WTN: Vincent Girardin, Cuvee St-Vincent Pinot Noir 2005

Purchased by the glass in Greensboro NC (where I was traveling on business) to go with my grilled lamb chops over couscous. This is hardly a tasting note given my very brief encounter which follows. "Look at that color" someone at the table said. Indeed, but it didn't look right to me. Deep, rich, and dark, it hardly seemed like what I was expecting from a Bourgogne. Skeptical, I gave it a taste, thinking about what I had read recently that up to 20% Syrah is allowed and sometimes used by producers to meet the expectations of the world wide wine market. Not a bad tasting wine, and if I had ordered something other than a French wine from Burgundy I would have let it slide, but it tasted nothing like what it should have, and much more like a typical new world fruit forward wine. I called the waiter over to ask what he had served me just to make sure there hadn't been a mistake. "The St. Vincent" he said. "Is the wine bad?" he asked? "No" I said, "but it tastes nothing like what a French Pinot Noir should taste like." After another sip, I decided to send it back. It just wasn't right. Either the restaurant (and it was quite a nice restaurant) was substituting other wines for what it had on the wine list, or this producer has completely sold out to international tastes. What's going on here? I'm far from a Burgundy expert, but I'm not totally ignorant either. Anyone have experience with this wine? I ordered a 2005 Chateau de la Chaize Grand Cru Brouilly to replace it, which didn't taste much like Beaujolais either, but I gave up at this point.

How disappointing! I found this pan of the 2002:

http://pinotland.com/?cat=12

But the SF Wine Trading Co. has this to say about your 05:

An outstanding Pinot Noir from one of France's most celebrated vintages. Richly textured plum and ripe raspberry fruit are followed by cocoa, fried sage and espresso grounds.

Huh, fried sage?

I'm still somewhat confused Oswaldo. I did a brief search for this wine and found descriptors such as you quote from those selling it, but of course that's just flowery advertising copy. There's still this weird suspicion on my part that what I got wasn't actually the St. Vincent, but it's hard to believe a restaurant would have done this. I mean why?

of course that's just flowery advertising copy.

Or perhaps the 'fried sage' is disjointed unripeness in the middle of a poorly made overly-soft wine.

this producer has completely sold out to international tastes

Aside from the odd success, do you have different memories of Girardin?

Never had it before. And you?

Never had it before. And you?

I've not had this cuvee and I haven't drunk much Girardin wine over the years. But what I have tasted was pretty boring and from my understanding the more general reputation is in line with that. Although, I do hear they turn out some real gems of certain specific bottlings from time to time.

[Jenise]

Never had it before. And you?

I've not had this cuvee and I haven't drunk much Girardin wine over the years. But what I have tasted was pretty boring and from my understanding the more general reputation is in line with that. Although, I do hear they turn out some real gems of certain specific bottlings from time to time.

My impression, from what little Girardin I've had, is that his whites are a lot stronger than his reds.

Where did you hear 20% syrah is allowed in Burgundy? New one to me.

Girardin's reputation is for a lot of oak, and for riper internationally styled wines. The Girardin reds I've been most pleased with have been from Santenay, where the original domaine was, and where I assume they either still own the land or at least have the best contacts. Despite the oak, I tend to like their whites a bit more than the reds.

I've always thought that Girardin does a very good job with his southern Cote de Beaune wines despite the general criticism of his "international" style. I like the Santenays, Maranges, and Volnays, particularly his Volnay Clos de Chenes.
His GC's and other Nuits wines are supposedly less successful, but I've only had one of them (and found it to be disappointing).

I find his wines to be fruit forward and a little heavy on the oak, but not overripe.

Interesting. I couldn't find anything like what I consider Pinot Noir (at least the Burgundian kind) there which prompted me to send it back, but it was not unpleasant.

Was browsing at a close-out store on Broadway just south of 8th Street in Manhattan this afternoon when I saw the St. Vincent for $18, marked down from $22. Sounds like the Greensboro joint was making a killing selling this by the glass.

Was browsing at a close-out store on Broadway just south of 8th Street in Manhattan this afternoon when I saw the St. Vincent for $18, marked down from $22. Sounds like the Greensboro joint was making a killing selling this by the glass.

Hey, you should have picked one up and tasted it just to add the discussion. Wine by the glass is always an expensive proposition. In fact wine in a restaurant is always an expensive proposition.

Was browsing at a close-out store on Broadway just south of 8th Street in Manhattan this afternoon when I saw the St. Vincent for $18, marked down from $22. Sounds like the Greensboro joint was making a killing selling this by the glass.

Hey, you should have picked one up and tasted it just to add the discussion. Wine by the glass is always an expensive proposition. In fact wine in a restaurant is always an expensive proposition.

You're right, I could have checked to see if you had a bad bottle, quite likely since you didn't mention any fried sage. Then again, I'm not sure if last night I was in the mood for fried sage. Then again, it all depends on how the sage was fried. The wine store reviewer didn't specify if it was in butter or oil, which makes a big difference! Now, if the sage had been fried and breaded, perhaps I would have liked this wine...

Getting way off topic, I love fried sage (though I've never identified in a wine). Betsy makes a great dish of veal chops sauteed with whole sage leaves.

I agree Dale. I had them recently and found them wonderful.