Lamenting the steep increases in the price of Burgundy wine over the past several years has become a grim pastime for many wine lovers, so of course I always get excited when a truly tasty value hits the tasting table. But today’s single vineyard, beautifully unadorned Pinot Noir from the Thévenet brothers was a downright soft shock to my system. A textbook bottle of earthy, floral laced Bourgogne Rouge at a price that we haven’t seen in years–now that’s exciting! If you have been looking for an antidote to the inflationary wine blues, this bottle is just what the doctor ordered. It’s super versatile too–fresh enough for a summer red but with the complexity and structure to take us well into the fall. So there’s really nothing left to do except load up!

When Jean-Claude Thévenet took over for his father as the manager of their family’s winery back in the early 1970s the entire estate was a mere three hectares. Within a few decades he had managed to grow their holdings to 30 hectares, and had completely renovated and updated the winery that sits on a picturesque piece of land in the village of Pierreclos, near the heart of the Mâcon. Before that expansion took off Jean-Claude was introduced to a young American importer named Neal Rosenthal back in 1982, and they have been partners in selling these old-school Burgundian values to the U.S.market ever since.

Sadly, Jean-Claude passed away unexpectedly in 2008, but his three sons immediately stepped in to take over all the operations at their family business. In the past decade plus they have steadfastly built upon the success that their father found, and indeed have made their own small improvements in the cellar and vineyards. This is the Mâcon, so the vast majority of their holdings are Chardonnay, but they do have a single vineyard of Pinot Noir located in Bussières and known simply as “Les Clos.” It’s a fully south facing parcel on a gentle slope, which allows for easy ripening and results in a very fresh, fruit forward wine that nonetheless maintains classic Burgundian structure and hints of savory earth–aka “sauvage.”

For years the Thévenet clan used only stainless steel for their Bourgogne Rouge, but in the past few years they have begun to put some of the wine into used barrels to add a bit more texture and complexity. It’s a recognition that this parcel is actually extremely good terroir and that Pinot Noir has a real future in the Mâcon. As such, treat this extraordinary value as you would your best Red Burgundy: serve in large stems at cellar temperature after a splash decant. A rush of black and red fruit is up front, including spiced cherries, Damson plum, and wild blackberries, and that is followed by a nice dollop of dried flowers, espresso, wet earth, and gamey minerals. It’s of course a perfect match for any French bistro classic, but right now I think a classic patty melt would be an amazingly satisfying match. Either way it’s priced so that you can keep a few bottles around for anytime you want old-school Red Burgundy at an old-school price!