As to the wines themselves, the most successful examples share several key characteristics. First, they tend to be deeply colored; I haven't seen colors this dark since the 93s. Second, the aromatics are drop dead gorgeous and display the incredible elegance, complexity and breadth of expression of which pinot noir is capable at its finest levels; in short, the noses on the 99s are dazzling. Third, the wines tend to be reasonably reflective of their underlying terroirs. They are perhaps not as gifted in this regard as either the 93s or 96s but they are much better at this than the 90s. Fourth, the flavors of the 99s are forward, open and generous. There are few hard edges and the tannins are refined and silky. There is a velvety quality about them that permits many of the wines to be quite seductive, even sexy.

The crop had several unusual but important characteristics. Bunch sizes were normal even though there were a lot of them; this means that the ripeness throughout the bunch was uniform, something that rarely happens in really abundant years. There was a heat wave in the middle of August with no moisture, the vines reacted by stopping the maturation process and thickening the skins of the grapes to minimize dehydration. Dehydration also helped concentrate the juice and this benefited the acidities as well, which otherwise would have been too low. Yet another key item is that even though bunch sizes were normal, the average berry size was much smaller than normal. In fact, berry sizes were so small that domaine after domaine told me the grapes looked like there was rampant millerandage, a condition whereby there are very small grapes containing intensely concentrated juice; this is often a sign of high quality fruit because of the additional concentration such grapes offer.

Another important consideration in a year like 1999 was the frequent over production relative to certain government mandated maximum yields. Despite these yield ceiling, some growers just winked at the regulations and "down streamed" their excess production to some of their lower level wines. Stated another way, wine from higher appellations flowed to lower ones, in spite of this being against the regulations. For example, excess production from a grand cru could have been down streamed to a premier cru and excess production from that 1er was then added to a villages wine and so on.

In 1999 however, this upper level juice was of such high quality (again, as a generalization), that having it wind up in lower level appellations means that there will be some regional and villages level wines of exceptional quality. In most years when this occurs, the quality of what is being down streamed is so dilute and characterless that it is of little or no value to the lower level wines into which it is being blended. But in an exceptional year like 1999, a lot of regional wines are clearly the better for having these illegal additions.

Consumers should take advantage of this knowledge and look carefully at lower level wines. By this, I mean search among regional wines, like Bourgogne, or in villages wines with no specifically named vineyard. There is of course no reason to ignore lower level premiers crus either though it becomes more difficult to buy them at sub $30 prices. I guarantee that consumers will find much better Burgundies for their money in 1999 than in most vintages. Below are a Burgundian Baker's Dozen of my top recommendations for high quality low cost 1999 Burgundies as well as a suggested cellaring period. I've chosen wines that consumers have a good chance of actually finding though as always with Burgundies, it may take a bit of looking.

The wines are listed in no particular order; scores in parentheses indicates a wine tasted from barrel whereas a specific score represents a finished wine that is market ready.

1999 Domaine Vougeraie - Savigny-lès-Beaune "Les Marconnets": Almost black color offering lovely black cherry fruit laced with earth and minerals followed by similar flavors of earth, anise, violets and more minerals. Incredibly complex, harmonious Savigny. (87-89)/2006

1999 Mugneret-Gibourg - Bourgogne: Almost always one of the best Bourgognes made and the 99 is not exception. Terrific spice that suggests there is declassified Vosne juice in this cuvée as well as old vines because there is excellent sap and intensity. Much more elegant than the typical Bourgogne with medium weight flavors and tannins plus quality length. Another great Bourgogne from Mugneret-Gibourg that should repay 2 to 5 years of cellar time. (84-87)/2004+

1999 Fernand Léchneaut - Bourgogne "Clos Prieur": (from a parcel of vines located in Vougeot). A terrific Bourgogne with its gorgeous black fruit mixed with new oak hints (about 15%), nicely supple flavors yet solid flavor authority here. First rate and another quality choice for a house red. 84/2004

