If it’s grouse, it must be Pinot. The Glorious Twelfth is the start of grouse shooting season, and the game bird will soon be gracing restaurant and dinner tables. A grouse that is eaten the day it is shot will taste fresher, while a grouse that has been hung for a few days, up to a week, can be much gamier. But however you prefer game, Pinot Noir is what you want in your glass. Pinot loves umami, and the red fruit and earthy spice notes in a good Pinot Noir match beautifully with game.
It’s not just grouse – Pinot Noir is very food friendly. Light meats and fatty fish let the fruit take the foreground. Mushrooms echo the forest floor characteristics of aged Pinot Noir, so a mushroom risotto or tart will bring out the umami. And if you thought that beef was too heavy a meat for red Burgundy, think again – boeuf bourguignon is the Burgundian meal par excellence.
To celebrate the start of shooting season we have four red Burgundies on free tasting. Gouges are the emblematic producer in Nuits-St-Georges, and Berthaut-Gerbet is demonstrating the underrated potential of the terroirs of Fixin. Felettig are based in Chambolle-Musigny but have great holdings up and down the Côte, and François Lumpp flies the flag for the Chalonnaise village of Givry.
| Vintage | Description | Cs Sz | Bt Sz | Cs | Bts | Cs ib | Cs inc | Bt inc | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |  |
Berthaut-Gerbet Hautes Cotes de Nuits | 6x | 75cl | 4 | 3 | £114.00 | £158.29 | £29.95 | Buy |
| 2023 | |
Francois Lumpp Givry Rouge Crausot | 6x | 75cl | 2 | 4 | £186.00 | £244.69 | £46.95 | Buy |
| 2021 | |
Felettig Beaune Champs Pimont | 6x | 75cl | 5 | 5 | £270.00 | £346.32 | £66.95 | Buy |
| 2023 | |
Henri Gouges Nuits-St-Georges | 6x | 75cl | 1 | 4 | £240.00 | £310.32 | £59.95 | Buy |