winegeist

Once again, I’m dipping into the mixed case of Bourgogne rouge and I’m deep into the 2002s. Today’s is Jean-Michel Guillon Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2002. 100% Pinot Noir, as the label- and regional norm- attest, from the village of Gevrey Chambertin. Guillon produces a handful of reds from some important plots in and around Gevrey Chambertin and a smaller handful of whites of slightly more humble sourcing.

I’m listening to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ soundtrack from Ed Burns’ second film, She’s The One. While there has been an awesome amount of great music written, over the years, specifically for films, very little of it stands on its own as a record in the catalog of a specific artist the way that this one does for Petty. Besides the fact that half the tracks on the record remind me of the woman I used to live with back in Seattle, the songs coalesce in a way that made a decent movie aesthetically three dimensional. This record contains some of Petty’s prettiest song craft (“Angel Dream”), a great Blood on the Tracks breakup song (“Hope You Never”), and a remarkably well placed cover of Beck’s “Asshole” from his raw as hell One Foot in the Grave record.

Medium ruby to garnet in the glass, this Guillon Bourgogne 2002 opens with a near-typical Burgundy earthy funk, but with ruminations of briny sea air. The palate immediately delivers raspberry liqueur, dark tart cherry and cigar box. The wine is medium bodied with initially just a touch of effervescence to the texture, which blows off with some breathing time. The raspberry sweetness that exists and persists on the nose comes off much drier on the palate, leaving almost no sweetness on the tongue. This ’02 Guillon Bourgogne has good structure and length, but despite its intricate nose (for its pedigree), the palate is somewhat austere. It’s difficult to discern from the flavor and texture profiles here if this wine has time left to evolve or if the fruit will only thin out from here, on its way past its plateau. Perhaps we’ll revisit in a year or two.