If you love profound and complex Gevrey-Chambertin as much as I do, Burguet's Les Pince Vin is a wine that needs to be in your glass or cellar asap.
It drinks with all the richness, complexity, and muscle of a Gevrey-Chambertin, but it costs a fraction of the price.
I had another bottle of this over the weekend, and I am convinced that it is the greatest Red Burgundy value I've ever consumed. Despite being labeled as Bourgogne Rouge, it actually comes from 5 parcels within the village of Gevrey-Chambertin.
Alain Burguet is a legend of Burgundy, a status his two sons Jean-Luc and Eric preserved when they took over from their father in 2010 upon his retirement. Born in 1950, Alain came from a long line of tacherons (vineyard workers), and he started working in the vineyards of Gevrey when he was just 10 years old. At the tender age of 22, Alain made his first wines under his own label, and they were met with immediate acclaim.
Alain quickly gained a great reputation for the quality of his wines and his meticulous methods. He pioneered a return to the natural and organic farming practices that existed before the wars, and he also favored harvesting a week or two later than others to allow his grapes to gain maximum maturity. This methodology and philosophy is still alive and well with his sons, which will become very apparent when you taste this wine.
Produced from 45-50-year-old Pinot Noir vines, grapes are hand harvested and sorted berry-by-berry. Fermented with native yeasts, the wine was aged in older barrels for 16 months before bottling, and the resulting wine is dark and powerful yet suave and elegant.
In a nutshell, it looks, smells, and tastes like Gevrey, but I've already said that haven't I? Just want to make sure I fully get that point across!
It opens with aromas of perfectly ripened red cherry, blueberry, brown spices, cedar, violet, and just a whiff of forest floor. The palate is rich, lush, and luxurious, showing the virtues of this highly-regarded vintage and the quality of fruit that goes into this bottling. Deep, concentrated, and long on the finish, the flavors reverberate for a good 30 seconds.
If you want a brilliant, polished, and complete Red Burg at a great price, buy this wine!
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville
