The title Bourgogne doesn’t give one a lot of information. Basically the wines can come from any legitimate terroir within the entire appellation of Burgundy and quality can vary greatly. We surely like the pricing but value depends ultimately on what’s under the cork. The back story here does a lot to set expectations. This firm was founded as a negocient back in 1865 and for a long period was a respected source of traditional Burgundy.
In 2002, it was acquired by Ann Colgin (yes, that Colgin) and husband Joe Wender. They brought in young winemaker David Croix, hooked up with savvy importer Becky Wassermen, revamped the cellars and replaced a lot of old wood, including the introduction of a wooden press for the red wines, open wooden vats for fermentation. These days they use little or no new oak and little racking. The winemaking pulls from both traditional and modern methodology and the wines these days are much more supple and approachable.
As you might expect, this is quite the ‘little’ Bourgogne. Certainly, the engaging 2017 vintage, ripe like 2015 but a little lighter on its feet, provided the kind of delectable fruit to play nicely into the program. Sourced from Bourgogne parcels in Volnay (climats Long Bois, Mon Poulain), Gevrey-Chambertin and the Côte Chalonnaise (Moroges), all of which have clay-limestone soils, the Camille Giroud Bourgogne 2017 delivers a punchy, bright mouthful of strawberry and cherry fruit laced with spice and lighter framed minerality. It sports deceptively power as Pinots go, and represents a classic expression of Burgundy for a surprisingly modest fare. A must for any Pinot Noir lover, it drinks nicely now with a little bit of air (something of a theme with the better 2017s).