ve thought higher). The 2023 doesn’t quite live up to that memory (2022 Sancerre was a very good vintage—RP 95—but 2023 is apparently more mixed, though the upper Loire has been noted to have been better than other Loire appellations). As I noted in my note on the 2022, this is not a QPR wine ($45-$55). Very nice—especially if you can have it from your friend’s cellar.

    #5 of 6 in tonight’s tasting. Nice aperitif with a baguette and brie.

    13% ABV.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 3 (1 Note)

Flight 4 (1 Note)

  • 2020 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Maranges 1er Cru

    Stabbed a previously Coravined bottle. Hasn’t been too long since I last had this wine (3/21/2026, 91 points). Wonderful nose shows a nice core of raspberry and strawberry fruit, balsam, forest floor, and some graphite. Good fruit density on the palate as well, with nice acidity, tannin, and balance. I would love to have some of this for the long haul. 91+.

    This bottle is tasting as good or better than it did several days ago. Excellent QPR for Burgundy.

    #3 of 6 in tonight’s tasting. Superb with Ina Garten’s Boeuf Bourguignon and garlic mashed potatoes.

    13.5% ABV.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 5 (1 Note)

  • 2021 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Maranges 1er Cru

    Different wine than the 2020. Nose of rhubarb and tart strawberry fruit, and even a little tar. There’s a distinct white pepper note, along with a bit more of a stemmy, herbaceous element (which is not off-putting per se). Fine, but drying tannins and more tart berry fruit (not quite cranberry) on the finish.

    The 2021 is more austere than the other vintages from this producer tasted this evening. It reminds me of some of the Burn Cottage pinots that I’ve had in terms of style. It improved with air; would like to revisit this one in a few years. 90 points, though I think this would be higher in a few years.

    #4 of 6 in tonight’s tasting. Nice accompaniment to Ina Garten’s Boeuf Bourguignon and garlic mashed potatoes.

    13% ABV.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 6 (1 Note)

  • 2022 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Maranges 1er Cru

    Bright strawberry and cherry fruit, with a little tangerine oil, herbs, a whiff of bacon. Fine, sturdy tannins.

    Of the four vintages from this producer in tonight’s tasting, this is the only one that I hadn’t tried previously. More depth than the others. Better structure. Better fruit density. A more complex, age-worthy wine—although it’s delicious now. 92 points.

    #2 of 6 in tonight’s tasting. Paired very well with Ina Garten’s Boeuf Bourguignon and garlic mashed potatoes.

    13% ABV.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 7 (1 Note)

  • 2022 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

    Noticeably different from the rest of the group. This has a little Burgundy funk on the nose, with raspberry, bona fide sous-bois, violets, and a dusting of nutmeg and clove. Silky in the mouth—and it even gave the impression of silkiness on the nose. Lots of fruit on the palate, accompanied by a saddle leather note that is also present on the long finish. Superfine Earl Grey tannins. 93+ points.

    #1 of 6 in tonight’s tasting. Superb with Ina Garten’s Boeuf Bourguignon and garlic mashed potatoes.

    13% ABV.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

Closing

I’d hoped to have a proper mini-vertical of the Bachelet-Monnot: unfortunately the 2019 had deteriorated from having been Coravined several months ago. While there is a consistency in profile among these Maranges 1er Crus, the wines show differently: the 2020 had the best aromatics; the 2021 has a pronounced white-pepper and cranberry element; and the 2022 seems the most harmonious and structured. And the Vosne-Romanée was clearly different with its silkiness. Of course the Jadot Bourgogne was a cooking ingredient that was tasted nevertheless, and the Sancerre was an aperitif.

The final score:
1. 2022 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée
2. 2022 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière
3. 2020 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière
4. 2021 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière
5. 2023 de Ladoucette Sancerre Comte Lafond Sauvignon Blanc
6. 2023 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir Bourgogne
DNF: 2019 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière

×
×