What's Open Owen? - January '21 Edition

As fun as it is to discuss farming practices, vinification and how the bottle itself lands in the hands of the consumer, there is really only one way to taste wine - open the bottle and pour a glass.

There has always been an intimidation factor when it comes to wine and my genuine philosophy to learning is to taste anything twice. My goal in this section is to post what I happen to be tasting at any point in time - It's philosophy, intention and execution. Wine is, and is supposed to be, subjective.

Here's What's Currently Open:

2013 Jean-Luc Joillot Bourgogne Haute Cote de Beaune (rouge)

For those who are uninitiated with Burgundy, this is an excellent place to start. Hailing from Haute Cote de Beaune, a subregion of Burgundy straight to the west of the Cote de Beaune, this 100% pinot noir is an approachable yet serious wine. It is really only a stones throw from the Pommard village line (100m) so in all realness, the fruit produced here can be considered some of the finest in the world. The notes on this bottle, after some airing, are mostly of the dark fruits with a bit of cedar oak. I have heard this wine be called the "steak lovers Pinot", for its ability to be sippable, while at the same time standing up to heartier foods which would otherwise demolish the delicacy of a lighter style. This wine really should only be aged for 4-8 years before it starts to decline in the bottle, so I wouldn't recommend holding on to it for an extended period of time.

This particular vintage had a pretty limited production - only about 1000 cases have been made. This vineyard is family owned by a man named Jean Luc and he works there with the help of his wife and 3 workers. That's it. A small producer with a limited team producing high quality juice. No help from machines and certainly not mass produced. You can really feel and taste the care that has been put into his bottles. Jean Luc is also very involved with the community of Pommard as President of the winemakers association there until 2009.

So what? Pinot Noir is produced all over the world from California to New Zealand, so what makes this region so special? Well that is a loaded question. France, and Burgundy in particular, are really considered the O.G. of fine wines. Burgundy and Pinot Noir have been working together for generations, so the experience of the growers along with the well tended soils make for a world renowned wine growing region. Pinot Noir as a wine itself is usually a very light red wine, making it extremely popular as it isn't too much of anything in particular. It isn't too tannic, too acidic, too sweet... you get the point. For anyone interested in getting to know the red wine world, this bottle can open you to a style of wine that is seriously delicious.

Have any questions or comments? Don't be afraid to reach out!

Cheers,

Owen