Last week I had the opportunity to taste five years worth of Pinot Noir from Chanson. This is a vintages essential that is currently available for $21.95 (50575). If you’re one of those people who like to buy a few bottles of a wine your really like and save it for a special occasion you already know that you don’t have to break the bank to get good wine to cellar. If you’re one of the “buy and drink right away” crowd (and I realize most people are) this is the sort of wine where you can afford to buy a few bottles and start your cellar and maybe kick the habit of drinking all the wine you buy right away.
The oldest wine being poured was from 2008, and to be honest I don’t think this wine is even close to it’s “best before” date. There was more earth in the glass than the other four vintages but there was still cherry and raspberry in the bottle.
The real standout out of the five vintages poured was from 2012. Lots of flavours of fresh Cherry with a floral quality that opens up on the mid-palate as you enjoy this wine. There is nice acidity to this wine but the floral really lingers. This is definitely the sort of wine that you would want to pick up a few bottles and see how it develops over time. The only challenge will be having the patience to let it age because it’s so good right now. Aging this wine will allow the fruit flavours to settle and bring out more earthiness.
Should you have the means I would also suggest trying the 2009 as there were hints of the floral qualities that I found in the 2012 but the wine was much more subtle. There was great balance between cherry and slight earth on the finish with very nice acidity.
What is interesting about doing a vertical tasting like this is that you get the opportunity to see that even though the wines taste quite different from year to year there is still a level of consistency and quality. At this price there is no reason to not try this wine from any vintage.
