2006 Domaine Michel Lafarge Bourgogne Passetoutgrain

Emergency - I have found a wine shop going out of business!  Sad for them, and oh-so-dangerous for me, because all their wines are 20-25% off.  So I splurged on a Burgundy - not a super-expensive one, and not a particularly "classic" one either - but a Burgundy nonetheless. The appellation Bourgogne Passetoutgrain is one of those rare Burgundy reds that isn't required to be made of 100% Pinot Noir. In fact, they tend to be more like 30% Pinot Noir, and the rest Gamay (the grape used to make Beaujolais, also part of Burgundy), and even some varied white grapes.

The color in the glass is beautiful - a pale garnet with lots of brown and some pale orange towards the rim. The aromas are wafting across the 2 feet between me and the glass.  Definitely some grape jam (hello Gamay), but also some delicious, earthy Pinot notes, like black pepper, cocoa, mushroom, and forest floor. Very aromatic, indeed.

It's also quite nice on the palate - a little hefty on the acid, likely because 2006 was a somewhat damp year in Burgundy, and some of the grapes were unable to ripen fully - but there is still some very nice fruit, slight but refined tannins, and a peppery finish that I find very pleasing. (That last bit sounded very Jane Austen, didn't it? I bet Jane was a wine-lover....)  It definitely tastes more like a Pinot than a Gamay to me, and Michel Lafarge is certainly known for his other, Pinot-based, Burgundies, so I'd hazard a bet that this is more than 30% Pinot. Regardless, it's a nice wine that I am happy to have found on the discount rack!

Vintage: 2006
Grape: Pinot Noir, Gamay
Region: Burgundy
Price: $18

2009 Pascal Granger Julienas Crus de Beaujolais

This wine smells like warm blueberries and cream. The universe should provide a choir of angels (or at least oblidge with someone playing Puccini with their windows open) whenever someone pops the cork on a bottle of this beaujolais. Beaujolais can have a bad reputation, often due to the grape popsicle fruitiness of the beaujolais you're likely to find on a supermarket shelf. This wine is the Stradivarius to Georges Dubeouf's plastic ukelele.

OK, perhaps I should taste the wine before I oversell it based on the aromas alone. It's also quite gorgeous in the mouth. Unlike most Beaujolais, I think this wine could actually benefit from another year or two in the bottle. It's quite delicious now, though, with tannins and acidity perfectly in harmony with the red berries, which are luscious, but not at all overpowering. I even get a little prickle on the tongue that could be a hint of pleasant effervescence. This wine is a superstar, and would be perfect - and I'm not just saying this because Thanksgiving is a week from tomorrow - with a big turkey dinner with cranberries and stuffing. Absolutely perfect. 91.