peggy wrote:
Comparing wines simply because they use the same grape variety is futile. France and New Zealand are miles apart, NZ vines are on average 30 years old Burgundy vines were planted over hundreds of years ago. The temperature in NZ creates wines high in alcohol very deep and full bodied, this is not the case in Burgundy. The soil structures are very different you will not find Burgundy in NZ.
Completely disagree - the climatic conditions in Otago or Marlborough are similar to those you would experience between Marsannay and Santenay. They may even be on similar latitudes either side of the equater. There will very few vines in Burgundy over a hundred years old - yields would be uneconomic - also most of the vines were destroyed by phylloxera between 1870 and 1880.
The average alcohol of good Burgundy is 13.5-14% very similar to the levels you see in NZ, in fact 14% is the highest you would expect from red wine. Are you seriously suggesting top Burgundy lacks depth and body I would suggest the opposite if anything NZ lacks real power and body.
If you ask the top pinot growers in NZ what their inspiration is they will all say Burgundy, in fact you will struggle to find a top grower that has not spent at least one harvest in Burgundy hoping to understand what makes its pinot so special.
