Booth's Burgundy

This weekend we have been camping in the lakes; we had a great time, the weather was good, had good company and visited the excellent Staveley beer festival. But, no trip to the lakes would be complete without a trip to Booth's.  Whist being a most excellent supermarket for Pies and the like (which pleases the Yorkshire Lass no end), it also has an interesting and inspiring wine aisle.  Always worth a visit.

This weekend we picked up this (amongst others), due to the discounting.

Name                Chambolle-Musigny
Vintage             2004
Country             France
Region              Chambolle-Musigny, Burgundy
Grape               Pinot Noir
Maker               Domaine Digioia Royer
% Alc                13%
Price                 £15.73 (reduced from 23.48)
Source              Booths

An initial look indicates that it is quite purple for its age, probably a good sign as the discounting could be due to this being over the hill.

|The nose presented a dark cherry fruit, cinnamon, like the fireballs you used to get in the sweet  shop as a kid, fennel seed, eucalyptus and a little enamel paint or metal. The scent was relatively youthful.

Once in the mouth it was quite grippy, with a woody twang, and a little liquorice, alongside all the red fruit you would expect from a Pinot Noir; pretty good and certainly interesting.  Any angular or spiky notes seemed to even out over the couple of hours the bottle was open.

But, this is where the question comes, I couldn't decide whether it needed more time to relax (time in bottle) or whether it was starting to go over the edge.  It showed some heavy woody notes (that suggests more age could help) and also some grip. I couldn't come to a conclusion if this was tannin to be softened or the over presence of the appley acid that comes with over age.

I guess I will have to let the other bottle we bought sit around for a bit and see what happens.


UPDATE - Email from Tony (Wine Manager Booths, Kirby Longsdale), Thanks

What I can tell you is that the 2004 vintage in Burgundy was a difficult one. During ripening the feisty Pinot Noir grapes were hit by hail. The PN grape is hard enough to grow and get it right at the best of times, but then to whack the bunches with lumps of ice is a bit unfair The text book definition of PN on the nose is farmyards or rotting veg ie Vegetal. As you said a woody twang. As to bottle number two I would open it sooner rather than later. Two hours before drinking. Also give it half an hour in the fridge. For my more discerning customers I suggest two or three red grapes that can be chilled down. Gamay, Negroamarno from Puglia, Tempranillo even Rhone wines. With chilling you get two flavours, the initial refreshing strawberry, then as the wine warms up in the glass you get the ripe red berry flavours.Do hope bottle number two lives up to expectation. Remember a day without wine is a day without sunshine cheers.