“…the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and ancient on the planet.”
So speaks wine lover Miles about the flavours of Pinot Noir in the 2005 movie Sideways, which, combined with his negative expletives about Merlot dramatically altered the American wine landscape. (Five times as much Merlot was grown in the US before the film release, and in 2017 Pinot Noir overtook). But great Pinot Noir is still the exception and before climate change increased the chances of ripe fruit in northern France, you would have as many unhappy experiences with it as happy ones. The home of Pinot Noir is Burgundy, where the climate, soils and topography – the terroir, as the French describe it – makes for the unique range of flavours that so captivates Miles. So it is with great anticipation, but also some trepidation, that we will explore this venerated region. Thankfully, Burgundy is also home to the world’s best expression of Chardonnay, so started with a few bankers.
The wines we tasted:
– The Wine Society’s White Burgundy 2023
– Joseph Drouhin Montagny 1er C 2021
– Henri Prudhon St Aubin 1er C Les Murgers Dents de Chien 2019
– Guy Bocard Meursault Vieilles Vignes 2021
– Thibault Liger-Belair Bourgogne Les Grands Chaillots 2017
– Domaine Sylvain Pataille, Marsannay Longeroies 2020
– Camille Giroud Santenay Clos Rousseau 1er C 2019
– Dom Launay-Horiot, Pommard Les Perrières 2017
– Benjamin Leroux Gevrey Chambertin 2022
Organised by Richard Pearey