Pinot noir is one of my favorite grapes, and it probably is for many people. High demand for something is never good if you expect to get something cheap, but the problem with pinot noir is that THE reference region for the grape, Burgundy, is only about 30,000 hectares (roughly 74,000 acres). That is one tenth of Bordeaux, and not even 2,5% of the area under vine in California! And then pinot noir only represents 30% of the wine made in Burgundy… If people from all over the world want those wines, well you get the picture, don’t you? The prices of red Burgundy go up every year and quite dramatically so in the case of wines that have become the target of speculation.

When I did my dissertation for my sommelier course about five years ago, I chose  “quality of pinot noir under 15€” as my subject. I wanted to know if it was possible to find good pinot noir at a price that most people still find acceptable. Acceptable of course depends on a few things, such as where you are located. I’m located in Belgium, which means that transport costs are limited in comparison to the US or Asia. I’m not even sure if it is possible to find red Burgundy in the US under 17$? At the time I did my study I was still able to find quite a few here, but I’m sure that would be more difficult today. Another factor that plays a role in what you find acceptable is whether you are an occasional wine drinker (“do you have merlot?”), a more advanced wine-lover (“I prefer left-bank over right-bank Bordeaux”), or an outright wine freak (“I bought Les Petits Monts because that’s just above Richebourg!”). Market research regularly shows that the first category on average spends 3-4€ on a bottle of wine. You can’t even find a 37,5cl bottle of Burgundy for that price. The wine freak is not a good reference either, because once the Burgundy fever got hold of you, you find 30€ for a village Gevrey a bargain. So perspective is really everything here.

So what did my study came up with? Out of more than 40 wines tasted (more than half of which were Burgundies) only one (!) red Burgundy was approved by the tasting panel. Ouch… Luckily there were alternatives. The New-Zealand pinot noirs punched above their weight, or should I say price. Not one performed really bad, which some Burgundies did, and most were genuinely liked by the panel. Brancott Estate’s pinot noir was then one of the top performing wines out of the whole series.

The reason why I come back to this study now is because I recently drank Vidal’s Pinot Noir Reserve 2017, which reminded me of how good New Zealand pinot noir can be.

It has loads of freshly cut red fruit, a bit of laurel, and great freshness. What I like most here is that there’s no obvious wood aromas, despite the fact that it spent 11 months in French barriques. Not that I mind thoughtful use of wood in pinot noir, but one critical note I could make on some of these budget New Zealand pinot noirs is that they tend to have a similar profile, not in the least because of the use of wood that kind of defines them. Vidal’s pinot noir does not have that, it’s all vibrant fruit here. It’s frivolous in a way, and reminds me of a good domaine’s basic Burgundy. This is a fun wine to drink, and yet it gives you that distinct pinot noir feeling that Burgundy lovers look for. The great thing is that I bought this wine for 12€. That’s what I call a bargain!