Buy this $15 pinot noir now

Buy this $15 pinot noir now

Bourgogne wines, like all red Burgundy, are hit or miss. To navigate Burgundy, you have to have rely on good producers, good vintages and good luck. Wines labeled “Bourgogne” are ranked lower in appellation than village level, premier cru and grand cru wines. This means they come from outside of classified vineyards, and they are sometimes a blend of pinot noir from different regions. Since the appellation is so broad, the wines can vary wildly. Many times Bourgogne wines are mediocre. Many times they are decent. And every once in a while there’s one that really stands out and says, “I’m pinot noir, bitch. You best recognize.”

I am drinking just such a wine right now. It is the 2009 Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne “Paulee” and I bought it from Calvert Woodley Wines in DC for $15.

It’s a vibrant, black cherry color in the glass. It shows a lot of black cherry and ripe plum aromas, but there’s an underlying earthiness that I love. With time in the glass, it opened up aromatically to show rose petal and coffee aromas. On the palate, this wine has grainy tannins. Dark cherry flavors lead into plum and mocha. There’s some oak in this wine, but not too much. It’s fresh all the way through, with a solid dose of acid. The cranberry fruit on the finish is pure and delicious.
This really is a solid pinot noir, and an amazing value at $15. I really like the 2009 vintage in Burgundy. Joseph Faively has done a great job with this wine.

88 points

Buy this pinot noir, thank me later. Post your tasting notes!