I was in Cambridge Wine Merchants, and thought I’d ask for a recommendation for a wine to go with roast pheasant. I had my own ideas, but I find it can be useful to ask someone else, who might introduce me to a wine I wasn’t familiar with, or a pairing I didn’t think of.
This wine was the result of such a request, made of Romain, at the King’s Parade branch, to be specific. (Spoiler alert: Thanks, Romain!)
In the glass
It’s interesting. In a good way. It’s ruby, with hints of purple, I think. If I’m trying to be all wine-expert-y and such. But it’s also not-ruby. Not getting much further, I asked ChatGPT 4 to describe the wine. It said ‘deep ruby.’ I asked it to be creative, so it said: ‘a velvety maroon, reminiscent of a royal cloak, with hints of garnet that catch the light, creating a liquid tapestry of deep, enigmatic crimson.’ That works for me.
The nose
Nope. Nothing. Multiple attempts give the same result.
The palate
Cranberries. Zing. Red currants. Those are the first words in my notes. Upon first tasting, it has an appealing sourness to it. It has a nice long finish. The tannins are fine. They’re fairly discrete. You know they are there, but they don’t shout out their presence. Medium-bodied.
I actually taste this wine twice. First, on Christmas Day, with the pheasant. But, to be honest, I’m not really in the mood to appreciate it. I’m glad I Coravin-ed it, rather than pulling the cork. I have the rest on Boxing Day, with some nice cheese.
This is much more impressive. That may be partly because I’m giving it time to open up a bit more, but also, a lot has to do with the taster’s mood. On Boxing Day, I’m much more open to the idea of just enjoying some wine and cheese.
It’s gorgeous. Smooth. There’s a hint of spice there now. I still don’t get anything on the nose, and not sure I’d add much to the palate. Perhaps the sourness is a bit toned down, and some cherries creep in to the flavour profile.
Rating
Yummy-double-plus-good. Very Pretty on the colour, even without ChatGPT’s intervention.
Sustainability
Can’t find any info. The Domaine Bachey-Legros website talks about nature and respect, but nothing to suggest they are organic, practice low-intervention winemaking, or whatever.
The technical info
13.5% ABV. Pinot Noir. £27.99 from Cambridge Wine Merchants.