Carrying On With a Pinot Kick

The other day I watched the Barefoot Contessa make a tuna salad with avocado and spicy lime dressing that looked divine.  So after BK and I spent the afternoon at a local farmer’s market and The Wine Mine, we stopped at Whole Paycheck for a few things, including a thick steak of ahi tuna.  With that meaty fish and my decision to dress the asparagus with a dijon-sherry sauce, I had to search the mess of the wine storage area to find my 2004 Vincent Dureil Janthial Bourgogne Passetoutgrains. 

With a recent tasting group that was focused on Burgundy, we sampled four of the pricy versions (in the $50 range for Premier Crus, such as Pommard) but talked about how there’s good lower-level stuff out there.  As with groceries and prescriptions, sometimes generic can do just as well.

Such was the case with this wine. I picked it up on my first trip to North Berkeley Imports, for about $20, I think. But despite its price point at less than half of those my group tasted, it fit the bill exactly. (Besides, I had to make up for the cost of the tuna.) Where the color came across as very light, the nose boldly brought about cherry, cola, mushroom, forest floor, and spice, most of which followed through in the mouth. Later, I found lavender and cotton, with light notes of cocoa. Overall quite enjoyable and a good pairing for the meal. The acidity in the wine allowed the match with the lime juice, while the notes of spice stood up to the dijon mustard.

And after all, a bargain always makes it taste better!