2005 André & Jean-René Nudant Bourgogne La Chapelle Notre-Dame Burgundy France. $17.99 at Chambers Street Wines. U.S. importer: Fruit of the Vines Inc., NYC.
Pale red color, medium hue, good cherry fruit and spice aromas and tastes, good earth notes, soft tannins, a bit less acidity than I would have liked, but it had really nice fruit, and was great fun to sip over time. Simple and fun. We drank this with a very simple roasted vegetable dinner, and it worked very well with the browned vegetable flavors. No EGA. 4*.
Notes:
CSW: From a tiny vineyard bordering Ladoix and Aloxe, this wine shows pretty strawberry fruit with some spice and earthy notes. Good finishing acidity and length, excellent value.
Garr: One of the most traditional wine regions is Burgundy (where I'll be headed for a weeklong trip next weekend), so when I opened a simple, artisanal Bourgogne Pinot Noir the other night, I had to look twice before I believed what my eyes were seeing: It was closed with a pale, cork-colored synthetic. No problems, either ... this type, with a smooth outer skin and a slightly foam-like interior, came right off my corkscrew, and the wine was fine. I wouldn't put it down for cellaring, but no matter, the basic Bourgogne Pinot Noir is rarely meant to age.