Where much red Burgundy tends towards subtleness and finesse, the Domaine du Couvent style is noticeably more intense. The winemakers harvest relatively late, and use a long cold soak to extract loads of flavor and texture from their grapes. The resulting wines are concentrated, dark, and delicious.
Couvent is best known (and deservedly so) for their terrific village-level and premier cru wines from Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny. They only began making a Bourgogne-level wine a few year years ago, but it’s an exciting addition to their lineup. And in 2018, a year of near-record ripeness, the wine is unusually good.
The nose is very dark and spiced, with briary blackberry fruit, notes of woods, cinnamon, smoke, and a hint of ginger. The mouth is bold and silky smooth with a solid texture laid under intense masculine fruit. It’s not as long or as deep as a Gevrey, but there’s loads more material than most Bourgogne-level wines.
No need to cellar this — this is a juicy, delicious glass of bold Pinot Noir today. If it lacks a bit of refinement and finesse, it makes up for it in character and charm. It might not be old-school Burgundy, but it’s awfully tasty wine.
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Couvent Bourgogne rouge 2018
bottle price: $35
FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES
