Feeling Old in the New Age

Drinking my first bottle of natural Burgundy from esteemed winemaker Icy Liu

I remember being 29 years old and writing a blog post for K&L that pissed off a large swath of the old time Scotch drinkers online. Looking back, I probably wrote it specifically for that purpose. As a young, opinionated, and passionate new booze professional, I had a lot of new ideas as to what the future of alcohol held for the customers of my generation. Plus, I had a penchant for needling the pedantic and rigid gatekeepers of that day.

Now that I’m 46, more seasoned, and looking at fresh lab results from today’s bloodwork after my physical (I need to eat better and drink less), I’m feeling my age a bit. Not just because of the high cholesterol numbers hitting my health portal this afternoon, but also because of the glass of 2023 Icy Liu “Doudou Tu Viens” Bourgogne Rouge I’m sipping on while I type this.

Let me preface this by saying: I’m feeling like a total hypocrite already as I map out the direction of this post. As someone who is constantly justifying the Leopold Bros Three Chamber Still pricing, explaining in detail as to how expensive it was to both develop, design, and operate an outdated and inefficient piece of machinery, I’m ready for someone to throw the exact same explanation back in my face when it comes to natural wine. In many ways, it’s harkening back to the old methods of wine production and it’s far more expensive to make.

I’m not opposed to the historical surcharge, whatsoever. I’m also more than happy to pay for quality. I couldn’t wait to give some boutique retailer in New York $70 for this bottle of natural French Pinot Noir from one of the industry’s up-and-coming winemakers. I love her ethos. I love the label design. I love the commitment to old school farming, regenerative practices in the vineyard, and everything that Icy Liu (and really the entire Becky Wasserman book as a whole) preaches about making wine that’s also good for the earth.

I’m all in. I just wish I liked the wine more.

I remember the first time I paid extra to get a grass-fed fillet mignon steak at the local butcher. It was more expensive than I was expecting to pay, but it was supposedly better for the cow and better for me! Having never tasted such a pure cut, I was excited to grill it up and dig into all that grass-fed flavor. When the first bite hit my mouth, I was bummed out. I texted my experience to a chef friend of mine and he replied with: “LOL. Grass fed beef tastes like shit, dude.”

Well-made natural wines definitely do not taste like shit, but they don’t necessarily taste 50-75% more expensive than the wines I’ve been drinking for most of my life. I’m a huge fan of Madson winery in Santa Cruz and have been buying their wines directly for years. Cole’s wines are vibrant and alive, while still tasting like the Syrahs, Pinot Noirs, and Chardonnays I enjoy regularly. They’re not inexpensive, but the prices are in line with other producers of their ilk.

Having spent $70 for this Bourgogne Rouge (most similarly classified wines of this classification are between $20-$35), I’m struggling to justify the expense (but that also may be the fact that I’m getting old and out of touch). It’s clearly made with skill, soul, and a passion for Burgundy. I can taste the purity of fruit immediately and the silkiness of the tannins is impressive. As a Burgundy lover, the wine has typicity and clarity, stemming from a mix of old vines planted in the 1940s, as well as newer plantings from 2008, sourced from two villages near the foot of Corton. There are plenty of good things to say.

While natural winemaking isn’t something I seek out in a producer, I’m certainly open to learning more about what makes these wines compelling. I was talking to my old friend Jeff Garneau this week (we both worked at K&L together) about how change frightens people, especially the old guard of the booze business. Jeff and I get along so well because we’re the opposite. We love becoming irrelevant simply because it gives us the opportunity to learn about wine all over again! That’s the fun part—the learning!

So I will say that, while I’m uncertain about $70 bottles of Bourgogne Rouge that don’t necessarily blow my mind, I’m having a blast learning about this new movement of natural winemaking. I’m not 29 anymore, ready to challenge the world’s pre-existing views, but I’m still ready to listen. Even if these wines ultimately aren’t made for me, I’m happy they exist and that people feel compelled to make them. I’ve had plenty of people tell me that $180 is too expensive for a 9 year bottle of Leopold Bros Three Chamber Rye, so I can definitely relate.

-David Driscoll