The best measure of a great Burgundy domaine is not its big-name Grand Cru wines – those better be good, and it’s usually hard for them not to be. What I want to know is what a producer does with his ‘little’ wines. The everyday stuff. Most of us don’t get to drink Grand Cru, given its scarcity, and pricing.
But as we’ve noted in this space before, there’s lots of generic ‘Bourgogne’ wine out there, including plenty from estates that could (and should) do better. This Bourgogne Pinot Noir from Guy Amiot does it better, which isn’t surprising: not long ago we offered their Bourgogne Blanc, an over-achieving Chardonnay that drank like a Chassagne-Montrachet. This red does that white justice, and then some. In fact, I wouldn’t use the “…for a Bourgogne Rouge” qualifier in praising this wine. This is a structured, classic red Burgundy you could drink now or cellar, and it is way underpriced. We jumped at it, and so should you.
Here’s another way to describe my thoughts about Bourgogne Rouge: I look at it the same way I look at the by-the-glass list in a restaurant. If there’s just a bunch of overpriced junk on there, that’s a red flag for me, and more often than not it’s a harbinger of what’s to come on the plate. No self-respecting restaurant skimps on the quality of by-the-glass. It’s often a guest’s first impression of the place. Ditto for Bourgogne Rouge.
Domaine Guy Amiot, now in its fourth generation of family ownership, is based in the Côte de Beaune, in Chassagne-Montrachet. In addition to a few rows of the Grand Cru “Le Montrachet,” theirs is a diverse and impressive collection of vineyard holdings. The majority of their production is white, with a host of Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet bottlings leading the way, but their deft touch with Chardonnay carries over to a much smaller, but no less distinguished, lineup of Pinot Noirs. Even some Burgundy lovers might not be aware that one-third of the vineyards in the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet – one of the Côte de Beaune’s “Big Three” white wine zones – is planted to Pinot Noir. Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge (of which Amiot makes two) can be some of the most exuberant, generous, under-appreciated Pinot Noir in the Côte de Beaune, where people are generally inclined toward reds from more northerly villages like Aloxe-Corton or Beaune itself.
In the glass, Amiot’s 2012 is a vibrant, deep, garnet red, but on the nose, it leads with blacker fruit notes – a powerful mix of black raspberry, currant, and especially black cherry. Its depth, in fact, defies what many would think was possible in 2012 (another measure of a great domaine being what kinds of wines they make in “off” vintage). The fruit intensity carries through on the palate and into a lengthy finish, punctuated by serious minerality and a firm tannic structure. It changes for the better with time in the glass, and I could absolutely see this wine as a stellar short-term ager. Not something one usually thinks about when discussing Bourgogne Rouge; having a case of this around would up anyone’s “house wine” game significantly.
The timing of this offer is good, too, as this wine has a wintry quality to it that should be exploited. Decant it a good half-hour before serving at about 60-65F or so, and serve it in – guess what – Burgundy bowls. It will stand up to beef, but I’d walk the food back just a touch – in fact, while it’s not really ‘French,’ I like the idea of it with a fatty, herby porchetta.
As this recipe demonstrates, you can do it without slaughtering a suckling pig, and as this wine demonstrates, you can drink something extraordinary with it without breaking the bank.
