I admit it. I have an unhealthy obsession. Ever since my early days peddling ciggies, strong beer and the occasional bottle of wine at Thresher I've loved wine labels that are black with gold text. What could be classier? What says Ambassador's Reception more emphatically than a bottle of Côte-d'Or pinot? Gevrey-Chambertin? Hang on a minute, I'll just put on my cravat. What could be more classy?
Well plenty actually. I had a Camus Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 2002 on Christmas day and regretted not giving it to the reindeer. I'm willing to forgive pinot noir some of its more common faults. If it's a bit short or lacks concentration I generally persist. These wines still have something to offer. Not here though. Upon opening the nose typical Bourgogne. This is not a good thing. Think of all the one-note, sour berry bottles of wine that have that illustrious word slapped on them. There's nothing elegant or charming( or any of the other commonly employed excuse words used to pardon lack-luster pinot) about this wines nose. It was OK I suppose. Like being waved at by a sour cherry from across the street during rush hour.
This wine was fine on the first attack, bright red fruit, but soon an overpowering sourness took over. It wasn't overly unpleasant, but it rendered this wine unappealing to even the staunchest Burgundy fan. Short, thin and sour, right when it should be at it's best. Style over substance? I don't get that feeling in this case. Just poorly made wine from an excellent year. This wine showed little improvement throughout the evening and I was glad we had some Chateau Malescasse '09 to cheer up the festivities. This wine wasn't a total loss though. The bottle looks stunning in my collection.
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