Recommendation: Not recommended.
Winery/Producer: Domaine Saint-Abel; Burgundy, France.
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir.
Geographic Region, Appellation: Cote de Beaune; Burgundy, France.
Vintage: 2009
Price: $77.63
Purchased From: The Britannia Restaurant, on board the Queen Mary 2.
Paired With: Roasted fillet of pork served with creamed savoy cabbage and corquette potatoes, ratatouille, caramelised apples and a pork jus. And, Indonesian chicken and papaya and avocado salad, pecan nuts and gingered citrus dressing.
Tasting:
He said: Not opened before drinking. Clear rich ruby red color. Quite strong alcohol and damp earth aromas. Rich, spicy dark fruit taste that finishes long and bitter. Drinking alone before dinner there was a secondary medicinal flavor and an intense tartness in the finish that borders on being sour. With the pork the wine was not improved. A VERY disappointing pinot noir from Burgundy.
She said: Big suprise! This wine had quite an alcohol smell even though it is a very reasonable 13.5%. As time went on the alcohol aroma diminished but did not disappear so I would recommend opening the bottle at least an hour before you drink it or decant. Subtle flavors including damp earth and oak emerged over time but the light body was a negative for me. The dryness and tannins were pleasant but the finish had a sourness that really killed the wine. Admittedly this wine was not chosen for my dinner and I thought there would be a way to enjoy both food and wine. My opinion on this wine is clearly that it has problems, Ray didn’t like it with his diner either.
Comments: This wine was purchased on board the Queen Mary 2 at restaurant prices. Unless we feel strongly about the price we will direct our comments at the quality of the wine recognizing that it should be possible to purchase it for (two or three times) less at a wine store.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Bar code: 3 362872 372218
Imported by: NA