2014 Domaine Camus-Bruchon Bourgogne Rouge 750 ml

Red Burgundy and the Popes Of Tribeca

We were proud to see our old friend David Gordon get some of the recognition he deserves in the Dec. 15 issue of Wine Spectator. There he was, sitting next to Robert De Niro in a 12-page spread. We’ve known David for decades. The self-described “schmo from Brooklyn” was always on our short list of the most trusted palates in all of the USA. And there, on full display sitting next to Vito Corleone, he was finally getting his due as one of the country’s finest sommeliers.

The article in Wine Spectator sang the praises of the contributions of the Tribeca Grill restaurant — where De Niro is the majority investor and Gordon has been the wine director since opening day — not only to the city of New York but to the world of wine. When Tribeca Grill opened its doors in 1990, it set off a land rush of restaurant and residential settlers moving into the gritty, lower-Manhattan neighborhood.

Today the neighborhood of TriBeCa is Manhattan’s most expensive zip code. Part of the credit (or blame, if you’re not a real estate agent) goes to Robert De Niro’s and David Gordon’s efforts at Tribeca Grill. They created a neighborhood restaurant in a neighborhood that hadn’t yet “happened.” David Gordon’s contribution was the extensive and value-driven wine program.  David built the wine list on a foundation of Napa Valley Cabs, Southern Rhône reds, and red Burgundies — all with eyes focused on value.

The Tribeca Grill is still going strong after 27 years in the ultra-competitive NYC restaurant industry. Also still going strong are David Gordon’s good taste and eye for value-driven wines. Exhibit A: the 2014 Camus-Bruchon Bourgogne-Rouge, which David is currently pouring by the glass.

Guillaume Camus of Domaine Camus-Bruchon is one of the finest winemakers in the Côte de Beaune. He’s based in Savigny-lès-Beaune, the village just north of Beaune known to Burgundy lovers as an under-the-radar locale for classic Pinot Noir. Guillaume fashions beautifully balanced, deep, and complex red Burgundies that are as delicious as they are value-driven.

In 2014, Guillaume chose to begin picking on the 14th of September and is pleased with the fruit he harvested. He described his 2014s as “really quite pretty with good typicity and succulence,” to be “enjoyed young.” Allen Meadows of Burghound was impressed by the 2014’s “delicious and vibrant middle weight flavors that display touches of rusticity and austerity on the balanced finale.”

The 2014 Bourgogne Rouge has a bright medium-red color with ripe aromas of red cherry and button mushroom and is lifted by a note of rose petal.  Juicy and fine-grained, with a core of sappy cherry fruit brightened by a taut minerality. This is insider Bourgogne Rouge that has the quality of a village wine. Drink now through 2025.

Nine times out of 10, the words “inexpensive Burgundy” together would be an oxymoron. Today WineAccess beats the odds.  Poured by the glass at the De Niro-owned Tribeca Grill and praised by Allen Meadows, the 2014 Camus-Bruchon Bourgogne Rouge is a beautifully drinking red Burgundy that doesn’t require a small business loan.  

$25.99. Only 70 cases available today, with shipping included on 6.  This is a needle-in-a-haystack value play. Don’t wait.