Domaine des Terres Gentilles 2022 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Burgundy

“Perfect is the enemy of good” Voltaire

I was reminded of this quote as our team was standing in our store’s tasting room, open bottles in front of us, glasses being poured, sniffed, sipped, dumped and on to the next. Our monthly search for Wine of the Month. Some months we are just shown a kickass wine and we know, almost instantly, that we have a candidate. From there, we taste the rest of the team and if the majority agree, we have our Wine of the Month. Other months we are up to the wire, last couple days of the month making calls and yanking bottles off the racks desperately trying find something that deserves a feature.

Late May, we found ourselves in the latter, scurrying to select a Wine of the Month. As I darted across the sales floor, I walked past our rather decimated stacks of Domaine des Terres Gentilles red Burgundy that we lost our minds over earlier in the month, the red Burgundy that we begged the importer to hold an extra 25 cases of, because we were floored by the old world wine with an old fashioned price point.  The red Burgundy that customers have been returning for and thanking me for finding. 

Why was I rushing past the already good in search of the perfect?

I walked right back into the tasting room and said, “Or, we could do the Domaine de Terres Gentilles Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir for Wine of the Month” and there was a collective nod throughout the room.  No need to re-invent the wheel.  We have a successful little wine that is over-performing and delivers so much good for so little money, especially in its category.  That’s pretty perfect wouldn’t you say? Plus, as we coast into June, a light bodied, dry red with both smoky and slight green notes make for a refreshing partner to so many grilled, simple foods that we like to enjoy as we welcome summer. 

If you haven’t had it yet, get you some. If you have had it, get you some more. Easy, charming red for a vintage price.

This wine reminds me so much of the Burgundies we were tasting 20 years ago.  That leaner, sultry, tart red fruit, smoke and earth, with a crave-inducing snap of minerals and acidity that makes this a wine that can pair with just about anything.  Decanting puts a little more weight on the wine, a quick chill and you can serve it with everything from grilled seafood to charcuterie, burgers, to simple slices of roast beef. 

A taste of old-school Burgundy at an old-school price. --Samantha Dugan