Clearly beautiful and well-made wine with a lot of precision and freshness for its level (essentially entry-level Pinot Noir from Burgundy, by the producer F. Magnien, a smaller negociant producer, which used to have a reputation for over-oaking their wine- they’ve definitely moved past that!)
My only slight complaint is that it’s very shy at this stage, needing a lot of coaxing to draw out the faint aromas and flavors. Still, very pretty stuff at $30-$35. I wouldn’t go higher than $40 for this, I don’t think, but it’s a great example of Bourgogne Rouge done right. I’ve had more expressive examples in the category, but very few with this level of nuance and complexity.
The nose is too faint to easily pinpoint exact fruits, but it seems to sit right on the cusp of red and black- not really “blue fruit” but maybe closest to fresh black cherry or tart wild mulberry. There’s a really beautiful savory, slightly minerally accent on the nose giving a bit of an edge to the fruit, a kind of high-toned savory thing that I’ve also found in their higher-end cuvees (just smalled-scaled here, like everything else.)
Really nice acidity, very vibrant without feeling tart or sour, and some very respectable tannin structure, again gentle enough to enjoy at this stage, but clearly indicating some aging capability. Not difficult or awkward in any way, just very shy right now.
TLDR: one of the better Bourgogne Rouge bottles I’ve had, and another example of a VERY solid, complex wine by this producer I’ve enjoyed in the last cpl years. I haven’t been *blown away” by their offerings yet, but I’ve also been sampling really early-stage bottles.
1 Comment
Clearly beautiful and well-made wine with a lot of precision and freshness for its level (essentially entry-level Pinot Noir from Burgundy, by the producer F. Magnien, a smaller negociant producer, which used to have a reputation for over-oaking their wine- they’ve definitely moved past that!)
My only slight complaint is that it’s very shy at this stage, needing a lot of coaxing to draw out the faint aromas and flavors. Still, very pretty stuff at $30-$35. I wouldn’t go higher than $40 for this, I don’t think, but it’s a great example of Bourgogne Rouge done right. I’ve had more expressive examples in the category, but very few with this level of nuance and complexity.
The nose is too faint to easily pinpoint exact fruits, but it seems to sit right on the cusp of red and black- not really “blue fruit” but maybe closest to fresh black cherry or tart wild mulberry. There’s a really beautiful savory, slightly minerally accent on the nose giving a bit of an edge to the fruit, a kind of high-toned savory thing that I’ve also found in their higher-end cuvees (just smalled-scaled here, like everything else.)
Really nice acidity, very vibrant without feeling tart or sour, and some very respectable tannin structure, again gentle enough to enjoy at this stage, but clearly indicating some aging capability. Not difficult or awkward in any way, just very shy right now.
TLDR: one of the better Bourgogne Rouge bottles I’ve had, and another example of a VERY solid, complex wine by this producer I’ve enjoyed in the last cpl years. I haven’t been *blown away” by their offerings yet, but I’ve also been sampling really early-stage bottles.