What $50 Really Buys You in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo & Brunello

Hi everybody, this is Agnes from No Sediment and today we are going to look at what I call the 4B problem. Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo and Brunello, four famous wine names, four $50 bottles, but four completely different ideas of what $50 can actually buy you. The price of the wine has become a very close topic to me and I feel that it is also one of the most discussed topics amongst those of you who comment on my videos. And it usually goes both ways. There are those who are absolutely offended by high prices and insist that price should only reflect the quality of the wine and who are therefore constantly looking for underdogs in terms of winemaking regions and winemakers. And then there are those who have been disappointed by some of the two buck chucks and feel that quality does increase with price and that there is less chance of disappointment in the future if you simply pay more. And then we have everything in between. We discuss how important or not it is to pay for the name and whether one should be paying for marketing. I myself like to play a devil's advocate quite often. I can't say that I feel comfortable with how prices are shaping in certain winemaking regions. But I also understand why I sometimes pay for a name. A name offers consistency and reliability. You are paying extra to reduce the risk of unpleasant surprises. I also understand why we are paying for marketing. Wineries, even the small ones, have to spread the word. Even if you visit some remote island where Winery X is located, at the very least you need some signs so you can actually find it. And you need someone there to host you even if that someone is winemaker or the owner. Sending wines to any regional, national, or international wine competition or going to fairs costs money. It costs wines, entry fees, travel expenses, entrance fees. Even selling wine to local wine bars and restaurants costs money. And all of that spreads awareness of the winery and what they do. So if a winery actually does want to sell wine beyond its immediate family and closest friends, it is investing at least some money in marketing. No matter how rudimentary that marketing may be. These are just few of the reasons why in the comment section I almost always answer that it is way more complex than simply price equals quality. And today with four of the most fascinating winemaking regions and appellations, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Brunello, and Barolo, we immediately see that these wines are coming from completely different universes. Yes, the first two are large regional origins encompassing many appellations, while the latter two are single appellations. But we are going to treat them similarly today because of their names and their recognizability. Ah, we already see that the name here plays an important role. So looking at these four very different universes, we should immediately understand that $50 will not just buy us wine. Brunello here is especially interesting example. It has one of the longest aging requirements of any major red wine appellation. To bear the name Brunello di Montalcino, the wine cannot be released before the fifth year following the harvest, and at least two of those years must be spent in oak. Oak barrels are a significant investment. Similarly, Barolo must be aged for at least 38 months before release, of which at least 18 months must be in wood just to bear the name Barolo. It is very different in Bordeaux and Burgundy. Even the most prestigious appellations in these regions do not have such minimum oak aging requirements. It is up to a winemaker to decide the oak regime or whether to age wine in oak at all. Additionally, Barolo vineyards can be planted on quite steep slopes, while Bordeaux, especially the left bank, can be relatively flat. That affects the amount of work required in the vineyards, the ability to use machinery, and in the end how expensive it is to tend the wines. So what I'm trying to say is that $50 or euros does not work the same in each of these regions. It does not necessarily buy you the same level in the appellation hierarchy, the same level of scarcity, the same producer prestige, or a wine that required the same amount of time and investment before it could be sold. So in a way, it is almost impossible or even unadvisable to compare them. And that is why I call it the 4B problem. These wines cost exactly the same, but those $50 enter four completely different wine universes. So the question is, what does it actually buy us in each of the B's, the winemaking regions, and what we get in the glass? So let's start with wine number one, which is Burgundy. And in Burgundy, we can see if we are in Côte d'Or, then we will be most likely at the village level. We cannot really afford at 50 euros to talk about Premier Cru wines or Grand Cru wines, not at all. And we are