1999 Anne Gros - Bourgogne: (30% new oak). Despite very high reported yields for this wine, it shows an amazing density of both fruit and rich flavors with silky tannins. There is a lovely range of nuance here for the appellation and it will drink well young but should benefit from several years in the cellar too. A stunningly good Bourgogne. (84-86)/2003-6

1999 Fougeray de Beauclair - Fixin "Clos Marion": (a monopole of the Domaine from vines planted in 1946). I have long been an admirer of this vineyard as the results are consistently at a premier cru level. Lovely and very stylish with generous earthy fruit, very fine tannins (especially for Fixin) and no shortage of personality. This will drink well young and old. If you've avoided the wines of Fixin in the past because of rustic, hard tannins, this one will change your mind. Terrific Fixin. (86-88)/2006+

1999 Pascal Chevigny - Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits: Dark color, surprisingly stylish fruit and solid flavor interest though it finishes a bit short and dry. I suspect the issue with the finish had more to do with the recent mise (bottling) than anything permanently gone awry (Burgundies often shut down immediately after they're bottled). This should drink well early yet will repay several years of cellar time. This wine delivers quality well above what one normally expects from Hautes Côtes red. Incredible quality for the Hautes-Côtes. 85/2004+

1999 Bertrand Ambroise - Beaune "St.-Desirée": (in the process of being bottled at the time of my visit). Rich, ripe pinot fruit with very dense, nicely nuanced flavors, big tannins and lovely balance. While this vineyard is situated high on the Beaune hillside, this drinks more like a premier cru Pommard. This wine will require a bit more in the way of cellar time than most of the rest of the this group. Outstanding villages level Beaune. (85-87)/2006-8

1999 Comte Armand - Auxey-Duresses: (this is actually declassified young vines premier cru juice from Les Bréterins). Rich, spicy nose with lots of pinot baby fat, solid earth flavors yet no rusticity, which can be quite pronounced in Auxey reds. The finish here is impressively long. Terrific quality for the appellation. (87-89)/2006+ 1999 Jean-Marc Boillot - Bourgogne: (from vines in Pommard). Quite dark with bright fresh pinot fruit and fresh, open, round easy going flavors plus enough density and length to be interesting. Despite the Pommard source for the fruit, there is no rusticity at all. This will drink well early. A lovely Bourgogne. 84/2003-6

1999 Michel Colin-Deleger - Santenay - Vieilles Vignes: (30+ year old vines). If old style Santenay appeals to you, then this is an excellent candidate. Big, rich, slightly austere and rustic in character with copious amounts of red and black fruit, plenty of pinot extract, big, chewy tannins and earthy, muscular flavors with a not-to-be-ignored finish. Not much finesse but then again, one doesn't buy villages level Santenay expecting the finesse of a fine Volnay. An excellent Santenay. 87/2008

1999 Jean-Luc Dubois - Savigny-lès-Beaune "Les Picotins": (55 year old vines). The color here is quite dark with a classic Savigny earth and fruit nose followed by remarkably powerful flavors and real length. To be sure, it's tannic with a hint of the rustic but the old vine sap and intensity offer more than enough balancing extract. Excellent quality for a villages Savigny. 88/2007

1999 Vincent Girardin - Santenay "Clos des Mouches": Also quite dark with mostly black fruits, notes of fresh earth, pepper and remarkable finesse for the appellation. The tannins are wrapped in velvet and the finish is extraordinarily long. It's hard to find this sort of quality in Santenay. (86-88)/2005-7

1999 Michel Lafarge - Bourgogne: (from 40 year old vines that were once classified as Volnay villages). Much more elegant than the typical Bourgogne with medium weight flavors and tannins plus quality length. Another great Bourgogne from the Lafarge team. (84-86)/2004 Note: this will be harder to find but it's available if you search.

For more information about the great '99 vintage and the wonderful values that are to be had, please visit http://www.Burghound.com.

April 12, 2001