Wine Wiki — Overview
High-level synthesis of accumulated wine knowledge. Updated periodically as the wiki grows.
This wiki contains ~272 pages spanning regions, producers, grapes, and tasting entries — a personal knowledge base built from critical sources, cellar records, and tasting notes.
Scope
The core focus is Burgundy and the Northern Rhone, with significant coverage of Champagne, Loire, and Piedmont. The cellar holds 2,924 bottles, with Burgundy accounting for roughly 47% of total holdings. Key producer positions include Domaine Jean-Louis Chave (205 btls), Domaine Marquis d’Angerville (131 btls), Domaine Armand Rousseau, Domaine Denis Bachelet, Marie et Pierre Benetiere (44 btls Cote-Rotie), and Thierry Allemand (49 btls Cornas).
Critical Sources
Four major critics inform this wiki:
- VFTC (View From The Cellar) — John Gilman’s bimonthly journal. Issues #114–121 ingested, covering Burgundy domaine visits (2023–2024 vintages), annual Rhone reports, and a Champagne Tete de Cuvee vertical study.
- Burghound — Allen Meadows’ Burgundy-focused reports. Issues #101–102 ingested, covering 2024 and 2023 barrel tastings across the Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune.
- JLL (drinkRhone.com) — John Livingstone-Learmonth’s comprehensive Northern Rhone producer profiles and vintage reports (2020–2024). The deepest source for Hermitage, Cornas, Cote-Rotie, Saint-Joseph, and Crozes-Hermitage.
- Vinous — Antonio Galloni’s team. Referenced for Piedmont and broader context.
Key Themes
The 2024 Mildew Crisis in Burgundy. Constant rain, failed flowering, and relentless disease pressure produced the smallest yields many vignerons had ever seen — 7–15 hl/ha at top estates. Domaine Armand Rousseau could not make Clos de Beze, Mazy, Ruchottes, or several premier crus. Denis Bachelet called it “the smallest yields of my career.” Biodynamic growers were hit especially hard. The wines that survived are elegant, low-alcohol (12–12.5%), and surprisingly refined.
Cote-Rotie Vineyard Politics and Identity. Gilman’s Rhone reports chronicle the tension between old-school (whole-cluster, old-oak, low-intervention) and modern (new oak, extraction) styles. Producers like Domaine Champet, Domaine Gilles Barge, and Domaine Julien Barge represent the traditional lineage. The appellation’s identity is further shaped by its lieu-dit system — La Vialliere, La Landonne, Cote Brune, Cote Blonde — which functions as an unofficial hierarchy.
Burgundy Vintage Character Arc: 2022–2024. Three consecutive vintages tell a story: 2022 was generous and ripe; 2023 was rich, deep, and potentially great (Bachelet: “the greatest vintage of my career”); 2024 was devastatingly low-yielding but produced wines of surprising purity and elegance. The arc from abundance to scarcity mirrors a broader climate volatility trend.
Champagne Aging Potential. The VFTC #120–121 studies on aging non-vintage and rose Champagne revealed extraordinary longevity: Ployez-Jacquemart roses from 2002–2012 base years all scoring 92–94; Billecart-Salmon Elisabeth Salmon 2008 “just reaching its plateau” at 17 years. The key factors are low dosage, extended lees aging, and partial barrel fermentation.
Northern Rhone’s Granite Backbone. Across Hermitage, Cornas, and Cote-Rotie, the granite terroir produces Syrah of extraordinary depth and longevity. The best wines from Domaine Auguste Clape, Thierry Allemand, and Domaine Jean-Louis Chave need 20–30 years to fully blossom. JLL’s vintage reports confirm that 2020 and 2022 are the standout recent vintages for the Northern Rhone.
Open Questions
- How will 2024 Burgundy age given such low yields and fragile conditions?
- Is there a systematic quality gap between biodynamic and conventional estates in extreme disease-pressure vintages?
- Which Northern Rhone appellations are most undervalued relative to quality (Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage are candidates)?