While it might seem from my lack of posts of late that I may have given up on wine, have no fear for my palate has been experiencing less of the local vine and more of the French kind, specifically pinot noir and chardonnay from Burgundy. My goal over the last several weeks has been to gain a stronger frame of reference by focusing my consumption of these two varieties on the baseline, or better put, benchmark that is Burgundy red and white wine.

While I have endeavored to pick up a bottle here and a half case there after shopping at local retailers, my experience with Vin de Bourgogne was a bit lacking, if not sufferable, until Scott Wright of Scott Paul Selections came to the rescue. A couple of months ago, I asked Scott to pull together a case study of wines from this region, with my only request being that it include a mix of whites and reds and be kept within a specific budget.

What arrived last month was a selection that so far has created some amazing wine experiences.

This should have come as no surprise considering Scott's palate, which has crafted some delicious Oregon pinot noirs such as the Scott Paul 2008 Audrey Dundee Hills and Scott Paul 2007 La Paulée Willamette Valley. Based on what's been consumed thus far, I am blown away by the quality of Burgundy wines Scott has sourced in his portfolio of Scott Paul Selections.

Best of all, each of these wines comes with detailed tasting notes on the Scott Paul web site as well as profiles of the people and places that comprise them. Talk about going beyond the bottle to connect consumers to the who, what, and where of the wines they sell. And if that weren't enough, there is also Scott Paul's Burgundy Basics offering useful insights on the region, its classifications, and other facts.

I have lost count of the many brick-and-mortar retailers who do little, if anything, to connect consumers to French wines.

It is really impressive to see the lengths Scott and his team have taken to enlighten us on the wines he sells. And if the first few bottles opened from this case are any indication of the quality afforded in Scott Paul Selections, I have found my local source for Burgundy wine for the foreseeable future. Whether a longstanding fan or new consumer of Burgundy wines, you need to check out and try the pinot noir and chardonnay Scott has sourced from various producers in the region.

Now, if only I could pronounce all of these French names and places correctly...

Whites

Domaine des Chenevières/Frédéric Gueguen
2008 Chablis

Benjamin Leroux
2007 Auxey-Duresses Blanc

Domaine Buisson-Charles
2007 Meursault VV

Chateau de Rontets
2007 Pouilly-Fuisse

Reds

Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron
2007 Côte de Nuits-Villages, Les Vignots
2007 Chambolle-Musigny
2007 Nuit-St. Georges Les Fleurieres 1er

Domaine Anne & Hervé Sigaut
2007 Chambolle-Musigny
2006 Chambolle-Musigny Noirots 1er

Domaine Taupenot-Merme
2006 Nuits-St. Georges Preuliers 1er

Domaine Violot-Guillemard
2006 Pommard les Platieres 1er

Domaine Aleth Girardin
2006 Pommard Rugiens 1er