About the Burgundy Briefing
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The Burgundy Briefing is a report which provides en primeur
tasting notes on wine from a wide range of producers and a lively
and current insight into the region. It is aimed at those who
wish to keep informed about Burgundy's latest vintage, its people
and topical wine issues.
This year it takes the form of an annual report. This
annual report is Issue 9 which covers 2006 red and white wines
from the Côte d'Or. The 290 pages consist mainly of tasting
notes, but there are also vintage reports (red and white separately),
hit lists of top wines and a profile of Louis-Michel Liger-Belair
of Domaine Liger-Belair in Vosne-Romanée. Issue 9 is a
large issue focusing on tasting notes. It costs £40. Previous
issues have contained fewer tasting notes, but included a selection
of the subjects in the box below. This list indicates areas which
might be covered in any issue. Please note that the content has
evolved since issue 1, the complimentary sample issue, to focus
more on tastings and vintage reports. It should be considered
as example of everything which might appear in an issue.
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Contents
- En primeur tasting (more below)
and hit lists
- Vintage reports
- Grower Profiles
- Topical issues
- Tasting reviews
- Best Burgundy wine lists in restaurants
worldwide
- Burgundy Traveller tips on accommodation,
cultural events, places to visit and practicalities (this
has been dropped for the present).
- News and diary (including
wine events in the region, auctions and merchants' tastings)
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En primeur notes
The Burgundy Briefing will continue the
work of Clive Coates MW in his publication The Vine.
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| For the past twenty
years Clive Coates has reviewed wines from a comprehensive range
of growers and negociants across the Côte d'Or in the year
following each vintage. Many visitors to this site have been subscribers
to The Vine which ceased publication in 2005 to allow Clive to focus
on writing books, giving presentations and to enjoy a life in France.
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| Clive Coates,
'When the news spread in Burgundy that I was ending The Vine after
20 years, I was approached by several growers who urged me to find
a way to continue my work. Sarah seemed an obvious successor given
that she had just become an MW and that I acted as her MW mentor,
particularly in tasting classed growth Burgundy and Bordeaux wine.
Her love of Burgundy has been evident and she deepened her knowledge
of the region and its growers through an extended research trip
to Burgundy in 2004 to write her MW dissertation on Pinot Noir clones
in the vineyards of the top producers of the Côte
d'Or. Sarah knows Burgundy well and most importantly she
has the confidence of the growers. I have absolutely no commercial
interest in her venture, but I urge you to give it a go, and I wish
her every success.' |
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Clive was extraordinarily
comprehensive in his visits, extending them over the years beyond
the list of familiar producers. Initially I concentrated on well
known producers, many of whom are now visited on an annual basis.
The full list varies each year to include lesser known and new producers.
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Approximate schedule
There will always be a major issue released in December
containing the en primeur tasting notes
for red wine of the previous vintage. This appears marginally
before most UK merchants release their annual Burgundy offers
in January. For the first two years I released several issues
over a year. There were separate issues for the en primeur
notes for Chablis, red Côte d'Or and white Côte
d'Or which included some Côte Chalonnais. If you wish
to view the contents of past issues go to the menu and select
'past issues/synopses of past issues.' For the 2006 vintage
there is just one bumper issue. (See 'current
issue synopsis'). For the next issue, which will be number
10, I plan to visit Chablis in early summer 2008 to review
the 2006 and 2007 vintages. The Côte d'Or whites will
be reviewed either in the late summer or with the reds in
December.
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General
tastings These include the annual 3-year-on tasting
of Les Domaines Familiaux de Tradition. In the past there have been
other tastings, for example a special focus on a specific village,
such as Santenay in issue 4, or on a specific group of growers.
Issue 5 featured the Artisans Vignerons de Bourgogne du Sud. In
the future I hope to do more of these tastings. |
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Newsletter
The Burgundy Briefing intentionally differs from The Vine
in its regional focus on Burgundy. This is explored through
tasting with the growers. The tasting notes include many
views and opinions expressed in the introduction to each
domaine or maison. There are detailed vintage reports, which
encompass the experiences of individual growers. Most issues
include a grower profile and a review of restaurant wine
list, which is particularly strong on Burgundy. The content
is weighted according to the tastings with more editorial
in issues which do not carry extensive en primeur tasting
notes. The sample issue illustrates everything which could
be included. As there has been less interest from subscribers
in the market reports and opinion slots, these areas have
been discontinued. For the moment the 'Burgundy Traveller'
section has also been dropped, but may well be included
in future issues. News and diary sections appear when it
seems relevant.
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Length
This depends on the tasting notes. The first issue
(September/October 2005) was designed to be a little longer than
average, 50 to 60 pages, as it included all possibilities. however
as each issue became longer and longer, I decided to make the newsletter
less frequent. Issue 8, the red 2005s, consists only of tasting
notes and a vintage report has about 170 pages. The latest release,
issue 9 has 290 pages, but is designed to cover the whole vintage.
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| Format Varying number
of issues annually. Each issue can be purchased separately. Issue
1 is complimentary. |
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The editorial format
has already evolved to reflect subscribers' interests. Recent issues
contain tastings of mature wine including many verticals of Chablis
in issue 5 and in issue 7 some ten-year verticals of Meursault.
Comments and suggestions, via email, from the Burgundy enthusiasts
who choose to support this venture are welcome. Where possible I
shall respond to requests such as an issue to be investigated, a
grower to be interviewed or a great wine list to be reviewed. editor@sarahmarsh.com
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Receiving
your subscribed-for issues. The
newsletter is available online only. It is readable on and
printable from the web. The first issue is available on
this site as a sample issue with no charge. An email is
sent out to subscribers when each new issue is released.
This email contains a password to The Burgundy Briefing
home page and current issue. The Burgundy Briefing
home page contains a merchant address list.
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| Vincent Dancer |
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Subscribers
past issues. When a subscriber receives
a password to the newly released issue, they also receive passwords
to all their past issues. |
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| Click
here to subscribe |
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www.sarahmarsh.com
and www.theburgundybriefing.com |
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