On our last trip to Burgundy we explored the Côte de Nuits and its red wines. It was a wonderful and memorable vacation, but our euphoric wine purchases nearly put us in financial straits. This time my husband and I planned to discover the southern part of Côte de Beaune and we were determined to keep ourselves on a budget. We had already set limits on the number of bottles we could take with by packing as much unnecessary baggage into our car as was possible.

As we arrived at the highly recommendable Caveau de Chassagne Montrachet, we daringly and firmly stated our wish for wonderful reds under $20. The young saleswoman didn't laugh at us --- she didn't even bat an eye. As Orelie led us on a delightful tour of affordable wines of the region, we soon discovered that not only was she very charming and accommodating, her knowledge of the wines she gave us to taste was profound. The following wines were my personal favorites:

Vincent Girardin, Santenay, 1er Cru, Les Gravieres 1997:
Velvety and spicy with a lingering core of ripe red currants and blackberries. It will be interesting to taste this again around 2002. Score: 16/20

Vincent Girardin, Chassagne Montrachet,1er Cru, Clos St. Jean, 1997:
Typical burgundy berry aromas with chocolate and vanilla. A velvety, long finish. Lots of potential. I'd give this wine another 10 years. Score 16.5/20

Noêl Ramonet, Chassagne Montrachet, 1er Cru, Bouriotte, 1998:
This distinctive complex wine has layers of plum, spice and coffee flavors after the first whiff of barnyard. Not such a great year, but this one's definitely got potential up to 2008+. Score 17/20

Chassagne de la Maltroye, Chassagne Montrachet, 1er Cru, Clos du Château de la Maltroye, 1997:
Cherry and wild strawberry notes lead followed by the deep dark forest with just the right touch of oak. This is a real keeper 2010. Score 17/20