When the subject of Burgundy comes up these days, it is inevitable that the matter of rising prices will follow. This is partly because it’s true and also partly because wine drinkers who have been enjoying Burgundy for decades can’t help but partake in the same kind of nostalgia that music lovers indulge in when their favorite band has become more popular. I remember paying only a shilling to see the Beatles at the Cavern Club! Some of our newsletter readers can easily say similar things when it comes to prized bottles from Chablis or Corton-Charlemagne.
     What doesn’t get spoken about as much is that, top to bottom, wines from Burgundy have continued to get better. This improvement is not so much due to any technological innovation as it is the result of warmer vintages (that is, more consistent ripening), refined farming practices, and a greater concentration of talent in the region. More than ever, vignerons feel pressured to live up to the world’s expectations of Burgundy, and the best ones routinely exceed these expectations to the point where, even in higher-priced wines, you still find tremendous value, or rapport qualité-prix. In all six wines below—a regional, village, and premier cru bottling in each color—you will taste what makes this region so special: the preeminence of terroir. Even the Bourgogne blanc and rouge in this pack express where, specifically, they come from within the region, with Cadette’s Bourgogne blanc from the northern Mâconnais reflecting the warm glow of southern Burgundy, and Bruno Colin’s Bourgogne rouge from Chassagne-Montrachet and Santenay very much embodying the Côte de Beaune.