The 2011 Laforet Bourgogne Pinot Noir is sourced from 12 different area’s in Burgundy, but mainly Cote Chalonnaise and Cote de Nuits. The Laforet Bourgogne is Joseph Drouhin’s entry level Burgundy wine, Joseph Drouhin is a well respected family owned Estate founded in 1880. It is thought that Pinot Noir has been gown in Burgundy since 150 BC. Burgundy Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is what all other Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is measured against. The very best Pinot’s are extremely terrior driven, wine sourced from a particular plot of land is highly prized, the soil and the kind of rocks found in the vineyards are a source of endless discussion. The Laforet Bourgogne Pinot Noir is a blend of different vineyards and soil types, so it does not exhibit the type of terrior found in expensive Pinot’s. This Pinot Noir is mainly aged for 7 to 8 months in stainless steel tanks, but since this wine has been sourced from purchased grapes and well as fermented wine juice, some of the Pinot grapes sourced from premium vineyards had some aging in used oak barrels. The alcohol content is a very Burgundy Pinot Noir like 12.5%.
The color is a burgundy red, I wonder how that happened. It has a nice Pinot nose, it has a group of scents that should not go well together, but are beguilingly seductive, cherries, mushroom, raspberry,Thanksgiving herbs, tea and strawberry. This is a fruit forward, dry Pinot with ripe fresh flavors, but also include an array of interesting sub-flavors. It starts with cherry, herbal tea, a solid slap of strawberry flavored minerality, mushroom, sweet raspberry, tar and a hint smoky, savory meat. The acidity forms a solid foundation for the flavors to hang on to. The finish is full and long.
The 2011 Laforet Bourgogne Pinot Noir has the delicate lightness of body and the interesting stew of flavors that make Pinot Noir so appealing. The average price for this Pinot is $16, with several on-line retailers having it priced at $10 or $11. One of the knocks on affordable California Pinot Noir is that the grapes are not always grown in the optimal climate or soil, if the grape growing season isn’t right, then the Pinot Noir isn’t going to be right. Well, the Laforet Pinot Noir has no climate or soil issues and it is produced by someone with 131 years of Pinot Noir experience. The Laforet Bourgogne Pinot Noir is tasty, nicely complex and affordable, what more do you want.
this bottle was received as a sample
