Bruno Colin 2013 Santenay Vieilles Vignes, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy

For many, Pinot Noir from Burgundy is the standard for perfection. We open a bottle to decide for ourselves.

The Many Faces Of Pinot Noir

Flavor profiles range all over the map for Pinot Noir. In California, Pinot can be fruit forward with a light-medium body with vanilla notes as well as berries. In Oregon, the wine will be lighter and elegant with tart cranberry flavors. Germany, Chile, Australia and New Zealand each have different flavors -- and then there is France.

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France’s Pinot Noir is highly prized. France has the largest number of acres planted to Pinot Noir of any country. In Burgundy, French Pinot is at its best.

We’ve been enjoying our share of Willamette Valley, Russian River Valley and even German Pinot Noir in recent months. It was time to return to Pinot homebase as we opened the Bruno Colin Vieilles Vignes, from the Santenay region of Côte de Beaune in Burgundy.

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The vines for this wine are at least 23 years old and grow in the famed clay and limestone rich soil of Santenay. They are cultivated in the Lutte Raisonnée method, France’s age-old version of sustainable agriculture. Wild fermentation is used, which we believe helps a wine capture the essence of its home terrain.

Getting Ready For Barnyard?

If you are expecting a California-style Pinot, you’ll need a mental reset. The aroma of the Bruno Colin is earthy. On the palate this is a light-medium bodied wine. While perhaps not reaching the full “barnyard” descriptor, it certainly is loaded with earthy and forest floor flavors. The taste of tobacco also mingles with laid-back cherry and herbal notes.

This is a glass that would fare well with any dish that features mushrooms. Duck or fish would match nicely as well.

There’s a lot going on in the glass. I picked this bottle up online for $20, a nice savings over its SRP of $47. We’d recommend this as a solid Pinot pick, especially at the discounted price. We suggest you serve with a meal or at least appetizers, especially if you typically drink Cali Pinot Noir.  The complex flavors of the Bruno Colin Pinot work splendidly with food.

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