Antonin Rodet Givry 2008

While at my local Majestic recently I sampled a bunch of wines they had opened for tasting. The one that stood out the most was this red Burgundy from the Givry appellation in Burgundy's Cotes Chalonnaise. I was enticed by its pronounced sour cherry flavours and decided to buy a couple of bottles.

Drinking it now, it's a bit more complex than just sour cherries. The cherries have moved into the background, and it's displaying some mushroomy character. It's also very tangy and has an elegant grip from the tannins. I like it - it's a Burgundy and doesn't at all resemble some of this new world dreck that passes for Pinot Noir these days.

Antonin Rodet

Givry 2008

Givry AOC, Burgundy, France

Majestic

£11.99 (when you buy 2 bottles)

3/5

Bouchard Pere et Fils Savigny-Les-Beaune 2007

If this is good Pinot Noir, then I don't understand people who go nuts for this variety.

This wine regularly goes for £15.99. I haven't bought wine by the case for a few months and sort of felt like splashing out on something - nothing crazy but just a nice wine to have with our dinner. I decided on this Burgundy which is featured in Waitrose's French Wine Showcase.

It's perfectly drinkable, but just nothing at all special. It has a sort of mouth-puckering acidity (almost tart/sour), but no pronounced fruit flavours or anything outstanding at all. Why does this cost £16?

Bouchard Pere et Fils

Savigny-Les-Beaune 2007

Burgundy, France

Waitrose

£11.99 (£15.99)

2.5/5

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits 2008

This is a terrible wine. I think I mistook it for this. How I did that I'm not sure.

It's almost the colour of a rose (not really unusual for a Pinot Noir), but it's also thin, acidic, and just generally grim. Really disappointing.

I don't remember the price exactly but I think it was £6 or £7 marked down from £8 - £10. Nothing short of a disgrace.

Sainsbury's

Taste the Difference Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits 2008

Burgundy, France

Sainsbury's

1/5

Aegerter 'Vieilles Vignes' Savigny-Les-Beaune 2005

Another Random Aussie Bloke purchase. This time from Calais. He reckons it was around €30.

For a Pinot Noir, it tastes absolutely nothing like the stuff I've had recently. On the other hand, I'm not really sure it tastes like Pinot Noir. It was rich, deep coloured, and smelled and tasted exclusively like sour cherries. It was delicious.

A good reminder of what's available from Burgundy when you spend a bit extra. OK maybe a lot extra...

Aegerter

'Vieilles Vignes' 2005

Savigny-Les-Beaune, Burgundy, France

4/5

Shelmerdine Pinot Noir 2009

Following my post about the 2008 vintage of this wine, I ordered a case of 12 from Waitrose Wine Direct whose website indicated they had it back in stock. However despite advertising it as 2008, and all the packaging materials, invoice, etc also indicating this, I instead received 12 bottles of the 2009.

First of all, any self-respecting wine merchant should realize that vintages are important, especially to people who spend more than £10 a bottle. I fully understand rolling over to the new vintage of a wine when the previous one is exhausted, but it certainly should be advertised as such. If I was ordering plonk, I wouldn't care. But this isn't plonk. Also, the 2008 vintage of this wine won a blind tasting competition, while the 2009 was possibly subjected to drought, bushfires and smoke-taint.

Waitrose Wine Direct's returns policy says that only full cases can be returned, so I decided to buy a bottle of the 2009 in the shop. If I liked it, I would keep the case of 12. If not, I'd send it back. It turns out I didn't like it. I felt it had a sour taste and it was possibly my imagination, but I thought I could detect a peaty, smoky flavour to it. It could have been the oak and not smoke-taint though. Either way, it's going back.

Shelmerdine

Pinot Noir 2009

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia

Waitrose

£12

2.5/5

Blason de Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Beaune 2008

It's not often you buy a Burgundy, white or red, for under £7 and it's very good. I wouldn't say this is 'very good' but it's definitely good. I've been disappointed with Blason's wines before (especially the whites), so I wasn't really expecting too much.

An unmistakably French Pinot Noir with good cherry flavours, this should satisfy the budget-minded Burgundy lover. It won't blow you away, but you'll be left with a decent glass of wine and the feeling of getting a bargain.

Blason de Bourgogne

Hautes-Cotes de Beaune 2008

Burgundy, France

Sainsbury's

£6.65 (£9.99)

3/5

Shelmerdine Pinot Noir 2008

This wine placed No. 1 in this month's Decanter magazine Victoria/Tasmania Pinot Noir tasting. It averaged a score of 18.4 (one tenth of a point from being rated a 5 star wine). It was also one of the cheapest, at £11.99 (or £11.34 online) from, who else, Waitrose.

