Wine of the Week: Château de la Charrière Pinot Noir Bourgogne

“The world is a contradiction; the universe a paradox.” ― Kedar Joshi

Yes, we've arrived at the cooler part of the year for many of our readers in the northern hemisphere, the searing temperatures of the summer, smoke-laden skies for a majority of us living on the west coast, the wearing of beach attire, floating down-river, has given way to all things pumpkin, shorter days and football.

I got to thinking about which wine of the samples I've received recently, wondering which would be crowned the Wine of the Week, and it looks like this time around a delicious example of value Bourgogne would be the ticket, so here you have it. I thought it should be a wine that's both, something different and at the same time something familiar. I say different because this producer is entirely a new-to-me unexplored region of France seeing I've still not trod upon the soil there. While I've uncorked many bottles of red Burgundy over the years, this is my first dance with this producer.

As I mentioned earlier, this wine is also something familiar because the wine-bearing grape involved is from the list of usual suspects, in this case, Pinot Noir. Because of my ongoing interest in uncovering exceptional wine values, I was quite intrigued and thought this wine would be of great interest to share in the Wine of the Week segment to kick off the official fall season.

It's easy to think of Bourgogne or Burgundy as just red and white, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but with its unique terroir, its centuries of winemaking, and the diversity of its appellations, this region is far from being a one-dimensional cookie-cutter wine-producing region. In fact, there are over 84 different expressions or AOC's within this relatively tiny area, each said to express its own unique characteristics. You'll find this region runs the gamut, everything from the basic Appellations Régionales to the lofty heights of Grand Cru status.

While it's easy to succumb to the impression that wines from this region are super pricey (some are), there are many exceptions to that perception. If you know where to look, read some great articles (like this one for example) you can score dozens of wines like this one and have plenty of 'coin' leftover to grab some cheese, a baguette, and a healthy smattering of charcuterie.

Today's wine in the review spotlight comes from Château de la Charrière, a tasty, and relatively inexpensive everyday Pinot Noir Bourgogne. This wine is what you'd call 'easy on the eyes,' ready to drink, and with more de-stemming than in the past, this wine shines brightly in aroma, taste. Still complex, and wonderfully robust tannins which fold wonderfully into the fruit. The finish is long and lasting. At the SRP of $18.99, the QPR is off the charts.

This wine earned the sometimes dreaded, but occasionally numerical score of 89 points. Not a cellar dweller, but a few more years of aging wouldn't hurt. But that said, this is a quick pop-and-pour wine, that will leave you scratching your head about its affable nature and its unbelievable affordability. If you're still only shopping for wines in your local grocery store aisles, folks, you're missing out on a slew of fantastic wines that don't even come close to breaking the bank. Break the mold, shop online for some of your best deals and depth of choices that will take you past the shelves full of the ordinary everyday commodity juice, you've grown accustomed to.

Full Disclosure: This wine was sent as a sample for the review process.