Pinot Noir, thin-skinned and finicky to grow, is called the heartbreak grape because winemakers find it difficult to bring into being what the grape variety can deliver.
But when the stars align, Pinot Noir wines, especially those from Burgundy, are sublime, and anyone lucky enough to drink one will feel no heartbreak at all; rather, their hearts will soar in pleasure.
Just such an experience presented itself when four of us gathered in late September to open a bottle of 2002 Gevrey-Chambertin, produced by Serafin Pere & Fils in the Cote-D’Or, which means “golden slope” in English. (Merchant and writer Kermit Lynch warns never to drink Pinot Noir in the warmer months.)
The double-barrelled terroir of Gevrey-Chambertin, situated on an east-facing slope with limestone soils, is known for producing fine Grand Cru — and in 2002 in particular, the weather gods smiled on the region, giving the grapes exactly what they needed.
It was a “lauded” vintage, in the words of influential wine writer Jancis Robinson – frost-free with a warm late September and the right winds to dry the vines and bring up sugar levels. These weather blessings resulted in a good, uniform ripeness and pleasing acidity. The growing season also followed an unusually cold winter – good for killing the bugs that attack grapes.
We tasted this combination of wonders in our glass, along with the distinguishing characteristics of the acclaimed terroir (It is argued that of all varieties, Pinot Noir best reflects its region’s expression), but so complex were the flavours we had difficult putting them to words. How does one describe the sublime?
One of the four said, “It seems so hard to put words to how a Burgundy smells, tastes and feels ... Maybe it’s how they make you feel that is more important. I felt spoilt, rich and alive.”
The smell? Earthy but with fine fruit. The colour? A rich magenta. The texture? A full body of velvet tannin, still intact. We served it with garlic-olive-oil-marinated flank steak, French green beans and rosemary potato. We had started with G&Ts matched with prawn purses and dashes of not-too-hot red chilli sauce to enliven the palate, followed by a creamy, earthy broccoli soup, and ended with blue cheese and brie, then crepes Suzette with another “French” classic, Julia Child, in mind.
The music was “Perfection” by Michael and Edith Sims.
The evening was divine.
Submitted to “Opening the Best,” Vancouver, October, 2009.
© S Fuller 2011