2006 Chanson Pere et Fils Bourgogne 13%
Chanson is an ancient and venerable house that fell on hard times. It is so ubiquitous in Beaune that it looked like a tourist trap when I was in Burgundy this February, but it changed ownership in recent years and has been recovering, according to Burghound. I took a flyer on this Bourgogne, available at my local airport's duty-free shop for $24 (a bargain, by Brazilian standards), and available in the US for $16.
Nice cherry nose with some smoke and stemminess. In the mouth, before any food, very high acid relative to fruit, coupled with mouth-puckering tannins, combining to generate a sensation of considerable astringency, though not entirely displeasing. Solid mid-palate. Some wet earth notes, and the cherry becomes cherry candy. Not as fruity as I would expect from a 2006 at this point. The tannins surprised me, and made me wonder if they came from stems included in the maceration process, suggested by the smell. In short, decent wine, but nothing to get excited about, certainly not at $26, though it might make a good party wine at $16.
On a tangent, I remember reading that stems are often included in the maceration process in Burgundy, and wonder if this is compensation for the lower tannin generated by the thin pinot noir skins. While tannins don't play as big a role in burgundies as they do in many other wines, this would seem like an inexpensive way to inject more character into basic Bourgognes (though the practice apparently holds at all levels). If anyone has any insight into this, please chime in.