Two French Pinot Noirs to Enjoy!
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| Very Highly Recommended |
Pinot Noir, the great red grape of Burgundy, has put down roots in many parts of the world. The World Atlas of Wine says “its perfect place on earth is Burgundy’s Côte D’Or”. Good examples too from New Zealand and Oregon and, closer to home in Germany (3rd largest grower of the grape in the world) and Alsace (now helped a bit by global warming). Our first example here is, surprisingly enough, from the Languedoc but from a high cool vineyard there.
While you mostly see Pinot Noir on its own in the bottle, it is a key part of Champagne where it blends so well with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. And even here, it goes solo with Blancs de Noir, such as Krug's Clos d'Ambonnay and Bollinger's Vieilles Vignes Francaises.
No bubbles below through, just a couple of excellent still wines, much less expensive than the champagnes mentioned above. Enjoy!
La Boussole Pinot Noir Pays D’Oc (IGP) 2018, 12.5%, €14.45 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny
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| La Boussole (compass) |
Mid ruby is the colour of this Pinot from the south of France. Fresh aromas (wild strawberries). Light and lively, with a superb backbone of pure red fruit flavours, smooth and gentle, just the merest grip from the sleek tannins on the way to a fine finish. Highly Recommended and excellent value also.
Matches suggested by importers Le Caveau are mushroom risotto, lamb shank or even scallops in a mushroom and cream sauce.
They also say the grapes for La Boussole Pinot Noir are grown on chalky marl soils in the Aude region near Limoux and are manually harvested. These cool vineyards in the Languedoc hills mean that you don’t get the highly ripened grapes and the subsequent high abv and big flavours you might expect. Enjoy. Not quite Burgundy but not a bad sub either, especially when you consider the price.
They also say the grapes for La Boussole Pinot Noir are grown on chalky marl soils in the Aude region near Limoux and are manually harvested. These cool vineyards in the Languedoc hills mean that you don’t get the highly ripened grapes and the subsequent high abv and big flavours you might expect. Enjoy. Not quite Burgundy but not a bad sub either, especially when you consider the price.
Like many of the light reds, it may be served slightly chilled, especially during the summer.
J-C Regnaudot Pinot Noir Bourgogne (AOC) '17 13%,
Colour is a bright mid ruby. Pleasing red fruit aromas don’t really prepare you for the vibrant presence in the mouth, intense flavours of black cherries and red berries, juicy acidity also, deep, silky and elegant, well-balanced and a terrific example of why Didier Regnaudot was elected Hachette Guide Winemaker of the Year for 2018. This classic, made from old vines in the traditional way and using organic principles, is Very Highly Recommended.
Le Caveau: Ideal with white meats, chicken and charcuterie. I think it has enough character for steak and light game dishes.
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