For me, red Burgundy is the ultimate wine. Yet it’s also the ultimate disappointment. It is also a very expensive disappointment.

It was a night I wanted to splurge and so I reached for a great name and vineyard on the wine list with relative confidence. The 2004 Domaine Jacques Frederic Mugnier Nuits Saint Georges, Clos de la Marechale should have been, at the very least, a lovely pinot noir, but it wasn’t. Thin with uninteresting tart flavor laced with tequila and wet cement notes, the bottled remained unfinished at the end of the evening. A sure sign of mediocrity as it was served to a table of winemakers.

Clearly this restaurant purchased this wine without tasting, something they would never do for a domestic pinot noir. Too many wine buyers are intimidated by Burgundy’s fame and reputation. This lack of scrutiny means some very bad wines at very high prices for their customers.