90 points
Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France. 13%

I seldom get the chance to drink aged Burgundy. I’ve often thought that, aside from the richest cuvees, that old Burgundy might produce a savoury wine, with serious flavour but without any fat. I sometimes feel lke such a wine, claret doesn’t quite fit the bill, most New World wines are too sweet or heavy. Some old Hunter shiraz are the closest thing to it.
This wine hit the spot perfectly. Plenty of savoury flavour but with almost no fruit sweetness. Concentrated, and surprisingly dark in colour (browning at the edges), this wine is beautifully light on its feet, beautiful balance of acid and alcohol.
I could never find an 8 year old Australian Pinot Noir (or NZ) that did not still exhibit either sweet fruit or, by now, dull prune flavours. That said, I can imagine plenty of people would criticise the lack of fruit in this wine and I’m not holding it up as the finest that Burgundy has to offer, but there is a need for wines like this (especially for consuming with food) – they are rare.