Domaine Charles Audoin, Marsannay (Pinot Noir), 2002
Funny and perhaps fitting that after a couple months I start posting again yet with a French wine! And despite all the great Oregon Pinot that I've been drinking recently (see my earlier post), it was apparently this bottle that got me back to blogging wine. And I've also received very nice and encouraging emails from folks wondering what happened to me.
So, this Marsannay (Burgundy) was quite nice. No, not Oregon. Not jammy. And oh boy: such earthy flavors and aromas! It's very nice if you like that. And once I got into that earthiness of the French Pinots, it helped me understand that whole French terroir thing. It's not that I think Oregon wines are inferior -- to the contrary -- but there is something deep and mysterious in a really good French Pinot. That earth can be haunting -- in a good way, if you ask me. Though, it's also easy to spend $30/40 on a bottle that's thin and flabby. French Burgundy is not for the faint-of-heart; it's can definitely be a gamble. So beware!
The nose included: nutmeg, strawberry, dusty/earthy, a little dank, a little vanilla (but this is french). However, later I think that nutmeg might be more like cinnamon. There was white pepper. And perhaps not strawberry, it was more like a salmon berry (the smell).
The body was light -- but then I said it wasn't jammy. The fruit was raspberry and red cherry. And you can actually taste that dank smell. Oh boy: yummy earth! The fruit flavors were very quick, then earth and then dry. It was ever-so-slightly bitter at the end -- like a turnip or maybe an artichoke.
This is not a bottle that I'd recommend regularly. It's a bit different than what many palette's prefer. But for me, this was very, very yummy. I thought it might be peaking, but I think this one is likely to remain good for another year or two (maybe more).
Cost:
Rating:
8.5