A pinot noir that shows less can be more
This modestly priced pinot noir from Bourgogne — as Burgundy is known in French — is one that shows wine drinkers the appeal of lighter, brighter, and drier red wines.
Louis Latour Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Burgundy, France
$24.99 13% alcohol
PLCB Item #9186
Sale price through May 4; regularly $29.99
Pinot noir is the most ancient of the A-list grapes, and those grown in France’s Burgundy region like this one have arguably shaped the development of the entire fine wine world. Red wines from Burgundy — or Bourgogne, as the region is known in French — are made with 100% pinot noir and remain some of the most rare and expensive red wines in the world. Only the most modestly priced carry Bourgogne as their appellation on the label though, as with this simple, lightweight example from one of the largest family-owned wine firms in Burgundy.
Pinot noir is known as the heartbreak grape for good reason. When its wines are great, they are masterpieces of complexity that can be as emotionally charged as great works of art. But pinot noir is a hit-or-miss category fraught with disappointments, and not just in the bargain tier. Compared to its competitors for the red wine crown, pinot noir is more difficult to grow well and makes paler wines that are lighter in weight. Within the range of international pinot noirs, French Bourgogne wines are lighter and paler still, with a translucence of both color and flavor that is at odds with the current fashion for inky blockbusters.
Pinot noir’s charm lies largely in its seductive aromatics whose appeal can be difficult to describe, displaying flavors and scents that are distinctly funky, sometimes resembling wild mushrooms or aged cheeses as much as they do traditional fruits like sour cherries or cranberries. There is also something addictively sensual about well-made pinot noir that seems to speak directly to the soul. Even when it is made at this modest level of ambition, its remarkable affinity for food and lively flavors have turned a generation of wine drinkers on to the joys of drinking lighter, brighter, and drier red wines. It is often with a pinot noir like this one that wine drinkers first discover that less can be more, that sheer power is not always a strength — especially when it comes to enhancing a good meal.
Also available at:
Traino’s Wine & Spirits in Mt. Laurel and Voorhees, $24.99
Joe Canal’s in Bellmawr, $24.99