Text by Greg Somm
Using these wines as an example, I would like to reflect on the best winemakers in their class…
When studying wine, this question sooner or later confronts every amateur and professional. But what exactly allows one to unequivocally call a particular winemaker the best? For some, it is enough for the guide to the development of their taste to simply name a certain winemaker as the best; for others, a long journey of studying wine leads to the right direction; and some simply look at the price and draw conclusions based on it. Each of these options defines the best in its own way, and each has its negative sides that should be remembered.
Of all three options, the price-based one is the most honest. At least this is a market mechanism for determining the best. One can talk endlessly about the fact that many young winemakers have appeared today who make wines at the level of DRC (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti), but the market itself determines everything better than any words. But price alone will not take you far; you still need to study what you drink to gain understanding.
The option involving the study of wine is good in many ways, but not ideal. While studying, it is easy to fall under the influence of various specialists and go in the wrong direction. In this option, it is necessary to possess critical thinking and try to be honest with your own taste. Well, you also need to try to earn money; the best wines are never cheap.
And the most, in my opinion, foolish option is when someone tries to explain to you who the best is. In this case, that ‘someone’ definitely knows what, for what purpose, and why he is doing it. And if he is also a wine merchant, you don't need to be a genius to understand that he is most likely engaging in a banal business on the topic of taste development. Excessive influence can be avoided by using critical thinking again.
And now a few words about these wines. Olivier Collin makes fantastic wines in his own style. The ability to grow grapes is another factor in his case. Les Jardins 2015 is his first vintage and his only assemblage (blend). Jean-Yves Bizot needs no introduction. Along with Leroy, they are the two main apologists for the natural style of wine in Burgundy today. And Louis-Michel Liger-Belair is the absolute aristocracy of Pinot Noir!
