Wine with Leslie: The joy and pain of the Pinot Noir lover
Pic: iStock
The joys of Pinot Noir have been explained here many times.Â
When it is good, there is no grape that can match it for fragrance, elegance and verve.Â
Sadly with all that joy, there is pain, a lot of pain, as no other wine costs so much for the best examples.
The 2022 Burgundys have just been released, and prices are stable but as high as ever, despite a fall in the demand for fine wine over the past year.Â
For what it’s worth 2022 is said to be a solid vintage, with fine balance between fruit and acidity, structure and finesse.Â
Sadly I won’t get to taste many of them as even basic AOP Bourgogne these days costs €35 and a decent Volnay or Pommard costs nearly €70.
I will try to find affordable Burgundy in the next month and report back, but in the meantime let's look elsewhere for our Pinot pleasures.Â
My top tip is Germany where the grape is called Spätburgunder and I recommend two examples below.Â
Besides these I can recommend Martin Wassmer (JJ O’Driscolls, Bradleys), Rudi Rüttger (Bubble Brothers) and Gerd Stepp (WineSpark) all of which cost around €20.
California, Oregon and Central Otago in New Zealand can be stunning but cost much the same as Burgundy.Â
New Zealand Marlborough Pinot is more affordable, and while it doesn’t have the tension and finesse of Central Otago it is worth exploring. Villa Maria is a decent place to start (SuperValu).
Chile, Romania and the Languedoc are the best places for entry-level Pinot Noir — check O’Briens or supermarkets for all three — Aldi’s Pierre Jurant costs €7.69.
Finally, oft recommended juicy fruity Gran Cerdo Tempranillo is on offer this week in JJ O’Driscolls for a mere €12 (down from €15). Snap it up!
Solas means joy in French and light in Irish and there is also a fruity Viognier and a dry RosĂ© in the range.Â
Bright red and black fruit aromas mixed with earth and light spice, fuller darker fruits on the palate, ripe and juicy but crucially not baked or flabby.Â
Bargain.
Light in colour with lively raspberry and strawberry aromas with spice and forest floor notes.Â
Soft on the palate with a tang of cherry skin and a touch of structure.Â
Excellent value, as is the zingy Baer Riesling and the softer Pinot Blanc.
Baden and the Pfalz are the best two German red wine regions in my experience, and this is typical of the style and quality available.Â
Strawberry fruit aromas with a background of spices (mace, clove) and autumn leaves - concentrated and solidly juicy while retaining some structure for balance.Â
Elegant and delightful.
Said to have been founded in 1050 on Lake Tegernsee in the Bavarian Alps (south of Munich), the Benedictine monastery nearby was founded in 746. The current brewery dates from (just) 1675.Â
This is a legendary German beer, a classic of the Helles (light/bright) lager style found around Munich.
This pours light gold with a light fluffy head, malt, hay, and herbal-citrus aromas, crisp and clean with just a touch of bittering hops, a pleasing freshness and perfect balance.