definitely not able to talk about the top, top, you know, the most famous producers. We can get a really good and reliable winemaker, as is in this case, Domaine Tolo Boutet, and we have a village level wine. So we are in a boom. And it could be that one of the reasons that this wine was relatively affordable is that it is 2023 vintage, which was quite generous vintage. All right, on the nose, we have ripe raspberries, strawberries. We have really ripe plump, but still quite fresh berry profile. It is towards darker side, riper side. It does not have the crunch. It is more, you know, sunshine driven fruit. And color wise, it is actually relatively deep for Pinot Noir. We are in the Pinot Noir world. This is why we started with the wine. It is fruit that shines, of course, at this level of Burgundy. But I do have, you know, slight undertone of some earthiness, some smokiness, some toasty element. I'm not sure if that is coming from oak at all. I don't know the oak regime of this specific wine. Let's taste it. It is quite inviting. Interestingly, this wine offered a lot of zest in terms of acidity, because when I smelled it, I felt or maybe it indicated the acidity level could be a bit lower. But there's a lot of freshness, you know, like it was really mouthwatering and juicy in its style. It offers that really easy drinking style. It offers something that you enjoy, slightly chilled, and you might not necessarily need to pay a lot of attention. It is not a wine of conversation. It is wine for conversation, if you understand what I mean by this. And it is absolutely lovely and enjoyable. It may not give you, ah, and wow, and you know, complexity. Let's move to wine number two, which is Palos Cavino Barolo 2021. For 50 euros and such a prestigious appellation, which is Barolo, we might not get Riserva. We might not get a single vineyard or MGA level wine. We would get a quite good quality from, you know, mid-range, premium range producers. And again, we could not be looking at the top, top, you know, ultra premium, ultra sought-after producers. But Palos Cavino is really reliable. It's a good name. You can always be sure that you will get a good, high quality wine. And what is really exciting in this specific case, 2021 was fabulous vintage. It was one of the top vintages in Barolo. So within a reliable producer universe, if we get a chance to buy a amazing vintage, this is the case. Similarly, as with Pinot Noir, we do have, you know, paler color. The color is not as deep. Nebbiolo is not capable of producing deeply inkly colored wines. And there is more on the nose. Maybe in a way it is not as out there as the wine number one, the Burgundy was. Because, you know, Burgundy had that, you know, that really juicy, that really energetic, early appeal on its nose. Here we have some seriousness. Here I have red crunchy cherry, you know, maybe sour cherry a little bit and wild strawberries. But I also have that earthiness. I have that forest floor, that mushroom element in it, that smoky character as well. And it keeps evolving. As with wine one, it is still very inviting and flirty in a way, but it is, it stays the same. And with wine number two, the aromas are evolving. They are developing into something different. You know, it hides something and then it shows something to you after a moment. Something completely different that we didn't have before. Some black turned earth. Let's taste that wine. On the palate, of course, it kicks you, you know, with that Nebbiolo power, with that Nebbiolo power of tannin, power of acidity, you know, and it's generous soul that is Nebbiolo. But the tannin here is still towards softer side. I'm talking softer side for the Nebbiolo, because of course, if you compare those tannins with Pinot Noir tannins, the softness is not the same. But interestingly, $50 here gives you some aging potential. Of course, it is not going to be the same aging potential as for the MGA level wines. And the tannins here show that. They have that element of earlier appeal here. And the fruit is maybe more present, more prominent, and you know, lingers longer on the palate in this specific case. But I think that this wine can still easily spend its 10-15 years in the bottle, as opposed to wine number one in 2023, Vintage Burgundy. I don't think it would be nice after 10. I think up to five, you know, maybe six years tops eight. And then, you know, they appeal that generosity of fruit, we would lose that. So let's move to wine number three, which is Brunello di Montalcino 2020. And immediately, we have completely different fruit profile. Because this wine has been aged for so long in the cellars of the winemaker, we have more dried fruit character, we have, you know, some of that dried cranberry, dried cranberry, and you know, some some like crushed and slightly oxidized strawberry. And there's elements of prune and smokiness and like sweet toast. And there's hint of balsamic. And even you know, color wise, we can