For those unfamiliar, this is a Pinot Noir made from vines in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, part of Burgundy (which is like the ancestral homeland of Pinot.) Really classical, old-school stuff. 2009 was a great vintage there, with tons of concentrated, ripe, long-lived wines. This producer, Claude Dugat, has a great reputation for Gevrey in particular- this was my first time trying their wine. Was lucky to find it for $100 in a random QFC (big chain grocery) here in Seattle – still very much a splurge for me, but a good deal less than this normally sells for nowadays.
I’m kind of picky with older Pinot- I often prefer when they’re showing fresher fruit, rather than very dried. Even for my palate this was VERY much alive – mature, but definitely not even close to “past its prime”. Deep, dark, musky, faint woodsmoke framing partially caramelized red fruit, meaty rich raspberry liqueur and a bit of salty funk- gentle leather and maybe a cool stony mineral tone somewhere on the nose. With time I got a really vivid lavender/bergamot note as well.
Lots and lots of structure left on the palate; very fine tannins, but really persistent and dusty. Lifted up by the surprisingly bright raspberry/black cherry/red plum acidity; brighter than you’d expect with the kind of dense, liqueur-like feel.
Very rich and serious, But incredibly well-balanced, well-aged, and showing a pop of fresh, nervy energy. The slight funkiness on the nose reminded me of a really high quality Belgian sour, kind of a really pleasant old library smell, just with much more actual ripe fruit and other aspects taking center stage.
shitbirdie
That sounds incredible and an amazing deal you found. Very jealous
2 Comments
For those unfamiliar, this is a Pinot Noir made from vines in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, part of Burgundy (which is like the ancestral homeland of Pinot.) Really classical, old-school stuff. 2009 was a great vintage there, with tons of concentrated, ripe, long-lived wines. This producer, Claude Dugat, has a great reputation for Gevrey in particular- this was my first time trying their wine. Was lucky to find it for $100 in a random QFC (big chain grocery) here in Seattle – still very much a splurge for me, but a good deal less than this normally sells for nowadays.
I’m kind of picky with older Pinot- I often prefer when they’re showing fresher fruit, rather than very dried. Even for my palate this was VERY much alive – mature, but definitely not even close to “past its prime”. Deep, dark, musky, faint woodsmoke framing partially caramelized red fruit, meaty rich raspberry liqueur and a bit of salty funk- gentle leather and maybe a cool stony mineral tone somewhere on the nose. With time I got a really vivid lavender/bergamot note as well.
Lots and lots of structure left on the palate; very fine tannins, but really persistent and dusty. Lifted up by the surprisingly bright raspberry/black cherry/red plum acidity; brighter than you’d expect with the kind of dense, liqueur-like feel.
Very rich and serious, But incredibly well-balanced, well-aged, and showing a pop of fresh, nervy energy. The slight funkiness on the nose reminded me of a really high quality Belgian sour, kind of a really pleasant old library smell, just with much more actual ripe fruit and other aspects taking center stage.
That sounds incredible and an amazing deal you found. Very jealous