I'm always on the lookout for good, affordable Pinot Noir. It's rare, and because of that I don't drink it very often. I'm not partial to cheap Pinot - it's either thin and watery (French) or overripe (New World).

This wine does live up to its recommendation, however. It's all about restraint, and quite Burgundian. On the nose there are notes of sour cherry and citrus peel, and good strawberry/cherry fruit on the palate. Good acidity - it would be a good food wine, although we had it on its own. Good tannins as well.

I reckon this wine will sell out everywhere because of the Decanter tasting. We cleaned out our local Waitrose (all 8 remaining bottles), and there is currently one bottle available online. If you're a Pinot Noir fan, get some while you still can.

Shelmerdine

Pinot Noir 2008

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia

Waitrose

£11.99

4/5

Williamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Fermented Pinot Noir 2008

My Aussie friend went to New York again, and this time he actually managed to bring back some wine. We've been trying (when I say we, I really mean he) to find some good examples of New York wine, but with little success. So instead he brought back a Napa Cabernet and an Oregon Pinot Noir, both of which are rare and/or expensive in the UK.

The Pinot turned out to a be unique choice. It was 'whole cluster fermented' using the carbonic maceration method. This is a fermentation method that is intended to produce a light, fruity, easy-drinking style of wine meant to to consumed young. The best example of this type of wine is Beaujolais. I think it probably wasn't what we were interested in trying, but I'm not complaining.

The combination of whole cluster fermentation and carbonic maceration used in the production in this wine is not to be confused with 'whole bunch fermentation' used in Burgundy production. The idea with the latter method is to ferment the grapes without destemming and separating the grapes from the stalks, which can impart tannins to the wine. Unlike carbonic maceration, the fermentation vessel is not then sealed and pumped full of carbon dioxide to encourage anaerobic fermentation.

So - how was the wine? Well it's light and fruity but not really my thing unfortunately. I hate to sound cliché, but it did in fact taste like a Beaujolais, which is not what I'm looking for in a Pinot Noir.

There is an interesting description of Williamette's whole cluster fermentation method in a blog post here. Reading this, it's apparent that this style of wine is made to appeal to people who aren't normally into dry red wines, or just prefer this style.

Also mentioned in the blog post was the goal of producing this wine, which is to "minimize tannin and create a wine that is light bodied and fruity but still reflects the true varietal character of Pinot Noir". I feel that they have achieved the first part of that goal, but not I'm not so sure of the second. It looked like a Pinot Noir, but I'm not sure I would have guessed it was a Pinot Noir in a blind tasting.

Anyway, to each his own. Williamette Valley Vineyards also produce several Pinots of a more traditional nature, which perhaps we'll look out for in the future.

Williamette Valley Vineyards

Whole Cluster Fermented Pinot Noir 2008

Williamette Valley AVA, Oregon, USA

~$20 USD

2.5/5

Chalone Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008

I think this is actually my first California Pinot Noir. It's on an introductory offer at Waitrose (until Dec. 1st), and seemed like an interesting wine to try.

It doesn't taste anything like I expected. I was expecting a New World style Pinot, like something you'd get from Australia or Chile. But what I tasted didn't even taste like Pinot Noir. It tastes more like a fruity, jammy, south-of-France red, only sweeter.

It's not bad though - it has some good fruit and concentration and a bit of a gravelly finish, but it's just not what I expected. Perhaps I shouldn't have had any expectations. Pinot Noir is a particular grape though, and is usually in a class of its own (not necessarily quality-wise, but character-wise). To not really see this character expressed is strange. Like I said the wine is pleasant though, but may be suited more to fans of sweet, fruity reds than classic Pinot Noir.

Chalone Vineyard

Pinot Noir 2008

Monterey County, California, USA

Waitrose Wine Direct

£7.82 (£10.44)

3/5

Valdivieso Pinot Noir Reserva 2008

I picked this up on a whim yesterday on a trip to Waitrose to buy some cheese. I've tried a Pinot Gris from Valdivieso before that I thought was interesting, so I just grabbed this Pinot when I saw it, even though new world Pinot Noir isn't really my thing.

It is an interesting wine. The nose was more like a Pina Colada than a Pinot Noir - with notes of coconut and cherry. Palate was typical new world pinot though, except with more outright fruitiness than barnyard character. Not the most intense wine, or deep. It's more easy-drinking, I guess that's an accomplishment for Pinot Noir?

Valdivieso

Pinot Noir Reserva 2008

Casablanca Valley, Chile

Waitrose

£8.99

3/5

Les Petits Buis Givry 2006

I have to admit that Burgundy reds are somewhat of a gaping hole in my wine experience... please don't shoot me. Perhaps its that I just got too hooked on Bordeaux wines and neglected this region. Anyway, I approached this wine with an open and unbiased mind.

