fix my drink
Each week in this space, we better our beverages together. Today: What you need to know about Pinot Noir — and Rush
Let’s admit that plenty of the nation’s Netflix accounts will get fired up this Valentine’s Day. You can imagine countless couples trying not to bicker over finding a film they can both agree on. One viable choice for documentary-loving lovers is A Year in Burgundy, David Kennard’s fascinating 2013 film about the French region that produces arguably the most romantic wines in the world.
And of course you’ll want a glass of Burgundy in your hand, especially red for Valentine’s. Admired for centuries, red Burgundy (identified by the French term “Bourgogne” on the label) fell out of vogue during the 1980s and ’ 90s in part because consumers found it too subtle — or even muddy-tasting — in comparison with bright, fruity and affordable New World Pinot Noirs. By now, I imagine a lot of wine drinkers would more easily recognize what you were offering if you called it “Pinot Noir from France” rather than “red Burgundy.” What a reversal for the Burgundy brand from the 1970s to today.
Many red Burgundy labels do indeed name the grape, a practice likely encouraged by the 2004 film Sideways and the recognition it brought to Pinot Noir. As that surprise hit romcom reminded us, by way of establishing Pinot as the “most romantic grape,” the varietal is notoriously fragile and finicky. It delivers a low-yield crop even in years when its thin skins aren’t pummelled by hail.
A Year in Burgundy shows us how local producers make wine on the “difficult” setting, as if it wasn’t tough enough already. “Queen of Burgundy” Lalou Bize-Leroy painstakingly gathers and binds stray vine branches rather than cutting them mechanically. She personally supervises and participates in the grape-sorting process, ruthlessly tossing out any fruit with a blemish. Readers in Quebec can taste the results in two white of her company’s Burgundies, both white: Leroy Bourgogne “Fleurs de Vignes” ($46) and Domaine Leroy Bourgogne Blanc 2011 ($59).
Burgundy is romantic because it’s wine that’s made as we imagine wine ought to be made, reflecting the passion and skill of French winemakers while bottling up the essence of some of the most ruggedly handsome terroir in the world. As rock legend Geddy Lee says in Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine: “I find great red Burgundy to be the most hedonistic, most ethereal, and most graceful of all wine experiences and as a result the most memorable.” Like the music of Rush, Pinot Noir can idiosyncratic and unexpected. Unlike most of Rush’s oeuvre, the wine is also smooth and sexy; aromas frequently encountered include cherries, berries and violets.
Et voila, a few options for those with a sub-rock star budget (with Ontario prices): Albert Bichot Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($17), Bouchard Père & Fils Pinot Noir Bourgogne ($20), and with a WineAlign score of 91, Domaine Albert Morot Beaune Aigrots 1er Cru 2009 ($54). The last might be drinkable now, but could be better after another year or more in the cellar.