This small parcel of Grand Cru red Burgundy comes with a word of the day: onomatopoeia (don’t ask me how to pronounce it properly). Onomatopoeia is when a word’s pronunciation imitates its sound—like “buzz,” or “clap.” Sometimes wines are ‘onomatopoeic’ (oh boy) in that they occasionally taste like they sound (not a precise application of the word but hopefully you see where I’m going here).
Italy’s Barolo is one that comes to mind: “Barolo” sounds kind of dark, brooding, even a little ominous…quite like the wines, actually. I get the same vibe when I hear “Bonnes-Mares”—on sound alone I know it portends something serious. I think you’ll agree when you taste this 2013 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru from the impeccable Domaine Drouhin-Laroze. Wines like this should come with their own musical score, or be announced by the voice actor who does all those “In a world…” movie trailers.
Their 2013 Bonnes-Mares is a knockout. It is a saturated ruby-red moving to garnet at the rim, with assertive aromas of black currant, black cherry, baking spices, leather, and a very deep forest floor/underbush note that offers a nice counterpoint to the rich, almost sappy fruit. It is luscious and full-bodied on the palate, with enough tannic grip to hold all of the extract in place. And while it will age with ease for a decade or more, it was extremely seductive after about an hour in a decanter. Drink it slowly, in your biggest Burgundy stems, at 60-65 degrees. The food pairing suggestion from the domaine itself was too good not to share—they suggest “wildfowl in a vigneronne sauce,” which I’m going to go ahead and simplify to coq au vin. If you’re got a special occasion on the horizon, this wine should do quite nicely indeed. It’s even better than it sounds!