Givry is located in the Cote Chalonnaise region of Burgundy and predominantly uses Pinot Noir. Certainly the appearance of this wine was classic pinot... a light plum red colour. Its nose is extremely fragrant and enticing, with vanilla and cherry tones and hints of spice. The taste by contrast, was not as fruity as I expected. I would put it much more at the 'herby' end of things, although sour cherries factored in later on. So all in all, a very pleasant wine but perhaps not quite what I expected. I have to say that after decanting and a few hours it opened up and the cherries became more pronounced. Earlier on it was just a bit too sour for me though... Still, a good bottle and not bad for the price.

Cave De Buxy
Les Petits Buis Givry 2006

Givry AOC, Burgundy, France
Majestic (Vinopolis)
£9.99
3.5/5

Chateau de la Chaume Mercurey 1er Cru 2006

I picked this red Burgundy up in supermarket in Brussels a few weeks ago. The village of Mercurey is in the southern part of Burgundy known as the Côte Chalonnaise. Two villages in particular here, Mercurey and Givry, are sources of good quality affordable wines.

This was actually better than I thought it was going to be. It was light red in colour with thick, syrupy legs. It had a pronounced nose and flavour of sour cherries, which I found to be a bit different. I normally experience strawberry flavours with red Burgundy, not cherry. But there it was. Light and elegant, good fruit and a good finish. Great value - this cost about €11.

Chateau de la Chaume

Mercurey 1er Cru AOC, Burgundy, France

€11

3.5/5

Wild Earth Pinot Noir 2006

This is a wine I wouldn't normally drink, which is the whole point. What I mean is, a friend of mine offered to do a "wine swap" - that is trade something of his that I wouldn't normally try, for something he wouldn't normally try.

My experiences with Pinot Noir are well documented on this site. In a nutshell, there are few affordable New World examples that I enjoy. However, when you start to get to the level of quality that Wild Earth offers, things start to change.

This wine has a piercing aroma, recognizable strawberry fruit, good concentration and decent length. There is some oakiness too. Perhaps a couple more years it the bottle? All in all though, a very good wine. It still has some rough edges though which I think is what Pinot fans love. Sticks and forests - that type of thing. It does have some elegance however and that plus the overall concentration and quality makes it a winner.

Wild Earth

Pinot Noir 2006

Central Otago, New Zealand

£15 - £17

3.5/5

De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Noir 2008

This wine has been popping up in a lot of newspaper columns and magazine articles recently, so I figured I might as well try it to see what all the fuss is about.

Those who know me know that I'm not a huge fan of cheap, new world Pinot Noir. Despite all the praise heaped on selected "good value" examples, I usually find them to be ghastly, confected, manure-tinged abominations.

This wine though, I actually didn't mind. I didn't hate it. I thought it was OK. And that's about it. Would I buy it again? Maybe as a gift for a Pinot lover, but other than that, no. There are numerous other wines I would rather spend £7.99 on. But if cheap Pinot is your thing, this may be the miracle you've been waiting for.

De Bortoli

Windy Peak Pinot Noir 2008

Victoria, Australia

Sainsbury's

£7.99

3/5

Marks & Spencer Secano Pinot Noir 2008

This wine is Matthew Jukes' (wine writer) pick of the bunch of entry level New World Pinot Noir, and he praises it to the hilt.  I had my reservations, but like a dog going back to its own vomit, I decided to try a bottle.

No surprises unfortunately.  I know I'm repeating myself, but I just don't understand what people like about this.  I've pretty much covered what I feel about this style of Pinot Noir here and here. That's all I'm going to say about it.

Vina Leyda

Marks & Spencer Secano Pinot Noir 2008

Leyda Valley, Chile

£6.99

2.5/5

Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2007

It's often said by professional wine writers that this Chilean wine is the best value for money Pinor Noir on the planet.  At £5.99, that just might be true.

I'm not really a fan of it, but that doesn't mean it's not any good.  It's made in a new-world style, which means fruit-forward, richly coloured and (just about) gluggable.  The pitchfork-and-hay character of the grape is there, but it's very much in the background.  More than say, Australian versions such as this.  It comes across as a bit confected - a sort of soft-drink version.

I respect Cono Sur for what they are doing.  They are presenting themselves as a quality winemaker without pretense, and providing the consumer with affordable, good quality wines.  They have a number of ranges of wines of varying quality, and this, the plain "Cono Sur" brand  is the bottom rung.  I am interested in trying some of their higher end wines, as I suspect they would be very interesting.

So if you are keen to try a new world Pinot Noir, and don't want to break the bank, this may be a good one to try. 

