Anyone who has ever made a pilgrimage to Burgundy, from informed sommelier to budding wine collector, will agree on at least two points:

1. It's a minefield of a region of great and not so great wines.
2. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the two primary grapes grown in Burgundy, yield dramatically different results from vintage to vintage, even in the hands of the same producer.

This spring 2004 I made a trip to Burgundy's famed Cote d'Or to better understand which recent vintages yield the best wine for short-term cellaring (1-5 years after the vintage date) and for legacy collecting (6 years and potentially decades longer). My notes were compiled after tasting with over a dozen winemakers in their cellars, ranging from the legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti to the renegade powerhouse boutique négociant, Dominique Laurent. I also tasted—well, drank—bottles at local restaurants and in winery dining rooms in the Côte d'Or's two sub regions, the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. How many wine collectors open a bottle, take one sip, swish it around, spit and move on to the next? Not any I know.

Here's to knowing the right time to open your own Burgundy, and to enjoying it with a meal and your favorite people.

Here is a guide to knowing the right time to open your Burgundy, and to enjoying it with a meal and your favorite people.

A round-up of the past five Burgundy vintages:

2003: All wines tasted in barrel. Each winemaker seemingly baffled about what to make of the atypical color of the Pinot Noirs (deep, dark, almost Syrah-like) and of the mouthfeel for both whites and reds (generally lower acid, higher alcohol, substantial glycerin). A fruit forward vintage, for both whites and reds, from an historical, troubling heat wave. Harvesting took place for most growers a month early, in late August to early September. Once released, most top producers' wines even at premier and grand cru level will be forward, fruity expressive and enjoyable young. For the whites, I was often reminded of California Chardonnays. If you like Kistler, these might be right up your alley. The verdict is clearly not out about this vintage's ability to age long term. Vintrust will keep you updated.

2002: Relatively fruit forward, yet balanced with acidity and minerality for both whites and reds. An exceptional vintage that will reward short-term and long-term cellaring. Most Grand Crus and premier crus are charming now, and more than a few winemakers claim these wines are not likely to shut down (i.e., only partially express their aromas and flavors). Buyer beware: with the Euro's pummeling of the dollar when these were released coupled with high press reviews for the '02 vintage, the prices are often unnecessarily inflated.

2001: A vintage worth noting for its restraint, muted vivacity and classic mineral laden elegance. Don't expect fruit expressive wines. Enjoy them for being tightly wound and compact now, with promise in the future for enticing aromas of ripe fruit, earthiness and muted tannins. Consider this a middle-ground vintage sure to surprise year to year.

2000: Wines that are opening up now with usually equal parts fruit, earth and acidity. Will they close soon? Drink some, with food of course, through 2005. Then hold some for cellaring and taste a bottle every six months or so to see how the wine evolves each year. The cellaring potential is there. The drinking pleasure is in the glass now. What more could you ask for in a vintage?

1999: Tight and closed at the moment. Sommeliers love this vintage for its promise to deliver within 2-20 years of cellaring, depending on the vineyard and/or the producer. Despite the vintage not expressing itself now, these beauties will emerge from their cranky, internal angst teenage-hood to expressive, interesting, wise adult wines. Restaurant owners hate this vintage because very few wines in our restaurant cellars are expressing an iota of their potential now. Yet sommeliers suspect that this vintage will amaze us at some point in the mid- to long-term.

Please feel free to email me at chris@vintrust.com if I can elaborate on any of the above vintage findings or give you specific information about the wines I tasted. I'd also to be happy to recommend local restaurants and hotels I enjoyed.