see that it does show some garnet element. We did not see that in the wine one and two. Yes. So in wine number three, so what Brunello universe gives us, it gives us some of those tertiary aromas. For those of you who enjoy those tertiary, those aged wine elements, Brunello can be quite good, you know, example or wine that you can just, you know, reach because it is released with already some age. Let's taste the wine. Yeah. With Brunello, it seems like you are just coming home. You know, there is this kindness and generosity and openness and everything just seems so familiar. Of course, we again have that Sangiovese tannin. It is not as powerful or not as drying as with Naviolo. But it is there. It is very, you know, it is defining element in this wine. And it has really elevated, you know, malt water and crunchy acidity. But it just adds or gives this wine a bit of lightness, a bit of freshness. So what we can buy with 50 euros or $50 is Brunello di Montalcino. We most likely will not be able to buy a very good quality Riserva. And we most likely will not be able to, you know, go and look and reach the upper shelves of, you know, top, top, top producers. But for 50 euros, you can purchase a really good, reliable, again, reliable producer and Altesino is one of those. So let's move to wine number four, which is Bordeaux. And in Bordeaux, currently in Bordeaux, $50 can buy you a classed growth, classed growth. So we are not just, you know, looking around the bushes for great value, we can actually enter the store and require a classed growth. This is not the fifth growth. This is the third growth, you know, in 1855 classification, Medoc classification, and it is 2020 vintage, quite good vintage in Bordeaux. So we are in Bordeaux gives us color, you know, the first three wines were palish or not as deeply inky colored Bordeaux always gives us color. And it gives us, you know, depth and intensity of fruit, we have that cassis element a lot, we have black fruit, we have those forest berries, we have blueberries, plum, Bordeaux grows on me. I think I started this channel absolutely in love with Nebbiolo, and it is still one of my great loves. But Bordeaux grows on me. I mean, you have those fruit elements, and it is quite intense and quite concentrated. But you also have that vein of vanilla and sweet toast coming from oak aging. Some spices, some sweet cooking spices as well, like cinnamon and nutmeg, clove. Let's taste it. Wow, the acidity here. Wow, I did not expect it. I do understand that Cabernet Sauvignon packs a lot of tannin, a lot of acidity, you know, quite full body and structure. But I was not expecting such lively, like such a vivacity on the palate. It really gave, you know, energy to this wine because otherwise it felt almost like, you know, rich and like full bodied, you know. But that acidity gave it a bit of elegance in a way. And I will be honest with you, so wines three and four, they are the same vintage. Wine three shows you, so in Brunello universe, you have that tertiary element. Wine four shows zero tertiary element. It is still very lively, energetic, you know, and youngish. It has those pimples on its face, you know, and maybe a bit of a rebel attitude slightly, you know, because it's a teenager. But this wine for sure, 10, 15, 20 years, I think for Bordeaux, those are, you know, it can age. Bordeaux can age fabulously, magically. So if you want with your 50 euros to look for wine that you can put in your cellar and open after 10, 15, 20 years, Bordeaux is your safest bet. Safest bet. So intense. So here you go. We have tasted four wines from four completely different universes. We have tackled the 4B problem. So we now understand a little bit, of course, this is a tiny experiment, but we now understand what we can get for those 50 euros in each of these wine universes. And, you know, it was quite an interesting experience. I think for that, you know, early, immediate appeal, that fruit-driven character of Pinot Noir, we go to Burgundy. And unfortunately, we cannot get a lot more. Maybe if we exit the Côte d'Or area, of course, we can get, you know, a bit more, maybe even Premier Preux here and there. But in reality, there may be more alternatives for that early appeal drinking wines. But when we are entering Barolo or Brunello or Bordeaux, there is maybe a bit more complexity in the glass, maybe a bit more aging potential in the glass, you know, potential of tertiary elements as well, quite early in the glass. So I think it was quite interesting experience. Thank you very much for watching this video. Let me know in the comment section below what you think of this little experiment of ours. And where would you invest your 50 euros or 50 dollars in which of these four Bs would you, you know, which of these universes you would throw your money at? Meanwhile, please consider subscribing to No Sediment YouTube channel if you enjoy what you're watching. And make sure to watch this video next.