Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2006, Collection Alain Corcia
26th September 2007
One of the wine drinker’s holy grails is good, cheap Burgundy. By “good” I mean typically Burgundian; something with the fleshy, gamey quality of successful Pinot Noir. By “cheap” I mean under $15 in the US or £10 in the UK.
“What you want is impossible,” I am always told, usually by people who sell the stuff. “Pinot Noir isn’t Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a much harder grape to get right, in Burgundy or anywhere else. Any Pinot Noir costing less than $25 is a waste of money, no matter where it’s from.”
On the whole I’ve found that to be true. Most cheap Pinots are disappointing: thin, rough-edged, pleasureless. If you are determined to pay no more than $10, you would do better to spend your money on almost any other grape.
But just occasionally someone will come along and tear up all the rules. In this case the man’s name is Alain Corcia.
M. Corcia is not a wine grower. He is what the French call a négociant. From his base in Savigny-Les-Beaune he buys wine made by others and has it blended and barrel-aged to his own specifications.
I do not know how M. Corcia can offer us such an excellent Burgundy for only $11 (US), £7 (UK), when practically no one else can. Perhaps he is an expert at driving down costs. Perhaps he knows how to eliminate middle-men, of whom the wine trade has many. Or perhaps he is simply honest.
Whatever the explanation, M. Corcia’s Bourgogne is simple, soft, medium-bodied and unmistakably Burgundian. It slips down effortlessly, and if, like me, you fail to buy a second bottle, you will probably kick yourself.