Cono Sur

Pinot Noir 2007

Central Valley, Chile

Sainsbury's

£5.99

2.5/5

De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Noir 2007

Sigh.  We were having salmon for dinner, and I was all primed up for another Yarra Valley Pinot Noir after having sampled this beauty, so I picked up this example from Sainsbury's. I noticed it because it was singled out on the shelf as a "featured wine", complete with a trademark, hyperbole-infused promotional blurb from Matt Skinner.

For me, this wine sums up all that is wrong with new world Pinot Noir. Although I generally prefer Burgundy, I'm not saying that all non-French Pinot is grim. I've had...well two...good examples of Pinot Noir outside Burgundy, and they were both Australian (reality check: I don't drink an awful lot of Burgundy - I can't afford it, but my favourite Pinots by far were Burgundies).

But this wine, from the fabled De Bortoli winery, doesn't really turn my crank. I don't think it's badly made or anything, and I think it's supposed to taste the way it does. I just don't like it. It's almost as if the barnyardy Pinot-ness is overpowering the delicate fruit and finesse that good Pinot has to offer. I don't understand what people like about this. It has an intriguing bouquet - it's initially quite striking, a sort of alcohol-spiked, cooked strawberry jam. After a couple of sips though, I find myself thinking of things like hay and dirt.

Again, I don't think it's badly made, just a style that doesn't really appeal to me. It did go with the salmon though.

De Bortoli
Gulf Station Pinot Noir 2007
Yarra Valley, Australia
Sainsbury's
£9.99
2.5/5

Yarra Yering Pinot Noir 2005

(as part of a fine wine tasting)

After tasting two fantastic whites, the aroma of this first red of the tasting hit me like a ton of bricks. A very, powerful, perfumed and (seemingly) alcoholic wine, it did have a noticeable "wow factor".

Supposedly made in the Burgundy style, it still had a little bit of that Pinot barnyard character that you get in new world Pinot Noir, but by no means was that a bad thing. Very concentated and perfumey on the palate. A very good wine. The food match this time was duck paté, but I wouldn't say it improved anything, the wine was brilliant on its own.

Yarra Yering apparently lost some vineyards to the recent bushfires, and it recently lost its founder, although the impact these events will have on future production is unclear.

Yarra Yering
Pinot Noir 2005
Yarra Valley, Australia
Oddbins Fine Wine Store (41a Farringdon Street , London)
£40
4/5

Lauverjat Moulin des Vrillères, Sancerre Rouge 2006

The region of Sancerre in the French Loire Valley is probably more famous for its white Sauvignon Blanc wines rather than its reds, but that doesn't mean it can't produce a decent Pinot Noir, which is exactly what this is.

This is a light, refreshing Pinot, and slightly chilled and on its own, it would be perfect on warm summer day. The nose and flavours are wonderful, think strawberries and cream.

I'm also a big fan of Sancerre rosé, also made from Pinot Noir. If you haven't tried it, you should.

Lauverjat
Moulin des Vrillères Sancerre Rouge 2006
Sancerre AC, Loire Valley, France
Philglas & Swiggot
£13.00
3.5/5

Michel Picard Givry 1er Cru 2005

This excellent wine was obtained in Calais, France by a friend of mine as part of a 6 bottle mixed case of red Burgundies that he chose himself. It turned out to be a rather good choice I think.

Givry is a village in the Côte Chalonnaise subregion of Burgundy. The Côte Chalonnaise is regarded as a good source of low-priced, quality Burgundies and if this is anything to go by I can see why.

Burgundy labelling can be a bit confusing, but I think I can decipher this one. The winemaker is Michel Picard, and he obtained the grapes for this wine from Domaine Voarick. This is indicated on the label (apparently this is unusual). They were taken from the vineyard "La Grande Berge", and this is also on the label because this is a Premier Cru vineyard. It's also from the 2005 vintage, which was one of the best in recent years.

The wine itself is lovely. If this is as good as Burgundy gets, I would be happy. It isn't, but I can't afford to drink fine Burgundy all the time. Every time I have a wine like this, I think of all the rubbish new world Pinot Noirs I've tried and feel vindicated for not liking them. There seem to be a lot of Pinot Noir fans around, and I suspect some of them are Sideways-influenced (you know it happens), and I wonder how many of them drink Burgundy. If they don't they should.

This wine was apparently only 16 euros, but I suspect it would be over £20 here in the UK.

As well as Givry, Mercurey is also a good source of budget-priced red Burgundy from the Côte Chalonnaise.

Michel Picard
Givry 1er Cru "La Grande Berge" 2005
Givry, Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France
(purchased) Somewhere in Calais
16€
4/5