Joseph Faiveley 2015 Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($27.99)

This Faiveley Bourgogne Pinot Noir is a rather light, but bright and pretty ruby red, typical of Burgundy. Delicious scents of fresh, ripe raspberries and a darker hint of cranberry fill the nose and carry over into a simple but pleasant red-fruit flavor shaped by crisp acidity and soft but persistent tannins with a moderate 13% alcohol. Good red-berry flavors and zippy acidity hang on in a long finish. Summing up, it offers a good introduction to red Burgundy and makes a fine food wine. U.S. importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons Ltd., NYC. (Dec. 5, 2019)

FOOD MATCH: Red meat, rare steaks, or good roast beef are the natural companion of Burgundy as most Pinot Noirs; but Pinot is a versatile food wine and will work with a surprising range of fare from wild salmon to mushrooms and cheese. We paired it with great success with roasted brown mushrooms, potatoes and onions sprinkled with long grated shreds of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

WHEN TO DRINK: Pinot Noir is difficult to predict in the cellar, but we shouldn’t expect a long life out of simple Bourgogne Pinot Noir. That said, though, this wine’s good fruit, acidity and tannins suggest that it should hold, and could possibly improve, into the early 2020s.

VALUE:
My local price adds a significant bump to Wine-Searcher.com’s $23 average U.S. retail, and quite a few Wine-Searcher vendors show it for less than $20, so shop around if you can; and don’t delay, as heavy U.S. tariffs on French wine may drop soon. Bottom line, Burgundy isn’t cheap, not even low-end Bourgognes, but if you want it, at least for a holiday treat, it’s worth paying for.

WEB LINK
Here’s a brief fact sheet on Faively Bourgogne Pinot Noir from importer Frederick Wildman.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
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