A Tale of Three Burgundies

This week has been full of Pinot Noir, always a good thing in my book. First up I drank a bottle of Burgundy from what I grandiosely call my cellar (otherwise known as the wine rack in the bathroom) alongside two supermarket Burgundies. The next day, I tried a Pinot from the Languedoc with a very hip presentation and an Australian back-label. Then the fascinating Nigel Greening of Felton Road arrived in Ireland for a tasting and talk. His Pinots are amongst the very best in New Zealand, and he is genuinely interesting to listen to. More about Felton Road in the future; today the three French Pinots.

Côtes de Beaune Villages 2013 Louis Soufflot
12.5%
€14.99
Aldi

Light, slightly scrawny redcurrant and cherry fruits with good acidity and a clean finish. I drank mine with salmon, and the following night, roast chicken, rather than the suggested partner of roast lamb. I think I got it right. I won’t pretend that this Côtes de Beaune tastes as good as one of the better domaine wines under the same name, but there is very little drinkable red Burgundy available for less than €15, and this was pretty tasty.

Mercurey 2013 André Goichot
12.5%
€18 down from €22
SuperValu

Tasted a little forced with a sweet spiciness and rough riper fruit. Not bad, but I preferred the fresh acidity and light fruit of the Côtes de Beaune. Also at €18 you can get some pretty good Bourgogne Rouge, such as the Domaine Cacheux (see The Irish Times) and the J.Regnaudot from Le Caveau. However, most of the bottle disappeared.

Bourgogne 2011 Domaine Guillot-Broux
12.5%
€23
Cabot & Co., Westport; On the Grapevine, Dalkey

From his organic domaine in the Mâcon region (Mâcon-Lugny in fact), Emmanuel Guillot Broux produces a series of excellent light refreshing red and white wines. The top Chardonnay (Mâcon-Cruzille Les Genèvrières) is stunning. I also love the Bourgogne Rouge, always brimming with crunchy wild fruits, and dark cherries. I suspect the above retailers have moved on to the 2013 vintage by now – I would certainly give it a try.

Bertaine & Fils Pinot Noir 2014, IGP Vallée de l’Aude
12.5%
€16
Ennis Gourmet Store, Co. Clare; Green Man Wines, Terenure.

Delicious go-go juice with very light cherry fruits, an earthy touch and a clean finish. Perfect drunk solo or with all sorts of lighter foods. This is a selection made by an Australian company that ships various French wines over to Oz. It is imported here by food distributor La Rousse, who have built up an impressive list of wines. This is nice wine, nicely packaged.